Posts Tagged ‘getting healthy’
Word to the wise
As someone who used to weigh over 450 pounds, I’m not sure what people are more impressed by… The fact that I managed to take off over 250 pounds of excess weight through diet and exercise (as opposed to fads, pills or surgery) or the fact that I’ve kept the excess weight off for well over a decade.
I must admit that these two facts still manage to “Wow” me as well. Not in an egotistical way, but in a humble one. After all, I know that if I were to forget about these monumental feats and let my guard down, I’d be in trouble. That’s because maintaining my health and weight loss is something I have to constantly work at. But when I share this tidbit with people, sometimes their “Wow” smile takes a sharp turn and becomes a “That’s awful” frown.
I admit that back in the day, before losing all of my excess weight, even I used to visualize losing all of my blubber and then being able to ‘Eat whatever I want, whenever I want.’ And yeah, it was kind of a slap in the face to realize that steamed green beans and broiled chicken were going to remain a part of my life forever n’ ever. This didn’t mean I couldn’t revel in the occasional cup of frozen yogurt or gluttonously dip the occasional sweet potato French fry in a puddle of ketchup. But the key word with these kinds of treats is “Occasional,” as opposed to “Everyday.” And that’s because my everyday requires work to stay lean, mean and healthy (minus the mean – just going for the cliché there – sorry).
I often liken to my staying healthy to riding a bike. I must constantly keep pedaling. And the minute I stop pedaling, I fall down, skin my knees and gain back over 250 pounds. But in today’s society, it seems like people shy away from the word “Work” – especially when realizing the word – and the effort – need to be constantly applied to things in our life that really matter.
The concept of ‘Work’ doesn’t just apply to a healthy weight, of course. One of my dearest friends is madly in love with her husband of over 11 years and has what I consider to be one of the happiest marriages I know of. And yet she’ll be the first to tell anyone that asks that being happy and in love requires a lot of ‘Work.’ Again, people balk – perhaps wondering why something like ‘Love’ should require that particular 4-letter word. And yet when you think about it, it makes all the sense in the world.
Having to work for something doesn’t mean you have to be miserable doing it. It just means you are hopefully committed to whatever it is you’re working toward or working on maintaining. Whether it’s losing weight, maintaining weight, getting healthy, nurturing a relationship, raising children or any number of other activities, ‘Work’ is often the common denominator. And why shouldn’t it be? Aren’t all good things worth working for? Of course, they are. And when we put the required amount of work into things, the outcomes usually turn out better and, just as important, feel better.
Rather than sigh and haunch our shoulders when considering what ‘Work’ will be involved in accomplishing a goal, why not embrace the effort it’s going to take and approach said work with happiness and commitment, knowing that whatever we’re setting our sites on is worth it? Suddenly, ‘Work’ isn’t such a 4-letter word and, instead, is a healthy conceit that we don’t have to groan and moan about.
It’s all about a positive attitude, right?
So even though maintaining my healthy weight (and holding off the 250+ pounds that would love nothing more than to settle back onto my body) takes daily work (365 days a year), I do the work knowing that it’s worth it. I feel better, I look better (yeah, I said it) and I am better – not so much because of the actual goals I’ve accomplished, but because of the work I’ve been willing and remain willing to put forth toward attaining and maintaining these goals. So why not try readjusting your mindset toward this particular 4-letter word? You might be surprised to find out that the concept of work is suddenly one you embrace, rather than begrudge.
Have something you’re currently working toward? I’d love to know about it. Please share below (even if the sharing does require a little work).
Snake Oil Salesmen Redux
Photo Source: Flex Belt
Although I don’t know actress Denise Richards personally, I find myself questioning her judgement in regard to her being a spokesperson for The Flex Belt® – a device that claims to be “The first Ab Belt Toning system cleared by the FDA for Toning, Firming and Strengthening the stomach muscles.” Uh-huh.
Are Denise Richards and other celebrities (including Lisa Rinna and Adrianne Curry) really so desperate for a paycheck that they would encourage people to believe that something like this works better than old-fashioned situps? This is to say nothing of professional athletes like San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice and Olympic Gold Medalist Janet Evans – two people who should surely know that there are no shortcuts to the benefits achieved by doing real exercise.
When it comes to a true celebrity “testimonial” for The Flex Belt, I’m reminded of Robin Williams, who (and I’m paraphrasing) suggests strapping the device to your forehead in order to wake up your brain in order to stop buying this crap. That humor seems to encompass more reality than any of the testimonials from people like Denise Richards or any of these other ‘celebrities.’
Photo Source: Health News Review
As many professional trainers will tell you, you can’t target specific areas of your body for weight loss. In other words, there’s no way to specifically lose body fat from your stomach or love handles if those are the areas that concern you most. Fat reduction happens at different places around the body. And until you remove the layers of fat that might be covering your stomach muscles, it’s not likely you’re going to see that 6-pack anytime soon (certainly not by use of The Flex Belt alone).
So why pay hundreds of dollars when you can do 5-10 minutes of ab-work virtually anywhere and for no cost at all? It makes no sense to me. And yet companies like this (with their ‘celebrity’ endorseres) seem to want a fool and his money to soon be parted. Fact is, if devices like The Flex Belt (or even diet pills and other quick fixes) worked, then America wouldn’t have the dangerous obesity problem that it currently has. And the problem is only growing (no pun intended), which is why companies are inventing would be “miracle cures” to get the overweight consumer to spend – if not waste – their money looking for a cure.
DoesItReallyWork.org reports that “The Flex Belt will not help you lose weight, and most people already have a well-defined abdominal wall. The problem is you can’t see it through the layer of fat in the way. Since it doesn’t help you burn fat you won’t see any progress unless you combine it with aerobic exercise and a healthy diet.” The site goes onto say that, “The type of person that would be interested in shocking their abs into submission probably doesn’t have the sort of will power to stick to a diet and exercise regiment rigorous to get down to the 8% body fat or lower that it takes to get a visible six pack. Learn to love the abs you have, and rid yourself of the unrealistic goal of having six pack abs.”
As I’ve written before, the “cure” for losing weight and getting healthy is not on the outside (of ourselves) and certainly doesn’t come in a box (not even when the ‘box’ includes “generous bonus materials which combined would regularly cost $100!” as promised within the Terms of Your 2-Year Warranty section on The Flex Belt website).
The “cure” for getting healthier, losing weight and having firmer, more defined abs is on the inside (of you). It takes commitment. And believe it or not, you do have what it takes. And getting down on the floor and doing 5-10 minutes of ab work is a lot saner of an approach than forking over money for The Flex Belt – even if Denise Richards (and others) are telling you that it works for them.
The less we pay attention to these kinds of hucksters or modern day snake oil salesmen, the better. These messages aren’t just potentially deceiving, they can also be potentially misleading, confusing and even downright wrong (on an ethical level). So think about that next time you’re cashing your check from your Flex Belt campaign, Ms. Richards. You may think the joke’s on us. But it’s really you who is making a joke of your authenticity.
Embracing a 4-letter word
I’m not sure what “Wows” people more… The fact that I managed to take off over 250 pounds of excess weight through diet and exercise (as opposed to fads, pills or gimmicks) or the fact that I’ve kept the excess weight off for well over a decade.
I must admit that these two facts still manage to “Wow” me as well. Not in an egotistical way, but in a humble one. After all, I know that if I were to forget about these monumental feats and let my guard down, I’d be in trouble. That’s because maintaining my health and weight loss is something I have to constantly work at. But when I share this tidbit with people, sometimes their “Wow” smile takes a sharp turn and becomes a “That’s awful” frown.
I admit that back in the day, before losing all of my excess weight, even I used to visualize losing all of my blubber and then being able to ‘Eat whatever I want, whenever I want.’ And yeah, it was kind of a slap in the face to realize that steamed green beans and broiled chicken were going to remain a part of my life forever n’ ever. This didn’t mean I couldn’t revel in the occasional cup of frozen yogurt or gluttonously dip the occasional sweet potato French fry in a puddle of ketchup. But the key word with these kinds of treats is “Occasional,” as opposed to “Everyday.” And that’s because my everyday requires work to stay lean, mean and healthy (minus the mean – just going for the cliché there – sorry).
I often liken to my staying healthy to riding a bike. I must constantly keep pedaling. And the minute I stop pedaling, I fall down, skin my knees and gain back over 250 pounds. But in today’s society, it seems like people shy away from the word “Work” – especially when realizing the word – and the effort – need to be constantly applied to things in our life that really matter.
The concept of ‘Work’ doesn’t just apply to a healthy weight, of course. One of my dearest friends is madly in love with her husband of over 11 years and has what I consider to be one of the happiest marriages I know of. And yet she’ll be the first to tell anyone that asks that being happy and in love requires a lot of ‘Work.’ Again, people balk – perhaps wondering why something like ‘Love’ should require that particular 4-letter word. And yet when you think about it, it makes all the sense in the world.
Having to work for something doesn’t mean you have to be miserable doing it. It just means you are hopefully committed to whatever it is you’re working toward or working on maintaining. Whether it’s losing weight, maintaining weight, getting healthy, nurturing a relationship, raising children or any number of other activities, ‘Work’ is often the common denominator. And why shouldn’t it be? Aren’t all good things worth working for? Of course, they are. And when we put the required amount of work into things, the outcomes usually turn out better and, just as important, feel better.
Rather than sigh and haunch our shoulders when considering what ‘Work’ will be involved in accomplishing a goal, why not embrace the effort it’s going to take and approach said work with happiness and commitment, knowing that whatever we’re setting our sites on is worth it? Suddenly, ‘Work’ isn’t such a 4-letter word and, instead, is a healthy conceit that we don’t have to groan and moan about.
It’s all about a positive attitude, right?
So even though maintaining my healthy weight (and holding off the 250+ pounds that would love nothing more than to settle back onto my body) takes daily work (365 days a year), I do the work knowing that it’s worth it. I feel better, I look better (yeah, I said it) and I am better – not so much because of the actual goals I’ve accomplished, but because of the work I’ve been willing and remain willing to put forth toward attaining and maintaining these goals. So why not try readjusting your mindset toward this particular 4-letter word? You might be surprised to find out that the concept of work is suddenly one you embrace, rather than begrudge.
Have something you’re currently working toward? I’d love to know about it. Please share below (even if the sharing does require a little work).
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