The Journey to a Healthier You
Happy New Year!!!
A new year is often wrought with goals that individuals intend to achieve. The most popular of course, is weight loss, which inundates the airwaves and television by way of commercials made by celebrities or fitness gurus selling a quick fix. A billion dollar enterprise that if successful, would no longer be viable right? The only thing these gadgets, gismos, and tonics do is slim your wallet, not your waistline.
If you’ve decided that this is your year to make a positive change under the umbrella of physical wellness I want to wish you the very best, and congratulate you on such a wonderful goal. As an organism, the body requires three things to be physically healthy: good food, purposeful movement, and good sleep hygiene. No matter what your goal(s), find ways to incorporate these essentials into your day while on your quest for wellness. I also want to extend some unsolicited advice to avoid your needing to re-up next year.
1. If you plan on skipping meals, starving yourself (1,500 calories or less per day), or playing the 'get-even' scorekeeping game because you blew it the day before so you'll balance it out today… DON'T!
2. If your plan is to be a cardio king/queen and spend hours burning calories to beat yourself up from a bad diet, or because you want to lose weight as fast as possible… DON'T!
3. If a friend, television guru, TikTok influencer, or trainer has sold you on the wonders of a quick fix, the latest snake oil, pill, tincture, essential oil, detox cream, seaweed wrap, or for heaven's sake a diabetic drug whose off-label side effect is weight loss... DON'T!!!
Ten ‘DO’ Commandments:
1. Focus on Diet First.
Quality calories that nourish you and keep your blood sugar stable for longer periods of time are what is required -- lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but you need to eat properly to lose fat. Please observe that I didn’t say lose ‘weight’. Let me explain. The goal is to conserve muscle and burn fat right? You can absolutely burn up muscle by overtraining and not eating properly which will cause that scale to tip left, but is your goal to be ‘skinny-fat’? What happens if your diet never changes and the cardio craze stops? More fat, less muscle. Make sense?
You control what goes into your gut, choose wisely. The results you seek lie first and foremost with what’s happening in the kitchen and your relationship with food. If food is an unhealthy trigger for you, work with someone who can help you to understand what may be at the root cause so you can work to resolve it, not continue to spend time and often money putting a band-aid on a wound that needs more in-depth care. We never heal correctly with the wrong tools!
2. Drink Plenty of Water.
Not pre-workout, coffee, tea, etc. WATER. Many of these products contain caffeine which pulls water out of the body. This water does not have to be the virgin tears of baby whales in the Arctic. Tap water is just fine. If you're concerned, get a filtration system.
Here’s a formula for proper water consumption (unless your provider has you on fluid restrictions):
Current Weight: ___________ x 0.6 = ____________ water in ounces you should be drinking per day. (Example: 160 x 0.6 = 96 ounces)
Here is some perspective on this. There are:
128 ounces in a gallon
32 ounces in a quart (32 x 4 = 128)
64 ounces in a half-gallon (32x2 = 64)
A standard bottle of water = 16 ounces
A standard glass = 8 ounces or 1 cup
If your weight changes, you may wish to recalculate the suggested daily intake.
3. Increase Your Activity.
Include weight-bearing exercises along with cardio work. This is especially important for peri, postmenopausal, and menopausal individuals. Yes gentlemen, your hormones tank too. But ladies, lower estrogen can lead to osteoporosis (porous bones making fractures easier). Weight-bearing work staves this off. Weights do not make you big and bulky, that is a myth. Muscle also weighs more than fat and burns calories even at rest (bonus!). Fat, on the other hand, does not. Refer back to #1. This does not mean you have to kill it in a gym 6 days per week. Slow and steady wins the race. Consistency is key. Be patient, your body will respond. Too much, too soon, is a leading cause for people to quit. Overtraining will slow progress. You are an organism that requires rest to rebuild and grow muscle. If you keep killing it, you're losing the necessary repairing component in the equation.
4. Ask for Help!
Don't rely on what you've always done, or what others have done that has worked. Just like a snowflake, you are unique, with unique circumstances, schedules, children, jobs, incomes, etc. Hire someone that can work with you to build a proper diet and routine based upon your specific goal(s). Knowledge is power -- learn how to do this the safe, healthy, and sustainable way. This is not a race, but a journey, filled with self-discovery. Enjoy it.
5. Find a Fitness Family.
Locate like-minded folks at the gym you attend, start a walking group, invite your current pals and work through it together, but beware of the saboteur. You know that friend who says, "We'll start tomorrow, let's go out tonight!" Find the tribe that encourages you, cheers you on, holds you accountable, but always remember, YOU are your own best friend. Stay the course, don't lose sight of the end result -- a healthier version of the badass soul that you already are.
6. Choose Your Hard.
I’ve heard many people tell me, “Exercise is hard;” “My schedule is demanding;” “I don’t have time to meal prep;” “I can’t afford a gym membership;” "I work long hours leaving little time for much else..." You get the idea here. You may have heard this analogy before, but it’s very true -- choose your hard. For example, being overweight is hard. You may be short of breath, your joints may hurt, perhaps you are frustrated when buying new garments, etc. Being mindful of what you eat, ensuring that you get purposeful movement at least three times per week or more, and making sure you carve out time for self-care on a regular basis is hard. Choose your hard.
Ignoring what is ailing you doesn’t make it go away, it acts like a bodybuilder who lives in your basement just pumping more and more iron, getting stronger by the day. Ignoring what is ailing you will continue to fester, affecting your mental and physical health and may often manifest as anger, depression, insomnia, etc.
Physically, it may manifest as pre-diabetes or active diabetes, arthritis, headaches, ulcers, etc. Choose your hard. If you’re having a difficult time mustering the motivation to identify what’s at the root cause of what’s eating you, consider working with a professional that can help you. You cannot pour from an empty cup and if you do not replenish and take care of yourself, your essence will continue to spill out, shortchanging your quality of life by way of your emotional and physical health. Put the work in and choose what 'hard' you want to live with. Walk a neighbor's pet, use canned goods for weights, walk up and down your stairs, park far from the store entrance, walk in a store, or lunge around your house. Just MOVE! Choose your hard before the hard you’re left with managing chooses you!
7. Stop the Self-Sabotage.
You do not need to follow a fancy, cosmopolitan (the latest fad) diet. Eating clean (as close to the source and fresh) is best. Lots of vegetables (fresh or frozen), fresh whole fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats, and complex (slow-burning) carbohydrates are perfect. Avoid refined and processed sugars, limit alcohol (beer = liquid bread), and processed or fast foods. SUGAR and alcohol are the largest saboteurs of progress. Avoid or indulge in moderation.
A diet high in sugar, alcohol, and processed foods (especially carbohydrates), will not keep you functioning optimally and will open you up to illnesses, not to mention packing on fat which also puts strain on your heart and joints. The rule of thumb in the world of wellness is lean proteins, complex carbohydrates (these maintain your blood sugar at a steady state and help to avoid cravings and/or energy crashes), and loads of vegetables for vitamins and fiber which keeps things 'moving' along. There is more and more evidence that gut health is connected to our immunity.
Meal plans and workout needs are unique based upon the goal(s) of the individual. This narrative is not designed to go into that level of detail. If you’re looking for that level of assistance, work with me privately. A great read is “Pure White and Deadly,” a book about sugar. I have referred hundreds of people to this resource over the years. Be a lifelong learner and decide what makes the most sense to you.
8. Buyer Beware!
If you decide to pursue supplementation, be mindful that not all products are created equal and there is no FDA criterion to ‘verify’ that supplements do what they indicate. The products I use through my Fullscript site are ones that I trust and have vetted through personal research and unbiased product analysis. I ensure they contain the correct percentage of the active ingredients that will get the job done. Many warehouses that sell products cheaper may not be genuine products, and often do not contain the correct formula of ingredients.
Read labels carefully. Products can contain stimulants, hormones or products that affect hormones, and flavor-enhancing ingredients that add sugar. Many of the distributors misleadingly imply that these are "natural, plant-derived compounds," or may list them as "proprietary blends". If you're reading such statements, it may be best to look for something else. The objective is to keep the product clean and get your vitamins from food or specific supplements that suit your needs and goals.
9. Enjoy the Sunshine.
Open up the windows in your home and/or office, even in the colder months, and get outside into the sunshine every day. Sunshine is a natural way to bolster Vitamin D which is very protective. A staple for overall health, immunity, and staving off disease. You cannot rely on your diet to cover the level you need for optimum protection. For most adults, 4000-6000 iu daily is a great dose that should help to keep your levels in the optimal range (between 70-100ng/mL). If you’ve never had a blood level drawn, please consider doing so as part of your annual physical.
10. Be Patient and Kind with Yourself.
Don’t expect to see progress overnight. I know you’ve heard this before, but it’s true. Go back and read #3. You are amazing, and no one can convince you otherwise except you. Don’t believe the media, Hollywood with their photoshopped pictures, or that narcissistic person in your life that you should probably consider banishing, but that’s a whole other blog.
No one needs to tell you about the ways that you can make improvements. We all fully realize in the core of who we are, the things that we can improve upon. Our bodies tell us all the time if we take the time to really pay attention. Don’t take on too many things, just select something that is reasonable, and as you learn and grow within that goal, expand a little at a time.
Moral:
You don't need to be Mother Theresa in the kitchen, Arnold Schwarzenegger in the gym, or hire the likes of Jillian Michaels to reach the goals you have envisioned. Attitude is everything, and you CAN do this, but you have to want it! Work smarter, not harder, and enjoy the journey. YOU are so worth it!!!
Always check with your provider before beginning a fitness or diet regimen. The information contained herein is designed as a resource and is not intended to take the place of medical advice.
