by | Jan 6, 2014 | Consistency, Fat Loss / Cutting, Motivation, Nutrition, Self Acceptance
Challenge:
Now that you have your list of fitness goals, look deeper into the reasons why you want to achieve them. What is really driving you to make this change? Maybe you want to set a better example for your kids or something similar. Willpower is an exhaustible resource and having that emotional tie in to your goal will help pull you through the tough times. Referring to this list regularly will help reinforce your commitment.
By now, you should have a clear-cut idea of the goals that you want to accomplish for this year. Hopefully you have a list of some outcome-based goals that you intend to work towards in accomplishing your main goals. And you’ve framed those goals in such a way that you are working on building positive habits, rather than eliminating negative ones.
Now it’s time to get personal and dig deep into the reasons for your motivation. Why is it important for you to reach your goal? There are a number of reasons why you might set fitness goals. Maybe you want to set a better example for the little ones who are watching your every move, do away with high blood pressure, or feel more confident when you wear that bikini for your upcoming beach vacation.
As you think about the factors that are motivating you, remember that ultimately YOU are your best motivator and it is YOU who needs to own this journey. You need to determine what will motivate you to keep going when your willpower runs out. Others may be able to encourage you, but it is YOU who must make the hard choices and remain consistent when you feel like giving up.
Remember to continue to cast your goals in a positive, not negative light. If you begin your goal setting process from the place of feeling disgusted with the way you look, it is highly likely that you will approach developing healthy habits as “punishment.” This is the wrong way to approach lasting lifestyle changes! If you view fitness and nutrition as punishment, you are far less likely to remain consistent. Change your mindset! Remaining consistent in the behaviors that will help you succeed in reaching your goals is an incredibly rewarding, not punishing experience.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be proud of the way that you look. However, placing too much emphasis on attaining a certain look can drain the joy out of life. Try to keep the focus of your goals on performance and outcomes. This can be incredibly difficult for us, particularly as women living in a culture that places so much emphasis on how we look. It is easy for us to become obsessive about the way we look, and often the truly important things in our lives suffer as a result. Self-loathing, body shaming, anxiety, depression, and perfectionism often are present in those who are overly concerned with their physical appearance. Unable to attain to this impossible standard of perfection, it is easy to temporarily stop caring, which unfortunately leads to more self-loathing, and the cycle continues.
Regardless of where you are right now in your journey, be proud of who you are and do not subject yourself to body shaming as a way to motivate yourself. Don’t wait until you’ve accomplished your goals to feel great. Make sure you have plenty of options to look and feel your best, right now!
You may want to answer some questions in your fitness journal to help you think about the reasons for your goals. Jotting down a a few thoughts will give you something to refer back to and remind you of why this is important when you feel your willpower diminishing.
- What goals do you have?
- Why is it important for you to accomplish these goals?
- What drives you?
- What makes you feel happy?
- How will you feel when you reach your goals?
Images courtesy of: stockimages, Stuart Miles, Maya Picture of freedigitalimages.net
Becca is a busy wife and homeschooling mother to five children ages 5 to 13. About three years ago, she embarked on a journey to health and fitness that resulted in the loss of approximately 100 pounds. Today, she is a competitive powerlifter and strongwoman who loves ice cream and deadlifts. As an ISSA certified personal trainer, she is passionate about helping women to get started on a lifestyle of strength and fitness.
by EM2WL | Jan 3, 2014 | Fat Loss / Cutting, Tracking Progress
Water Weight Gain.
Words that seem to strike fear in the hearts of dieting women across the globe. When did we start giving water so much power and authority?
Oh yes…that second word: WEIGHT. More specifically, water weight gain, has women everywhere constantly searching for solutions on how to “solve” it.
Sure, when it’s that time of month, and we can’t squeeze into our “good” clothes, it can be annoying. Or we have a sodium fest, and feel like our jewelry is cutting off our circulation…not fun.
But is water really our nemesis?
Typical concerns of Water Weight Gain
Retained water becomes contaminated because your kidneys can’t filter out contaminants properly when you’re dehydrated. The liver is then called upon to help process these waste products, which interferes with one of its main functions, breaking down body fat. So without sufficient water in your body you’re likely to end up water-logged and bloated.
This is also said to lead to a problem with sodium. When you’re dehydrated, sodium can’t be adequately flushed from the body, causing further water retention, and any additional sodium ingested in your diet simply aggravates the problem.
Water and your muscles
Sometimes it feels as if water is working against us when we develop that “soft” look to our muscles. This is because diets or activities that cause excessive fluid loss have a significant effect on muscle size. Without sufficient water you become dehydrated. Your body begins to retain water to protect itself, and much of this water is stored subcutaneously, which smooths out muscle definition dramatically. This is why you hear of bodybuilders drinking up to a gallon or more each day to offset their higher sodium diets and intense workouts, in attempt to keep their muscles “hard” and visible.
Water weight gain during new workout phases
Gaining weight (~5 lbs) when starting a new exercise program is completely normal. If you are changing up your program every 4-6 weeks, then expect a jumpy scale. Period. It’s all good. Just let your body do it’s thing and stop depending on the scale ONLY for progress reports.
This is important to remember if you are in a program that uses “phases” that change regularly (such as LU app, STS, CLX, P90X, etc). You may experience a jump with every phase, and the scale could take up to three weeks to “equalize.” This means that you may only see the scale weight drop ONE week out of the four, then see it shoot back up again when you change something up. Don’t stress about it. What’s the alternative? Doing the exact same regimen (in attempt to avoid water weight gain) and seeing NO results because your body has adapted?
Not the wisest choice.
That water retention/scale increase/DOMS combo is your sign that your body is still being challenged by the current workout, which means that changes are on the way. We just need to learn not to shun it (water retention) so much.
Constant water retention from strength training
Many ladies get so caught up in that scale number that they feel like “Why bother lifting? I don’t want to carry extra water all the time”…but we are SUPPOSED to carry that water.
Blood = 92% water, the brain & muscles = 75% water, and bones = 22% water. Yet, on the flip side, obesity decreases the water in the body, to as low as 45% (as fat weight is only about 20-25% water).
You do the water math.
Women typically have less water than men (as a percentage), because they carry more fat. But think about it, men typically have an easier time with fat loss because they have more muscle.
The more muscle you carry, the higher your percentage of water will be. All. the. time.
To put it plainly, HEALTHY, and FIT bodies SHOULD carry water!
Coming to terms with a jumpy scale
Sometimes I feel like my weight only ever goes UP. But…when I focused on staying a number on the scale, I NEVER progressed, and actually started looking WORSE. Once I let it go, the floodgates opened and my body begin to FINALLY transform. It really is a hindrance to put so much emphasis on scale weight.
If you know that a jumpy scale will depress you, stay OFF. Let the mirror, pics, the way your clothes fit, and the constant compliments dictate your progress.
And while you’re at it, give poor water a break.
References:
The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding
Scienceclarified.com
Waterinfo.org
by Trish Adams | Jan 1, 2014 | Cardio
There are two times during the year when you are guaranteed to hear people pondering resistance training vs cardio for weight loss – post-holiday indulgence and pre-tank top season. Throughout most of the year, the benefits of resistance training over cardio exercise for long term weight management goes without saying. However, once panic sets in, we begin to throw all reason out the window in search of a quick fix.
We’ve all been there at one time or another. Although a cardio-based fitness regimen no longer enters my realm of thinking, when I have an event coming up or feel the need to drop a few inches, I will consider cranking up the cardio…briefly, then I roll my eyes at myself and start to take account of my behavior over the past few days, weeks or months.
How has my diet been? Have I been slacking on my protein? How is my whole vs processed food balance? Doing any extra indulging lately? Next, I evaluate my sleep – have I been getting enough quality sleep? I also consider whether I have been stressed more than usual.
Really, this list can go on, but usually, I can quickly identify the culprit for why my clothes may be fitting a bit more snug and it never has to do with the fact that I need more cardio in my life. Until my diet, sleep and stress levels, among other things, are in check, modifying my fitness routine won’t address the root cause, but only mask it.
Many believe that increasing the amount of cardio exercise they do, achieving a higher calorie burn during their workout, will lead to quicker weight loss. When done excessively, however, this weight loss is usually not ideal and can come from a combination of fat as well as muscle. Losing muscle, especially as you get older, has many repercussions, and for weight loss in particular, is very deceptive. If your muscle mass decreases, regardless of the reason, expect your metabolism rate to do so as well!
So, for fat loss, shift your focus from the calories you burn during your session and more toward the calories burned throughout the day.
photo credit: MilitaryHealth via flickr cc
There is no problem with cardio exercise in and of itself, in fact there are many health benefits of cardio training. However, if your goal is fat loss you would be better served to include resistance training in your program. For a quick rundown on some of the benefits of resistance training, check out my post on heavy weight lifting. But, in short, for weight management and fat loss, building lean mass raises your resting metabolism rate. A higher RMR means more calories burned, primarily from fat, without adding ANY activity.
If getting sweaty and breathless is your thing, however, consider including 1-3 metabolic resistance workouts in your program. Not only will you break a sweat, you’re sure to be left gasping for air. More importantly, your body will continue to burn fat for up to 72 hours post workout.
Something else to keep in mind is that cardio training alone won’t alter the shape of your body. For example, if you are pear shaped, doing cardio will only make you a smaller pear, where as resistance training can alter your shape, by building up your upper body to balance out your lower body. In short, resistance training adds curves and the infamous “toned” look most people are looking for.
In the end, the long term weight management benefits of cardio can’t hold a candle to resistance training. When your goal is permanent weight or fat loss, look to your diet first as well as sleep and stress management, which can lead to better hormone balance and, ultimately, the perfect set up for fat loss. For training, prioritize building lean mass through resistance training to kick up your metabolism, then decide if you want to add in a bit of cardio for fun or a little extra fat burn.
There is nothing wrong with doing cardio if you enjoy it, however, if you are considering a cardio-only fitness routine with the goal of long term weight loss and/or a toned physique, after logging hour after hour of cardio you may be left wondering where you went wrong.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be proud of the way that you look. However, placing too much emphasis on attaining a certain look can drain the joy out of life. Try to keep the focus of your goals on performance and outcomes. This can be incredibly difficult for us, particularly as women living in a culture that places so much emphasis on how we look. It is easy for us to become obsessive about the way we look, and often the truly important things in our lives suffer as a result. Self-loathing, body shaming, anxiety, depression, and perfectionism often are present in those who are overly concerned with their physical appearance. Unable to attain to this impossible standard of perfection, it is easy to temporarily stop caring, which unfortunately leads to more self-loathing, and the cycle continues.
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