Making the Cut

I give the ax to the book, Making the Cut: The 30 Day Diet and Fitness Plan to a Stronger, Sexier You, by Jillian Michaels.  While she might be a gifted trainer and a beloved reality tv show personality on Biggest Loser, she is no author.  Besides this book being costly (at $24.95), I thought it was overly-ambitious, lacked necessary details in key areas, and inflexible.

First, I understand it is a 30 day plan, and it is supposed to be intense.  I am accustomed to working out 5 days a week and have been doing so for a number of years now.  I’m not exactly a slouch when it comes to exercise know-how or terminology, and yet I still found myself in over my head.  During the first work-out, I think I strained my hip flexor attempting to perform this multi-stepped move. 

So besides the fitness, the meals were also really hard to follow.  The idea is don’t deviate AT ALL from the meal set-up.  Again I understand it is a 30 day program.  One of the few things I did like about this book was the test inside that gauges your sensitivity to carbs and weak points in your diet.  You are then given one of three tracks based on your answers.  I did learn what meal compositions might be best for me and was an area that I have tried to incorporate in my general nutrition.  Now the meal lay-out was much more complex.  Again, a strict meal plan was provided, yet it was up to the user to determine how much of everything equated to the caloric recommendation without providing the calorie breakdown for each item in the recipe.  Also, some of the meals called for eating canned salmon.  For real, I would rather starve than consume canned salmon.  For me, I have really studied food, calories, and servings, so I have a pretty good idea of what is a comparable meat or fish that I might like, but if someone is not that well-versed, I feel like it is going to be disastrous.  On a side note, if anyone is looking for a good calorie guide, Calorie King makes a pocket book that is AWESOME.  It gives you nutritional information on basic food groups as well as popular eating establishments.

While, the book claims to be for the “intermediate exerciser” and not the beginner, I really found it to be lacking and much harder to follow.  I would have rather saved the $25.00 and put it toward a personal training session.  If you still think that this might be the book for you, I would at least recommend purchasing it used or discounted on amazon.com. 

Glucomannan in Review

A couple of weeks ago, I took on the challenge of incorporating 6 grams of glucomannan in my diet as suggested by a food plan put forth in Women’s Health (WH).  Please refer to old blog post for background information.  I failed you all!  First, I had a lot of trouble incorporating 2 grams of this super pill, let alone 6 grams.  WH touted no vicious side effects, I must admit that my stomach was not having it.  The times where I could not check my self-control at the door and gave in to sinful pleasures like Golden Oreos [the most delicious treats on earth], it didn’t seem to matter that I had consumed a substance that was supposed to expand 50 times its own water weight.  It in no way prevented me (or limited me) from scarfing down these little treats from heaven.  So I’m sorry to say that I gave this a thumbs down.  If anyone still is interested, I have a whole bottle left that I would be happy to donate.

 I think other folks have the potential of being successful with this.  In theory, it is no different than the idea of incorporating ground flaxseed in oatmeal and bowls of cereal.  For me, I think I couldn’t get over the idea that it probably wasn’t something sustainable in the long-term, kind of like SlimFast.  Are we really “designed” to drink fluids that are supposed to expand in our stomachs and therefore, prevent us from eating?  It just seems cruel, unless you are using the SlimFast as a thickening agent in a milkshake (seriously, this is highly-recommended and brilliant)!  So, my failure could have easily been contributed to my own biases rather than the lack of effectiveness of this “supplement”.  For now, I’m still of the firm belief that balanced meals and regular exercise is the key to the healthiest and fittest lifestyle.  Just one person’s opinion!

Daily Affirmations

So I’m really committed to this idea of holistic change and improvement.  A couple of years ago, I purchased an MP3 download of guided imagery and daily affirmations designed to reduce stress.  It was completely out of character for me.  I am one of those people who couldn’t get in to yoga because  I was unable to embrace “the sun god spreading its warmth upon me”.  I know…I know…practicers of yoga have insisted that I, perhaps, was just going to the wrong studio for me.  I felt that yoga was too much of a spiritual experience that I was unable (or unwilling) to engage.  Given that as a back drop, this idea of daily affirmations seems to be a contradiction to what I just said.  Probably so, except I have an easier time relaxing in my bed and taking in positive messages rather than deriving meaning from life as blood rushes to my head while I’m holding “downward facing dog”. 

If you are unfamiliar with “affirmations”, it is defined as “Declarations that something is true.  A positive value judgement”.  I think we truly underestimate the power of positive thinking and how one’s “reality” is shaped by one’s perception of oneself (regardless how skewed that perception might be).  There is this quote I have always loved, “What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail”.  The truth of the matter is what we do attempt is far different than what we would attempt, and broadening our perception of what we are capable of bridges that gap between what we do accomplish.

Do you still feel this is a little hokey?  I must admit, I still am a bit of a skeptic.  However, I think the brain is so amazing and has so much untapped capacity.  If I can better utilize the resources I have to make myself feel healthier and happier with a mere attitude adjustment, I am willing to give it a shot.  With that said, I like www.healthjourneys.com.  I recently purchased Belleruth Naparstek’s daily affirmations on “Weight Loss- Health Journeys”.  It is a downloadable MP3 for $11.98.  I’ve previously purchased the guided imagery and daily affirmations on stress relief by Belleruth.  I wasn’t as big of a fan of the guided imagery.  Again, I have a hard time concentrating and getting in the right frame, however what turned me on to trying out the “Weight Loss” affirmations was my revisit to the daily affirmations segment on stress relief.  Some of the messages made me feel good by simply acknowledging that I have to be less critical of myself and let go of unreasonable expectations of myself  and others.  Getting into the process of reminding myself of these simple statements has really done wonders for my psyche.

I will report back to you my opinion of it- what works, what doesn’t, if I notice any change.  Sometimes when we are looking for positive changes, just trying something different gives us a new perspective.

The Skinny on the Fatosphere

Last week in the NY Times, there appeared an article regarding the growth of blogs related to health and fitness (Yay!!), and more specifically on “blogs written by fat people- and it’s fine to use the word, they say”.  This new blogosphere culture is now being referred to as the “fatosphere”.

I am troubled by this article.  The theme that seems to underlie these blogs mentioned in the article is this idea that there is nothing wrong with being overweight.  In fact, people aren’t more overweight, it’s society’s sudden fascination with “thin” that is creating this imaginary world of overweight, and instead of addressing this fictitious problem of obesity, we need to focus on just being happy the way we are.

First, we are not more overweight as a society.  What?!  I’m in my twenties, and I remember only a couple of pudgy kids in my elementary school.  Driving by bus stops today, I am amazed at how many “pudgy” kids I see.  Are we then saying that the shift to fast food, the lack of exercise, the rise of video games is not contributing to this rise in child obesity?  Are our children overweight because we’ve somehow mutated genetic make-up and are creating a new class of kid that is born to be obese?  Interestingly enough, there are studies regarding genes that contribute to obesity.  However many researchers conclude that these genetic mutations or genetic predispositions are not recent occurences, that today’s environment and behavior play a role (to what extent is still being examined).

Also, I think there is a huge difference between being NOT thin and healthy and being overweight with high-blood pressure, diabetes, and/or heart disease.  I am 5 foot, and I have (gasp!) thighs and a caboose that exclude me from being _______ (insert name).  In fact, strict dieting (like starving) and exercise would minimize my waist to 20 inches before I shed an inch on my thighs.  Is it frustrating?  Absolutely!  I used to wish (sometimes still do) that I had bird legs instead of the ones I got, but I got bum genes from my farmer ancestors, and here I am! So I am in no way suggesting that genes don’t play a role in our body shapes, some shapes that are “designed” to be less petite than others. I just don’t want people to resign to their current state when they, in fact, are capable of change. I don’t want people to miss out on all of the amazing effects that a healthy lifestyle can offer because their efforts haven’t always been successful.

Forums that allow us to seek support and share our frustrations are great if our intent is to motivate and improve. We all could use a little more self-esteem boosting, a little more acceptance, a greater sense of empowerment. My hope is that folks who are less than satisfied with their body, will focus their efforts on being more healthy, not just thin and will challenge themselves to answer the question, “Am I as healthy as I can be?” 

The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide For Women

Looking for a little inspiration during these brisk winter days, may I recommend training for a marathon?  If any of you are like me, I personally LOATHE running.  I secretly feel like a hamster in a hamster wheel as I get down on the treadmill.  I mean seriously, we spend an hour running and yet we end up at the very same place we started.  It doesn’t seem super sensible to me, but like many of you, I still do it!  Last year I decided to train for a half-marathon.  I decided that perhaps training like a runner would morph me into one of those super-psyched running types who just beam when talking about running and carry around a pair of running shoes in the event the spirit moves them to break into a full trot.  Well…..it didn’t exactly happen for me.  In fact, I still see it as a necessary evil, but I did accomplish goals and ran further than I ever thought I could run, and felt really good about being able to eat whatever I wanted to for the sake of “training”.  

 One of the tools I used to get me motivated was the book, The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide For Women.  The author, Dawn Dais, is brilliantly cynical and wonderfully witty.  Throughout the book, she offers journal entries that had me laughing out loud.  She is just a regular gal, allergic to exercise, like many of us, who provides the average person with the do’s and don’ts of preparing for a marathon (or half marathon).  Even if you do not see a marathon in the future, check out the book for a few good laughs and some exercise motivation.