Get out, get moving.

I think we'd all be amazed at how many "found" calories we consume in a day when we're not careful.  A bite of this and that, a midday snack, or a little pre-meal grazing can add calories to our day really fast.  Likewise, some "found" activity time can add in an extra punch to that calorie burn!

This weekend Lindsey and I took our 10mo. old daughter, Riley, to the zoo for the first time.  That was a good way to walk around and burn some calories.  We walked about a mile and a half inside the zoo. 

There are a wealth of things we already do, or can do to add in some activity time.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.  Park in the back on the parking lot.  Do a couple laps around the outside isles of the grocery store before shopping. 

Make quality time count!  When you spend time with your family, make it enriching both to the relationship and the body.  Plan a fun activity outside.  Go on a family walk.  Garden.  Have a picnic in the park.  Wrestle with your kids.  Make family time fun and active.  Go for a bike ride.  Pull your kids around the block in a wagon.  They will love it, and your waist will too!

Do two or more of these things every day.  You could burn an extra hundred calories (maybe more!), and not even realize it.  If you're having trouble getting motivated to exercise, start with some of these ideas.  Get out, get moving!

Reaching Higher, Lifting Heavier

Here's an interesting fact: one pound of muscle burns somewhere between 35-50 calories per day.  A pound of fat? somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-6 calories per day.  That's a big BIG difference!

While on my Sabbatical, I was feeling discouraged, mostly becuase I had continued to eat right and exercise, but was not losing any more weight.  I felt like my plateau was never going to end.  There I was, stuck at about 302 and not getting anywhere doing what I had been doing.  Of course, when it stops working as you'd want, it's easy to just stop... or at least to slack off for a while.  That's what I did. 

But I still lost about 4lbs.  In fact, I lost 2lbs in two consecutive weeks.  The difference was weight training. 

I hate to say this, but ladies, you're the most averse to weight training.  I get it - you don't want to look all muscular and manly, or sore either.  Plus, it doesn't feel like you're getting a good work out every time when you lift.

Do it anyway.  If you don't know how to lift, you can find a myriad of great online tutorials, or just ask a trainer at your gym (most gyms give you a free training session when you join anyway).  It's true that you may not burn the same amount of calories as you would with your aerobic exercise, but you're building a foundation for future calorie burn.  Additionally, as Bill Phillips notes in Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength, if you don't change the way your body looks under the fat you have, you're going to have the same body shape you have now... only in smaller form.  I think most of us trying to lose weight are, among other things, trying to change the way our bodies look.

Ladies, here are some tips for shaping up:

1) Focus on really heavy lifting on the legs.  Not only do your legs have some of the largest, longest, and most powerful muscles in your body, they are some of the most highly used.  Don't be afraid to pack on a few lbs of muscle.  Not only will the little extra bulk be barely noticeable, it will probably actually improve the look of your legs.

2) Your arms will not bulk up.  Don't worry about getting "man arms," it won't happen.  You don't have the testosterone that causes men to really bulk up.  Unless you go crazy and lift every day, take the weight lifting supplements, and lift super heavy, it won't be an issue.  You can build muscle without "bulking".  Go moderate on your arms, and work all the muscles.

3) Your core needs to be strong, but a thousand sit ups won't do you much good.  Your core muscles should get some focus, but not all your focus.  Work in some core exercises with your regular weight training.

4) The frequency of your weight training should be planned out in advance.  For supplementing weightloss, 2-3 time per week should be sufficient.  Don't worry about going more often than this unless you really want that strength.

Adding some weight training can really kick-start your routine.  Whether you've hit that plateau, or if you're looking for a new way to get that burn going. 

Here's a great article with more information!  No go out and get moving!

Taking Time Off

Dieting is a tiring thing.  We start out with gusto then... I'm not evenn sure what happened.  I pretty much went into maintenence mode, I guess.  I still lost 2 lbs last month, but never really made the effort for more. 

So it's back on for the month of July, and so is the blog.  I apologize for my Sabbatical.  So I'm now down to 298lbs, but still a long way to go.  My goal is to be somewhere around 250 by the end of the year.  That's about 2lbs per week.  I better get moving!  Good thing I've got my GoWearFit.

What will I do differently this time?  Write down everything I eat.  I've got to keep a food journal so I know wxactly where I'm at for the day.  The GoWearFit website allows me to calculate my calorie intake, then automatically calculates my calorie burn.

Here we go for round 2!  If I can do as well as round one, I'll be perfectly happy!

Exercise Planning and Routines

I've talked about why exercise is important.  We all know it is.  Probably more so for the mental kick it can give you than the physical.  The physical aspect will only affect your weightloss 20% or so.  Losing weight is 80% diet, and 20% exercise.  Why am I putting so much emphasis on exercise, then?  Becuase it's also a showing and a physical performance of your commitment to health.  That can help you stay focused mentally, and continue through those pesky plateaus.

So let's go over a few things that can get you started, or give you something different to try.

First, an exercise plan needs to be diverse.  It should incorporate cardiovascualar and resistance exercises.  Strength and endurance are both needed to accomplish most physical tasks.  Ignoring one or the other will create holes in your plan.

Exercise plans should be fitness goal driven.  Make a goal to run a marathon or half-marathon.  Don't think that's possible?  They do it on The Biggest Loser every season now.  Plan to do an Ironman, or make your own goal.  The goal should be something that's possible for physically fit people, but that you may think is impossible for you.  That's how you stretch yourself.

Next, find out where you are.  What are you comfortable with?  It may not be much at first, but that will change.  Remember the President's Fitness Test back in school?  That's a good measure of fitness, and a good place to start.  Test yourself on some of those.  These are basic exercises that could be done with little or no equipment, and that can be improved upon.

Then set some goals.  Plan a road map to where you want to be.  Maybe it's a stretch to do 20 push-ups.  Make that a goal.  Maybe you'd like to run a mile in under 8 minutes.  Make that a goal.

Every day is your chance to make a difference.  Plan on focusing on your main goal - whether cardio or strength, but include some of the other exercises.  Even if you're training for a marathon, do some push-ups and sit ups two or three times a week. 

Ultimately your ability to or failure to plan will make or break your exercise routine.  You are less likely to skip a workout if you've had it scheduled in since the beginning of the week.  Plan it out, plan on it, keep your commitments!

Making the Most of Your Time

It seems like there's more and more stuff to occupy our time every day.  For me, it seems like I'm even busier now that school is out for a few weeks than I was during the school year.  Our lives demand a lot from us.  How do we manage healthy living in a "go, go, go" world?

The excuse that you don't have time to exercise is no excuse at all.  Keep a journal of all your daily activities for a week.  You'll notice that you do, in fact, spend much of your time in sedentary activities.  If you were to cut those out entirely, could you fit in some exercise? Probably so.

For me, it's difficult go get in some exercise when I'm at work all day long.  I work 13 hour days, and the last thing I want to do most work days is go to the gym.  Here's a couple of things I do to get some activity in, that you can do too!

Fit in your exercise.  During your breaks and your lunch time, do something to get your heart rate up.  During my 45 minute lunch break, I take a 25 minute walk.  I get my heart rate up, and I don't walk so fast that I'm super sweaty by the end.  That's always another concern of mine - getting too sweaty.  I also keep a stick of deoderant in my cubicle.  Shorter breaks are a great opportunity for some simple strength training.  Do some push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, squats, etc.  You can fit those in and, again, keep from getting too sweaty.  Even small amounts of strength training like those mentioned will raise your burn rate a little, and help with your weightloss.  Another reason I do these things - it keeps me from focusing on food.  I used to look forward to breaks and lunch becuase of the food I would eat.  Now I focus on healthier things. 

Another aspect that we must not overlook is planning meals.  We've all been in the situation before where you're at work, or out and about and hunger strikes.  What do you do? Go to the nearest drive through and get the poison they sell.  We've all done it.  Plan your meals and your whole day ahead of time so you don't get stuck in this position.  Bring healthy snacks, or pack a healthy lunch to take with you.  You'll save money and eat healthier.

Remember, if you need to cut things out of your life, cut sedentary activities.  Plan your day ahead of time, and never eat fast food.  Also, fit in your activity whenever you can.  Make it work!  It's your life we're talking about here!

Anyone out there?

I'd really like to hear from all of you!  What are your struggles?  What are the questions you have about healthy living?  What do you want to know about, or would like me to write about?  Where are you in your healthy living or weightloss journey?  E-mail me at: aaronbatteen@u.boisestate.edu. 

E X E R C I S E

It's not a four letter word. I counted (it's eight). Exercise is the body's way of tuning itself up. It allows you to become leaner, stronger, have more energy, and, in general, feel better. There are too many benefits of exercise to number, but here's a few reasons I love it:
1) It's a release. It's a great way to work out a frustrating day at work (or at home). It can literally run my troubles into the ground. Vigorous aerobic exercise can also trigger the release of endorphins, giving you that "runner's high."

2) Every day is a victory. I try to set a new standard for myself ever time I work out. Sometimes I don't achieve my goal for the day, sometimes I do. But my confidence is always built when I work toward and achieve my work out goal for the day. It's one more way to overcome those mental barriers, and a great way to rebuild your self-esteem.

3) There's a visible difference in my weightloss. I think that exercising regularly helps keep you focused on the goals you're trying to achieve. When you're tracking your calorie intake, and you know your calorie burn at certain activity levels, you begin to measure the food you eat not just in calories, but minutes or hours of activity. It puts the Costco Muffin into perspective when you realize that you'll have to literally run your butt off for an hour or so to burn it. It obviously helps to burn more calories too.

4) It's a good time for self-analysis. There's no time like when your heart is pumping and your blood is flowing to mentally stop and consider what factors may have caused your unhealthy lifestyle. It's just a good time to think and work out you issues.

While it may seem daunting, it's really only the start that stops most people. Excuses include: going to the gym being cost-prohibitive, embarrassment, not knowing what to do, not having time, or constant exhaustion. I've used these excuses myself. They pop up time and again with different names.

You don't need a gym to exercise. People do it all the time. If you need some guidance, there's always workout DVDs, and guidance online. Most exercises can be done in your own home. If you don't know what to do, find a resource. There is a treasure trove of knowledge that can be tapped into online. I will provide what I think is a good "ground zero" guide for starting out (in the next couple of days).

Time can slip away so quickly each day. In our busy lives it's often hard to find time to exercise. So don't find it… create it. You have to plan to exercise every day, then prioritize it very high. It can take the place of the 30-minute TV show you watch, or the extra hour you spend on your hair and/or makeup. Prioritize yourself, your life, and your health. There's no need for embarrassment whether exercising at home or at the gym. There will always be funnier looking people than you at the gym or on the street. Just go out and do it!

I can't give you the motivation you need to get up and move. Only you can provide yourself with that. But I hope to help you overcome some of those barriers. Don't let the start stop you. Be better today than you were yesterday, and resolve to be even better tomorrow!