MyWeightLossForLife.com

Archive for the ‘exercise’ Category

Work has been hectic, so my blogging schedule is way off track. You’ll probably see some shorter posts for the next few days until things slow down again.

Packing lunch daily is going well. I’m experimenting with different stir-fry recipes, so it’s going well so far. I’m getting used to not eating out, so that’s a plus.

Exercising daily isn’t going so well. I’ve spent some time painting, doing yard work, etc. Unfortunately, I’m only exercising about three or four days a week. Not bad, but not what I was hoping for either. I guess that goes to show how hard this will be for me.

How’s the diet and exercise going for everyone else?

The Washington Post has an interesting article on diabetes and weight loss.

The gist of the article is that aerobic and resistance training combined is better than doing either aerobic or resistance training alone. In the article, participants did one or the other for 45 minutes, three times a week OR… they did both, each for 45 minutes, three days a week.

Yes, you read that right. The participants who got better results did twice the exercise as the others. It’s not surprising that they got better blood sugar reductions!

What I’d still like to know is whether it’s the combination of aerobic and resistance training that worked, or simply the doubling of exercise time. If they had simply walked twice as long, would that have had the same result?

What is clear, for diabetics and those who might be pre-diabetic is this: Exercise improves blood sugar. So, if you’re diabetic or pre-diabetic, talk to your doctor about what exercise is right for you. Start small, and work your way up gradually.

I’m on vacation this week, hence the slow posting schedule. I have managed to stay (sort of) on my exercise schedule. Since last update, I’ve spent three more evening painting (this is a working vacation), two down with a sore back — ahem, from painting — and one hiking. I haven’t made my goal of exercising every day, but I’ve done better than I usually do.

Since my husband is diabetic, it’s important for both of us to get into the exercise habit. I’m sure you know the benefits of exercise in general, but it’s also important for diabetics to exercise in order to keep their blood sugar under control. So, we have more reason than most to work on the exercise habit.

September Habit

Sex and Weight Loss

How to Exercise with Type 1 and 2 Diabetes

Exercising for Diabetes Sufferers

I enjoy reading weight loss blogs, and here are some great articles I’ve run across lately.

Lose the Buddha Belly. You’ve heard over and over how spot-reduction doesn’t work. Here’s another article that says the same, and gives great tips for trimming your middle.

Lose 50 Pounds with Dumb Little Man. He lists some good tips for losing weight. Nothing earth-shattering; you’ve probably read most before, but it’s good solid advice.

5 Steps to Weight loss. Here’s another, solid, common-sense plan for taking off weight sensibly.

If you’ve written a weight-loss related article recently, post the url below, and I’ll link to you.

As I mentioned the other day, this month, I’ve committed to building the exercise habit.

So, here’s my update so far.

Yesterday, I did some shopping. Yep, I know that’s a stretch, but give me a break. It was my first day.

Today, I spent over an hour painiting trim. We have an older home with high ceilings, so that also meant climbing up and down the ladder. I think that one definitely qualifies as exercise!

So, for those of you building the exercise habit, what have you done so far this month?

I thought I’d bring back the monthly habit posts here. For one thing, I think a lot of my recent weight loss success has been due to creating (and maintaining) a no-seconds habit.

As I mentioned in that earlier post, I haven’t had much luck building the exercise habit lately. So, in September my goal is to exercise every day, even if it’s just for 10 minutes or so. The idea is to build the habit, not get carried away with long exercise times.

Here are the “rules” I’m setting for myself.

1. Exercise can be pretty much any physical activity, as long as it’s either something I usually don’t do, or more than I usually do. I’m going to try to stick with walking and strength-training, but I won’t rule out a long shopping trip on the weekends.
2. I’m setting 10 minutes as the minimum exercise time daily.
3. My goal is to exercise every day, but I’ll consider six days a week a success.

I’m sure I don’t have to mention the benefits of exercise or the fact that it can help speed weight loss. If you’re like me, you know why you should; it’s just difficult getting motivated to do it.

If you’d like to participate, then post your own goals below. I’ll keep you updated throughout the month.

Often, lunch is a great time to work in some exercise, but it’s often not a great time to shower. First off, if that’s your predicament, then I’d suggest keeping your mid-day exercise toned down to something like walking. You don’t want to go back to the office dripping sweat. If you want to get in a really strenuous workout, then a shower is a must.

However, everyone has days when you’re less… ahem… fresh than you’d like to be. Maybe you sweated more on your walk than you intended, or maybe you had to dash across the parking lot to avoid a thunderstorm. Whatever the reason, you’re smelling a little funky.

Keep a bottle of hand-sanitizer in your desk. Use it to wipe off your underarms or wherever to tend to sweat. This can be done quickly and inconspicuously in the bathroom stall with a few paper towels. The alcohol dries quickly and will kill the bacteria that cause body odor. It’s no substitute for a real shower, but it will get you through the rest of the day when you’re caught with no other alternative!

I like to keep a bottle in my purse too. Not only is it great for public restrooms, it’s a good choice when you’re traveling and need a little freshening up.

You stick to your healthy eating plan and exercise all week, but when the weekend rolls around, something happens. You eat more than you should, don’t exercise, and end up feeling rotten by Sunday night. Sound familiar?

Do weekends and healthy plans just not mix? Actually, it is possible to stick to your diet and exercise goals and still enjoy the weekend.

1. Give yourself permission to splurge. Often, feeling deprived is the root of the problem when it comes to not being able to stick with an eating plan. If you plan to splurge a little, it can often give you the motivation to stick with your goals otherwise.
2. Combine meals. We love big breakfasts on the weekend, but they really can be diet disasters. Eat later in the day and let breakfast be brunch. You’ll combine two meals and mitigate the effects of that big breakfast.
3. Choose healthier activities. You probably love to get out and do fun things on the weekend; who doesn’t? Try to work in some activity as well. One of our favorite things to do is see a movie, so we head to the mall about an hour or so before it begins and spend the time walking.
4. Watch out for snack attacks. Weekends are prime snack time around our house. Since we often eat dinner earlier and stay up later, we usually end up wanting something to munch on. Try to keep junk food out of the house because it’s going to be tough to resist this temptation. Keep something available to snack on that’s a healthier alternative instead.
5. Socializing doesn’t have to be a disaster. Weekends are also prime time for socializing. Whether you’re cooking out, meeting at a restaurant or enjoying a sit-down dinner, it’s always tempting to go overboard. If you’re doing the cooking, it’s easier. Plan to fix a healthy — but delicious — meal. If you prefer, mix healthier alternatives with more fattening ones to give everyone some variety. If you’re a guest, try to just sample the most fattening items and stick with those that are healthiest.

Weekends don’t have to mean a setback to your healthy eating and exercise routine. If you’ve managed to create a healthier lifestyle during the week, then you can do the same on the weekends too. Yes, you’re facing a change of routine which can throw off your plans, but you can use that to your advantage as well.

You probably know that losing weight can make you feel better about your body, which can help you enjoy sex more. Luckily, having sex can also help you lose weight. Talk about a lucky coincidence!

Fast facts about sex and weight loss.

• Be active during sex for a good cardiovascular workout
• Try different positions to work different muscles
• Sex can help keep a woman’s pelvic muscles in shape, and prevent incontinence later in life
• Sex can help prevent prostate trouble in men later in life
• Losing weight can help you feel better about your body
• Losing weight can make a man’s penis appear larger, some say as much as one inch for every 30 pounds lost

So, tell you spouse that you need to do more exercise, and get busy!
More reading

Better Sex: What’s weight got to do with it

Get Sexual for Ultimate Weight Loss 

You know you need to, I know I need to, but how do you get in the habit of exercising? It is a habit, more than anything else.

Again, I believe in making small changes that I can easily stick with. Nothing drastic, but ltos of small changes can certainly add up. Here’s what I plan on doing to begin my exercise routine.

1. I will spend a few minutes each day doing toning exercises for my arms and shoulders. If you have another problem area, then you might want to focus on that. This is something that I can do any time, even at work. i can shut my door and do a few push-ups off the wall or lift something that weighs a pound or two. What toning exercises can you work in throughout your day?
2. I will begin wearing my pedometer again. If you don’t wear a pedometer, or don’t own one, begin by concsiously adding steps to your day. Use a restroom farther away from your office, park farther from the store, get up and walk around the office every hour. Anything you can do that you don’t normally do will be a benefit.

Post here about what small changes you’re going to make to get more exercise into your day.