Keep it simple

Lately have been ranting about the fact that many people need equipment to exercise. And from what I see at the gym, they don’t use it properly. They walk on a treadmill and read a magazine. I never understood how they could do that withourt falling off. Anyway, my point is all you need to get it shape is your motivation and desire to change. When you have that, the rest is secondary. A great exercise plan performed poorly will bring you dispionting results. And a so-so program done with intensity will get you where you want.

So the equipment does not guarantee the results. Yes it may bring convenience but it is not the guarantee it promises. At the beginning, your body weight can be all you need. Did you know that you use 75% of your body weight when you do a push-up? So stop delaying the beginning of your exercise routine. Get going.

We were made to move

I just started reading "The stress of life" by Hans Selye. He is a pioneer in the research on stress and its effects. The main point is that we cannot live without a certain level of stress

He also confirmed one of my beliefs: That we were made to move. He writes "As we have so often said, living beings are constructed for work and if they have no outlet for their pent-up energy, they must make extreme efforts at adaptation... "

So choose the good stress over the bad. This is one more way to show you that physical activity is vital to your health.

Do you have a disaster breakfast?

How many of you have a coffee and muffin for breakfast? Do you think this is healthy? Well most muffins are loaded with carbs. And by now you should know what this does to your insulin response. And on top of it, did you know that caffeine will spike that insulin level? It’s kind of a double whammy. If you are a true carb person you may get away with it. But for most of us, that combination is a highway to the love handles.

Add protein to your breakfast. It will slow down digestion and it will not get to your fat cells as fast. Moreover, it will keep you full for longer.

Is there anything harder than losing weight?

For a lot of North Americans, it seems to be the hardest thing. And I assist a lot of my clients through that process. But if you ask people that have lost weight, they may tell you that it was harder to keep it off.

Sadly you hear that story often. An individual loses 20, 30 pounds only to gain it all back and then some. What happenned here? How can a person who had the discipline to lose the weight just gain it back?

They did not use a systme that was right for them. To borrow a term coined to our economy, it was not sustainable. I know someone who lost 70 lbs 2 years ago. He found a plan that worked for him and he is happy following it ti this day. Yes he cheats from time to time. But he gets right back on track.

Keeping the weight off is going to be hard if you don't use an approach that is not sustainable for you. Most crash diets fit into that category. Spend some time to find the right eating plan and do it for your health first. The rest will follow.