What's My Motivation?

 

 

One of our Twitter followers posted a list called, “10 reasons for weight loss”.  I was so disgusted by that list!  I’m not going to share it because I don’t want to spread I what I consider to be negative ideas about people who are overweight.  But I will say that the list further promotes the stereotypes that our society seems to have about people with extra weight.  They lack confidence, don’t love themselves, and are embarrassed by their personal appearance.  WTH?  Do you have to have extra weight to have any of these issues? Aren’t these issues that anyone can have? 

After I calmed down, I started thinking about my motivations for losing weight.  The real motivations that moved me from trying to lose weight to actually losing weight.  They are:

·         Age

·         Health

·         Quality of Life

How many people do you know who started complaining about various ailments once they turned 40 or 50?  I know quite a few.   I told myself I didn’t want to be one of those people who start falling apart at 40. 

I’ve read too many articles, books, magazines that talk about the link between overweight, obesity and disease--cancers (some), diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and probably a few others. 

As I grow older, I want to enjoy the same quality of life I have now, if not better.  I don’t want to spend my mornings taking ten different medications; I don’t want to travel with an oxygen tank; I don’t want to spend three days a week in dialysis, and I want to maintain as much mobility as possible. 

So those are my reasons, my motivations not just to lose weight but to be healthy.  What are yours?

Antoinette



Slow & Steady wins the Prize

We live in  a time of instant gratification.  The main  question seems to be  how fast can we get what we want? We don’t want to wait or plan,we just want it now. And when we don’t get it “now” this leads to disappointment and frustration.

As you move towards a healthier lifestyle don’t get caught up in the fast and easy.  Don’t get caught up in the hype that in seven days or seven weeks you will be the person you were twenty years ago. The reality is that no one went to sleep and woke up fifty pounds heavier.  It happened slowly over an extended period of time. Just like it took time to gain, it will take time to lose. Save yourself the frustration and disappointment and take it slow and steady.  Just remember the tortoise and the hare: "slow and steady wins the prize every time".

Shirley

Relieving The Stress of Weight Loss

Weight loss has been a part of my life for the last 25 years. I have to say that I have tried almost every diet plan there is (I know I missed a few, but who is counting?).  Although the plans changed the one thing that remained the same was the level of stress attached to each one. First there's the husband or boyfriend who only remembers what you looked like when you met  in high school or college.  Then there are family and friends who only remember what you looked like prior to having children.  Then there is society who states that everyone should be a size 0 in order to have a fulfilling life. And last but not least, is your doctor who at the end of every appointment states: your numbers are good but you need to lose weight.

When you let people know that you are losing weight, then everything you eat  becomes suspect. If you are eating anything other than salad you are questioned: why are you having that cake or candy or ice cream ?  So you stay stressed out all the time.  Trying to get back to the high school or college size (for the husband or boyfriend); trying to get rid of the baby fat (for family and friends) and lastly trying to keep your doctor happy at your yearly appointment. So the end result is that you are so stressed and worried about the expectations of others that you don’t lose weight, but in fact gain more.

What I finally realized was that: my loss weight is all about me. No one else has a say  in when or how I go about it.  Once I cut out everyone's opinion and thoughts on what I should be doing or eating my stress level dropped to zero. I figured out why I wanted to lose weight, how I wanted to do it and found a plan that worked for me.   Now since I only have me to answer to, I am confident that I will continue to meet my weight loss goals and be happy achieving them.

Shirley

There's Fat Everywhere!

 

If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, then you know that I’ve been trying to lose for years and I’m finally seeing some success.  If you have not read any of my earlier posts, well now you know.  Sometimes it's a little frustrating that the weight is coming off slowly, but I can appreciate that losing weight slowly will most likely increase my chances of maintaining the weight loss, among other things.

Here’s the thing that is the most annoying—the weight doesn’t come off where I want it to as fast as I want it to!  And I’m sure I’m not the only person who has this problem.  But you know what? I made peace with it by realizing that there was extra fat all over my body and not just in my butt, thighs, and stomach.  For instance:

• I didn’t realize how chubby my face was getting until I started looking at my before pictures. 
• I didn’t think my wrists large but now all of my bracelets are too big. 
• I’ve been wearing a size 9 women’s shoe since I was in junior high  but apparently there was some extra fat in my toes that needed burning because now all of my shoes are too big. 

My point is this, if you’re trying to lose weight and nothing seems to be happening, take a closer look.  Your body could be burning fat in places you never think about.  Pay attention and you might find small changes happening.  And guess what? Small changes lead to BIG ones, so keep going!

Antoinette

Go Hard or Go Home, Baby!

There’s a line dance called, “Go hard or Go Home”.  Where I live, people refer to it as “the Mary J.”  It’s a pretty advanced line dance that was created years ago and it was one of the first advanced dances I ever learned. 

What makes a line dance advanced?  An advanced line dance will have:

·         longer rotations, meaning it will be a long time before it starts over (for you dancers out there, probably more than 64 counts)

·         complex steps

·         and sometimes, but not always, a faster tempo

 

I love advanced dances!  They get my heart going, I love the complexity of the routines, and they usually have great music.  Doing an advanced line dance is like doing a high-intensity workout, so I decided to call our high-intensity dances and workouts, “Go Hard or Go Home”.  Depending on the workout routine, I might sneak a “Go Hard or Go Home” dance into it (like the one I’m going to start in our live class next week J).  But I’ve also put together some “Go Hard or Go Home” workouts and all I can say is, “Whew!”  Get ready!  

 

Antoinette

Sticking to your plan

I mentioned to a co-worker jokingly that : my trainer is trying to kill me, as I was sore from my workout with him from the day before. Her response was: Are you still going to him?  How long has it been now, two years?  She seem surprised and perplexed that I was still seeing him.  It seems that when you start a journey to change your life, for some reason people expect you to make the changes for a little  while  and then go back to doing what you were doing before.  Doesn't that defeat the purpose of making changes in the first place. Due to my weight loss, I am often asked what diet I am on.  My response is always, I am not on a diet, but I have made  changes to how I live my life.  This seems to perplex some people.

Let me explain, a diet implies doing something for a special purpose.  For example, getting into the bathing suit for summer, going to your high school reunion, fitting into the dress for the wedding,  looking good for that cruise, etc.  So once the goal is met, what then?  I suggest that whatever journey you are on that calls for changes to your lifestyle, pick a plan that works for you and one that you plan to maintain. Look at where you want to be, not just three or six months from now, but for the rest of your life.  Yes, I still see my trainer after starting with him years ago.  I like the one on one attention and  the benefits to my health.  I like looking at the long term picture instead of  living in the now. Are you sticking to your plan?

Shirley

Let's Kick It Up a Notch!

There’s a part in almost every workout when the music gets a little faster, a little more intense.  This means you’re moving a little faster, with a little more effort.  You’ve just gone from low intensity to mid- intensity (this happens at the club but you’re probably having too much fun to notice J).  At Hustle Fit, we categorize mid-intensity dances as, “Kick It Up a Notch”.  It just means that you’re warmed up and you’re ready to do more.  We recently conducted a survey and 93.75% of the people who participated said they prefer mid-intensity workouts.  That’s great news because the bulk of our workouts fall into the “Kick it Up a Notch” category.  Here is an example of a mid-intensity dance—we’ll be using this in our upcoming live class.

 

As with any workout, if you’re trying it for the first time or if you don’t exercise regularly, do not overdo it.  Keep it low intensity (take out jumps, keep movements small, drop the arms, etc.) and as your endurance improves, you’ll be able to bring those elements back in.  Or in another words, “Kick It Up a Notch!”

 

Antoinette