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

What have you done for yourself lately?

As women we take on many roles: daughter, sister, wife, mom, aunt, grandmother and friend to many. We continue to put others first as we nurture them and watch them grow.  

I, like so many others embraced my role as a single mom raising two daughters. I enjoyed watching them become beautiful and proud young women. I tried to be there for them, my siblings and friends when they needed me, lots of times putting my wants and needs on the back burner.

We  make time for everyone but ourselves. There is always an activity, function, or person who needs us and we tend to forget the most important person of all “YOU”. What have you done for yourself lately?  Isn't it funny how we can find the time or money for all of the extra things our children, grandchildren, spouses, siblings or friends need, but nothing for ourselves? Several years ago my daughters gave me a gift certificate to a spa. I have to say it was a wonderful experience.  But, when I realized that it was something I could do for myself on a regular basis it went from a wonderful experience to a great one.  I could plan it out. One thing a week covering several treatments and then start all over again.  As caregivers, we need to learn to take some time  for ourselves in order to maintain a healthy and stress free life.   Start  by blocking out some time every week just for you.  Read a book, see a movie, or just sit quietly sipping your favorite coffee, tea or hot chocolate. The possibilities are endless.  What have you done for yourself lately?

Shirley

Let's Get This Party Started!

I'm going to change gears this week and talk a little about exercise (and anyone who knows me knows that I can't talk about exercise without talking about line dancing, lol).  

Remember your clubbing days?  You didn't jump right in and go all out on the dance floor the minute you got the club, right?  You put a lot of time into getting dressed--picking the right outfit, putting on your makeup, picking the right shoes.  Putting on your favorite body lotions, creams, and perfumes and getting your hair just right.  You didn't want to ruin all that work that by sweating it all out on the dance floor within the first 15 minutes of your arrival.  So you took it easy and you warmed up with a two-step, a turn every now and then, a little booty shake.  If you did anything more complicated than that, you took your time with it.  I would call this part of the night low intensity-you're working but it's manageable and you can probably talk with being too out of breath.  In an exercise class, this would be the warm-up.  At Hustle Fit we call it, "Let's Get This Party Started". 

 

Every workout begins with a Let's Get This Party Started dance however, we also have entire workouts created with just Let's Get This Party Started dances. Let's Get This Party Workouts are a great way to learn basic steps at a good tempo.  I use the above dance, "As Good As I Am" as way to help people learn the "kick and cross".   That's a tricky move for some and learning it slow for the
first time is definitely better than learning it fast and while traveling...
 

I hope this gives you a little insight into Hustle Fit.  I can't wait to see you in class or online (we'll be launching soon!).


Antoinette