This week let’s talk about excuses. We make them about all kinds of things. During my “midlife crisis” a couple years ago, I came up with lots of reasons for what I was doing. Even the term “midlife crisis” tries to put a different face on it, but none of that made it right.
And those five pounds I put on recently? Since Tough Mudder is over, I’ve cut back my running, so I’m not burning quite as many calories each day. But I’m still eating the same. A valid excuse, I think, but it doesn’t solve the problem.
Heck, even writing this article has been hard this time. We just finished Biggest Loser “16” last week, which always provided plenty to talk about. But coming up with something new has been a little difficult. And then there’s the holiday to deal with. See? More excuses.
KEEP MOVING!
Posted: December 28, 2011
I noticed something during our Christmas shopping this year. People seemed to fall into two groups. One was pretty healthy, but there were quite a few who were overweight.
I didn’t see many people in the middle. And the older they got, the more extreme the differences. It seemed like there were those who were moving well, and those who weren’t. Is it just me, or our there more people in motorized carts these days?
“Use it or lose it” is just as applicable as it ever was. As we stop moving, our muscles atrophy (get smaller), our bones weaken, and we accumulate excess fat. Even if our weight hasn’t changed, our body composition has. And if our weight has gone up, our body fat has really gone up!
RESOLUTIONS ANYONE?
Posted: December 23, 2011
Can you believe it? We’re about to reach the end of another year. When I was younger, each year went on forever and I couldn’t wait to be older. These days, I wonder where the years go!
But like most people, at least once a year, I like to spend a little time looking back to see what I’ve accomplished. Sometimes it’s a pretty short list!
We can get so caught up in the process of doing stuff, that a little reflection can help you gain perspective. When you look back, you can remember what goals were attained, identify mistakes that were made, and make some course corrections if necessary.
WOMEN OFTEN UNDERESTIMATE WHAT THEY CAN DO!
Posted: November 04, 2011
After working with both men and women over the years, I’ve noticed that women are usually pretty different from men. It’s true.
While men tend to overestimate their capabilities (“no, I don’t need to read the map,” “I can lift it,” etc…), women often underestimate what they can do. Men just take off, confident they can handle, solve, or fix anything. Women tend to want to talk about it first—then they’ll do some research—then they’ll talk about it some more.
Men starting a workout program will often overdo it and get really sore, and ultimately quit. But many women starting a workout program will underdo it, get little or no results, and then quit too!
My Weight Loss Story
Posted: September 06, 2011
It’s been awhile since I’ve written “Bodies-in-Balance. Last spring, I took some time off to recharge because I kind of felt like I’d been running out of things to say. I also wanted the time to take care of a couple of other things, one of which was quite a surprise.
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time helping others lose weight and get in shape, and I’ve always been pretty active myself. Somehow, I took my eye off the ball personally.
I’d been kidding myself that I was “bulking up.” My clothing covered it pretty well, and I was still pretty active, but when the shirt came off, my abs had come up missing and I was getting those “handles” on the sides. Kathy tells me she knew that, but she didn’t want to embarrass me. Great.