Monday, July 5, 2010

Oh Where, Oh Where has my Metabolism Gone? Oh where,oh Where could it be?

So, on March 21st, I finished the Marathon two days before my birthday! Cool, huh?! It was great! But that meant, no more strenuous training! No more strenuous training!...and no more strenuous training! Hallelujah!! (Though, you know I loved it!) My fifth Marathon! How exciting! But wait a minute! What happened?! This isn't fair! What is this?! I continued to walk/run in the mornings and walk/run further on Saturdays, just not as far as I did when training, but something strange happened almost IMMEDIATELY after the Marathon!!! I stopped training AND had a birthday and within a week I had gained three pounds!!! WAIT A MINUTE....!! ..THIS ISN'T SUPPOSE TO BE HAPPENING....!!!....WHERE DID MY METABOLISM GO??!!!.....NO FAIR!!!!...O.K..O.K...maybe the three pounds wasn't just a result of no more training and my metabolism slowing down...Maybe, just maybe, in the three months of strenuous training, maybe I ate more than I usually do and more of the things I usually don't because I knew I was working out harder and would work it off, and maybe, just maybe, now that the Marathon was over I was still eating like that. Maybe. And, maybe, just maybe, I wasn't keeping a daily food log while I was training because,.. well,... I just didn't, O.K.?! And so now maybe now after the Marathon I am clueless of what I'm really eating because I've gotten out of the habit of writing things down every day and for me NOT keeping a daily food log equals WEIGHT GAIN!...when I'm not training, that is.... But, here it is July 5Th and I'm still struggling! It would be so much easier if I just had my 'before Marathon/during training' metabolism rate back! Oh where, Oh where has my metabolism gone? Oh where Oh where could it be?

"Remember when you could diet for a few days and drop an easy ten pounds? Well, nowadays it's not so easy. Oh sure, you're eating less than you did back in your twenties and making a habit of passing on dessert and that mid-afternoon candy bar, but for some reason your a few dress sizes larger. And the pounds are piling on. Here's what's happening: your metabolism - how your body converts food into energy and then burns that energy as calories - is slowing down. This is a natural process that begins at about age 30. From then on, your body burns energy about 2-4 percent slower every ten years. So fewer calories are burned and more are stored as fat.....Maximize Your Metabolism: 1- Step up the pace. An easy way to burn more calories in the same amount of time is to put a little more speed into your current work out... 2 - Go longer. If you're already working out at your top speed, don't go any faster but try to go longer... 3- Work your arms and legs. Exercises that vigorously work both arms and legs are better fat burners than those that involve only your legs...4 - Don't skip meals....5- Exercise after you eat...eating gives your metabolism a boost...6 - Spice up your life....spicy foods...may shift your metabolism into high gear. 7- Stay away from stimulants...caffeine, alcohol, or other stimulants may raise your metabolic rate but once they're out of your system, your metabolism crashes back to normal or below. 8- Have your thyroid checked. (excerpt from http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/44/44.cfm)

If you too might be wondering where your metabolism went, let's top wondering and get busy!....or busier!

To Everything there is a Season

Any of these statements sound familiar?:

* As soon as the 4th of July is over I'm going on a diet.
* As soon as Labor day is over, just in time for Fall,..that's the perfect time to go on a diet...that is exactly what I'm going to do.
* Right after Halloween I'm going to lose this weight!
* After Thanksgiving and Christmas, right after New Years, I'm going on a diet and FINALLY lose this weight!
* One more Valentine's chocolate and then I'm going on a diet.
* This is it!..the last Easter egg then I'm going to lose this weight!
* Memorial Day! ....as soon as the family reunion is over I'm going back to Weight Watchers!
* Fourth of July again?! Time goes so fast! I'm finally going to go on a diet as soon as I finish these barbecue ribs!

TIME'S UP! To everything there is a season and the season of excuses with regard to losing weight and being healthy is over! Aren't you tired of making excuses?! I thought so! You know that a dieting mentality will not usher you into a lifestyle of health and wellness; but making different choices, daily, as a lifestyle will. You know that depriving yourself of all of your favorite foods isn't the answer to losing weight and keeping it off; but exercising moderation and eating small portions consistently will keep those unwanted pounds under control. You know that being sedentary doesn't offer any benefits AT ALL; but exercising strenuously for just thirty minutes per day can do wonders for your body, soul, and mind.

"To everything there is a season."* This is the season where you take control. No more waiting for the next holiday. No more waiting for your friend to go to the gym with you. No more waiting for the kids to grow up. No more being embarrassed because you're the only one that says 'No thank you' to a second dessert. This is the season when you decide that you are worth keeping a daily food journal. You are worth a brisk 30 minute walk every day. You are worth 6-8 hours of sleep every night. You are worth trying a new vegetable or new fruit every month. You are worth totally 'blowing it' some days but getting right back on track the very next day! You are worth the struggles that being healthy and fit often bring, and you will overcome them and learn from your mistakes so that you can enjoy a lifestyle of health and wellness.

This is a new season of your life! Welcome!

(Eccl 3:1)

Friday, January 29, 2010

IT'S ON NOW!

I just registered for the L.A. Marathon! IT’S ON NOW!! I am so excited! My adrenaline starts pumping at just the thought of the experience! My training has been going well. I am on target and right where I wanted to be with seven weeks to go. I am so looking forward to this event! It’s a new route this year AND the date has been moved to the week of my birthday! So-o-o this is my birthday present to myself! Cool, huh?! So, what physical activity gets your adrenaline pumping?!! Maybe you look forward to a brisk walk!…or several laps in the pool……or an exciting game of tennis……or a challenging aerobics class……or a vibrant hike……or a fun bicycle ride. Physicians at the Mayo Clinic say, “At least 30 minutes of daily aerobic activity, such as walking, bicycling, or swimming, can help you live longer and healthier…aerobic exercise affects your heart, lungs, and blood flow…..Aerobic activity can help you: 1. Keep excess pounds at bay. 2. Increase your stamina. 3. Ward off viral illnesses. 4. Reduce health risks including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer. 5. Manage chronic conditions. 6. Strengthen your heart. 7. Keep your arteries clear. 8. Boost your mind. 9. Stay active and independent, as you get older. 10. Live longer. People who participate in regular aerobic exercise appear to live longer than those who don’t exercise regularly. …..” Thirty minutes a day! That’s it! But then, you knew that already didn’t you? You are worth 30 minutes a day, aren’t you? Or, are those household chores more important?….or the PTA meeting…..or the event at church….or the family gathering…….or the hair and nail shop appointment…….or the new movie that’s out……….or overtime at work……..or the feel of the crisp, clean linen on your bed……or shopping at the mall… or hanging out with the fellas……Hmmm…….As always, the choice is ours! “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” Deut 30:19. (And you thought this was just all about you.)

See you at the finish line! I solicit your prayers!