Exercise | Coach To Lose

My first 5K Tomorrow – Run For Your Life

Oct 172009

Well after getting in some training tomorrow will be my first 5k. So I will make another of my goals for this year. After looking at South Beach Steve’s last 100 day challenge it just seemed like the right way to celebrate my weight loss this year.

The great news is that the run is along the Greenbelt in Garden City and the weather looks like it will be a cool 60′s and clear. Sounds like a beautiful day to run. I have to laugh just writing that. Me being excited to run is like some one else being excited about a tooth extraction. I have trully gone over the edge.

It is amazing what the force of habit can do in one’s life. You start living with health in mind as a habit there is more strength and want to there. Napoleon Hill calls is Habit Force. When the habit drives you more then the want to.

Another fitting kismet to all of this is the guy who used to eat everything he saw, now is running a race to supply the food banks. The cosmic significance isn’t lost on me with this one. I figure this race will be the slowest time I will record for many years and will be one of many to come. So tomorrow is all about getting the first one under my belt and getting another goal in before the end of a perfect year. I wonder how many more first’s I can get in before the New Year!

Exercise: When does it stop being work and start being fun?

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Sep 292009

I am often accused around work of being crazy or overzealous about topics like exercise, health, health care reform, doctors and weight loss. I have to admit it takes very little for me to step up on the soapbox lately. I think much of it comes from my disappointment in the health care system and the solutions being proposed to help change it. But that is a topic for another time. Let me just say that if doctors and health professionals took a more active role in preventative medicine rather than curative we would not have such an overload on our systems.

: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

So, back on track, when does exercise become fun? First of all there are days when it still is not fun for me. I can speak to anyone’s feelings but mine, but there are still days when it just feels like work. The quest however is to develop the habit so there is more driving it then just feelings. See as part of my crazy desire to reach some form of longevity and optimal health I believe that feelings have very little to do with it.

I look for ways to make it fun instead of feeling like it is too hard or taking too long. How? Let’s see:

Change up the routine – I keep mixing it up. Strength/resistance training, running/walking, various forms of cardio, and with all of that days that I go my limit and days I take it easy and back off just a little.
Put my eyes on the prize – I read various blogs and see other peoples stories. I encourage when I can and take encouragement when I need it. I really enjoy seeing transitional pictures or stats where people have changed their lives. And I can always find someone that has taken it one step higher than I have.
Reach a new goal or level of fitness – My current version of this is to run my first 5k. Now for the first one I have no ability to place. In fact depending on how I feel that day I will be happy just to finish. Still, it will be my first of many runs to do since I left the military over 35 years ago. So it is a great improvement from not being able to run a block.
Search out more information – I am always looking at the new studies and seeing how this or that can extend your life. My most recent read was about active 80 year olds living a full 3 years longer than their inactive counterparts. I figure at my age I must have gained a few more years. In fact when you take in the weight loss and the activity I may have gained 10-15 years. Now that is what I call fun.

What it really gets down to for me is that life has become the priority. When I focus on that- the workout is just part of life. It is another day in paradise and another day with family and friends. And if you met some of them they are as varied as a Forest Gump’s “box of chocolates”.

Live your life to the fullest. Take the time to extend life and keep drawing from the well. It is worth the work and the journey is just one step at a time. Sometimes it just feels like you are going uphill.

Weight Loss Motivation: Short versus Long Term Success and Goal Setting Part 1

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Sep 172009

: Image via Wikipedia

So far I have been talking about the difference between being motivated by feeling a sense of urgency triggered by an event or condition. This is motivation to solve a problem and the focus is only there as long as the problem seems urgent. We all have had time when diet and exercise feels tedious, repetitive and just plain boring. We start to lose our resolve to stay on target. That is because we are shooting at the wrong target.

Lets talk about problem solving versus a desired outcome. We have already identified problem solving approach as a failed motivator because when the problem lessens the motivation goes down with it. Desired outcome however is a destination. It is not over till it is over kind of thing.

Let’s take weight for example. You have two ways to think about losing weight. The first one is you are going to fix your bad habits. You are going to do better. Hmm, that would be eat less, maybe even attempt to create a food log, watch the actual calories you take in each day, etc. etc. etc. So you do it for a few days, weeks, maybe even months, and you feel better about the problem. You slack off and give yourself a break. Maybe you even pat yourself on the back a bit.

The second way to look at it would be to create a healthy body. Now what are you looking at? Ok, lets start with reaching an ideal weight for your age, height and sex. Noticed I said ideal weight not just dropping a few pounds. But we aren’t done yet if we are talking about health. Along with ideal weight lets add physical fitness, and overall healthy body. No more high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Let throw in some endurance and muscle growth, perhaps even a body model you feel would fit for you. Oh and to get there we can’t forget maintaining healthy eating and proper diet. After all it just takes a few days to take the body down. Don’t believe me go rent “Supersize Me!”

See the difference? One says I will give this a shot until it doesn’t feel urgent anymore. The other says it isn’t over till I reach the finish line. It is orientated to the outcome not releasing the pressure of an short term emergency. When the outcome becomes the focus, it will help create the structure to get there. The behavior changes and the steps in between start to develop and there is some structural tension pulling you towards the outcome.

I will continue this more tomorrow as we apply this idea to weight loss and exercise over the long term.

Weight Loss, Exercise and Monitoring – Motivation to Change

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Sep 142009

We often need help in our weight loss journey

Over the last three weeks I have been so busy that it was like going back to my old life. (before losing 100 lbs.) I was tired every morning. It was hard to get motivated to do my workouts and often I didn’t. I was not getting my 7-8 hours of rest. Life was on full speed with the gas running out quickly.

So what was the results? I put on 6-7 lbs and reversed my progress. I was at numbers I had seen 2 months ago. It was discouraging to say the least. What did it mean? How come it came on so fast? Had I really slipped paying attention that much. I mean 7 lbs required that I had mindlessly eaten an extra 24,500 calories in 3 weeks. That is almost 1200 calories a day. No way I told myself.

The numbers don’t lie! It takes 3500 extra calories to burn or gain a pound of fat. What had changed? Well, just a couple of days ago I got in my new heart monitor. So I did a measurement today. Just the stretching workout from the P90X routine burned 348 calories. My bike ride into work was 248 calories. Now take into consideration that the calories when the body recovers also keep my metabolism up and burning at a higher rate. I should burn 2X248 (two bike rides) + 348 (stretching workout) = 844 calories.

Now add in the creamer I started to use in each cup of coffee and take out 800-1000 calories of workout each day the 1200 calories aren’t too hard to find. What a wakeup call. Had I not been monitoring it I would have continued to lose ground. I would have inched my way back up to being obese and suffering with all that brought. This is why it is important to monitor and maintain your diligence when working towards an idea of achieving your optimal health. It will not happen on it’s own!

Have you made some progress lately? Is it hard to keep going for you? Share your thoughts. Come back soon as I continue to look at motivation and how to keep adding more success to an already long journey. Lets take a look together about what motivates us to either take care of ourselves or what robs us from the steps to maintain our gains along the way.

The vacation is over. Now back to work!

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Jul 152009

Last week was such a great time. It was mixed vacation and training to continue my efforts to become a better coach. All of it was energizing and fun for me. It was also a week that many people would have used the time to totally back down and let go. This would often had been the case.

A view over the Grand Canyon

Back in the day (as my son is so fond of saying) I would have said no let’s just hang out. I have some reading to do. This was code for I am so damn tired that I don’t want to go and do anything. Oh and I was too broke to afford to do anything fun, but that is a story for tomorrow’s post. I just didn’t have the energy and every part of my body was killing me. I always felt like I needed the rest.

I am coming up on a year anniversary in September. It will be a year since I started this journey and started to see the success. First month 25 lbs, second 20 lbs, and onto by the 8th month I was down 97 lbs from my original weight. That was a total loss of almost 20% of my body fat. Ah but the journey continues. Like going on vacation I could kick back and take it easy. I could slip back into old munching habits or what I call my “See food, Eat food” habit. After all I work hard. I deserve a break. What will a day or two (or three, four, etc) cost me. Time to celebrate! Time to let loose! NO! NO! NO! Those same ideas I had when I was 20. I thought back then I could eat and drink whatever I wanted. After all I was invincible.

I had no idea about the ideas of optimal health and longevity. I didn’t understand the value of family and loving relationships. I hadn’t seen the years pass by so quickly. Now before I go any further. I don’t want to set the bar so high to make me out a saint. I went on maintenance early to shake my metabolism up a bit. I increased my workouts and I was stuck for over three months because I needed more calories to keep up. I don’t during one meal eat more then I should or the wrong things. I do my best to plan my day around those activities and I work it off when I slip. I pay the price as well for my choices. I just don’t slip into the old mindset that I deserve to eat whatever the hell I want to. Food is fuel and when I fuel my body with junk I do pay a price.

Hopi Point and two happy trekkers

So you ask, Rick, what is the point of all of this? My point is that when you are on the journey to reach the best health you can have, there is always a diligence involved. It is an awareness of what you do for yourself and to yourself. Something I didn’t have or care to have at 20. There is no way to go back! Just each step is either forward or backward towards your goal. I lost 3 pounds on vacation! Oh and my wife (who has begun my program) lost 4 lbs and now is down a total of 16 lbs in a month. Hooray!

How did this happen. After all we were on vacation and we were supposed to have fun and eat new and exotic foods. It happened because, we watched what we ate. I had some good food but ate it in proper portions and amounts. I stopped (an new experience believe me) when I was full. I did my exercise routine at about half what I normally do because of my intensity recently and my body did need some recovery time. At the same time we walked the Grand Canyon one day for 6 miles. Awesome place for a workout!

What do you want out of life? Where do you want to be this time next year? Is your quality of life worth that candy bar or soda? Not my decision, but it is yours. Is it time to get off vacation and go back to work? Or are you going to take it easy for a bit longer? Let us know what you are thinking!

May your day be everything you wanted it to be, your future bright, and your health and body becoming stronger every day! I can say this part of the journey does not feel like it has such a steep uphill climb and each step it took to get here has been a small price to pay.

Weight Loss and how it can change your life.

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Jun 162009

I have been plowing though studies and articles on ketosis, weight loss, and if there is an permanent effect on metabolism after low calorie dieting. Doing my best to plow through the myths and get to the facts on fast weight loss. I decided after plowing through all the articles that I needed to take a break. You see as always the “experts” choose to disagree on the “facts”. But more on that later.

: Image via Wikipedia

I came back from a 30 minute brisk walk to eat my salad with chicken bites and 4 small crackers. I have to laugh at the fact I am even eating vegetables on a daily basis these days and enjoying them more all the time. This coming from an ex-vegetarian after figuring out that wasn’t going to help me loose weight either after trying for 4 years. But I digress, I sat down a bit tired and thought to myself about all the exercise I had gotten in today already.

Started the day with a complete circuit training full body workout and 2 rounds. Now this is with my son and he keeps telling me we need to do it faster to get the full benefit. To me, it is an hour and half workout that leaves my whole body feeling “pumped up” and fully worked over. Then I am riding the bike to work, it is about 3 miles by bike but 5 miles by the way a car would go, so I am not really sure how long it is. Let’s just say it takes about 15 mins of good pedal pumping to get there. Then there will be the ride back tonight.

: Image via Wikipedia

As I took another bite of my delicious chicken salad and enjoyed each bite of the 4 crackers I realized that less than a year ago I would have been lucky to complete the 30 minute walk at the pace I had walked it. Now let me be clear today is not a normal day and I don’t recommend it for anyone else. It felt good to me but like I said a year ago it would have had me crying like a baby. I just keep learning every day that my body does what I ask as long as I take care of it. The walk was for pure enjoyment of the day (it is beautiful in Boise, Idaho today), not because I was driven to burn off another meal before I ate again.

I wrote today in gratitude. Thankful for those that helped me get to this point. Thankful for the blessings of getting healthy, especially before I could have lost it all. And most of all thankful for the opportunity that one simple day of my life may inspire someone else to try just a tiny bit harder in their journey. Grateful for the knowledge and the ability now to pay it forward.

For those of you that may stumble across this post. There is hope in becoming stronger. I am and never have been a super disciplined man. I just am a simple person on a mission to get to a point of knowing I am in the best health I can be. Wanting one more day with my wife, my son and my friends and willing to work to get as many days as I am blessed to receive. Each day a blessing!

Weight Loss – What if nothing changes?

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Jun 102009

I am out there reading other peoples blogs and support forums all the time. I do it for a couple of reasons. I look for the reason that most people fail to do weight loss. I also look for the reasons they use not to stick with whatever program they are working with to loose weight.

: Image via Wikipedia

They fall into many categories and so I thought this might be a good start for a new set of posts. One of the first reasons people fail I would like to address is the information that is presented on so many fronts. Where ever you go to find weight loss information you will always read why their system works and others don’t. Heck I have been in that arena once or twice. I know what worked for me and I know all the other things that didn’t. I still don’t believe there is an easy solution and I believe that it takes a decision to stop the progression of obesity in one’s body.

So I typically dismiss the magic fixes right away. This includes all pills, herbs and patches. Why? Probably not for the reasons most people would think and that would be because they don’t work. Not at all, they do work for some people, heck even placebo’s work for some people. I dismiss them because they don’t start the process that changes habits. If I wave a magic wand and make you skinny, 95% of the time you will get fat again and come back for the wave of the wand. Why because it was quick, easy, and didn’t require you do change your habits.

However there are several ways to diet that at least begins that process. If you read other information you will see diets don’t work either. This one piece of information had me convinced I was going to have to do weight loss surgery to have anything give me a chance. The fact behind it however is that diets don’t work 85% (John Hopkins) of the time. Why? They often don’t work because people don’t take into account the shift in their metabolism and they don’t maintain the lessons they learned during the diet itself. Read any blog and they will tell you why diets don’t work (or at least other peoples diets besides theirs), but they will never tell you the way to fix it. Oh, and by the way if they don’t tell you for the other diets. They most likely won’t tell you for theirs either.

Image by PeterForret via Flickr

If on a portion controlled (low calorie) diet then, you raise metabolism by slowly adding more calories back in. No secret. Just don’t jump back into adding the same number of calories back in that you ate before. Take the time to slowly increase your calories based on the amount of weight you lost. Add to that increased activity and exercise and your metabolism will re-adjust to normal. It will not normally stay broken as many articles would indicate. Don’t take my word for it, check with your doctor, dietitian, or nationalists. It will adjust back to a standard Basel Metabolic Rate for your age, sex, and activity level. This will minimalise the weight gain after you complete your diet and go back to “normal” eating. However if you still take in more calories than you use, you will gain it back.

I always suggest that weight loss is easy when you get a few things figured out. It gets even easier when you find someone to help you. But, if you are determined to do it and willing to take the time to find what works for you, you can reach an ideal weight and stay there. Whatever method it is, just make sure to make new choices to keep it when you get it. For if you go back to the same old habits and expect different results. You will get the weight back and all the problems that obesity brings to go with it.

Older Entries Newer Entries

Coach To Lose

My first 5K Tomorrow – Run For Your Life

Exercise: When does it stop being work and start being fun?

Weight Loss Motivation: Short versus Long Term Success and Goal Setting Part 1

Weight Loss, Exercise and Monitoring – Motivation to Change

The vacation is over. Now back to work!

Weight Loss and how it can change your life.

Weight Loss – What if nothing changes?

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