Fitness Food and You

On August 18^th, I had my first serious bike accident. I was going down a hill at 30 mph and must have hit some loose gravel and a fell off of my bike onto my right side. I came down hard on my right thigh, banged my head, and cracked my helmet. I don’t remember much about the fall but my husband, who was with me, told me that I screamed, fell, paused for a moment,  and then stood up. I was walking around in such a way that he thought I could get back on the bike. I couldn’t. I was very banged up, confused (had a mild concussion) and had 2 broken ribs on my right side.  Once he fully understood my state, he called an ambulance.

Given how fast I was going, it is miraculous that I walked away with these mild injuries. I was VERY lucky and feel extremely fortunate.

The one glaring lesson that I’ve learned, is this: STRONG LEGS ARE ESSENTIAL. It’s great to be able to do push-ups, but strong legs are imperative to being healthy—especially as you get older. Many older people can’t stand up from sitting in a chair, simply because it’s too difficult. This becomes a domino effect: Not being able to get up leads to inactivity. Inactivity leads to a sedentary lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle leads to an increase risk of developing hypertension, coronary heart disease, anxiety and depression, and certain cancers. Reduced activity increases the risk for falling, which can lead to hip fractures. Hip fractures are a very serious health issue for people over 65. It could lead to crippling disability and even death.

Bottom line: Keep moving. Work your leg muscles! Work those muscles until you feel them fatigue or burn! Walk, jog, weight train, bike, squat, lunge, jump, hike, skip, play tennis! If you are a beginner, sit in your kitchen chair with your legs at 90 degrees and stand up and sit down. Keep this up so that you can stay active and healthy. This means when you fall you CAN  get up!

A client of mine sent me this photo and I just LOVE it.

Exercise is the most glorious thing you can do for your body. Putting aside the long list of health benefits, moving your body simply puts you in a great mood. It is a natural antidepressant. So if you want more energy and to feel happier then move your body! Never use exercise as a punishment for food ESPECIALLY since……

In the New York Times today there is a whole section devoted to diet and exercise with the title “FITNESS FOR EVERYONE”. Inside, there are pages and pages of diet and exercise tips including how to become more flexible , how to make an exercise plan, diets that are trending, the best food-tracking apps and even a beautiful illustration of the gluteal muscles.

Diet and exercise are always linked together because they do make up a good portion of  lifestyle choices. As a trainer, I went back to school to study nutrition so I could counsel my clients in the most comprehensive way. Having said this, I do think sometimes we need to NOT link them together. As I mentioned in previous blogs, I see the pattern of people cleaning up their eating and once they do, they start exercising.  However, when the diet slips, the exercise vanishes, too.  I say, UNLINK THEM! Exercise needs to be the constant. It needs to happen in good eating phases and in bad. In times of ease and in times of stress.  When the weather is good and when the weather is bad. When you’re in the mood for it, or when you’re not.

Moving is fundamental. It’s what makes us alive and keeps us happy. It keeps our bodies limber and our minds sharp. But forget all of that. Moving your body simply puts you in a good mood.

So, don’t make your body suffer MORE when you’re eating is off. Keep moving. Walk, jog, hike, ride a bike, stretch, do some yoga, walk the dog, dance in your underwear, do an exercise video on you tube, try cross fit, jump rope, play in the garden, sweep, vacuum, park your car far away from a store, take the stairs, walk around the block……it doesn’t matter. Just move as much as you can and as consistently as you can. And the best part is that your body will thank you by putting you in a good mood!

As many of you know, I’m not a huge fan of the winter. Ok, I hate it. I hate the way the cold makes my body feel and I can’t stand the darkness. In the past, I started feeling utterly miserable a week before we changed the clocks in the Fall. I would complain, to anyone who would listen, about how I couldn’t stand the darkness, how I felt doomed and depressed that winter was coming, and blah, blah, blah, complain, complain, complain. This past Fall, I was in my normal a-week-before-we change-the-clocks-complaining-mode, when my good friend called me out. After our talk I realized that winter was coming whether I liked it or not and that I had a choice to continue with this atrocious attitude or put an end to it. I chose the latter. And I have to proudly brag that I have sailed through this winter feeling MUCH better. (Even with March kicking our butts!)

I know it sounds cliché but attitude makes all the difference in the world.

I now want to talk about how your attitude can change the way you view exercise. Here’s what happens when you exercise: you feel better. You have more energy, your mood is improved, your body feels less stiff, you are less stressed, you sleep better and you feel alive! Many people actually start eating a lot cleaner once they start moving.  Even though we know exercise makes us feel wonderful, many people struggle with being consistent. It’s almost as if the chalk board, full of positive exercise attributes, gets erased and amnesia sets in immediately.  The result is having only episodes of regular exercise—as soon as life gets in the way, it falls off.  And for many, when exercise stops, that cleaner, healthier eating also ceases.

Here’s my suggestion. Change your attitude. Think of exercise as a non-negotiable part of your life just like brushing your teeth is. When you’re eating clean and lean, you are an exerciser. Likewise, when you’re not eating as well, you’re still moving your body. What will happen, over time, is that you will constantly reap the benefits of exercise—and I’m not even focusing on things like heart health, bone density, or blood sugar control. I’m just talking about feeling good.

The bottom line is that we make time for things that are important to us. Feeling good has to be one of them!

I need to vent.

Since we are currently living in a time where women are openly expressing themselves, I thought I’d take a moment to talk about something that really bugs me.  Yes, this is all about inequality: most exercise equipment is made for MEN.  A specific example? Push up bars. It seems that no matter which ones I order, they never feel right in my hands because most of the time, the grip is too large.  

So, the other day I searched, again, for a pair of push up bars that will make my hands, and the hands of my female clients, feel better. I did a google search for “push up bars for women”. Much to my horror, the first result that popped up was PUSH UP BRAS for women.  Seriously?

Needless to say, I could not find a product—a push up BAR—that was made specifically for me. This is awfully disappointing since I am a strong, bad ass woman, WHO CAN DO PUSH UPS.

Whew. Thank you for letting me vent.

“Damn, I have to lose weight so I guess I have to start exercising”. Have you heard this before? I have! Since losing weight is challenging, tedious and downright HARD, exercise takes on the same negativity. Ironically, studies show that exercise alone is NOT an effective weight loss remedy. We are wrongfully linking exercise to weight loss and we have to stop. Instead, we have to focus on the positives.

Exercise is miraculous because it has wide-ranging benefits and these benefits can happen at ANY age. Ninety-year-olds can get stronger if they start a strength training program. Even small doses of exercise count and work! If you want to feel better, both mentally and physically, simply move your body. Walk, garden, dance, take the stairs, skip, jump, bounce on a trampoline, pick things up and put the down. All of these activities are exercise! And, they wind up acting like a super power drug. While exercise may not help with weight loss, look what is DOES do:

It improves mood and can keep depression at bay

It makes you sleep better

It lowers elevated blood sugar

It lowers your risk of developing chronic diseases

It reduces stress

It increases energy

It keeps your joints less stiff

It builds muscle

It strengthens bones

It increases circulation

It makes your heart healthier

It makes your brain function better

It makes you stronger

It makes you feel happier

A happier, more energetic, less-stressed you is worth it. Be positive about exercise and try some. Do what you like and not what you think you should do.  Start out small so you don’t get overwhelmed and have fun!