...into disarray. At least that's what everyone tells me. That makes strategy even more important at this time of year.
For one thing, the same old thing gets boring quickly so keep exercise exciting. Try some of the interval work in Jim's article to keep your mind engaged and your body responding differently. And in cold weather, intervals can really warm you up. Or stay indoors and treat yourself to a new workout video. If you don't belong to a gym, consider a three-month membership for the coldest months--you might find (as I did) that you enjoy it.
My best strategy for staying balanced and enjoying the holidays is being vigilant about my boundaries so that I take care of what's most important, including me. And when I keep what's most important in the forefront, it makes the hundreds of daily decisions I'm confronted with much easier.
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Share This!I’m loath to admit this: I fell last month. I’ve rollerbladed for years, but combine not paying attention with cracks in the pavement and down I went. Not to mention I began blading 15 years ago when no one wore safety gear. Gratefully, I did not break a thing.
At first, I was most irritated with a large bruise surrounding the road rash on my thigh and the significant scrapes on my knee. But those largely faded in a few weeks. What I later came to grasp is the unseen impact. I’m just now able to put pressure on my palm without soreness, but my thigh still has a remnant of pain. I have new appreciation for the time it takes the body to heal.
When my clients are sick or injured I’m a stickler for revising workouts and advising rest. They are generally frustrated with the need to cut back and their subsequent loss of fitness level. I can relate now more than ever as I’m disappointed to be back at square one with the military pushups I’d worked so hard to build up to. But in some ways I’ve relished this time taking care of myself with modified workouts and rest. In the big picture, a two-month modification and a bit of time to gear back up is just a blip—and in my case, a valuable lesson.
Is it possible to share my body-image trials with younger women so that they avoid the very issues I bemoan today? Would they listen to what I have to say?
Looking back at my thirties, I was in great shape. While not an athlete or diet/exercise fanatic, I took good care of myself and my body showed it. Why, then, did I not appreciate the body I had at the time? Why only now in my forties do I appreciate—and wish I had—that thirties body?
Would it help if I encouraged a younger woman to value the body God gave her, and to care for it as the vehicle with which to fulfill her life’s purpose? Would she listen if I explained the constant dissatisfaction that comes from comparing ourselves to models and Hollywood actresses, to our close friends or unknown women we see in the shopping mall? Would I have listened ten years ago?
A decade’s worth of journaling reveals that being frustrated with my body was a waste of time and energy. Add to that the lack of gratitude such aggravation illustrates and I’m determined to spend the next decade loving and being grateful for my body… I refuse to be wrestling with the same thoughts in my fifties.
In my forties, I’m thankful for strength and stamina, for being fit and healthy. My body may have changed over the years, but it will continue to do so and I cannot alter that fact. What I can do is care for it as best I know how. It’s kind of a relief to admit this and decide to focus on living my life—without comparisons. What joy!
People are up in arms, and understandably so, about Zicam being linked to loss of smell. MSN reports 130 people have reported a loss of smell using Zicam over the past 10 years and I imagine this number is understated: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31388177/ns/health-cold_and_flu/.
But what about the side effects of prescription drugs? For example, birth control pills warn of infrequent side effects such as liver damage, stroke, blood clots, and heart attack. People taking Zantac are warned to contact their doctor if they develop heart or liver problems, hepatitis, or angioedema (life-threatening swelling of the throat and mouth), just to name a few.
I guess we're all given "fair warning" with drugs and that's the difference-Zicam does not carry a warning that you may, in rare instances, suffer the serious side effect of loss of smell. But when a drug is prescribed by a doctor how many people read the list of side effects and make the conscious decision that it's worth taking the drug?
While I will discard my almost-full box of Zicam, I hope this scare does not turn into a moratorium against supplements, vitamins, and such. Many people, my family included, look to natural remedies in place of drugs to minimize cold symptoms, reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, and for numerous other conditions. When all of the information is made available I believe consumers are best suited to make their own health care decisions.
Fitness isn't about weight loss, although that may be a secondary outcome. A successful fitness program affects the way you live your life, how you feel day-to-day, and how you feel about yourself and how that impacts every area of your life – that’s Physical Wealth.
Being too focused on the scale can kill your enthusiasm for Physical Wealth. And we are each much more than a mere number.
If you're interested in this concept, check out my book:
http://www.peoplefitusa.com/orderthebook.html
This is a beautiful story about a young golfer (age 5!). Very worth the time to watch:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1197420&=yvmtf <http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1197420&=yvmtf>
I missed my workout Friday morning which I hate to do but plans conflict sometimes. I figured I'd squeeze it in this weekend--instead I spent two days painting and gardening. That was far more than one workout session!
Creativity in "exercise" helps me not only stay fit and healthy, but also get things done. I suppose I could pay for someone to paint the bedroom and take care of my yard. But then what am I trying to stay healthy for if not to be able to do these kinds of life activites? And at the end of the day when I'm sore and dog-tired, I have a smile on my face and a sense of accomplishment that a gym workout could never provide.
While I don't wear designer fashions nor have my eye on what they're wearing in Paris, I do know what clothes look good on me and others. But do the designers and models know this? I ended up with a free subscription to a women's magazine, the kind that has pages of models dressed in the latest runway designs. What can they possibly think is appealing about a young woman who is rail thin, shoulders hunched, and darkened eyes, looking like a strung-out junkie or prostitute? And this was not a fluke... several pictures appeared to this affect.
For years women have asked for more realistic models in advertising, and some companies--like Dove--listen to their customers. But what's the message in this magazine? Are we to believe it's chic to look like someone living on the street?
This is a beautiful rendering of Amazing Grace performed at the Coliseum in Rome--a great way to start the day. Enjoy!
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid271552717?bctid=1913313052
About HeatherMoreno
- Name HeatherMoreno
- Location Central Coast, CA
- Web http://www.traine...
- Bio Speaker, author, coach, planning commissioner, studying for my masters degree in theology. I take the guilt and anxiety out of losing weight.
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