How’s Your Resolution Going to Lose Weight This Month? Do You Need to Find a Way to Fit in Fitness?

 

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution on January 1 to lose weight this year? If you are like most people, losing weight is at the top of the list of changes. According to a study published in the University of Scranton’s Journal of Clinical Psychology, losing weight is the number one resolution of the year and fitting in fitness is in the top ten.  

Not really a surprise, is it? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of all Americans over 20 are overweight and a staggering 35% of Americans adults are actually obese. And the list of diseases associated with obesity – among them diabetes, stroke, certain types of cancer, and heart disease – is both costly and deadly. 

There are always new diets, new exercise fads, new theories on how to lose weight, but the truth of the matter is something you learned in elementary school: Fewer calories and more exercise equals weight loss.     

Now you’re thinking, “I just don’t have time to exercise.”

According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardiothoracic surgeon and well-known health guru, a sedentary lifestyle is a key factor in many health problems. As viewers of his television show will tell you, he has a group of “Wellness Warriors” who promote various points of a healthy lifestyle.

One of these Warriors, Taisha Hayes, fought her own obesity to become a personal trainer and the founder of THayesFitness.com. She advises making an appointment to exercise, even if the appointment is with only with you. A vague “I’ll exercise some time tomorrow” is almost certainly likely to fail, but “I will walk for 30 minutes starting at noon tomorrow” is an actual commitment. And think of it this way – you would never be so rude as to cancel an appointment with another person at the last minute. Don’t you deserve the same respect?

If you’re already reducing calories but not getting the results you want, find a way to fit in fitness, and watch the pounds melt away!

Jason Laitsch is an experienced and caring personal trainer with nearly 15 years of helping clients meet their fitness goals. Schedule a consultation at www.jasonpersonaltrainer.com to discover how Jason can help you lose weight, get in shape, and fit in fitness for the New Year.

Binge eating disorder (BED) not as widely known as anorexia and bulimia

It’s not as widely discussed as other eating disorders, but binge eating disorder (BED) affects more American adults and takes more lives than anorexia and bulimia combined. As many as 15 million people in the United States – possibly more – can be characterized as binge eaters, according to a recent article published in Today’s Dietitian. In addition to the sheer numbers of sufferers, BED distinguishes itself from other eating disorders in that it affects both men and women of all races and all ages. In the United States alone, at least 2 percent of men, or 6 million individuals, and 3.5 percent of women, nearly 11 million people, will be diagnosed with BED at some point in their lives. In contrast, anorexia and bulimia will affect just 1 million men and 11 million women, nearly all of whom are teens or young adults.

Binge eating disorder is classified in different ways by different specialists, but it will likely get its own formal definition in the forthcoming fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). It’s widely agreed upon that BED sufferers engage in overeating to the point of extreme discomfort even when they aren’t hungry. The behavior is commonly a coping mechanism in response to depression, stress, or anxiety. As a result, people diagnosed with BED are often obese and are plagued with the health dangers that accompany obesity, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.

Luckily, help is available for people with BED. Most often, health care practitioners take a two-pronged approach when treating binge eating disorder. Psychiatrists and mental health therapists address the behavioral and emotional side of the illness while dietitians and, in extreme cases, general practitioners and other needed specialists deal with the physical problems. Many people battling eating disorders of all kinds never seek medical care out of shame or a simple lack of knowledge about their condition, but there are numerous success stories about people who overcome BED and come out of the experience happier and healthier. Don’t hesitate to contact a trusted health care professional if you’re concerned that you or a loved one may have problems with an eating disorder.

As a personal trainer, I can help you monitor your food intake while getting you started with the vital habit of exercise. I've seen many clients overcome this disorder, and I know you can too!

 

Additional information came from the National Eating Disorders Association website (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health (www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/binge-eating-disorder.cfm). Population data derived from U.S. Census Bureau statistics.

Fit the Old-Fashioned Way

Admit it. You’ve thought about it. Maybe you even fell for it. So you can say it out loud. Did you buy the pills that were going to help you lose weight without dieting? Did you order them as you sat on the couch, eating corn chips and watching late night infomercials? Did Suzanne Somers really convince you that the ThighMaster would make you have the same figure as she did?

Don’t feel bad; most of us have tried one or two of these “miracles.” And we have all, at least deep down in our hearts, known better.

According to Lindsey Unterberger in Glamour magazine, women in the 1940s were discouraged from exercising for fear that such stress could damage the uterus. By the 1950s, however, Jack LaLanne had begun his 32-year run on television as a nutritional, fitness, and motivational expert geared toward women. Long before Dr. Oz, he explained the benefits of good diets to women in layman’s terms. Before Richard Simmons, he led women in exercise programs that were more ballet that frenzied jumping. Before Dr. Phil, he encouraged and gently chided women of all ages to make their bodies stronger and “more lovely.”

Yes, LaLanne did promote supplements, but nothing he endorsed contained nonorganic materials. His famous rule—“If man made it, don’t eat it”—was offered almost daily on his television show. And he did invent some exercise equipment. However, it is not gathering dust in your closet or serving as a coat rack in your family room. If you want to see the machines he invented, you will find them at your gym. Many of the pulley-based machines used in gyms today were based on his designs.

So if you really want a fit body, you probably need to do what Jack did. Eat properly. Exercise daily. Copy the man that at 54 beat Arnold Schwarzenegger, then 21, in a strength contest.

And maybe try the other thing LaLanne promoted too. Look in the mirror every day and remind yourself that you are a lovely person, no matter how you look!

Have you tried fitness fads? Let me know about your fitness habits and what works best for you.