redemption

after a long hiatus from exercise, and a long period of being an unhappy large, i have found my saving grace. you see, i came to terms with the fact that my excuses for not making it to the gym were actually valid. that gave me the option to forgive myself for not going and make the necessary changes. let me explain. prior to August 2007, i was either running at night or going to the gym at 5am, constantly looking forward to that magical day that my baby was old enough for Kids Club. once she was, i thought my problems were solved. little did i know, they were just beginning. my kids hated the gym. my husband's schedule changed, and i was left with exercising at 3:30 in the morning, taking my screaming babies to the gym for as long as they could handle it (literally 2 1/2 minutes one day), or see my husband for about 15 minutes per night should i choose to go to the gym after the kids went down. non of these choices seemed to be working for me. ultimately The Firm became the winning solution. my sister swears by it, and now i am a Firm Believer. not because the videos themselves have any magical qualities, but because at home exercise is my solution right now, to my problems - right now. so, i'm back on track and feeling pretty good.

Happy Medium moral: roll with the punches. changes will come. sure, some people may think 3:30am is the perfect time to go to the gym, but if you don't, find something else that works for you!

a tale as old as time

it's been one month (monday) since i competed in my first triathlon. a great accomplishment! but, since then i have done nothing. i mean sure, the first week was a much needed break for recovery, and health reasons. then the next week i was out of town. but after that the excuses are flimsy and the effect is obvious. i am lethargic and gross. the worst part is that i know what's causing me to feel so bad - inactivity, but i can't seem to work exercise back into my life. and i am one of those people who makes better food choices when i'm active. it's a tale as old as time, bodies in motion tend to stay in motion while, bodies at rest get fat and lazy! i've done this too many times to count. - i've got to get out of the doldrums.

Happy Medium Moral: it's okay to rest on your laurels a little bit, but it's not okay to be so lazy that you're an unhappy medium.

do what's good for you....

wow, what's good for you? so many people ask this question, and when they do, are met with so many (possibly too many answers). i think what's good for you, is what's good for YOU. i have spent way too much time trying to figure out what makes someone else happy and healthy and then trying to copy it. in my estimation, time is better spent learning what works for you. that being said, finding what's good for YOU can take some trial and error. take for instance dieting. i the last post i bid farewell to fad diets. however, i think there are a lot of "diets" out there that can be good for you. in fact, in the past i have found some that were good for me. i like Body for Life. it's simple, reasonable, and has a motivational aspect that gets me moving. Sarah recently emailed me about The 5 Factor Diet. Still another friend has had great luck with Weight Watchers, and another lives by Dr. Ian's Smash Diet. the common link here is each person is happy with what they feel works for them, also important to recognize is each of these diets is similar in approach: sensible eating and exercise.



Happy Medium Moral: if you want to diet, pick something sensible that makes you feel good.

say goodbye to fad diets

interesting statistic: Americans spend $33 billion annually (projected to be over $54 billion by 2009) on weight-loss products and servicse, while becoming fatter and more impatient than ever!

who hasn't fallen victim to the shiny promises of a fad diet? when i was in high school, i was convinced i could lose a pound a day, and i wasn't alone in this misconception. to get there, i employed more than one fad diet. there's the cabbage soup diet, the pineapple juice diet, the 3-day diet, all promising a quick fix of 10 pounds or so. but then there are the fad diets that expect you to stick with them, low-carb diets like Atkins, pre-packaged options like Nutri-system, or meal replacement diets such as Slim Fast. sticking to diets like these can range from impossible to dangerous.

the problem with long term weight-loss goals and the pre-packaged and meal replacement plans is while they promise to teach you about portion control and balanced eating, in the real world you can only actually learn these skills through eating real food and creating meals you will enjoy. with low-carb diets, you limit your energy source: complex carbohydrates. i don't know about you, but energy is a key component to my life!

Happy Medium Moral: stear clear of FADS, in my experience they just make you fat, and a little stupid. on the flip side, all diet plans are not fad diets, some are very helpful and educational. with Sarah's help, my next post will cover that topic, diets that help you be a Happy Medium.

what's your number?

For a good portion of my life I (as have many other women) have been very attached, even obessessed possibly with the number on the scale. But as it has been said many times, in the pages of magazines, by Oprah, Dr. Oz, my old trainer, friends, self-help gurus, diet books, etc., the number on the scale doesn't tell us if we're healthy. I started looking at the big picture several years ago, and it does help keep me in a Happy Medium state of mind. Here are the numbers I like to keep tabs on other than weight. BMI, size, and body fat percentage. As long as I fit into "healthy" ranges, I feel like I'm on track.

the study that started it all

back in 2004, i was practicing law in CA happily unaware of the wrecking ball having children would be to my body. unfortunately for me, and as is usually the case for women, i was taking my body for granted. my co-worker, friend, and co-author, Sarah and i had been working out 5 nights a week after work and eating sensibly. the results were minimal. then i read* that the Amish are among the healthiest Americans while still eating meat, eggs, bread, potatoes, and even PIES. i wanted to know how, how do the Amish stay so fit? the answer, walking. so Sarah and i strapped on pedometers and took to the streets. soon, we realized that with our current workout schedule, we were averaging as many as 5,000 - 7,000 steps per day - just like the Amish. and, our BMI's were in the healthy weight, just like the Amish. and our weights were in the healthy range, just like the Amish. so, why were the Amish so fit and i was so fat? this was the question i asked myself over and over. until, i realized i was asking the wrong question. the real question was, "why do i think i am so fat, when i am totally healthy - just like the Amish?"

it occurred to me, i man not like the way i look in a bathing suit, but you don't see too many Amish flaunting it on the cover of SI either right? and if i did see someone else of my proportion in a bathing suit i was far less critical of them than i was of myself.

Happy Medium Moral: if you're trying your best to eat right and exercise then you have to accept the way you look and feel good about it!

*"Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise", David D. Bassett, Jr. and associates at University of Tennessee.