WAIT!!!! Weight????

Lifting weight...losing weight...gaining weight...waiting...  In some way, shape, or form we all wait, but we should weight!  I speak with many women who avoid lifting weights because they're afraid that it will cause them to "bulk up", I'm here to tell you that the opposite is true!  It is inevitable that you will bulk up if you don't lift weights.

I have to admit that, once upon an time, I too had that mentality.  Thankfully while studying for my Personal Training certificate, I was enlightened.  There is study, after study, touting the importance of lifting weights for weight loss.  Now, when I speak of lifting weights, I'm not talking about the heavy stuff that the "meat heads" lift.  I am a huge proponent of body weight exercises...the use of resistance bands, hand weights, and your own body weight.

Let me try to convince you of the importance of lifting:

It is scientifically proven that muscular capacity decreases dramatically with age, BUT only in non-strength training individuals.  On average, we lose 5 pounds of muscle with every decade of life.  While this may sound good...I mean, who wouldn't want to lose 5 pounds every 10 years, simply by doing nothing?  The body is composed primarily of two components:  fat mass...or lean mass.  So, if you lose muscle, it's being replaced by fat...yep, FAT!  Let's take a closer look at how this works:

Let's say I'm 30 years old (actually, I say that often...LOL), let's also say that I weigh 120 pounds (I WISH), and that I have 20% body fat (maybe when I was 16!)  Given this hypothetical scenario, my body composition would consist of 24 pounds of fat, and 96 pounds of lean mass (I won't bore you with the mathematics behind these numbers, you can send me a private message if you really want to see the mathematical equations).

So, let's fast forward 20 years...I am now 50 years old, and have lost 10 pounds of lean muscle mass over the last 20 years.  Essentially, this changes my entire body composition, because I would have replaced that 10 pounds of lean muscle with 10 pounds of squishy, yucky FAT!!!!!  For the sake of this blog, let's just say that I did manage to maintain my weight (120 pounds), given my aging body composition (loss of 10 pounds of lean muscle), my body would now consist of 34 pounds of fat mass, and 86 pounds of lean muscle mass, which would equate to an increase in body fat to 28.3%.  I would be wearing a larger size, because fat is...well, fat...it's fluffy, and takes up a large amount of space in our bodies, but muscle is very dense and compact...filling up a much smaller space.

Okay, so here's what I want you to know:  strength training doesn't have to take a lot of time in order to reap HUGE benefits!  I recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of strength training, 3 days a week, with a rest day in between workouts.  You still need to keep up your cardio, and you should be doing a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous cardio at least 5 days per week.  That's really not a lot of time...think of it as an investment in your health, and your life!  When something is important to you, you WILL make time for it...when it's not important, you'll make an excuse not to do it...the choice is yours!  YOU ARE WORTH taking the time for YOU!  Make an appointment with yourself if you have to, but do it!!!  Your body will thank you!  Be blessed!  Be well!  Be fit!!!

Supplement Is NOT A Four Letter Word

I'm going to start off by stating the obvious:  when you're over 40, things just don't work the same as they did when you were in your 20's...or even 30's.  It's harder to loose weight...it's harder to maintain a youthful appearance...it's harder to build muscle...it's just harder...  Notice that I did NOT say impossible...just harder...  I firmly believe that, for most people, after the BIG 4-0, we just need a little "help"...like a gentle girdle...like a facial filler...like...nutritional supplementation.  Yes, I just went there!

Today I want to write on a subject that is near and dear to my heart...nutritional supplements.  I realize that this is a very controversial topic within the fitness industry, so before you go and get all hot under the collar, let me clarify.  I'm not talking about the ones that professional athletes take...or the ones that promise you'll loose 10 pounds in 2 days...or the ones that make you bulk up like the Hulk...or the ones that are synthetic garbage (aka:  a chemical crap storm).  I'm talking about natural, NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION...simply, what we can do with what nature has given us to supplement what our diets are lacking, but our bodies need for optimum health and functioning.

Since my Dad has owned a Health Food store in Tucson, AZ for the last 30+ years (shout out to The Health Hut), I grew up understanding several important things:

(1) how to read a nutrition label,
(2) that if we put the things into our bodies that they need, they will respond by being healthier, and looking and feeling better,
(3) that God has already given us pretty much everything that we need to heal our bodies when they are sick or not performing at their peak,


(4) that it is necessary to supplement our diet, because our modern diet is sadly lacking in essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, and;
(5) just because we can add to our diet what we lack by not eating healthy, this does NOT give us a license to slowly kill our bodies by poisoning it to death with unhealthy food choices!

Everyone needs to do their own research to find what they feel will work for them, and then use what they feel is beneficial to their body.  I am NOT a proponent of:

• any product(s) out there that make promises that are too good to be true,
• any product(s) that tells you that you MUST use their product(s), and ONLY their product(s), to achieve whatever your desired results are,
• any product(s) that puts more of an emphasis on signing other people up under you, than the actual health benefits of the product(s),
• any product(s) that is marketed as the product(s) that will fix all of your unhealthy habits overnight,
• any product(s) that is the "miracle" fix/cure to your weight loss/health woes.
• any product(s) that has a nutritional label that looks like a science experiment (with the exception of the scientific names of vitamins...sometimes they look scary)
• any product(s) that contains fillers and artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners
• any product(s) that contains high fructose corn syrup/corn syrup
• any product(s) that contains GMO products (corn and soy are the worst offenders)
• any products(s) that contain known allergens/irritants (whey, lactose, gluten)
• any product(s) that contain MSG or other chemical preservatives

Remember...if it seems too good to be true...IT IS!!!!  

The ONLY way you will "turn back the clock" and discover the "Fountain of Youth" is by making your pursuit of health and fitness a lifestyle.  Becoming healthy, loosing weight, finding your way to physical fitness is NOT a New Year's resolution, it is NOT something that happens overnight, it will NOT happen as the result of taking some magic potion, BUT it will happen...the old-fashioned way...with hard work and determination, making good, healthy choices day-after-day, sweating (everyday), driving past that fast food joint, and saying "No" to unhealthy habits, and "Yes" to the rest of your beautiful, healthy, fit life!  Be blessed!  Be well!  Be fit!

My next blog will get a little more in depth about what to look for when supplementing your diet.

You CAN do THIS!!!

Since this is my first blog of the new year, I wanted to write about something that is on most of our minds right now.  ...no, not New Year's resolutions...I don't believe in them, simply because most people never see them to fruition.  I want to talk about the steps it takes to make a lifestyle change.

First let's look at what a lifestyle change is:  it is modifying or eliminating long-held habits of eating or physical activity and maintaining the new habits over months and years.  Since many of us have tried, and failed numerous times before to bring about healthy changes in our lives, this can be an intimidating journey to begin.  I think the most crucial element is simply that you begin.  Success lies in taking small, sustainable steps toward lasting, doable changes for the betterment of your health.  There are several things to consider for the successful implementation of the changes that you want to make...let's look at them:

Identify your priorities and commitments 
Write down exactly what it is that you want to do/change.  Remember that the things that you spend the most time on, are the things that are the most important to you.  If you want to make exercise a consistent part of your life, then schedule it into your day...make an appointment with yourself...in other words, make it a priority.  

Make sure that the change is something that YOU want 
This is all about YOU, and for YOU...no one else.  Why do you want to make the change(s)?  What is your motivation?  Really think about that, and then mentally hold on to that reason/motivation...this is what will help you to keep going when you feel like quitting.  I call this, "knowing your why".

Make sure that you feel good about the changes that you're making 
If this is going to be sustainable, you need to embrace it, and be passionate about it.  If you decide that you want to eat healthier, then clean out your fridge and pantry and eliminate foods that aren't healthy...celebrate that decision...play fun music while you're doing it...dance...play "shoot the hoop" with the food into the garbage can...make it fun and enjoyable.

Make small, progressively changing goals 
I don't want you to change everything overnight...that would be almost impossible to stick to for the long haul.  I recommend that when you are identifying your priorities, that you then break each item down into smaller "bite sized" changes.  For example:  "I want to eat healthier."  Okay, start by cleaning out the unhealthy food items from your kitchen (if it's not there...you can't eat it).  The next step (week two) might be, eliminating all products with artificial sweeteners and sugar.  You might then progress to cutting out milk by substituting almond milk (week three).  See where I'm going with this?  Make your changes progressive...that will make your lifestyle change easier to adhere to.


Finally, don't beat yourself up if you have a day where you slip back into your old habits...the key is to get back into your new life as quickly as possible.  Once you begin to feel how good it feels to feel good, you won't want to go back to the "old you".  Your body will reward your changes with more energy, feeling better...lighter...healthier.  Friends will comment on how amazing you look...it takes time, but trust me, people will notice.  YOU CAN DO THIS...and you'll be happy that you did!

Size Really Does Matter!

Size Really Does Matter!

Last week I shared with you about my 80 pound weight loss journey.  This week I want to talk about the psychological "side effects" of weight, and re-training your brain to think in a new way.

Even after loosing 80 pounds, I still saw myself as a "heavy" girl...I couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that I could now get into the "skinny girl club".  The truth of the matter is, that I've discovered that it really doesn't matter what size I am...I always look into the mirror and see something that I don't like. I am on a journey of self acceptance, as many of us are, and I feel certain that this will be a life-long journey.  I know that I have so much to offer...that I'm intelligent and funny...that I'm relatively attractive...and that everyone who knows me, really likes me.  BUT, what I struggle with is liking myself some days...and accepting my body most days.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one...

What I really want us to start doing (I'm preaching to the choir here), is to love and accept ourselves...no matter what size we are.  Our "size" is not an indicator of who we are as a person...it doesn't dictate what we can accomplish, or how we can treat other people.  Our dislike of our "size", for many women, has become a mental prison...holding us back from from doing things that we really want to do...keeping us from stepping into the spotlight...chaining us to the lie that we don't have anything to offer to others.  Well I for one, hope that you'll get mad enough at this deception that our brains hold on to, and join me in making some changes!

Here's what I want you to grasp on to:  You need to work towards being the healthiest, fittest YOU that you can be (this is one of those "life long" journeys)...I want you to stop fixating on the number on the scale, and instead, focus on "Fitting In Your Pants" (that's what this is all about for me).  I want to encourage you to set a goal for yourself about whatever size pants you want to fit into, and make daily lifestyle changes to help you reach that goal.  It's important to be realistic...to set small, attainable goals for yourself.  We need to understand that more important than the number on the scale, is being healthy, strong, physically fit...AND loving yourself for the amazing YOU that you are!  I'm not telling you to ignore the condition that your body is in...I'm encouraging you to love yourself enough to join the journey with me to become the YOU that you've always dreamed of!

The Journey

Since this is my first blog, I thought it best to share with you some insight as to where I’ve come from, where I am now, and where I am going.  If I’m going to invite you to go on a journey with me, I feel it’s important for you to understand all of this…this will hopefully give you the “buy in” needed to join me on this journey.

Many of you don’t know where I’ve come from, and if I weren’t telling the story, you wouldn’t believe it…or recognize who I was.  This was me…yes, the very chubby girl to the right was me.  I was 208 lbs. at my heaviest, and a size 18.  Growing up in TN, this is what most women looked like…it was acceptable.  No one ever taught me about exercise and eating right, and it wasn’t until I moved to FL that I realized that I needed to consider learning how to exercise and eat healthy.  Sadly, my beautiful little girl was also very overweight and, as a mother, I realized that it was my responsibility to “set the tone” for the health and nutrition of my family.

Thankfully, this story has a happy ending…I started on a fitness journey, lost 80 lbs., and got down to a size 6/8.  I share this with you to lend credibility to what I am doing with my life today.  I am not where I want to be (I gained 20 lbs. back), but I am on a journey towards being the fittest, healthiest “ME” that I can be.  I’ve discovered that weight loss over 40 is a bit harder…but NOT impossible!  So friends, allow me to be a daily reminder to you that YOU too can do it…whatever your “IT” is.  I want to inspire and motivate you along the journey, and I’m sure you will also be an inspiration and motivation to me. 

I’ve created Fit In Your Pants as a way to reach others who also want to “Fit in their pants”, while being “Fit” in their pants.   It’s not about a specific weight…it’s about feeling good about yourself in whatever size pants that you want to be in…it’s about regaining and maintaining your “swagger” for life…it’s about feeling healthy and strong…it’s about being the very best YOU that you can be today.  Join me on the journey towards fitness and health…we’ll take it one day at a time…one step at a time…one good, healthy decision at a time, and we WILL reach the goal that we desire…together!