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100 !

At the risk of having my yoga mates throw their mats at me…(just kidding yoga mates! I know you practice ahimsa — nonviolence)

Despite the possibility of teasing from family and friends who are on the opposite side of this battle…..

I daresay this…

Finally, after what seemed like a futile effort, I have managed to bring my weight to 100 pounds.

And for those who didn’t know, I was not battling to lose weight.  Rather, I had been trying for months to GAIN weight.

Yes, believe it or not, I was having just as hard a time keeping pounds on as my women friends were attempting to lose them. I was DESPERATE!

At my worst condition, my usual 105 pounds dropped to 95. I saw bones sticking out of my shoulders, my face (unfortunately, in women it is the face that collapses first though I wish that happened first to my thighs!) became gaunt at one time. People I had not seen for a while expressed surprise at my weight loss.

It started with my having adult braces. It was difficult to eat well for many, many months. Mouth sores were almost daily fare. Aside from that, my regular yoga practice sped up my metabolism and most likely brought it back to the metabolism rate of my youth because no matter what I ate, the calories were all burned up immediately. Last year, I also got hit by an attack of kidney stones which landed me in hospital twice in the span of 2 months.

But now, I am almost at the end (I hope!) of my brace-ful life. If my teeth cooperate as the lower set is being pushed back to correct my bite, I may be off these metal contraptions within the year! Woohoo!

I still have a-ways to go before reaching my normal weight of 105 but crossing 100 is a milestone I wish to relish for now.

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What Your Sleeping Position Says About You

HOW YOU SLEEP SAYS MORE ABOUT YOU THAN YOU THINK!

I came across an article that talked about how sleeping positions reveal a little bit of one’s personality.

The article stated that “Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the UK Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service analysed six common sleeping positions – and found that each is linked to a particular personality type.”

OK, before we go on to the rest of the article, look at the illustrations below and decide which is your most frequent sleeping pose.

sleep-types.gif

Credit: http://news.bbc.co.uk

READY? Click on the link below.

Continue reading “What Your Sleeping Position Says About You”

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10 Ways to Commit to Fitness

There is an article written by a certain Kelli Calabrese dated Jan. 15, 2007 wherein she names 10 ways to commit to fitness. I am reproducing excerpts from that article here as a constant reminder (most of all to myself) that fitness ISN’T A FAD. It has to be A LIFESTYLE.

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1. Project into the future and visualize how you will look and feel in three months if continue on the path you are on right now. Then visualize in detail how you will look and feel in three months if you begin a regular exercise program today. Keep the future in the front of your mind.

2. Figure out what matters most to you. If you truly want to have a fit body, cut out thoughts of the old you. The past does not equal the future. You can only affect the present decisions you make. Your body is an amazing organism that responds to both positive and negative stimulus (exercise or sedentary lifestyle) every day. The choice is completely yours. Exercise is not something anyone can do for you.

3. Have commitment in areas that matter the most. If your health and fitness are a priority to you, keep you exercise appointments the same way you would keep a doctors appointment or a parent teacher conference. Know you are worth the 20 to 60 minutes you take for exercise. Keep fitness high on your priority list.

4. Catch yourself before you steer away. For example, if you miss one workout, don’t make it two. Immediately plan to get in your next exercise session regardless of life’s events. You will feel so much better if you do, versus the guilt you will carry around if you don’t exercise. When two missed sessions becomes three, the weeks then become months, making it more challenging to build momentum again.

5. Look for evidence that your workouts are working. Notice that you are moving better, posture is improved, you are feeling less bloated, pants are getting loose, energy is up, metabolism is kicking in and you are attaining a firmer, fitter more defined body. Continue to reinforce the positive results by engaging in regular exercise.

6. No matter how far “gone” you feel, get up and get moving! It doesn’t matter that you have not exercised in weeks, months or years or that you had three slices of pizza and chocolate cake for dinner last night. What matters is that every day you have a new opportunity to make improvements in your body. It’s never too late. Even at 90 years old, you can build muscle and get stronger.

7. Commit without judgment. This is not a race or a competition. This is your life. Do your very best each workout and each meal. Discipline is an important success building component. Just the fact that you are getting up and exercising even if some days are not as intense as others is both important and effective.

8. Be true to yourself about your lack of commitment. You are only fooling yourself if you are justifying missed exercise sessions. You make the decision to exercise (or not to) emotionally and then justify it logically. Of course your life is full and demanding, but wouldn’t you be better able to handle all of life’s events in a fit and strong body?

9. When you miss an exercise session, it affects other people! I’ll say that again!!! When you miss an exercise session, it affects other people. When you don’t exercise, the rest of your day, you have guilt on your shoulders. You will then feel guilty or even angry with yourself. Since your mind can only hold one thought at a time, that anger and guilt reflect your actions throughout your day. Maybe your husband, child or co-worker gets to feel or see the end result of your not exercising. Maybe it comes out at the drive-thru or in a bar after work. On the other hand, performing your exercise routine can have very positive effects on your entire day and everyone in it.

10. Missing your workout creates darkness in your life. That darkness expands, disempowers and grows. It disempowers you and pushes your energy down. Some people get so far pushed down that they need medication. Coming back to your senses and getting your body moving is always the positive way to turn your body and life around.

Kelli Calabrese, MS, CSCS, 2004 Personal Trainer of the Year, is an exercise physiologist, personal trainer, lifestyle coach and certified nutrition specialist. She is committed to helping people make health, fitness and wellness a permanent and positive part of their lives. Kelli is the author of “Feminine, Firm & Fit — Building a Lean Strong Body in 12 weeks.” For more information about Kelli, go to www.KelliCalabrese.com or e-mail Kelli@KelliCalabrese.com.