Expert Tips from Liz Honner

Hi everyone,

Here’s a wonderful note from our resident fitness expert Liz Honner. Liz is a personal trainer and a wonderful person. Here’s what she has to say about healthy living. Hope this helps you as much as it did me.

Email from Liz:

Congratulate yourself and be excited about the start of a new exercise and good eating habit program that you are about to commence.  It’s ok and there is no stress. Be good to yourself.  If you fall off the "wagon", that’s ok every now and then.  Try and not fall off more than once a week.  Just get back on again.  The best thing for getting "back on the wagon" is start off again slowly with a small cardio workout.  This will inspire you again to eat well, because you don’t want to "undo" all that good exercise you have done.

Remember, I don’t believe in diets, just good healthy food (i.e., really watching the fat, sugar and carbohydrate intake), and regular exercise.  ALSO.... ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY!  i.e., just stick with it, and please... do it slowly and bit by bit!  Results may start to be seen around 6 to 8 weeks, so don’t get disappointed that you may not start seeing weight loss overnight. A lot of the short term stuff is just the fluid we gain and lose.

So while you are waiting for the 6 - 8 weeks to come around, just focus on exercise now as part of your daily routine, as this should be part of your life, for now and ongoing!  Be good to yourself, and be selfish and allow the time for yourself, i.e., put the sandshoes/runners on, get up and say... "no, this is my time, I am going to do something for myself and exercise".  You will notice in a very short time, how quickly you will feel fitter, and more able to do things, giving you more energy.  I myself am attracted to the endorfin release that your body gets after exercise (a natural body chemical release into the brain!  I love it and you can get additicted to this).

I find what works for me, if I am not motivated is, cleaning my teeth, then I put my sandshoes on.  This is a trigger for me.  What I always say to myself is “ok, I am not really wanting to exercise, but I trick myself and say, ok, I will just do 10 mins” but what happens is that you find, after 10 mins has passed, that you will feel "well I am not feeling too bad, so I may as well keep going". 

Remember, it takes 20mins for the body to get into the "fat burning zone"  (that’s just how the energy system in our body works).  So, it’s what we do AFTER the 1st 20 mins that actually burns the fat off!   So even after the cardio part is finished, you will still be burning fat whilst you are doing your strength training.

I always find, even now as an advance exerciser, that I hate the first 10 mins of exercising.  Just remember this.  Once your body is accustomed to exercise, I will encourage you to push past that first 10 mins and you will enjoy the cardio.  Now for me, I must have music (ipod) in my ears, or have someone, standing or exercising next to me to help me keep going.  Just a habit I guess.  You work out what works for you.  Other good thing once you put exercise into your lifestyle, it is good thinking time, things pop into my head whilst I am exercising.  So it’s all good! 

Exercise will be just like you have to clean your teeth at night, it will become part of your lifestyle and you will love it. 

Now to see results. You must work out/ cardio  3 to 5 times per week and strength training a minimum of 2 times per week.  Strength will consist of 1 time a week working on upper body and chest, the 2nd time that week will consist of lower body and back/latts.  OF Course your Abdominals and side crunches will be done minimum of 3 times per week or every time you exercise!  Don’t forget the abs.  If you don’t have a stretch mat, no worries, just put a couple of soft towels out.

Again, none of this is any good without healthy eating, so NO chocolate, biscuits, chips, sugar, alcohol, fast food, you know all the bad foods I am sure.  Something to remember is  70% is WHAT GOES IN YOUR MOUTH 30% IS CONTRIBUTED TO EXERCISE.

It is ok if you have been good all week.  Still treat yourself (if you must) with a little treat...but cut it in half / make the portion smaller.  Analyze everything that you put in your mouth, read the backs of labels on food!! DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!!  Quite often the body is just thirsty and not hungry, keep water with you AT ALL TIMES!!   Have a focus or and interest on something, but don’t focus on food.  Get busy!!”

And let’s get going, girls! J

Thank you, Liz, for taking the time to write this article for us. I know how busy you are, so this “thank you” comes with a big hug too! J

Cheers,
Meena

About weekly weigh-ins

Hi there,
Sorry I've been away the last week, but a nasty cold has been making rounds at home. This also meant that I haven't been able to keep with the exercises, but I'll get right back on the wagon once this cold is gone.

Meanwhile, I had a wonderful conversation with Ranjani, a friend of mine from Uni. She had some interesting feedback on the weekly weigh-ins. Click here to read the comment she left on my last post. I've always been a weekly weigh-er (hey, did I just come up with a new word?), which has been a motivator for me. But  I'm going to tryo ut the monthly weigh-ins to see how it works as a motivator.

Also, do read this interesting article on weighing in.

More later,
Meena

3 days no walk :(

Hey, all my efforts seems to be going down the drain in just few days. My in-laws are here from India and they have come loaded with sweet home-made goodies, now how do i resist all those temptations !

Have not gone for walk for the past three days, absolutely not done ! I cant just sit and watch the time passing by. Hope to squeeze out some time during the day.

Hoping for the best !!

walk walk walk

Hi Meena and Priya,
Happy New Year wishes first of all !! Sorry for not being regular here. Reading the earlier posts has really encouraged me to keep writing.
I have not yet managed to check my weight which i have not tracked for months now or say year. But whatsoever i have increased my walking time starting this year.I was managing with 30 minutes walk 5 days a week but now i push myself for atleast 40 minutes for the full 7 days.

The thing i am not able to do is to watch what am eating.If am hungry i will grab the big piece of cake n then regret later no doubt! But the thing i have started every morning is to drink a glass of warm water with lime n little honey.Its said to be good for health as well helps in losing weight..so some motivation to do it every day !!

The game starts now

I've put down things I ought to be doing such as drink plenty of water (which somehow I never manage to do), prepare a healthy lunch to take to work, watch my caffeine intake, exercise etc. But first I need to find the courage to look at the scales (I can just imaging a sharp shoot up). Its been 3 weeks since I weighed myself. Prior to that I had watched the scales gradually move up and when i couldn't take it any longer, I just out it away and made up my mind to start disciplining my body from Jan 1 (a very deadly mistake) since now I find myself walloning in regret and if only i hads. Well, no use crying over split milk. Time to take charge and slowly erase the mistakes of December. 2011 - Start afresh, repair broken relationships and maintain a healthier body and mind. After all, if I want my children to lead a healthy lifestyle, I need to be an example and not a hypocrite.

3rd Weekly Weigh-In: Meena

Hi there,
Welcome back, Joice. Nice post! I sooo get that holiday wieght gain. But this year let's make it different. We are going to kick these temptations!

I'm a couple of days late, but here's my 3rd weekly weigh-in:
Weight: 74 Kgs (aaarrghhhh! Wanted to kick my weighing scale this morning...)
BMI: 32

Another week and yet no movement. I've been regulating my food intake (since new year's) and portion sizes, keeping a food diary, etc. I've recommenced my workouts., I'm sarting light with 30 minute cardio sessions in the last two days. I didn't expect any miracles, but a tiny change would have been great. Maybe even half a kilo. Sigh...anyways, I'm not going to let my scales discourage me. Hopefully next week, it will be a little better.

Cheers,
M

2011

2011 brings in hope, new opportunities, anticipations, new goals and along with everything it has also brought along new weight and a more visible tummy. Sigh.. the penalty of devouring all the food during the holiday season. With anniversary and B'days coming up...do i have any hope of losing at least an inch and few pounds? Only time and my frame of mind (hopefully a very fierce determination to say no to all the temptations) at that moment in time will show my fate.