Failure is not the end

Hello Everyone,

Failing at something is not the end...it is a learning step.  Yesterday I went to the park with my seven year old son so he could learn to ride his bicycle without training wheels.  He was doing really good.  Then...he crashed.  You all know what happened...scraped hands, scraped knee and bleeding elbow.  He was so close to getting it.  Needless to say, he was done for the day.  He will be back on the bicycle eventually when he is not upset any longer and will learn to ride his bike.

It seems that everyone beats themselves up when they can't stick to their diet or workout plan.  This is a message for everyone.  People that can stick to their plans and not mess up have been doing it for a while and have had plenty of practice.  For people just starting out, you need to be able to forgive yourselves.  You just have to dust yourself off and get right back to it.

To succeed, your lifestyle will eventually have to change.  Not all at once...that would be a shock to your body.  If you drink, smoke, and all you eat are fried foods with soft drinks, that would be too much to change at once.  The key will be to change one small thing at a time.  A good example would be to give up soda on a daily basis.  Yes, have a glass of soda with your pizza.  Who can have pizza without soda?  Again, this is a glass not a pitcher or 2 liter bottle by yourself.  Also, this is once in a while not all the time.  After a week or two, keep at it and start to change something else.  Eventually, your bad habits (which are sabotaging your weight loss goals) will be gone and you'll have good habits that replaced them.

The best way to have a good eating plan and be able to have goodies is by planning for it.  Plan your meals a week out.  Perhaps on Sunday, you can decide what you want to eat through the week.  If you know you have a party to attend later in the week, account for the cake and ice cream at the party as you plan your meals.  A good example of this is July 4th with is coming up in a week and a half.  If you know you are going to go out and celebrate, plan accordingly.  Plan for that hot dog or burger.  Plan for the macaroni salad, potato salad, and chips.  If you have cake, pies, and/or ice cream - plan for it.

I'm not a fan of restrictive diets.  Life is full of color and flavors to not try or have some awesome dishes that taste amazing but are not exactly healthy for you.  Sometimes, they go hand in hand.  At others, they are not.  A good example of this is fish.  I like to eat grilled or poached trout.  It tastes good and it's good for you.  I also like fried catfish.  Grew up eating it.  It tastes good, but not exactly healthy for you.  I probably have it once or twice a year if that.  Life is too short to have bland, tasteless food.  How can you live if you are dreading your next meal.  Spices are one way to add flavor to your meals. Try a little of this and a little of that.  See what you like.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Have you heard of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis?

Our bodies generate heat at all times.  Even at rest, our bodies still generate heat.  Our bodies are incredible machines and we're always learning something new about it.  When people talk about losing weight, most people refer to calories and to reduce the amount of calories to be consumed.  To get everyone on the same page, here are some definitions everyone needs to know to understand the thermal dynamics of our wonderful bodies.

• Calories - A unit of measure of energy to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water by 1 degree Celsius. 
• Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR AKA Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)) - This is the minimum amount of energy that the body requires to support life functions and organs.  This is about 75% our total energy requirements.  Most of this is for the Liver, Brain, and muscles.  So remember to lift weights and build some muscles.  
• Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) - This is the energy that the body uses to break down the food we eat into more energy or to move it to a location for future use.  This is about 10% of total energy requirements.
• Thermic Effect of Physical Activity (TEPA) - This accounts for the remaining 15% of energy we use.  This is the energy that we use when we participate in sports, or and exercise class.  
• Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) - Amount of energy the body uses after exercise is complete to return to its normal state.  This is within the TEPA energy.

Up until recently, everyone always talked about losing weight in terms of calories in and calories out.  A lot of people would also ask "how much should I work out to lose weight?".  When it comes to losing weight, I believe, we also need to look at what you do to burn calories that are not considered "working out", or organized sports/physical activity.

This is where the relatively new term Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) comes into play.  This is the energy that is used (part of the TEPA mentioned above) but it is not from formal exercise usage.  This is energy that is used in daily living.  Here are some examples:

• Getting out of bed
• Brushing teeth
• Bathing
• Fixing a meal
• Eating a meal
• Driving to/from work
• Walking to car/office/school
• Writing/typing at work
• Talking
• Sitting down
• Standing up
• Picking up a baby/groceries

These are small but they add up.  Were you running late today and had to run to catch your bus?  Did you mow your yard over the weekend?  Yes, all of these things count toward weight loss.  Heck, just standing in one spot requires your body to burn calories.  If your goal is to loose weight, remember that a pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories.  So if you increase NEAT by walking say 2 miles (~200) and make healthier food choices like cutting a can of soda and potato chips per day (300).  That is about 500 calories per day you would be cutting.  In a week's time that would be 3,500 calories.  So, go for a walk after dinner - it's good for digestion, it's relaxing, and you can burn extra calories.  You can also get out and play with your kids or grand kids.

If you have any questions, let me know.  Wishing you success on your fitness journey.  Now, let's get started.