Stay simple, stay steady, stay in motion
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Selena DeLeon Certified Personal Trainer
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The advent of a new year brings for me a need to clear out old things, simplify life and get clean. As I am clearing out the old junk in my house, it occurs to me that simplicity is the pathway to clarity. The pounds that are stored as excess are nothing but that - excess. We look at our bodies and feel bad about ourselves because we associate the extra pounds with our failures, our weaknesses and defeat. Excess calories that have been stored for future use are stored as fat. The more meaning that we put to things is the more complicated the world becomes.
Simplify To Clarify
If you have stored calories that you need to expend, then the best way to "trash" them is to turn them into energy. Think about your body like your house; converting calories into energy through your choice of movement regularly will decrease the amount in storage, and throw all the unnecessary clutter away forever. But as we all know, your house is never totally clean. You have to constantly clean your house to keep it clean. The minute you stop, it starts to get cluttered and dirty again.
Simplify your diet and get your body clean. You know that if you eat pork sausages you will have to hold on to them for a long time before your body can empty them, and your house will be a mess for that much longer. We have to stay on top of our diet as if it were our house in order to avoid the build-up of calories. Be selective about 'junk' that you put into your house, and honour it as your temple.
Clean Up Your Diet
Every week create a single goal for your diet. This week I am eliminating nuts from my diet. Next week, no chocolate, and so on. Each week you can clean up your diet, one food item at a time. For some people embarking on a new lifestyle can be daunting, and taking baby steps can also work as an approach to a new commitment.
Simpler cooking methods like steaming or grilling with fewer additives are the best ways to a healthy diet. Fresh, simple herbs like rosemary and garlic are great to flavour a meal. Simple foods such as potatoes rank much higher on the energy return scale than rice or bread.
Simplify Digestion
The simpler the food, the less energy your body expends to break it down. Have you ever noticed that after eating a heavy meal you feel tired? It is because your body is using up all of your energy to digest the food. The energy that you save on digesting your food is energy that can be used instead to burn up excess calories. The 'Fit for Life' diet created by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond is still one of my favourite diets to recommend to people who are trying to lose weight. Their method of combining certain foods to simplify digestion makes sense.
Food Is Fuel
Some persons respond better to a set menu, because that simplifies their food choices. Food is fuel; it is scientific. Energy that goes in is either energy spent or energy in the bank. If you take choices away, then you are not subject to emotional pitfalls. You remove bad food from your kitchen and you are no longer a victim of temptation; shorten your supermarket list, save time on preparing foods... in short, simplify.
Clarify Your Exercise
Clean and solid would be two good buzz words to describe how you could interpret your exercise schedule. Make a commitment to exercising on set days and at set times, and stick to it. You may encounter yourself as lethargic or overtired on those days, but if you give yourself permission to quit, it breaks the momentum.
It is a myth that the more you do exercise, the easier it gets. Exercising never gets easier, but your mind and your body do become accustomed to it. Stopping and starting interrupts this cycle, so don't get sucked into the pitfall of letting your excuses get in the way. Putting your body in motion stimulates connections within your body and your mind, and this is happening whether you are running at your fullest potential or at 40 per cent of it, so what is important is that the process continues. Even if you have pain, there is always the minimum that you can do so that your mind is registering that it is being turned on to exercise.
Simplify your ideals towards your performance. A simpler approach to exercise can free you from the pressure of performing. In most workouts it is necessary to perform and challenge, but not every time. A healthy balance to a 'fit lifestyle' can only exist if you know how to give to your body and take from it. Slow down the workout if you are feeling slow one day, make a regular breathing pattern your only goal, and visualise what you want to get out of exercising in that moment.
Getting clear on your relationship with your body can free you from frustration and guilt. The key to this clarity is to simplify a style of living that can sometimes become complicated and messy. Throw away old ideas about your body; those battles have not served you in the past and are now gone. Wherever you feel confronted by your energy or your health, take it down to its core, take a deep breath and know that it is all pure, simple and good.
MY THOUGHTS
there's really nothing new in this article, is there? and it's quite clear what the author is suggesting. it's not about diets. it's about lifestyle - a simple lifesttyle that is committed to being fit for life.
sometimes i don't feel like reading these articles (on weight management)anymore. but if i don't, then i won't be remindedof how important it is. so,i keep on looking for these articles as a way of "nagging" myself. i have so many pounds and inches to lose. and it's not just about vanity.
you might want to check on these sites:
http://www.thedietchannel.com/Fit-for-life-diet.htm
http://www.fitforlife.com/diets.html
http://www.diet.com/g/fit-for-life-diet
http://www.healthreserve.com/dieting/fit_for_life_diet.htm
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Selena DeLeon Certified Personal Trainer
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The advent of a new year brings for me a need to clear out old things, simplify life and get clean. As I am clearing out the old junk in my house, it occurs to me that simplicity is the pathway to clarity. The pounds that are stored as excess are nothing but that - excess. We look at our bodies and feel bad about ourselves because we associate the extra pounds with our failures, our weaknesses and defeat. Excess calories that have been stored for future use are stored as fat. The more meaning that we put to things is the more complicated the world becomes.
Simplify To Clarify
If you have stored calories that you need to expend, then the best way to "trash" them is to turn them into energy. Think about your body like your house; converting calories into energy through your choice of movement regularly will decrease the amount in storage, and throw all the unnecessary clutter away forever. But as we all know, your house is never totally clean. You have to constantly clean your house to keep it clean. The minute you stop, it starts to get cluttered and dirty again.
Simplify your diet and get your body clean. You know that if you eat pork sausages you will have to hold on to them for a long time before your body can empty them, and your house will be a mess for that much longer. We have to stay on top of our diet as if it were our house in order to avoid the build-up of calories. Be selective about 'junk' that you put into your house, and honour it as your temple.
Clean Up Your Diet
Every week create a single goal for your diet. This week I am eliminating nuts from my diet. Next week, no chocolate, and so on. Each week you can clean up your diet, one food item at a time. For some people embarking on a new lifestyle can be daunting, and taking baby steps can also work as an approach to a new commitment.
Simpler cooking methods like steaming or grilling with fewer additives are the best ways to a healthy diet. Fresh, simple herbs like rosemary and garlic are great to flavour a meal. Simple foods such as potatoes rank much higher on the energy return scale than rice or bread.
Simplify Digestion
The simpler the food, the less energy your body expends to break it down. Have you ever noticed that after eating a heavy meal you feel tired? It is because your body is using up all of your energy to digest the food. The energy that you save on digesting your food is energy that can be used instead to burn up excess calories. The 'Fit for Life' diet created by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond is still one of my favourite diets to recommend to people who are trying to lose weight. Their method of combining certain foods to simplify digestion makes sense.
Food Is Fuel
Some persons respond better to a set menu, because that simplifies their food choices. Food is fuel; it is scientific. Energy that goes in is either energy spent or energy in the bank. If you take choices away, then you are not subject to emotional pitfalls. You remove bad food from your kitchen and you are no longer a victim of temptation; shorten your supermarket list, save time on preparing foods... in short, simplify.
Clarify Your Exercise
Clean and solid would be two good buzz words to describe how you could interpret your exercise schedule. Make a commitment to exercising on set days and at set times, and stick to it. You may encounter yourself as lethargic or overtired on those days, but if you give yourself permission to quit, it breaks the momentum.
It is a myth that the more you do exercise, the easier it gets. Exercising never gets easier, but your mind and your body do become accustomed to it. Stopping and starting interrupts this cycle, so don't get sucked into the pitfall of letting your excuses get in the way. Putting your body in motion stimulates connections within your body and your mind, and this is happening whether you are running at your fullest potential or at 40 per cent of it, so what is important is that the process continues. Even if you have pain, there is always the minimum that you can do so that your mind is registering that it is being turned on to exercise.
Simplify your ideals towards your performance. A simpler approach to exercise can free you from the pressure of performing. In most workouts it is necessary to perform and challenge, but not every time. A healthy balance to a 'fit lifestyle' can only exist if you know how to give to your body and take from it. Slow down the workout if you are feeling slow one day, make a regular breathing pattern your only goal, and visualise what you want to get out of exercising in that moment.
Getting clear on your relationship with your body can free you from frustration and guilt. The key to this clarity is to simplify a style of living that can sometimes become complicated and messy. Throw away old ideas about your body; those battles have not served you in the past and are now gone. Wherever you feel confronted by your energy or your health, take it down to its core, take a deep breath and know that it is all pure, simple and good.
MY THOUGHTS
there's really nothing new in this article, is there? and it's quite clear what the author is suggesting. it's not about diets. it's about lifestyle - a simple lifesttyle that is committed to being fit for life.
sometimes i don't feel like reading these articles (on weight management)anymore. but if i don't, then i won't be remindedof how important it is. so,i keep on looking for these articles as a way of "nagging" myself. i have so many pounds and inches to lose. and it's not just about vanity.
you might want to check on these sites:
http://www.thedietchannel.com/Fit-for-life-diet.htm
http://www.fitforlife.com/diets.html
http://www.diet.com/g/fit-for-life-diet
http://www.healthreserve.com/dieting/fit_for_life_diet.htm
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