bodies and temples...

I heard it said that if our bodies are temples, some of us look like the maintenance crew retired years ago. Like everything else in life, our bodies too need to be maintained. I can’t expect to brush my teeth once and never have to again nor can I shower once and say well that’s that for life! Equally ridiculous would be to assume that one meal can suffice for life. Why is it then that many of us balk at the thought of muscle and fitness maintenance? Walking daily is as much a part of my routine as flossing my teeth, showering, and drinking water when I’m thirsty. It is not an irritant or an option—its what I do; its who I am. I walk. I walk through, rain, snow, sleet, sun, hail, wind, sadness, and joy, stress and calm. And according to Hippocrates the father of medicine, walking is the best medicine. I believe that—and if walking is the best medicine, being a couch potato is one of the worst diseases. I prefer health to disease and I make that choice every day when I go out for a walk. I walk; therefore, I am. And I keep my maintenance crew walking too.

scale tales...

Isn’t it amazing what a number on the scale can do to the start of the day? For over a year I refused to stand on the scale, but I started this addictive ritual once again this past month. Now I ask- wasn’t it enough to have clothes fitting that used to not fit; to have them loose and comfortable where once they were binding like debt! To have people stop me at the grocery store and tell me I look like a rail (yes, I kid you not, she said a rail!). NO, that just wasn’t enough—the lure of those magic numbers on the scale seemed to beckon with greater force than chocolate during a PMS storm! And like many a PMS storm I succumbed to the lure of the scale—only to be thrown into a fit of misery because the numbers, those magic numbers weren’t as low as I had anticipated. All of a sudden the pleasure of feeling lean and fit was sacrificed to the scale gods and their numbers! What is SO important about quantifying everything? Wasn’t it Einstein that said ‘not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts?’ If he DIDN”T say it he should have!

Anyways, back to my scale woes. One year I taped ‘130’ over the digital weight display. I had read somewhere that if I saw that number every morning when I weighed then my mind would turn my body into that weight. I think it was working until my 6’4’ hulk of a fireman son was visiting and removed it—seems he didn’t want to weigh 130 pounds. Go figure! That was two years ago Christmas and I have no idea why I never replaced the magic number back on my scale. Maybe that’s why it didn’t work! After all these decades of cyclic and frenzied dieting and having my moods conversely dictated by the scale—if the numbers are up, my mood is down; if the numbers are down my mood is up!—you’d think that I could get over it! But NO! Here I am in my 50’s still being ruled by the numbers on a scale. Not only am I a dress size, I seem to be a number on the scale too!

-R

fish out positive things!

I just got in from a refreshing swim in the neighbor’s fish pond. As the fish swam around me threatening to nibble at my toes, I secretly fantasized about them performing liposuction on my butt and thighs. If I could just stay in the pond long enough I might emerge actually fitting into the size 6 bathing suit I insisted on stuffing myself into! Hey, I can have my dreams right? Don’t the gurus (whoever the gurus are!) say if you can see it you can be it! Well if they didn’t say it, I am! I’m not sure that this includes seeing fish suck the cellulite off my thighs or not, but it’s my fantasy and I’m sticking to it! If you’re going to fantasize it might as well be good! I never could understand people daydreaming about all the bad things that could happen (although I must confess at times allowing this destructive habit to destroy my peace). It just seems that if you’re going to think and imagine why not think and imagine positive, happy, hopeful images. I read somewhere that if we knew how powerful our thoughts are, we would never again think another negative thought. Even the bible says ‘as a man thinketh in his heart so is he’ and I’m sure that goes for women too. I don’t know about you but I’m not about to denounce the bible. After all, it is the bible! And who’d have thought that the SECRET wasn’t a secret after all—it was in the bible all these millennia – who’d have thought!

So in all your thinking, think lean; think strong; think size 6 (OK, OK, so I AM a dress size, and a bathing suit size, and a pant size! etc etc etc); think kohlrabi tastes like chocolate (ok so that’s a stretch of the imagination but you get my drift right!). And I got all this from swimming with the fish in my neighbor’s pond! I gotta get up there more often!

-R

old news...

Over 2000 years ago, Hippocrates, the very father of medicine recommended diet and exercise rather than drugs. Somewhere in the last two millennia, his sage wisdom has been supplanted with the money motivated pharmaceutical and fast food companies. We need a return to the wisdom of the ages—a return to whole food and exercise to heal the ills that plaque prosperous nations. It has been said that the number one health problem outside North America is starvation; the number one health problem inside North America is obesity. It is no wonder then that it is man made diseases, not mysterious super-bugs that are killing Americans. These man made diseases include heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes and numerous cancers. Its no surprise to me then that one day while in the ER a doctor looked out at the overflowing waiting room and said—‘I can tell you what’s wrong with everyone out there without even seeing them—they eat too much!’ And he was right! So many ills, aches, pains, stressed joints, failing hearts, etc. are directly linked to or exacerbated by obesity. You don’t need a pill; you need a push off the couch! Is it time to go back to the sage wisdom of Hippocrates and admit, that more than two millennia later, he was in fact right! It’s not the flu, that’s killing us—its our food.

the exercise elixir--

It has been said that if the effects of exercise could be bottled people would be flocking to their doctors in mass numbers lining up to get the prescription—willing to pay any price for its magic. Sadly, relatively few will exercise regularly and are denying themselves the benefits of this miracle drug—exercise. It doesn’t have to cost anything. It requires no legal prescription. It has no bad side effects, and it can be done most anywhere. It is non-discriminating. Old and young, fat and thin, male and female, rich and poor, educated and illiterate can access and benefit from it. All domains of health are impacted positively by exercise. Need I say more! Every body system functions more smoothly with regular exercise. Think better digestion, improved circulation, stronger bones and muscles, stronger heart, efficient elimination, stronger immune system (aka greater ability to prevent and fight illness), improved brain function, healthier skin with glowing complexion, more stabilized blood sugars, improved mood, addiction recovery. and even a better sex life to mention just a few! Can anyone out there find a pill that boasts such tremendous benefits! And with no bad side effects!

Not only is exercising the best anti-depressant it’s also the best anti-disease insurance for the money (none). We don’t need better health insurance; we need more people exercising. Be a part of the solution—get up and move.

too good to be true?...usually

Last night I attended a benefit dinner and silent auction. As I perused the silent auction items my attention fell on a basket of dark chocolate promising stress free and effortless weight loss. My heart started pounding erratically and visions of being size 6 by Monday danced through my head. For one fleeting moment of euphoria I was sucked in and stopped to read the fine print. Somewhere between ‘all natural’ and ‘energy’, my left brain rationality kicked in and reminded me of my previous experience with the magic weight loss chocolate. Back in the winter of 2009 (OK, OK, it was freezing cold and who wouldn’t be sucked into dark chocolate magic when it’s minus 20 and the nights are long and the only thing that’s fitting about then are sweats and pajamas!) one of my students supplied me with some dark chocolate claiming magical weight loss powers. The package was dropped off in broad daylight in a public place so I naturally thought it was above board and, I didn’t promise her better grades because of it so I felt pure about the whole thing!

OK, now before you pass judgment on me, think, who wouldn’t want to eat chocolate that boasted of magical transformative powers? Just the promise of boosting metabolic rate and suppressing appetite while eating dark chocolate wafers turned my head and innervated my speech muscles to say ‘I’m in!’ --sure beats the hell out of okra and kale (aka grass and slime). I had visions of not only being size 6 in time for Valentines Day (like what for, it’s not like I had a hot date or anything!) but also of being taller, prettier, younger, friendlier, and smarter—not to mention that my teeth would be whiter and George Clooney would return my call—all this from eating that magic dark chocolate.!

Well it didn’t take long to have my fantastical visions shattered! I was on a ‘trip’ of sorts, the likes of which I had never experienced. I was jumpy, moody, paranoid, and grouchy, besides feeling like a hill of polygamous Formica ants had taken up residence in my liver (and yes I DO know that Formica ants live polygamy—I learned that in my dissertation literature search!). Suddenly the ‘too good to be true’ magic chocolate had fallen from grace and I was back to reality a wiser yet no thinner woman.

I bypassed the silent auction chocolate and settled on a bowl of grass and slime instead.

Diet your way fat...

One thing all my diets have taught me is how to gain weight, so if there’s anyone out there wanting to gain weight read on! First, go on a diet! Yes, you heard me correctly—go on a diet. And it matters not which one you choose, just grab one and fly with it. Look at me—I’ve tried them all and do you see me having trouble gaining weight! See what I mean! The diets-- they all work equally well—the Atkins old or new, the grapefruit, the fit for life, the weight watchers, the weigh down, pray down, lay down and cry diet (I made that one up and I’ve used it many times—it’s very effective). Don’t forget to try the south beach, north beach, the no beach and zone and clone diets. When you’re done with those go on to the drastic measures of fasting and starving and concentration camp style eating (these are also great for the budget). The key for this first step in weight gain is to choose the diet.

Step two is to announce to everyone you know that you are going on a diet! Tell your family, your friends, your colleagues, pets, plants, and pastor (minister, rabbi, bishop, guru, reverend etc.). It may also be advisable to put an announcement in the local paper – something to let the community at large know of your intent. This is most effectively done around the beginning of the year. Step two ensures that everyone you know will be on the lookout for your dietary habits as well as watching how your clothes fit or do not fit!

The next step occurs as soon as you lose enough pounds to go down a size in clothes. It involves throwing out all your large clothes—dispose of them somehow. This is to show your commitment that you are no longer going to be the current size and will look forward to the shopping spree for your new sized body. The method of disposing of the clothes is irrelevant to your overall success—the key here is to just get them out of the house and your life. Some suggestions may be to give the clothes to the local clothing bank—to your church, or sell them at a garage—or burn them on main street with your bra or feed them to your mother’s goats. Just remove them from your plane of vision and from your psyche—for you are now going to be a new smaller size forever!

After you have accomplished the above steps sit back, relax, and watch the weight pile on! I can’t tell you how this phenomenon happens—it just happens and it may happen within just weeks of starting the diet. The rationale for such success is found in both the physiological and psychological realms of mumbo jumbo aka behavioral theories. Theory one asserts that after about three weeks (for some it’s just 3 days!) of rigidly following a diet plan, the dieter will be open to eating anything that can’t run and hide (actually I have been known to eat some run and hide food items too)!

Theory number two—refer back to theory number one—where’s Freud when you need him?

Personal experience has taught me that this theory is most certainly evidence based. After a few weeks of expert discipline and control while following a regimented plan—I can eat undeterred and indiscriminately for days, weeks, and sometimes years at a stretch. This, my dear thin friend is where your weight gain will start. Trust me—after your dieting weeks, nothing will keep you from food—my experience has been that during these moments of heightened food awareness following dieting, not even Daniel Day Lewis (loin cloth and all running through the woods as the last Mohican) could distract me from food (although I would invite him to eat with me!).

Inches

I read a wonderful quote by football coach Vince Lombardi—“Inches make champions”. This is not only true for football champions but fitness champions as well. Its not white knuckled perfection or ascetic nutrition programs or death defying workouts that make for champions of health and fitness; but rather the day to day inches of moderate eating, moderate exercise, and moderate thinking. Consistency with an inch of daily exercise contributes far more to being champions at fitness than does sporadic mile long sprinting that few can maintain.

For years I have bought into the destructive diet mentality of all or nothing. Years of New Years days were spent in senseless starving while writing our food plans and contracts that not even Gandhi could adhere to—only to fail miserably around week 2 and fall back into the despair of failure and total binging. Now I know that had I simply taken it one inch at a time; one healthy breakfast a day or one less hour of eating in the evening, or maybe just one more glass of water instead of a cookie I could have succeeded not only with healthy weight maintenance but healthy heart and soul maintenance too. It’s not rocket science but it IS rock solid science. My inch for today?—a handful of fresh spinach from my garden.

-R

emotion sickness

For as long as I can remember I have had an unhealthy relationship with food. When I was about 10 I spent a week of summer vacation with my cousin in a neighboring town. This was my first experience being away from the seclusion and security of home and I felt the homesickness very acutely and painfully. The memory that is sharpest from that week away is not swimming in the city pool; and not playing with my cousin who had many more toys than I ever imagined possible (this coming from a girl who had one doll and that was a rummage sale find!); and not threatening to beat up a boy who called my cousin ‘fatty’. No, the memory that is most succinct in my psyche is the memory of having store bought white bread for the first time in my life—and craving that white bread, and stealing more slices when my aunt wasn’t looking. It was clearly an addiction at first taste and I kept creeping into the kitchen and stealing slices and wolfing them down. I can still feel the shame and guilt as well as the intense craving and compulsion to eat that white bread—no butter or jam or peanut butter on it—just bread slice after pasty white slice. And never feeling satisfied or full.

Now looking back I know why I was never satisfied. I was trying to fill an emotional need with a physical substance and that cannot be done. I was trying to assuage my homesickness, loneliness, and anxiety with bread. This has been a long time pattern in my life. Whenever I feel loneliness or anxiety, or shame, I reflexively turn to food. Thankfully I am learning to recognize this and distract myself—dealing with the unpleasant emotions in a more healthful and effective manner. Exercise is now my cure- all for every psychosocial ill as well as most physiological ones too. There are very few ills (psychological and physiological) that exercise won’t heal. I have often thought that an appropriate line for psychologists to use on their clients is ‘take a walk and call me in the morning!’. So on than note, I am off to take a walk!

-R

Fit and fit...

Yesterday after work I popped into a local dress shop to look for India appropriate clothing (ie. loose and cool) for my upcoming sojourn to the world championships—volleyball. Upon entering the store the first thing that caught my eye of course was the mumu style big dresses that have no form. As I fondly fingered the first formless dress my daughter’s voice came to me saying ‘Mom, if it looks fat on the rack its going to look fat on you! You’re not big so quit buying big formless clothes’. I listened to her direction and went deeper into the dress shop finding the perfect dress—smocked fitted bodice and long flowing skirt. It was a match made in heaven. I knew I had to have it even before looking at the price tag. It was off the rack and into my arms and off to the checkout confidently knowing that this was a compliment to my appearance rather than a detriment. I was reminded however of how hard those old habits are to change—big baggy clothes seem to have been my comfort and norm for many years. And exactly why that is I don’t know. Perhaps a deep seated belief that I needed to be hidden—that I couldn’t really be who I am. A huge part of being healthy in mind, body, and spirit is allowing me to be who I am as well as allowing others to see who I am and to know me. What a powerful lesson to learn simply from buying a dress! The symbols and messages of who I am are found in every particle of my life. I need only open my eyes and mind to see and know the teacher when it/he/she appears. Here’s to the teachers that are around us every day and everywhere.

-R

Toned zone mama speaks!!

Someone once said that our bodies are apt to be our autobiographies. I would like to add that our bodies speak volumes about our attitudes toward ourselves and toward life in general. I have observed several body biographies in my workplace this week. There are bodies that say ‘I hate myself’ – these ‘bodies’ use their weight to intimidate and control others. They are not satisfied within themselves and clearly demonstrate this in their rudeness to coworkers, family members and strangers alike. Not only are they physically uncomfortable in their own skin but emotionally and socially uncomfortable as well. It’s as if they are attempting to assert power through size rather than through positive esteem of self and others. What they lack in emotional and social size they are attempting to make up in physical size. Sadly no amount of physical size can compensate for a shriveled and starving mind and soul. Concurrently no amount of food can compensate for failure to feed the soul. When we fail to give our bodies adequate care through rest, nutrition, and exercise, we also fail to nurture our minds and spirits. When we abuse our bodies through excess food we abuse our minds and spirits at the same time. No amount of food will compensate for a starved soul just as no amount of affection will compensate for a lack of physical nutrition.

So with each decade of life think about the biography your body is writing. What do you want to have written at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and beyond. My 70 year old neighbor hikes every day and exudes the strength and vitality of youth. Her body biography clearly states she has cared for and loved herself as well as others. Conversely I have another acquaintance – same age of 70 who is crippled with obesity—hips and knees replaced to deal with the stresses that weight has put on her body. Then there’s another 70 year old I know whose lungs have been destroyed with smoking and the lines and grayness in her skin clearly write the biography of her life. Add to her the 60+ woman in the dementia unit who has destroyed her brain with alcohol. What a sad biography her body has written.

So in your youth think about what your body will say about your life. Will it have the effects of alcohol, smoking, obesity, or drugs carved into its cells or will it be written with the vigor and vitality that only nutrition, exercise, and rest can scribe.

What will your body say about you? What does it say about you now?

-R

Deceptive delights...

As I drove by the Dairy Queen today a sign caught my eye – tin roof sundae blizzards. My heart started racing and for one fleeting moment I believed that blizzard was just what I wanted and needed on a hot summer day. The loud voice that hates me was trying hard to convince me with such arguments as ‘ Oh come on its summer!’ and ‘You live only once!’ and ‘You’ve got to have some pleasure in life!’ and on and on. Then the little voice that loves me said ‘sugar never was happiness!’ I believed the little voice because it loves me and I know it is true. Sugar is not life nor happiness nor summer. And if I live only once let that life be filled with health and vitality; not self imposed illness and misery.

-R

TonedZone Mama!

Its amazing how one simple change in behavior can have such a tremendous impact on every aspect of my life. Since adding weighted workouts in January this year to my fitness regime I feel much more confident and powerful—not just physically, but spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and even socially! There seems to be so much wisdom and power built into the cells of the body and exercise seems to unleash that power and wisdom.

As I sweat through my weighted workout this morning I couldn’t help think of the first few days in January when the skies were grey and my holiday binge was weighing heavily (no pun intended) on my butt and thighs – how gloomy I felt and yet I knew that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Just simply doing that weighted workout consistently the past 6 months has fueled such a positive and optimistic drive in me-- not to mention chiseling off the holiday binge. And just yesterday my neighbor and walking buddy commented that she sees a big difference in the backs of my arms (Yeah they’ve gone from middle age flab to middle aged fab!) Ok ok she didn’t say that but that’s what my cerebral input filtered and I’m sticking to it!

It must be noted that my daughter was the one who got me started on the workout video that I’ve been doing! Who says our daughters can’t become our teachers and mentors and coaches—ok don’t let this go to your head J I still have many more years of life experience than you do!

-R

Say NO to poison!!!

"As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build health, or produce disease in yourself."
-Adelle Davis

I think if we all really recognized the poison put into our mouths on a daily basis, WILLINGLY, and DELIGHTFULLY, we might be more inclined to stop and think about what's hurting your body and what's helping it. I can't even keep track of how many people I know that live off of carbonated drinks and packaged faux-food.

To be quite frank, I look at them with a slight shade of pity and judgement. I don't want to do this, I don't want to look at them and think "dumb" but I admit, I do from time to time. I'm definitely NOT perfect when it comes to food, but I DO go out of my way to never spend money on anything toxic to my body.

A great tip to those who are really trying to make a difference in their eating habits--when I do have something ridiculous, I take it in stride, I eat it in a moderate manner and I never forget to flush it out with a big jug of lemon water! Lemon is a friendly fruit that naturally detoxifies. It's a life saver, it'll flush out all that bad that's not welcome in your body. You'll feel a whole lot better, trust me!

-J

July 8, 2009

Today I read a quote from a long time sober alcoholic--it was something like 'my worst days in recovery were still better then my best days binging'.

As a long time food binger and dieter, I can attest to his setiments, that yes my worst days of abstinence from compulsive overeating are better then my best days of binging (and I HAVE had many). But just for today I feel like the "Toned Zone poster girl" (Ok, Ok, I haven't been a "girl" for ages, so call me the 'Toned Zone middle aged Mother" then, if you must!)

I have had a lovely hike up the mountain, and I've done an hour of full body weights. And now I'm soaking in the tub and feeling my muscles burning calories. No amount of food of any taste, or of any brand has ever felt as good as this!!

-R

"a day in the life"

As a forward, I'd like to introduce my Mother, who is also a blogger for Toned Zone. Enjoy her wisdom, and her wit! I always do:)
-J

Today was my flush out day after several days of too much sugar and junk-- so I started the day with a 90 minute hike with my neighbor then followed immediately with a full body weighted workout for 60 minutes.

My breakfast was raw berries after which I went to the grocery store to stock up on fresh fruit for my flush out fruit day. After eating a pile of fresh blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, mango and banana I set out for an extended bike ride through the country side. This lasted about 3 hours and by the time I pushed my bike the last leg up my very long and tortuous hill to home I was very exhausted -- time for a nap and more fruit. Then this evening I walked another hour to attend my food addict meeting-- no one showed up-- after a few bitter thoughts I hiked back home again and watered my garden.

So I am now feeling flushed out and physically exhausted and ready to go to bed. Fitness feels so much better than fatness. There is no food high comparable to the high of movement. What a great way to celebrate Canada Day.

I guess I should introduce myself. I am a middle aged chronic dieter who has through a 12 step program and exercise managed to find peace with my body most days. Exercise is my therapy, and the ultimate mood elevator. Someday when I have the time I would like to be a compulsive exerciser rather than compulsive eater.

-R