Since I made my weight loss confession earlier this week I've been bombarded by questions. You'd think that I had discovered the secret of Shangri-la, but weight loss is tough for most people and it really does feel as impossible as finding a unicorn grazing in your backyard.
Frankly, it's because we're being lied to. The Ab-Gadget-Express will "give you the best abs of your life in just 10 minutes a day." Don't believe it. Getting in shape and losing weight takes work and consistancy. There are no shortcuts. But there are some truths that should help you get started and keep you on track.
1. GET REAL. You're not going to make any significant changes to your body by strolling on the treadmill while watching "The View" every morning, or walking your dog. You also can't expect much from heading to the gym and flitting from one machine to the next, chatting with the cute personal trainer and grabbing a smoothie. Please don't do stupid stuff and then write me and tell me that you've been working out every day for a month and aren't seeing results.
You have to pick the right workout and you have to work it for a solid hour every weekday to see results. The right workout includes both cardio exercise and weight lifting. You need them both. Your workout needs to change daily or every few days to keep your body challenged and you need to be dripping with sweat by the end of the workout. Yep, I said dripping. No lady-like glistening for you.
2. PICK A WORKOUT AND COMMIT. The choices are astounding--and lots of them work. Get up early on a Saturday and channel surf the infomercials. Most at home DVD workouts cost around $100 and include 6-12 different workouts--perfect! I did P90X, but you can choose Insanity, Zumba, 10 Minute Trainer (which you will be doing for an hour), or anything else that gives you cardio and weight training. Get the treadmill with an incline and pre-programmed workouts and buy some weights or join the gym. But do it knowing that you're going to be working out every day--no excuses.
2. IT'S GOING TO BE HARD, BUT IT WILL GET BETTER. Notice I didn't say it's going to get easier. You don't want your workouts to ever be easy or you'll never see results. You need to do squats; you need to jump. I know in the world of Yoga and Pilates that jumping and squating is out of fashion--but it works. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. At first you'll think that you'll never be able to make it through the workout--put you will. Modify the moves, do them at half speed, do half the reps--but do them. Before you know it you'll be doing things you never thought your body could do. When I first started, I couldn't do two push-ups and Tony wanted me to do incline push-ups. I was sure I was going to skin my nose on the carpet. I managed to do exactly one incline push up the first time. Two months later I was at 20, now I do 40 or more. It gets better.
3. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SORE. Soreness is now the new norm. I'm talking about the good kind of sore, not an injury. When you push your muscles they push back--that's how you know that you're making changes. If you're not consistently sore in some place, then you're dogging it. Pick up the pace and keep going.
4. DROP THE EXCUSES. It's so easy for us women to believe that we are too over-scheduled to workout every day. We're moms and our kids need us. True. But they need us to be healthy. It's not selfish for you to block out an hour once a day to get in your workout. I've seen so many women start out and within a month they're down to working out 1-2 days a week because they had parent-teacher conferences one night and their husband worked late another. Those are not good reasons to skip a workout. It's okay to start working out at night at first, but you'll probably have to move it to early mornings before long so that your "committments" don't get in the way. I don't like getting up at 5:30 in the morning either. It just is. Repeat that until you believe it. It just is. When that alarm goes off--get out of bed. It just is. No excuses.
5. DON'T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW. You're committing to exercising every day when you used to be commited to watching TV instead. This isn't the time to start a new diet or finally give up your Coke. I know those "90-day before and after" pictures are mesmerizing, but very few people manage that because they have to turn their entire lives upside down to get there. You're in this for the long haul. You'll start to make healthy changes to your eating habits along the way--it's just natural, but don't do it right now. Right now, exercise is enough.
6. CELEBRATE! I'm sorry to say that you're not going to see significant changes to the way your jeans fit in the first month. But you will notice changes. Moves become easier. Your bad knee is no longer giving you much trouble. You can ride your bike to the park with your kids now. Celebrate the little successes. Download some Party Rock Anthem or a cheer to play when you hit a new milestone. Our bodies were meant to move. They will reward you when you make them move.
7. JUST DO IT! What are you waiting for? There's no one right way to get in shape. Pick something and get going. You can always tweak your workout down the road. But today, it's time to get started. Good luck. I'm always rooting for you.
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