Well, its your first day at the new gym you've just joined, and you've decided that you're going to do things right! Not only have you signed up for a year-long membership (to make sure you're committed), but you've even arranged sessions with a personal trainer. You meet your new trainer, and after a few pleasantries, he whips out the tape measure and wraps it around your upper arms, and then around your waist. Although you're a bit embarrassed (because you have no idea what the measurements are going to turn out to be, or even what they should be), you're assured that this is a great idea because getting down all these "markers" now are going to establish "where you're at", and then months down the line you can look back at them and swell with pride at the amazing progress you've made. After all, numbers don't lie, and its easy to fool ourselves that we're getting better, so we better have some hard evidence to back up our assertions.
The trainers tells you that you're 5'7", 185 lbs, and have a 35% bodyfat composition. Other markers are of course taken, and now perhaps you know your blood pressure, your BMI, waistline circumference, and a slew of other statistics.
You rush home excitedly after your first workout session to see if the scale has already started moving in the right direction!
Can anything be wrong with this? I mean, this is just the status quo, right? This is the way its ALWAYS done in EVERY gym across America, and watching those numbers change sure is motivational, right?
If you are overweight, and not an athlete, I'm going to give you several reasons why this should NOT be done even though it flies in the face of convention.
Number one: its embarrassing. If you're overweight, have fat upper arms, or a bulging midsection, you already know it! You don't need some young hot shot a the gym measuring to see "just how big" you are! But this is just the first petty "warm up" reason; the important ones start now.
Number two: it can be very de-motivational! Wait a second, I thought the major purpose of this whole process was to fuel my motivation; why would it do the opposite? Well, the truth is, oftentimes, numbers change very little. And oftentimes, very slowly! So slowly in fact, that you just may decide "exercise isn't working for you" and you might as well just hang it up and quit.
Number three: and this is by far the biggest reason: it is much more important THAT you start and maintain and exercise program, than "how rapidly" you're seeing measurable results! Let me state that again: activity is much more important than results.
Lets say that you finally started walking, and now you're doing it 5 times per week. Then you graduated to doing a little weight training, or bike riding, or kickboxing, or Zumba classes, or yoga, or whatever... Are you going to tell me that its not having a positive effect on your body and health even though your bodyfat percentage doesn't seem to be budging?
Aren't you're muscles and tendons getting stronger? Isn't your cardiovascular system being benefitted? Hasn't your stamina increased and aren't you feeling better about yourself? Aren't your clothes fitting at least a tiny bit better? Of course! And now because your chart hasn't changed much you're thinking that you're on the wrong track? Nonsense!
The most important thing you can do for yourself is develop a "lifestyle of exercise". A lifestyle where you make darn sure, every single week, that you're exercise program is not being neglected. You're finding fun active things to do; you're jumping on a bike and riding around the neighborhood for 20 minutes. You're taking evening walks. You did a hike, or canoe trip, or skiing weekend, or jumped on your TotalGym, or went to the gym, or did your Kickboxing workout on the heavy bag hanging in your garage. You're lifestyle is no longer sedentary, its active! That is a HUGE plus, and no one should be able to discourage you from that. This is the "new you", and you are slowly becoming active, more fit, healthier, stronger, and more athletic. As long as you are DOING the right things, then you are on the RIGHT track, period!
Forget about "progress", that is not always something you can control. But you CAN control whether you eat that second donut; and whether you do your exercise session for the day. Concentrate on those things you have the ability to control and forget about change. Change takes care of itself, eventually, even if its not as evident on the "outside" as you would like. Does that mean you can't weigh yourself? Of course not, but don't become obsessed by it. By your new activity you are getting healthier and stronger and you should be happy and proud of that, end of discussion!
Here is ALL you need to do; its a two-step process that ANYBODY can follow:
Limit your intake of sugar and fats. Before eating something, ask yourself, "If this is bad for me, how much of it should I really eat?" Use common sense. Get adequate nutrition, and don't indulge in high-fat and high-sugar foods. If you like them, eat them sparingly. Don't drink only sodas all day long; limit it to two. Trim a lot of fat off your meat that you would previously have eaten. Skip dessert frequently. Use your noodle, this ain't rocket science!
Exercise. The amount and frequency will depend on a number of factors, but a basic breakdown might be:
If its really easy (like walking), do it 5 times per week.
If its moderate, do it 4 times per week. Or maybe 2 or 3 times with 2 or 3 "easy" days thrown in.
If its vigorous, do it 3 times per week. You could also add in some easy days in between, depending on your goals, time available, etc.
Change your mind, change your habits, and change your lifestyle. Exercise and activity simply MUST be a part of "the new you". Don't settle for anything less. Find something you like to do and DO it. If you can't find anything you like to do, do it anyway until you do find something you like, but NOT exercising is no longer an option. Forget the metrics, the baselines, the percentages, and all that numerical data that you thought was a must. Nothing is a must except that your lifestyle changes and that exercise is now a part of it.
Thank your personal trainer for his or her offer of getting all your "stats" down, but tell him or her that you're most interested in learning how to do the exercises safely, that you need to know exactly what each exercise or machine does for you, and perhaps a program that you can follow that will steer you most rapidly toward your goals.
As for me, I've chosen kickboxing as my "exercise of choice", and if you want to join me on my program, I've developed an amazing home workout system that uses only a heavy bag and a pair of gloves. With it, you get your fat loss, your aerobic workout, your muscle strengthening and bone density increase... ALL the things you're looking for and need, in a complete, interesting, and easy to follow program. Just go to my site for details. All the best to you as you embark on your new journey into a lifestyle of fitness!
