So, here is #2 in my “real people” series.  Today is an interview with a yoga teacher.

Melanie Herbert is a qualified ashtanga yoga teacher (and she is my yoga instructor!) with classes in and around St Albans. For more details visit www.melanieherbert.com

Q: What made you start learning yoga?

A:  I actually wanted to learn Pilates but that class was full so I signed up for yoga instead. I had no idea what to expect but was hooked from the first class – I considered myself reasonably fit as I did a bit of running, cycling and swimming, but I can honestly say I’d never found any exercise as difficult as that first class! I was intrigued and surprised by my body’s limitations. The teacher made each posture look so effortless, but I was completely stiff and inflexible.

I went to that class every week for about 6 months and started noticing very subtle improvements – I could (just about) touch my toes without bending my knees, but I still found sitting cross-legged completely uncomfortable and needed to sit on a block. This was due to inflexibility in my hips. My hamstrings were also incredibly tight from all the running and cycling I had done.

So I signed up for a second weekly class and from there my flexibility and overall ability to do the postures improved as I began to feel the benefits of more regular practice. I bought my own mat and tried practising at home, but found it difficult to remember how to get into the postures and coordinate the breathing.

Those early classes were held in a small local studio which was the perfect place for a beginner like me to get all the personal attention and adjustments my body needed to practise safely. My teachers were very supportive and encouraged me to try other classes, one of which was an ashtanga vinyasa class. I turned up having no idea what to expect and was, once again, blown away by how difficult I found it compared to the elegant poise and serenity of the teacher. Not only that, I started working up a sweat, so I really felt like I was having a good workout.

I was desperate to progress with my practice so I persuaded the teacher to give me private lessons. It is a common tradition in yoga that the student finds their teacher (by some cosmic force!) but the teacher initially refuses to take on the student. This is exactly what happened in my case. My teacher observed me attending the group class over several weeks before deciding that I had the dedication to merit individual lessons. I am eternally grateful to her for passing on her knowledge to me – over the course of these lessons, not only did my physical practice develop, but I began to learn about the history and philosophy of yoga, more advanced breathing and meditation techniques, basic Sanskrit, mantras and chanting.

This was nearly 10 years ago and I have had many wonderful teachers since then. I have found that there is always something new to discover with yoga – always somewhere further you can go in the physical postures, always a more deeper level of awareness of ourselves. For me, yoga is a voyage of discovery and I feel blessed by the accidental circumstances which brought me to that first class.

Q: So how often do you practise?

A: I try to do a physical practice or meditation 6 times a week – this can vary from just a few sun salutations to a full practice which takes an hour and a half. It’s important to distinguish between practising and teaching – whilst I may be physically doing the postures when I teach, I don’t consider this to be practising yoga since I am not breathing correctly or focused as I need to be.

A lot of students ask me how often they “should” practise. I really dislike this word as it puts so much pressure on us. My answer is to practise as often as you can – you will feel the benefits if you can only manage 5 minutes a day, or one hour a week. But obviously the more you practise, the more you will progress.

Q: What other exercise do you do?

A: I continued to do the odd run or cycle, no more than once a week, up until around 3 years ago. My teacher at the time used to nag me to stop as these forms of exercise (like many) shorten the hamstrings which counters the effects of yoga. At first, I was scared that if I stopped doing other forms of exercise I wouldn’t be able to stay “fit” or that I’d put on weight. So at first, I increased the amount of swimming I did instead – swimming between 3km and 4km a week. Then one day when I was swimming I had a thought that I would rather be at home doing yoga so I got out of the pool and haven’t been back!

Now the only form of exercise I do is ashtanga vinyasa yoga and I firmly believe that I don’t need to do anything else to be fit and healthy. In fact, I have never been leaner or stronger than I am right now.

Q: That’s interesting. So how does yoga keep you fit?

A: There are many styles of yoga and it would be wrong to suggest that by doing one hour per week of gentle hatha yoga you will increase and maintain your fitness, although it should improve your flexibility, overall well-being and maybe increase your core strength.

Using yoga for fitness depends, not just on the style, but on the intensity of your practice, and of course the frequency. If you practise the physical postures with integrity, working at (which means slightly pushing) your body’s limits, you will be fitter than practising at a more gentle pace.

However, for anyone who is already physically fit, I would recommend ashtanga vinyasa yoga which builds strength and stamina, along with flexibility and core stability.

Q: You talk about different styles of yoga – what are the differences?

A: All yoga is hatha yoga but this term is generally used to describe more relaxing styles where the emphasis is on gradually increasing flexibility. It is the foundation for pregnancy yoga and restorative yoga.

However, the postures in all forms of yoga are principally the same. What changes is the way you come into or out of the postures, how long you hold them for, the order in which they are done and how they are linked (and in the case of “hot yoga” the temperature of the room!).

For example, in a general hatha yoga class, the teacher will prepare a class choosing any postures and putting them in their own order. In between postures, students will tend to relax before beginning the next. There may be little emphasis on breathing techniques although the teacher should tell you when to inhale and exhale.

At the other extreme, in an ashtanga vinyasa class, the order of the postures does not change and students perform dynamic linking movements in between to maintain heat and energy. Breathing techniques are vital in these classes, as is the development of internal energy locks, known as “bandhas”. These can be compared to muscles deep within the body which can take years of practise to engage.

Even within the same style of yoga, two different teachers may teach the same posture differently – one may focus on correct alignment, another may focus on breathing. As long as the student is practising safely, and without danger of injury, there is no right or wrong way which is why it’s important for each student to find the style and the teacher which suits them. Although it’s also good to try different teachers to avoid becoming too rigidly attached to doing the postures a certain way. Through yoga, we want to develop flexibility of mind as well as body!

Q: What else do you do to stay fit and healthy?

A: I’ve been a vegetarian for over 15 years, far longer in fact than I’ve been practising yoga and I consider this to be the most influential thing I’ve done to lose weight. I used to eat very unhealthily and whilst I wasn’t fat, I had a few excess pounds in certain areas which I could never seem to shift. Restricting my intake of animal fat (including dairy products) has really helped me maintain a healthy weight. I still eat fish and eggs but my diet is predominantly vegetable based. I don’t count calories or restrict the amount I eat.

I think it’s important not to make any drastic changes to your diet overnight though. If you’re interested in giving up meat, try cutting out red meat first, say for 3 months. Then progress to cutting out white meat. You could also try switching from cow’s milk to soya or rice milk (I prefer the latter) or switching from standard tea and coffee to green or herbal teas.

Yoga naturally detoxifies the body by massaging the internal organs and allowing the release of toxins through the skin (via sweat). It’s actually important when practising yoga not to wipe the sweat away, but to let it fall from you naturally. A towel will simply push the toxins back into the body.

Q: Does yoga offer any other benefits?

A:  Yes, but there are so many they would be the subject of another interview! If you would like more information or have any questions, please email info@melanieherbert.com.

Thank you Melanie for your input!  And thank you for getting me started in yoga.  I have found it to be an amazing workout and super challenging.  It is a great thing to add to any natural weight loss plan.

To your health

Kimberly

Hi everyone,

I am starting a series today that I’m SO excited about.  I’ve gathered some stories from friends, family, and colleagues about their real life experiences with health, diet, exercise, natural weight loss, disease, and all sorts of health related things.  I always love reading stories from “real” people who have overcome being overweight, have started a successful new exercise routine, or who have always been really healthy and just can share with the rest of us some of their natural weight loss tips or “keeping healthy” tips or anything similar.

So, today is the first in the series.  I’ll aim to put one new story up each week (and yours could be included if you feel like writing something to me!)

Today is about a friend of mine who, despite a hatred for running, did her first marathon this year.  It is amazing, funny, and inspiring!

I hope you really enjoy reading these and I want to extend a huge thank you to all the people who have been willing to contribute!

To your health,

Kimberly

Marathon Diary of the Anti-Runner

My journey started on August 23, 2009.  I was a running neophyte.  I received a Nike + Ipod for my birthday. I decided to start running.  Number of miles I had run prior to this for the sole purpose of running?  ZERO.  In fact, prior to this I would use the word “hate” to describe how I felt about running, and “never” to describe when I would be running a marathon.

While my goal was to run a ½ marathon by March 2010 and a full marathon by October 2010, ultimately I decided to go for the full in March (LA Marathon).  I posted my intention on facebook and the immediate feedback I got made me realize there was no going back!

My first run was for 3.4 miles and I ran at a 12:37 pace.  I knew it would get better.  Between August 23 – March 20th I had gone on 78 runs, for a total of 454.74 miles and 57,872 calories burned.   My last long run before the marathon: 10 miles in 88 minutes.  I dropped about 15 pounds, but definitely noticed that I had gained muscle in my legs as well.  Luckily, I was in living in San Diego for most of my training and thus was able to wear shorts often to show off my accomplishments.

On race day as the sun was coming up I lined up in the 10 minute mile group with thousands of my closest friends… My Dad gave me a hug and told me to get ‘em.  After a couple delays and a report that people were abandoning their cars on the freeway to get to the start line… We were off!! We came off the start to “I Love L.A.” and I was taken back to the GW Forum with my Dad watching Showtime in the late 80’s.

The course was great, I felt like I was taking a tour of some of my favorite LA memories.  Home stretch was down Ocean Avenue.  Sprint (comparatively speaking) to the finish…. Finishing time 05:27:31.  Not 4 hours, but for my first one… I’ll take it!

Here are some thoughts I had while running – because let’s face it; you have a lot of time to think:

1.        Apparently lining up with your mile time is like filling out an online dating profile: People are either delusional or outright liars!!!  It’s probably somewhere in the middle, but really? Lining up with the 8 minute milers to start the race WALKING?!

2.       Did you know Gordon Ramsey (Hell’s Kitchen) has done 10 marathons?  Go Chef!

3.       Favorite signs I saw along the way:

• CHUCK NORRIS NEVER RAN A MARATHON
• IF THIS WERE EASY WE’D BE DOING IT
• 26.2 MILES… BECAUSE 26.3 WOULD BE CRAZY
• WE HEARD YOU FART
• WE’RE DRUNK…KEEP RUNNING

4.       Things I dreamed about while running: a pedicure, In-N-Out burger, BEER, a nap….

5.       Things I was thankful for while I was running:

• my family and friends who were unbelievably supportive and always believed that I could cross the finish line;
• The Ta-Ta Tamer (yes, that’s what it’s called) Sports Bra from Lululemon – CHANGED MY LIFE!!!

Post Race Thoughts:

1. I was pretty sore after the race, but I started running again within a week.  This told me that I could have probably run a bit harder during the race.  However, while I still believe that to be true, this was my first timed race, period.  I think every runner would benefit from at least a 10K or ½ marathon as part of your training regimen.
2. Listen to your body.  Burnout is real.  I got back into the saddle too soon.  I also ignored a nagging injury, which I am now taking care of and has set me back so that I am not doing my second marathon in December as planned (doing a ½ instead).
3. Having a Buddy Helps – for me it’s about accountability.  Yeah, I like being fit, yada yada… but I’m also a busy person, who can let exercise become less of a priority than say, Happy Hour, or working all weekend.
4. Take this opportunity to help others.  I didn’t run my marathon for charity and that is something I would change going forward.  Find something you are passionate about (or someone you are close to is) and do some good!!
5. Two words: Strength. Training.  So important!! All I did as far as training was run.  I won’t make that mistake again.
6. “Eat to Win.”  My friend’s Dad used to say to her in high school.  Back then I thought he was encouraging an eating disorder.  But food is fuel, in order to perform properly, fuel accordingly.  I definitely notice a difference when my diet is made up of mostly cheese and wine, as opposed to veggies and water.  This also means get lots of sleep!!
7. You have to start somewhere. Don’t mentally take yourself out of the game.  Every day is a new day to start training.  As the saying goes, Just Do It.  Happy trails…..

I’ve done a few posts and videos about the Body Media Armband (called Ki Fit in the UK or Go Wear and Body Bugg in the USA.)

I read an interesting review of it in the Guardian newspaper in the UK.  The author talks about how the Armband is an all encompassing piece of technology and is one of the most advanced systems like it in the market right now.  And it is so precise.  She also talks about the fact that its great for those wanting to lose weight, but also those who are just into fitness and are interested in seeing what their bodies are doing throughout the day.

Here is the full article:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/

I agree that it’s a great tool, and definitely addictive!  If it’s something you would like to check out yourself, click here.

To your health,

Kimberly

I’ve been monitoring how many calories I burn (using my Body Media armband) doing various activities so wanted to share the info with everyone!

Types of Exercise

Sunday I did 1 hour 15 minutes of Ashtanga Yoga and burned 250 calories.  Only 2 minutes of this time was “vigorous” exercise and the rest was moderate (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.)

Monday I went for a 30 minute jog around my neighborhood and burned 250 calories.  All of that time was marked as “vigorous” exercise, so clearly outdoor jogging keeps the body active throughout.

Wednesday I did 45 minutes at the gym, which included about 25 minutes cardio (seated bike and elliptical machine) and 20 minutes weight lifting.  I burned 270 calories; 170 from my cardio and the rest from my weights.  Most of my cardio time was considered “vigorous.”

Today I did 45 minutes at the gym, including 25 minutes of jogging on a treadmill with the final 5 minutes doing a fast paced walk at an 8% incline.  The other 20 minutes was some leg weights.  I burned 375 calories and my cardio was vigorous (even the fast paced walking.)  It looks like 245 of that was my cardio and the rest was from the weights.  (Interesting because the treadmill said I burned 300 calories…they are never going to be accurate so don’t pin your hopes on what they tell you!)

And just for fun I’ll add in my walk at lunchtime today, which was about a 10 minute walk to/from the town center, and walking around Waterstone’s looking for a book.  I burned 150 calories, all moderate.

What does it mean?

Based on the above, I can see that jogging is definitely my highest calorie burning activity (which is great because I love it!)  The yoga class didn’t burn as many calories as I thought but because of all the other benefits (flexibility, core strength, toning, etc) I would not give it up….I’ve only done three classes, by the way, but I’m already feeling more flexible.

Besides, it isn’t all about burning as many calories as possible.  Anyone with fitness/health/natural weight loss goals should consider exercise, but it doesn’t have to be vigorous, no pain no gain, gym related exercise.  You can just do general housework, gardening, walking with friends, sports, or many other things.  Whatever works for you and keeps you motivated is what you should do.

Additionally, when you know that you’ve burned calories, you should think about what that means: it means you’ve got your heart pumping, your joints moving, and your muscles are getting a workout.   These are all good things!

Anyway, back on track.  What else can I take away from my information above?

I find it interesting, and great, that my lunchtime walk burned 150 calories.  That definitely wasn’t “exercise” in my mind, but it still was a good thing for my body and my metabolism.

And something I didn’t list above, but I always notice when reviewing my Body Media data is that first thing in the morning, when I’m racing around the house getting ready for work, I usually burn about 150 calories.  That’s another 150 gone that I didn’t even have to think about.  Cool.

Remember that each person’s body burns calories at a different rate, so the above won’t necessarily apply to you, but hopefully you still found it interesting.

To your health,

Kimberly

Sorry I haven’t posted anything in a couple of weeks…and today is only a quick one referring you to someone else’s article!

I am so passionate about weight lifting as part of a natural weight loss plan, as you can see from a previous post I did.  This article I just read firms up that I’m not the only one and gives some interesting statistics about women and their attitude/views about weight lifting.  Click here to view.

To your health,

Kimberly

I tried a yoga class for the first time about a week ago.  Wow – what a workout!  It was Ashtanga Yoga, which is a type of yoga that synchronizes the breath with a progressive series of postures. (That’s about the extent of my knowledge now, but check out this site for a bit more info.)

Anyway, the class was a great workout.  It was an hour and a quarter, but I was already feeling the burn after ten minutes.  I honestly was surprised at the difficulty of it.  I do a fair bit of exercise normally, but nothing like yoga.  I had decided I didn’t need to take a towel with me (you know…for sweat!), but I wish I had.

Once I got a little bit more stretched out, things got easier, but the various poses were all challenging.  Because it was my first time, I struggled with having the right posture, having my toes/hands pointing in the right direction, AND breathing.  My teacher assured me that it gets easier though!

For the last 5 minutes of the class, we did a position called Dead Man (or something very similar to that?) where we just laid on our mats with our limbs totally limp – it was so relaxing after our hard work.

For the next few days, I felt muscles I didn’t know I had.  My buns were definitely sore and various muscles around my upper back.  So, clearly my body was working in ways it wasn’t used to, which I was extremely pleased about.  Yoga seems like a great addition to my workout routine.   And the teacher also said that there are always ways to make yoga harder for yourself, as you progress, so you won’t ever plateau or get bored.

Have you tried yoga?  I’d love to hear about your experiences.

To your health

Kimberly

I recently wrote an article about a new fitness gadget I bought and how it was helping me be more conscious of my nutritional intake.  Well, I said in that article that I would be writing a more formal review of the product, so here goes:

The GoWear Fit armband (or Ki Fit in the UK) is a piece of fitness technology which is designed to help you achieve your fitness and nutrition goals.  It is designed to help you lose weight naturally and healthily..and more quickly than you would without it.

How it Works

Essentially (in Kimberly terms – not scientific at all!) there are some sensors on the inside of the armband which track what is going on inside your body.  You then synchronize the armband with your computer (the software is free with the purchase of the armband) and you can extract all kinds of information from it.

The technology shows you how many calories you’ve burned, how many steps you’ve taken, how much physical activity you’ve done (both moderate and vigorous), how well you slept (assuming you wore the armband during the night), and other things.

It also has a nutrition area where you input everything you’ve consumed throughout the day.  There is a database you can access that already has hundreds of foods/dishes loaded in, or you can add your own food, drinks, and recipes.  It makes it as simple as possible to input all the information you need!  Once all your food is recorded for the day, a nice pie graph and other summary information is presented to you.

My Opinion

Overall, the product is very easy to use.  The information that the software presents to you is very clear and easy to understand.  I think it’s a great tool to supplement whatever else you’re doing to get fit and lose weight.   It’s the fact that you feel “accountable” to it that really makes you be more disciplined with your eating and fitness regime.  I’m happy with my purchase!

A couple of things I would change

1) I would make it even slimmer.  It is already pretty slim, but in my opinion, the slimmer the better!  It is hard to wear it with any shirts that art tight against the skin, but it works with most other things.

2) I would make it so that users can input vitamin/mineral supplements that I take.  As it tracks the vitamins/minerals in the foods I’m consuming, it would be nice to be able to add my own supplements too.  (I haven’t actually asked the Support guys at BodyMedia about this, so maybe there’s a way, but I can’t see it.)

See below for my You Tube review if you want to see the technology itself.  You can also link to the product site through the video or have a look at the product here.

To your health,

Kimberly

The title of this post is actually the title of a blogpost I saw on www.diet.com.  It certainly caught my eye, so I had to find out what this #1 reason was.

The article at www.diet.com states that the #1 reason why people don’t lose weight is that they do strictly cardio workouts without doing any resistance or weight training. The article goes on to talk about reasons why, specifically, women do not do any weight training.  Go ahead and have a read for yourself.

Weight training

I agree with the author that weight training is very important for your weight loss.  This is for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, by getting your body toned up, gaining more muscle mass, you are actually causing your body to burn more calories at ALL times.  Even when sleeping.  That’s right.  Muscle burns more calories than fat, so by putting some weight/resistance training into your fitness regime you are helping your body work to your advantage in your weight loss goals.

Secondly, by doing some weight training, you are working out different parts of your body.  When people simply follow a cardio routine, they tend to do the same thing day after day.  Some people like running.  Some people like cycling.  Some people like aerobics classes.  Whatever it is, if that is all you do, your body does get used to it.  That is not to say that you aren’t burning calories and doing a good thing for your body, but it is even better to have some weight training to keep it interesting for your muscles.

#1 Reason?

While I think that weight lifting is important for those trying to lose weight (and for those just trying to be healthy), I don’t think it is the #1 reason why people don’t lose weight.  I believe that DIET is the #1 reason why people don’t lose weight.  I think many individuals struggle with what the “right” things to eat are. And even when people think they know the “right” things to eat, they have a hard time changing their habits.

Their is so much conflicting information out there about how to lose weight – what the heck are you supposed to believe?

Well, I whole-heartedly believe in following a wholesome, natural diet.  None of this low-fat stuff.  None of this low-carb stuff.  I like balanced eating.

If you are trying to get a kick-start on your weight loss and want some guidance on what to do, if you haven’t yet downloaded my free report on weight and fat loss, have a look at it now.  There is a download option in the top right corner of this site.   And feel free to send me questions if you want to know any specific information.

To your health,

Kimberly

For anyone out there who does a lot of walking, hiking, camping, or any other outdoor activities, you probably will laugh when you read this post, but for all the other people out there, who, like me, just take up these kinds of things once in awhile, read on…

Lake District

This article’s concept comes from my first hand experience doing some walking in the UK last year.  I am a California girl truly, but have been living in England for over 5 years now.  Everyone had said what a beautiful place the Lake District was, so my husband and I ventured up there last autumn.  Outdoor stuff is such a great way to get some exercise.

Now, just to set the scene, I’m not a girly girl, but I’m also not a regular outdoorsy person.  Or at least, I’m not an “I can deal with any kind of weather” kind of person.  Remember, I grew up in southern California – I’ve been spoiled with year round mild temperatures, little rain, etc.  So, I’ve done some camping, hiking, and rock climbing while growing up, but it was almost always sunny, warm conditions.

Needless to say, the UK’s climate is much different to what I’m used to.

Before we did any walking in the Lake District, my husband (who is English, and ex-Army, so knows about being prepared) insisted that I get some waterproof clothing, some appropriate walking boots, and even a waterproof cover for my daypack.  I thought he was being ridiculous, but he wouldn’t let us go anywhere without these things!

My Bad Choice

Anyway, I had already purchased a waterproof jacket and boots in the end of summer sales, so I was content with those.  But, then I had to look for some waterproof trousers.  As I hate spending money on things like this (which I know I will only use a couple of times each year) I scrounged around for a bargain.  Eventually I found this pair of waterproofs for £10 that were 100% polyester.  I thought this was a great find and didn’t hesitate buying them!

Moving onto the use of these trousers – the first day we didn’t do a very high peak, so all the clothing was fine.  But, when day two came around and we did a much higher, much steeper peak, things went wrong.

The Problem

Once we got to the second highest park of the walk, the fog came in really quickly, it started raining, and the wind was so strong that I literally went down on all fours because I felt like I was going to be blown away.  (Not my normal California weather!)  The problem with the trousers was not that they weren’t waterproof, but that they weren’t breathable.

What I mean by this is that my body heat and sweat were being held in by the waterproofs.  So, my cotton trousers underneath the waterproof trousers were totally drenched.  When you add this to the already cold and windy conditions, I was in bad shape.  My body just couldn’t get warm and my clothes felt so uncomfortable.  But, what do you do at the top of a mountain?  You have to just grin and bear it..and get yourself down to the bottom.

The Moral

Clearly I survived the experience, but if I had to do it over, I would have bought different pants!  That £10 I spent was a total waste, as I will never use those again.  If you require waterproof clothing for something you’re planning, don’t make the same mistake that I made – don’t skimp on your gear.

Spend a little bit more and get something that will actually benefit you if the weather is different than what you anticipated.  Many good quality hiking clothes are made of a special nylon that is quiet, so as not to annoy you (or wildlife) all day long.  Nylon dries quickly and is lightweight.

Gore-Tex products are also a good buy.  They have been innovators in the “outdoor gear” industry since the 1970′s.   In fact, their website states that their mantra is dry=comfortable.  I can verify the truth in that statement now that I’ve had my bad experience

Check out a few options here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Unisex-Waterproof-Breathable-Trousers-XSmall/dp/B000VDNIZU/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1265539334&sr=1-16#moreAboutThisProduct

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berghaus-Deluge-Waterproof-Overtrouser-Medium/dp/B000PCVE30/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1265539622&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berghaus-Mens-Goretex-Paclite-Pants/dp/B000PCW8PI/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1265539522&sr=1-15

To your health (and staying dry!),

Kimberly

Walking: Get Moving

I have written previously on this site about the importance of walking when it comes to weight loss, weight maintenance, and general health and wellness.  But, I want to write about it again because I’m personally experiencing the effects of not walking as much.

For the last five years, I have walked at least a couple of miles 5 times a week.  This was simply getting to and from the train station, then to and from my office building after getting off the train.

Without making many other changes in my life, this daily walking helped me lose almost fifteen pounds.  Now, that was gradual weight loss, but it was without any effort, dieting, starvation, extreme fitness, or anything else.  It was great!

For the past six months, I have been working three or four days a week at a different location…somewhere I can’t walk to.   I haven’t replaced that walking with any other form of regular exercise, apart from the exercise I was doing before this change in job location.   And now, finally, six months later I really feel the difference. I feel it mainly in the belly area and in my legs.  It feels awful.

I’m telling you this for a couple of reasons.

Two lessons

Firstly, I want to stress the importance of consistent exercise, like walking.  You don’t need to have a crazy fitness plan to get yourself in better shape.  You just need to have some consistent level of fitness in your life.  You need to get up and move.  And if you can break it up into a couple of shorter sessions during the day, that is great . If you can do some or all of that activity first thing in the morning, before you eat breakfast, even better.  I honestly believe that getting some exercise first thing in the morning, before you’ve consumed any calories, is the best way to start the day.

Secondly, I think it is interesting that it took a full six months of getting out of my walking routine before my body started putting weight on again.  What this means to me is that once I get my body into good shape and do good things for it, it can hold those good results for a time without as much effort.  (i.e. it is easier to maintain your weight than it is to lose weight)

What does this mean for you?

No matter what shape you are in, adding some walking to your daily routine can bring amazing benefits.  My experience with walking has been mostly weight related, but walking is great for other things too.  Walking keeps your joints more flexible.  Walking keeps your digestive system working better.  Walking is great for your heart.  Etc.

If you can find a friend or a group of people to walk with, it makes it easy to make it part of your routine.  Or just try to walk for twenty minutes in the morning before you go to work.  Even substituting one of your drives during the day (say, to the supermarket), can be a good start.  However you fit it in, just start walking.  You will feel great and lose weight.

To your health,

Kimberly