There are a TON of beliefs out there regarding fitness, and unfortunately fitness magazines and click-bait articles don’t do a good job of clarifying truth. Why? Because they rely on people reading and re-reading their articles, and there is only so much they can say. So they’ll say just enough to propagate myths, without outright lying, but do it in a way that makes you want to read it again the next month in case the information is juicier. This post is one of a series that i’ll be sharing to de-bunk the most common fitness myths I hear.
The idea of spot-fat reduction is something I see SOOOO often in magazines, and it’s also one of the most common questions I get asked by clients.
“how do I get rid of the fat here?”
Ok, you might not be doing it ALL wrong, but if you’re like me then you have probably noticed that whenever we start something new, we aren’t very good at it, and then we get better with practice. The right practice, that is.
Is there a way to exercise wrong?! YES! Should I care? OMG YES!
I truly think that injuries are the most common frustration of people who make exercise a part of their daily routine. First of all, I don’t know ONE person who hasn’t had an injury - so you can empathize with this post. I’ve certainly had my share of them, and when they show up, I agonize over them. The emotional aspects of injuries are the worst part. But how do we deal with this? Should we rest, and how long? Is our body in fact telling us to stop, or should we be trying to maintain a semblance of routine, especially since it takes so much effort to build it? There are many answers to these questions, and each one depends on the person, the injury and the circumstance. But I think there are some very valuable lessons and wisdom to be learned from injuries. To illustrate my point, I’m going to paint a picture (which might sound familiar)…
What do you do when you've lost your motivation? Maybe you went on vacation for a week or two, and came back feeling tired. Perhaps just down (post-vacation blues are a thing!). Or maybe you are injured, and all of a sudden it’s been a few weeks (or months), and you’re just totally unmotivated again. Ugh - it’s the worst. I know what it’s like to struggle to get a routine again. Or maybe your schedule is erratic - you have way too much going on and you don’t have a set schedule, or you’ve been working too much (ahem this is my issue).
It’s so frustrating. I am supposed to be this organized, type-A engineer, and I struggle every day with routine. I had a back injury that sidelined me from all the exercise I loved for over two year, so I know what it’s like to lose inspiration. Have you noticed as well that inspiration or motivation comes and goes in waves?! One day - I’ll be SUPER dead set on eating no sugar, drinking lots of water, and staying away from eating too much. I’ll be golden for a whole day or two, and then the third day comes around and I start telling myself “it’s fine to have a glass of wine or two”, or “what’s a bit of ice cream going to do in the long run?”, or “I deserve a break, and balance is important”. I’m not saying these aren’t true statements, but the next thing I know I’m pounding back a pint of Village Ice Cream (our local obsession), and then I’m in a deep SHAME-HOLE for the next few days and criticizing every fold of skin, and blaming myself for not having the willpower.
HA! Got your attention. But seriously, I LOVE this topic, because I love nuance, complexity, and enjoy weaving my way through different solutions to optimize whatever it is I’m working on. I’m going to share with you some nutritional insights I’ve learned over my career in health and fitness, and through my own personal journey of nutrition. I’m not going to tell you exactly what to do, because the people reading this will all need different answers- so that would be inappropriate, and unprofessional, but I promise that I will give you some fundamental tips for success - should you decide to follow them.
I know this sounds obvious, but things that are obvious often get overlooked in our day to day lives - so I’m going to be very blunt. Procrastination is one of those “silent killers”. It kills motivation. it kills momentum. It kills potential. We all have unbelievable potential within us, but that doesn’t mean anything without action tied to it. Procrastination causes the death of meaningful “intentions” or hopes… click to read more
So maybe I've always used exercise as a stress reliever. I think I managed to avoid dealing with a lot of conflict head on by working it off. Really, I was just "sweeping it under the rug" so to speak, and then the endorphins from my workout would have me questioning my pre-workout self's sanity (I don't advise this self perpetuated cycle).
Exercise does have it's place though, it's worth using it to take a step back, get the blood and endorphins pumping, and then reflecting afterward when your mind is clear.
During my last three years of rehabilitation from an injury that has sidelined me from most high intensity or explosive exercises, I've had the pleasure of exploring some alternative methods of stress relief that still give me a semblance of movement and exercise. The thing these exercises all have in common? They all require you to focus on breath and rhythm of breath. So read here to find out the top 5 that worked to keep me from "crazy" ;)...
It's been just over three years since my back injury (omg, does time fly), and I wrote a first blog regarding my personal struggle with healing about a year and a half ago (You can re-read it here). Reading it reminds me of how incredibly difficult that time was for me. It shines through and I was afraid to be honest because I hated how sad i was. I had very real fears that it would never improve, that I would never again be able to hike, run, surf, let alone lift weights or even do anything physical without pain. I remember having months of feeling no improvement, and having very little hope and belief that things would change. The ups and downs were endless, when I had hope and a good attitude, it would be equally opposed a day or two later with sadness, frustration and depression. I mourned the loss of control I had over my body and fitness. I mourned my perceived future "fit" self. I mourned the loss of years of hard work to get to a place where I finally confidence about my body.
I've been away from the online world for awhile, but have been wanting to re-build a presence on social media, to re-invigorate my blog and newsletter, and build the online business that I had always brainstormed. But I keep waiting and waiting, mainly because I want to "do it right". I'm afraid to post photos that don't look picture perfect, and then give up when I feel like I'm spending too much time trying to capture a photo. Ugh, there goes that need for perfectionism again.
The hesitation to start working towards a goal for fear of it not being perfect is so prevalent, and it will kill any endeavour or goal if you don't stop working towards perfection.
![Working [out] with Injuries](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53879570e4b0422ca6697db1/1553571695886-FW6XG96YCM4Z8954HW7L/Screen+Shot+2019-03-25+at+9.41.17+PM.png)
![Just Start...[It's that simple]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53879570e4b0422ca6697db1/1552936461298-JGAA3UX62MJLC08UHX2H/DSC_0455.jpg)
