Tag Archive for ‘begin an exercise program’ at themojocoach.com

Tag Archive for 'begin an exercise program'

Holiday Mojo Series-How to Get Through the Holidays Stress and Weight Gain Free-Exercise

Published on December 22, 2011 in General. 0 Comments

Welcome back! Today’s tip is all about maintaining our fitness program (on some level) throughout the holiday season. When we’re busy, it’s often tempting to find extra time by giving up our exercise but when we do that, we lose momentum which is often difficult to restart.

Instead, here’s a plan to keep the momentum going until you can pick it up again at full speed after the New Year….

How will you maintain your fitness throughout the holiday season? I’d love to know, comment and share!

Debi Silber, “The Mojo Coach”
www.TheMojoCoach.com

Exercise Myths

Published on August 24, 2009 in General. 1 Comment

There are a few myths that have been circulating for a long time and need to be cleared up once and for all.

1) If you use weights you will “bulk up”.

As women, we don’t have the high levels of testosterone that would be required to gain significant bulk, and we can never gain a lot of bulk without lifting well over our own body weight and putting in at least a few hours each day to strenuously train. Most women who life weights using even moderate weight achieve a sleek, sculpted look. Think Michelle Obama, not Arnold Schwarzenegger!

2) You can turn fat into muscle.

Fat and muscle are two different things. Some people think that one turns to the other, like ice turning to water, or vice versa. Frequently when you lose fat, you can see the muscle tone that was hiding underneath it. But the fat isn’t turning into muscle any more than wood can turn into metal.

3) Fat weighs more than muscle.

A pound of fat weighs exactly the same amount as a pound of muscle. The difference is that muscle is more compact – fat can take up to five times the space! Two women can weigh exactly the same amount but be two different sizes depending on what those pounds are made up of. A women with a higher percentage of body fat will be larger than another of the same weight who is more muscular.

4) If you focus exercise on one body area, you can “spot reduce”.

If you have heavy thighs, you can do leg lifts until the cows come home, but you will not be able to lose fat specifically in your thigh area. Fat in your body is systemic, just like the blood that travels through your veins. Fat can be lost through aerobic activity or by increasing your rate of calorie burn by building extra muscle. But, while we can definitely lose fat, we can’t specify where the fat will come from.

5) Some people just don’t sweat.

Sweat is your body’s way of cooling down when it is heated by exercise. If you aren’t working up a sweat, you need to work a little harder! Upping your intensity can help make your workouts more effective.

6) I can’t exercise.

This is the worst myth of all. If you believe that you can’t exercise and become fit and healthy, you sabotoge yourself before you even get started! Your limiting thoughts will keep you from taking the first steps to become fit and well, ensuring that you stay convinced that a fit, healthy body is something you can never achieve.

Here’s where you take that inner critic and tell her to take a hike! You can do anything. Whether you chose to believe it or not, it will surely come true.

Take a look at the myths that you have bought into that aren’t working for you. Are you stuck in an exercise rut that isn’t working because of beliefs you have about what it will take to get healthy? Try a reality check on those beliefs. Making some small changes to your routine can get you moving forward toward a healthy new you!!

Why do YOU need to exercise?

Published on July 26, 2009 in General. 0 Comments

Why do you need to exercise?

There are many reasons to incorporate exercise into your life. But all of them may not have the same motivating power for you. Finding the benefits of exercise that mean the most to you personally can make all the difference in getting you into a long term habit of regular exercise.

Some of benefits of exercise that you might consider are:

Reduces your risk for conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity
Helps reduce your blood pressure
Increases HDL (“good” cholesterol) and reduces LDL (“bad” cholesterol)
Clears toxins
Improves the quality of your sleep
Sharpens your mind and increases energy
Makes your heart and lungs stronger and more efficient
Elevates mood
Helps manage stress
Sets a positive example for your children
Tones your body and keeps you slim

You have probably heard most of these benefits before, and they’re all good reasons to get off the couch and get moving. But finding the one that motivates you is the key to making exercise a part of your life!

If reducing the risk of disease jumps out on the list and makes you want to get started, then think about how exercise helps normalize your levels of stress hormones, blood glucose levels, and insulin levels. Normalizing these levels keeps your body in balance while reducing your risk for diseases.

If the idea of elevating your mood is especially appealing to you, imagine being outside on the perfect day, with a clear head, listening to the perfect song and enjoying the feeling of treating your body well. Now imagine you are midway through your workout and suddenly you feel a burst of energy that makes you feel as if you can fly. You are completely “in the zone”, you feel weightless and you feel like nothing beats the feeling you’re experiencing right at that moment. You may double your speed and not even notice because you are so completely enjoying the experience.

Those of you who don’t exercise may think I am nothing short of crazy, but I can only urge you to give this “high” a try! When you compare it to any chemically induced high, this one is available any time, for free, and is actually good for you!

Another example of how exercise can elevate your mood is by giving you a positive outlet for stress relief, building your confidence by building a more fit body and showing yourself a commitment to living a healthy lifestyle. The positive thoughts that come along with these feelings will overflow into other areas of your life.

If setting a good example for your children seems like a strong reason to get moving, realize that you can tell your children all day long how important it is for them to exercise. But if they see you finding the time to exercise yourself, they may follow your example and get out and try it themselves. Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk!

If making your body lean, toned and strong sounds good to you, you are in good company! Having children can leave your body in less than optimal condition and you can thank your little ones for the new stretch marks, change in skin tone, sagging, and those few extra pounds you may still have hanging around since their arrival. While people will tell you these are some of the ‘medals of motherhood’, I’m going to tell you something else. You don’t have to be unhappy with your post-pregnancy body. In fact, you can make your post-pregnancy body stronger, sleeker, and sexier than ever before.

While you may have a few extra pounds on you, you also may have some new curves to work with. While your skin tone may not be the same, you can certainly tighten up what’s lying underneath. The point is, it’s never too late to work toward a healthy, fit body!

So take some time and think about what would motivate YOU to exercise. What benefits of becoming fit mean the most to you? Find a personal reason for beginning or maintaining an exercise routine. The reason can be your health, your appearance, stress-management, the chance to take some time for self-care, or showing yourself that you can make a commitment and stick to it. Whatever reason you discover, write it down and review it every day. On days when you don’t feel like exercising, reading your own words of motivation may offer you the incentive to get moving!

How to Make Your New Year’s Resolution Last, Part 1

Published on February 6, 2009 in General. 0 Comments

What’s your New Year’s Resolution? Is it to lose weight or begin an exercise program? If you’re like most of us, a fit, healthy body is something you may want to work towards this year. In fact, it’s probably something you wanted to work towards last year as well as the year before. So here’s a question. Why is it that we start the New Year with the best of intentions just to fall short within the first few weeks?

One reason is due to the fact that almost ninety percent of what we do each day is the result of ritualistic habit. From the way we brush our teeth to which shoe we put on first is something we barely need to think about. We’ve done it a certain way for so long, it’s deeply ingrained within us and minimal effort is required to get the job done. To test this, just start your day by putting on the other shoe first and you’ll see how different it feels!

Well, eating and exercise habits work the same way. The way we eat, the reasons why we eat, the food choices we make are all habits which have been formed over time. Some of those habits may have lead to an unhealthy relationship with food where we’re eating to combat boredom, fatigue, anger, sadness or loneliness. For some of us, the portion sizes we take or the degree of fullness we leave the table with are habits we’ve formed as well. For others, the way we handle weekends, parties or holidays are the result of habit. Finally for others, the tastes we prefer are the result of habit as well. For example, we may have gotten used to the flavor of foods which are highly sweetened which leads us to crave and expect that type of flavor.

While many of these habits lead to weight gain and frustration, we stay with these behaviors because they’re so familiar. They may not serve us well but because we barely need to think about it the behavior continues. So, what can you do if you want to finally make a New Year’s Resolution that lasts?

In my next blog post I will share with you the plan of action to keep you on track with your New Year’s Resolution.

Debi “The Mojo Coach”
www.TheMojoCoach.com
www.AskTheMojoCoach.com