Getting Off the Scale

Originally Featured on Boston.com: 5/8/2013

If you're like many people trying to lose weight, you might regularly check in with the scale to gauge your progress. If results are slow, or the numbers don't reflect your hard work, frustration can follow. Preoccupation with these numbers and allowing the scale to dictate your mood can become typical. However, there are some things the scale doesn't show you. It doesn't indicate the composition of the weight you're losing. Is it water, muscle, or fat? The numbers on the scale also don't reflect your confidence, self-respect, or character, so don't let it beat you up! Here are four alternate methods to use when charting fat loss progress.

1. Body Circumference Measurements: Use a soft tape to measure around the following body parts, without clothes, on a weekly basis under the same conditions at each measurement (time of day, day of week, etc).
- Navel: Directly around the belly button
- Hips: Around the widest part of your derriere
- Thigh: Measure around the leg at the halfway point between the crease in your hips and the kneecap
- Chest: Right around the nipple line

2. Clothing size: Did you go down a size in your pants or tops? Are your clothes fitting better now or becoming loose? This can be a great sign of progress, even if your weight stays the same.

3. Physical Well Being: Sometimes it can be helpful to focus on the many other benefits to eating well and exercising besides just fat loss. Did your doctor report any changes in cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar management? Are you in a better mood, handling stress more successfully, or feeling an increase in energy? Are you able to run around with your children or grandchildren without becoming winded? These can all be signs of the impactful effects of diet and exercise that are taking place inside your body.

4. Body Fat Percentage: This measurement reports the percentage of fat relative to the percent of lean mass (muscle, bone, etc) that makes up your body weight. If some of the weight you're losing is muscle, achieving a defined or sculpted look will be difficult. To achieve this look, you want to preserve lean body mass while decreasing body fat. Calculating body fat percentage can help you assess these numbers. There are many options to pick from, and here are two of the most widely available and affordable.

A qualified personal trainer will be able to use basic skin-fold calipers to give you an estimate. Ensure that the same person takes them each time under the same conditions. 
Another option would be a bioelectrical impedance device, either handheld or standing. These send an undetectable electrical current through the body, and estimate the percentage based on how quickly the current is conducted through the body (travels faster through water than through fat). Because the test is hydration based, the results can be swayed based on water consumption.

A DEXA scan or a Bod Pod measurement would be even more accurate; however, these can be expensive and harder to come by.

So next time you get on that scale, just remember, there are other ways to measure your progress! It doesn't have to all boil down to one tool!

A Fitness Motivation Toolbox

Originally Featured on Boston.com: 4/24/2013

It might come as a surprise to you, but even fitness professionals occasionally lack motivation to exercise or eat well. There are times when I'd rather take a nap or tackle my never ending to-do list than hit the gym. What I do to stay on track, and what can help you too, is to create a figurative motivation toolbox; something to keep you focused on your health and fitness journey, or to fall back on when the impetus to exercise wanes. Here are several ideas on what to develop or include.

Music: Create a fitness playlist filled with your favorite songs to amp you up. Nothing helps me get through tough workouts more than my playlist. Whenever I hear Eminem's "Till I Collapse" or Fort Minor's"Remember the Name", I instantly become focused and energized.

Images and Phrases: Hanging on my bulletin board is a paper I created filled with images of fit female athletes whose strength and physiques I find inspirational. You can also use pictures of yourself when you were at your goal weight or in better shape. I also include uplifting words or quotes among the images. For example, I have on mine, "you can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat of your face", and "a year from now you will wish you had started today."

Advantages Response Card: This is an idea I use that's from The Beck Diet Solution by Judith S. Beck. It requires writing down on an index card all of the reasons why your health goal is important to you and worth the hard work. List the most important ones first. Examples include: to boost my self esteem, to feel comfortable in different situations, because this has been a goal of mine for years, to feel strong and capable, or to reduce stress. Create several of these and keep one at home, one at work or in the car, and read through them often, especially in the morning and before dinner.

10 Minute Rule: Next time you try to talk yourself out of a workout, exercise for at least 10 minutes then stop if you want. Most likely, you'll feel good once you start and can find the will to keep going for five or ten more minutes.

Plan Rewards: Setting small rewards for staying on track or reaching goals can help in a big way. For instance, if your goal is to exercise 12 times in a month, you might plan a small treat once you reach that number. Rewards could include getting a massage, new workout clothes, tickets to a sporting event, manicure, or dining out for a healthy dinner.

Dress to Impress: Not anyone else, but yourself! Dress in workout clothes or sneakers that you love to put on, and that keep you feeling comfortable and confident. Whether that's bright sneakers, a great fitting tanktop, or a shirt with a motivational phrase. One of my favorite workout shirts was made by my Spartan race team, and it says, "I may not be the strongest, I may not be the fastest, but Ill be damned if I'm not trying my hardest." Just wearing it reminds me of that day and excites me to sweat, move, and lift.

Id love to hear from you! What do you use to motivate yourself to exercise? 

Following Through on Resolutions

Originally Featured on Boston.com: 1/16/2013

It's been just over two weeks since we rang in the New Year. If you resolved to change or create a new behavior for 2013, how's that going? I'd love to be able to tell you there's a magic number of days needed to carry out your new behavior in order to make it a habit, but the truth is it's different for everyone. I've heard it can take anywhere from 21 to 30 days to create a habit, but your compliance also depends on your starting point and how achievable the new habit is on a daily basis. People who have the most success rate their behavior changes as a 9 or 10 on a scale of 1-10; 10 meaning you can without a doubt, easily carryout your habit each day. Working on several of these, one at a time, can add up to big results. 

Instead of telling you to keep going for another two weeks because after that it will be smooth sailing, here are three things to help you stay compliant.

1. Planning: Winston Churchill once said, "He who fails to plan is planning to fail", and how true that is! Think of an action plan as a map to get you to your destination aka your goal. Without it, you might get lost along the way and delay your arrival time. For example, my goal last year was to lose the baby weight I had gained while pregnant with my son. I worked on a new habit that supported my goal every 2-4 weeks, and had the path planned out into small, achievable steps.

Short term planning is also essential. I like to prepare for my week ahead on Sunday. I map out my workouts, go food shopping, cook and prepare food for the week, and wash my workout clothes. Each week I know when I'm working out and what I'm eating to support my goals. Bam! Good decisions are now that much easier to make!

2. Resilience and Adaptability: Often times when I meet clients initially, they mention they used to exercise but stopped because of a short term illness, injury, or a chaotic work schedule. If you had the flu for a week and stayed in your pajamas all day because you were sick, would you continue to wear your pajamas everywhere after you felt better? Probably not. There will always be curveballs thrown your way, but finding ways to work around them is your best bet. Just because you took a day or a week off from your plan doesn't mean you have to stop indefinitely. It shouldn't be an all or nothing situation either. If I can't exercise my scheduled 5 times a week, I do as many as I can manage instead of just skipping my workouts altogether. Anticipate these challenges ahead of time and focus on the things you CAN do each day to bring you closer to your goal. For example, a client of mine had an elbow injury, but instead of cancelling our sessions, we focused on what he COULD do. To his surprise there were tons of exercises he was capable of without using his injured arm.

3. Visibility: Create multiple reminders about your goal in highly visible areas. I like to write mine on a sticky note or index card by my computer. Put reminders in your calendar (both paper and online). That way, even when things get hectic you'll be less likely to let it slip your mind. I also find it helpful to list out all the reasons your resolution is significant to you, whether they're big or small. Looking over these gives me more resolve to stay on track. Lastly, try creating a collage of motivational images or phrases that inspire you. I included pictures of myself when I was at my goal weight, images of inspirational athletes, and phrases like "you can throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face".