Tough Talkin' Trainer

A recent conversation with one of my teletraining clients (no--NOT you!):

TC: Keri, this isn't working.
ME: What isn't working?
TC: I gained two pounds this week.
ME: Okay. That could be a couple of things . . . how did the week go? How was your food tracking?
TC: Well, I didn't really do that. I've got a handle on it now, and writing every bite I eat down isn't necessary any more.
ME: I see. What about your exercise? Did you stick to the plan you made for yourself? The one we reviewed twice to make sure it would work for the week?
TC: Pretty much. I had to miss Wednesday. And Friday--honestly, I just forgot.
ME: I see. So you didn't manage your food according to plan and you didn't get in the exercise.
TC: Well . . . no.

I realize that at this moment a couple of dozen readers are cringing because they've had this conversation with me or someone like me. As a big propronent for planning ("Structure is Sexy!") and environmental change (creating the space to achieve what you want) I do you and my clients a disservice if I don't point out the obvious. Plans NEVER work--they are static lists on paper. People work. If you fail to achieve what you set out to do in 2009, it will either be because factors in your environment prevented you from meeting the goal (what we in the profession call "excuses"), or because you CHOSE not to follow the plan.

This is good news, believe it or not. You are in charge! Not me. Tough talking trainers (even by telephone) are contract employees (part of that environmental change), even if we project a certain bossy air. You get to decide how 2009 is going to be for you. So use your creative imagination to think big, and your problem-solving skills to make your dreams happen. And if you need a triple-T or a little yoga boot camp to make it happen, you know how to find us.

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

What was your 2008 fitness resolution? Do you remember it? Did you meet your goal, or were you finished on January 12?

Whatever the goal, go take a walk today. Bundle up good and go out for 10 minutes. This is not going to help you lose the 20 pounds you promised yourself you'd take off in 2008. But it is a symbolic act, a reminder that you can continue to work toward a worthy goal even if you know you won't achieve it (I remember this story about a guy named Moses . . .he got a lot done, I do believe.) There is value in taking a step (or 10 minutes' worth) down a path to a worthwhile destination--even if you don't expect to see your personal Promised Land in the time you allot for it. All or nothing thinking ("I've failed, so why bother") is not only a waste of time, but it demoralizes you as well.

It is still 2008. You still have time to try. Just take a step!

P.S. Just two more Holidailies! After 1/1, we go back to weekly motivators here and on Susan's blog. Looking forward to supporting your get-healthy efforts in 2009!

P.P.S. Check it out! I redid a bunch of stuff at www.RadiantFitness.com, so go click links!

Fear of Success

I really love it when you readers write my blog for me. Much of today's discussion comes from the comment on yesterday's blog (thanks, Liz!) For her complete post, click on the word "comments" after yesterday's entry. But for the shortened version:

Its easy to be an optimist when you start a new adventure...dieting, new sport, new relationship, new job...but once you begin, if your expectations aren't met (immediate weight loss, prowess, love, etc) you begin to wonder if the work the new adventure requires (because they all require work!) is worth it. Even a new haircut...you can convince yourself that you'll feel beautiful/more lovable/ more...whatever with the "perfect hair" and when you don't...the disappointment is palpable.

What if you lose that weight, get that job, play that game...and you still don't get whatever it is you really wanted? (money, love, friends...) the doubt is killing and the result worse.

You need to make changes for yourself, not for the expectation of others response to your change. Usually no one else has the emotional investment in your new thing that you do, and they will therefore never give you the response you feel it is worth (because losing 10 pounds IS a big deal...to you. But to your friends it warrants a "hey, good for you...lets talk about Brangelina's new kids...or whatever)

Liz is right (of course): The goal itself is usually a front for something else you want even more deeply. As you set your resolutions this year, therefore, ask yourself, "What ELSE do I want to see change if I succeed?" And how will you handle it if that deeper need is not met?

Losing weight brings you health, mobility and opens you to the possibility of living a fuller, more radiant life. Is this what you need in 2009? If so, weight loss is an appropriate resolution. If not, then you need to look to other sources and solutions to get your needs met.

Clutterfatdebt 2009

In five days we will all affirm again our intentions to lose weight, get organized and save money. Some of us will write our resolutions down (exponentially increasing thereby our chances of success). Most of us will mention them during a phone call to a friend or a conversation at the office. The optimists among us will buy a book or order a prepackaged program off an infomercial to support our intentions. The pessimists think they know better, and won't even bother to do that much.

What I love about these three major resolutions is that, at their core, they are really about the same thing: In 2009 I will make intentional choices that strengthen me in body and soul, rather than letting my life wash over me and knock me around.

The fat on our bellies is clutter. The clothes we buy because we can't find our way through our closets is increased debt. The panic we feel when we read a credit card statement is calmed through a quick sugar contact high. When, therefore, we work to solve any one of these three problems, we are, in fact, solving ALL three problems.

The energy boost from losing weight helps us tackle the closet. The sight of our own clothes, sorted and hung neatly keeps us home, admiring the peace, rather than running out to the mall to escape. And as most health insurance analysts will tell you, a healthy waistline saves you thousands of dollars each year.

Where will you begin in 2009? What intentions will you set for the year, and what spillover benefits do you hope to receive? Write it down now--post it to the comments of this blog--and take that first little, but all-important step.

Tomorrow's blog is about fear of success, by the way. If you have any experience with that, post those comments too!

What You Must Give Up

Here's how it usually works: We rip a diet plan out of a magazine or newspaper and post it on the fridge. We go out and buy some of the ingredients on the list (arugula, grapefruit) and vow to ourselves that we will stick with the 7-Day Miracle Plan. By day 2, we are rediscovering why we normally never buy arugula and by day 3 we are saying "The diet has failed."

The problem here actually isn't the diet plan. The problem is we went into the process, once again, with our same bag of attitudes and assumptions that we've always carried.

To succeed at getting fit, you and I both may need to give up the following ideas:

#1 That our bodies are special or different.
Across the planet, across the species, human beings are very much the same from the skeleton in. We all need 1500-2500 calories a day (not too many fewer and not too many more) to survive and be healthy. Calories in must be fewer than calories out if we want to lose weight. If I eat fewer calories than I use, my body will get smaller. So will yours. Calorie deficit works for every single person over time.

#2 Sooner or later, weight loss will become fast, easy and fun.
While I love some forms of exercise, you simply may not find your fitness niche. And as for food management--cheesecake versus spinach? Come on! There's no contest. It has taken most of us years, even lifetimes of making easy choices, of choosing fun over healthier options. Waiting for the day that the FDA will finally approve the magic pill (and no, Alli is NOT it!) means several more years of depression, self-disgust and stagnation.

#3 Exercise is something you do to burn off a few extra calories--it's better just to putter in the garden.
Exercise is like brushing your teeth--it is a mandatory part of personal hygiene. Healthy people with a healthy weight and no health risks should exercise most days of the week for about 20 minutes a day. If you carry a extra pounds, your body needs more exercise. Physical activity is not optional for anyone.

#4 Knowledge is critical for weight loss.
This is my personal bugaboo. After all, I'm an expert in the field of fitness! I have so many facts about fat loss stuffed into my brain and a library full of books on the subject. By virtue of the sheer volume of fitness material I know, the calories should melt themselves under the weight of it all. Facts, however, only take you so far. My body, just like yours, follows the calories in/calories out rules. Success for me and for you comes from implementing relatively simple plans and returning to those plans on the days when cheesecake wins out over spinach. Even if you don't know a thing about losing weight, you can still take daily walks and shed the pounds. Even if you don't know the calorie counts of your food, you can still ask yourself "Is my body truly hungry?" before taking a bite.

Which of these attitudes are crawling around in your subconscious, sabotaging your ability to make rational choices? For me, the very phrase "rational choices" sometimes makes me feel petulant, rebellious and cranky.

But at the end of the day, the very truths I kick against strengthen and support me. After all, my body works! The problems I have maintaining a healthy lifestyle are almost exclusively in my mind. And that, I can change.

You can, too.

Merry Christmas

May your expectations (especially those you hold of yourself) be few and your blessings be many!

The Multitasking Myth

As a woman, I am supposed to be especially gifted at multitasking--performing at least two activities at once. Eating and driving, ironing and talking on the phone (okay, I don't know about that--I am constitutionally incapable of ironing), typing Holidailies while applying makeup.

Studies show that multitasking is a myth: Instead of focusing on two things at once, we constantly shift our focus back and forth between them. The shifts may occur second by second, but we never actually focus on two things at once. And one of the activities (the ironing, for example) always gets short shrift.

Eating almost always loses out to whatever activity you pair it with. If you are talking on the phone, watching TV or driving your car you do not taste the food. When you are eating for emotional reasons, it begs the question, why bother? If you don't taste it and your body isn't hungry for it as fuel, then the food is a total waste, and a hazard.

So for today, slow down. Try eating for its own sake. Sit down at a table, put down the stack of holiday cards, and really taste the food. And enjoy every bite.

Cow . . . on a Stick

When I was my county's candidate for State Fair Queen back in the last geologic era, I spent a week at the fairgrounds in Sedalia, Missouri, strutting across the stage and reciting my overemoting heart out in the late August heat. Dozens of us flowers of Missouri womanhood competed under a big tent, sweat dripping between our shoulder blades and dust adding a layers to our pancake foundation.

On a rare break, I visited the rest of the fairgrounds. I came to a palace, huge, air-conditioned. After a few days of rehearsing the group dance routine and practicing prancing, it was like finding the oasis in the desert. I sat indoors and gaped at the stadium seats, the walls, the ceiling--and did I mention the air conditioning?

Then I realized--this was the cattle barn. We flowers of womanhood were wilting under a big top, but the cows lived in luxury. Immediately it became clear to me who and what was really important and valuable.

So why, on my rough days, do I look in the mirror and mutter, "Cow!" like it's something bad?

The words in our head have meaning, and power. What are the words you use when you look in the mirror? I recently read the phrase "sex on a stick," referring to a bikini-clad nymph on a beach. I like that one much better than "cow." Maybe that will be one of my resolutions in 2009: I'll use that phrase, at least internally, at least twice a week. Or maybe I'll make the word "cow" my trigger--every time I think or say it, I have to immediately correct myself and replace the bovine word with "sex on a stick" instead.

But if I do, I'm not telling you . . . that's just setting myself up for trouble, isn't it?

What's your word? "Pig". "Fatso". "Lard (ahem) Butt". You have one, don't you? You have a label you use to express your distaste with yourself.

But I'm guessing that it hasn't done you any good. Calling yourself names hasn't made you once ounce thinner. Why not try it my way this year? Why not give yourself a positive label--"Juicy" or "Lush"? Or go all the way and commit to being "Sex on a Stick!" If not now, when?

Working (Out) For Others

There is a common tradition in many yoga classes: At the beginning of many classes, the class will take a moment to dedicate the exercises they do help someone else. Much like prayer, the idea is that the energy we send out of our bodies goes into the world in some positive way as a gift.

In a more concrete way, we Westerners like to do races and walks for charity, where we know where our entry fee is going. A 5K here, a marathon there--we give and raise money for causes dear to our heart and get a good 45 minutes of cardio at the same time.

You can have it both ways in 2009: You can look at the community calendar, and plan to spend a Saturday morning or two walking with others instead of on a gym treadmill. You can focus your mind while you are on that treadmill on people who's lives you would hope to see improved. Instead of simply concentrating on making yourself into someone you will like more, use your time and resources to serve someone else once in awhile. The paradox--by giving your spirit, time and material wealth to others, you become someone you like to be with.

SHH! I haven't had time yet to update the Lotus Yoga paypal link, so you can still register for the class for only $180 instead of $199 (and only my blog readers know my dirty little secret). I might get industrious this afternoon, so get over there now to sign up and save!

Have a Feisty Solstice

There is something defiant in the winter holiday season which appeals to me. Hanukkah begins tonight. Christmas is only a couple of days away. And yet this is the darkest, shortest day of the year. If ever our bodies and minds felt a call to dig in and hibernate, now is the day. If ever nature conspired to create a humanity-wide sense of depression and the need to curl up in the fetal position, this is the time.

And yet, instead, we gather our roots out of our cellars and our fruits preserved in jars of jelly and come together. We celebrate when the stars say we should mourn. We lift our half-full glasses in toasts and our voices in for the blessings we have, laughing and singing.

I believe in going with the flow--most of the time. I believe in living in the moment--most of the time. But there are moments to put our feet down in the stream bed. There are times to remember the past and plan the future--and the darkest day is one of them.

Use your brain and your imagination this day to look ahead to the growing light. What little things can you do to make the coming natural year better for yourself and those you love? And whom can you gather around yourself to celebrate your little victories?

The sunlight is coming. Open your arms and soak it in.

Mom's Words of Wisdom

A couple of years ago, I remember a phone call in which my mother told me proudly about how she shoved half a pecan pie down the garbage disposal (go on, it's okay to cry). She pointed out that if you have one, you should use the disposal to churn away food (or run it under the sink to ruin it). If you just toss it in the trash can, you can pull it out again (yeah, you know what she means).

A nutritionist friend of mine says that a marker for success in weight management is whether or not the client is able to throw away food. It goes against the grain (HA!) psychologically, emotionally and physically. But if you can overcome all of those signals, it bodes well for your ability to watch what you eat.

Try it today on something you know is unhealthy, but will be tempted to eat anyway. Soak down three Christmas cookies. Grind up five hershey's kisses. And reflect on the emotional ride it takes you on. How much resistance do you feel? Do you really OVER-react to the idea of pitching tasty food?

Do You Get In Your Own Way?

Lifestyle choices are daily decisions about how you will treat yourself. Whether you exercise or smoke, what you eat, if you wear a seat belt or sunscreen, how you spend your time----these choices determine to a large extent both the quality and length of your life.

When your choices get in the way of your desires and dreams, what do you do—-change the choice, or throw away the dream?

Do you avoid the refreshing water and warm sun in summer because you don't want to be seen in a swimsuit? Do you let fear of other people's opinions prevent you from dancing at a wedding reception--sitting at a table, toes tapping, head bopping all night long?

Whether your body is physically unable to do what you want, or your heart is too broken to try, this day, this week can be a new beginning for you. Make one choice to be good to yourself. One less cigarette means lower blood pressure for the next 24 hours. One 15-minute walk means a better mood. One serving of fruit or vegetables means your GI tract will work faster and better. Tiny choices, over and over again, are the steps to living a radiant life.

Visualize Success

Here's an interesting little experiment. Pretend you are holding a large slice of lemon in your hand--juicy, thick, bright yellow. Now lift that lemon slice to your mouth and pretend to bite down.

Did you wince? Do you suddenly have extra saliva in your mouth?

Your body doesn't know the difference between a real stimulus and an imaginary one. If you watch a movie with 300 guys getting slaughtered, you will cringe, duck, and your adrenal glands will pump out stress hormones. If you light a candle scented like the ocean, you will breathe a little more deeply and your shoulders will relax slightly.

When it comes to managing your weight and lifestyle choices, you know where the problems are. You know every drive-thru between your job and home. You know who is likely to call you and say, “Let’s go out for pizza!” You know that the elevator is right next to the stairwell you avoid. We all have obstacles to healthy living—but seldom are these real surprises.

Why not use the power of your imagination to visualize, rather than worry? Instead of dreading the family holiday party, imagine yourself choosing a plate full of brightly colored fresh foods. Instead of fretting about all of the candy on your coworkers' desks, imagine yourself efficiently clearing away task after task on your own desk (and sitting down to your own lunch of a piping hot Lean Cuisine, fruit-flavored bottled water and fresh orange).

I'm not a total Pollyanna. I think positive thinking can only take you so far. But you can have an organized, productive life. You can be in control of yourself and enjoy your time with friends and family. Take some time to imagine what that will feel like, and what it will involve. Once you’ve imagined the steps to take, then take one step.

How to Handle a Rough Day

When you are on edge, when things slip out that you didn’t mean to say, when your face is buried in your hands because nothing is safe to look at, you can take immediate steps to cool down and focus.

#1 Get off by yourself. Lock yourself in a bathroom, or better yet, take a walk.
#2 Drink a glass of water and get rehydrated.
#3 Eat an apple or some carrots—fortify your system rather than undermining it with sugar and fat.
#4 Go lay down! Either get to bed before midnight or take a 20-minute nap.
#5 Call a disinterested party: Your buddy in Texas, your therapist—someone who is NOT involved in your daily drama.
#6 Force a little catharsis. If you're feeling growly, rent Sweeny Todd. If you need a good cry, sing along with Dan Fogelberg.

When you feel extra pressure, figure out what your release valves are--and use them intentionally. In maintaining your emotional health (which is always tied, of course, to your physical health) planning and foresight will get you through.

Journey Yada Yada Step

In seven short months, the days will be longer than the nights. Steve and I will hire a sitter and join a couple thousand of our closest friends as we kayak six miles down the Ohio River for Paddlefest 2009. Once a year, we see Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky from angles most people will never see. On Sunday after the float, my shoulders will be tired. My hands will have blisters. But I will still be riding high.

Most dreams involve doing something—climbing a Hawaiian volcano, hiking through the Scottish heather, pitching the opening ball at a World Series game. Even lying on a beach requires hauling out a chaise and squeezing into Speedos.

What are your top ten trips? What ten things do you want to do before you die? Pick one this week and go into training. Take a short walk so you can run someday in Boston. Lift a couple of weights so that you can heft that chaise. Your body can make just about anything happen for you--but you've got to let it try!

Support or Sabotage, Part 1

Support or Sabotage? Part 1
Years ago I had a client who weighed 375 pounds. She bit the bullet, began exercise, started eating healthy foods and lost 15 pounds. Then her mother told her she looked “sickly.” I never saw her again. I am upset about her case to this day, but I’m not angry with my client. Her mother, now—well, I’d like a word or two with that woman.
Family, friends and coworkers are supposed to support us. They are supposed to cheer us on when we give up chips for salad. They are supposed to pat us on the back when we forego a trip to the mall for a weekend hike. Instead, they often undercut our progress:

The Second-Honeymooner
A wife decides to lose 45 pounds, and suddenly her husband starts taking her out to eat every night. He tells her she’s beautiful and he loves her just the way she is. It sounds lovely—a real fantasy, right? All this newfound affection ups both her waist size and her blood pressure.

The Smother Mother
She cooks fried chicken on Sundays and all the sides—and heaven help you if you don’t fill or clean your plate. During any a conflict or crisis a deep-dish casserole is, in her opinion, the sure-fire cure.

The Pro Bono Trainer
He’s read every fitness article in the magazine and seen personal trainers on TV. He tells you to lose weight and is chock-full of advice—when to exercise, what pills to take, how much cabbage soup to eat. On the surface, he sounds like a cheerleader, but soon he becomes a nag. Ignore his advice and he gets huffy, hurt and critical.

The Twisted Sister
“There you go saying you’re going to quit smoking again. Why bother? You never stick to anything.” She’s straightforward, at least, in her sabotage. Scornful, dismissive, downright rude. At least you know exactly where you stand.

What is going on with these people? It’s simple: They see you trying to make a change and it scares them. If his wife loses 50 pounds, she might become attractive and confident—and decide she can lose him as well. If your mother shows love through food, then rejecting her food must mean you don’t love her. You are a mirror for the people around you. They think your choices reflect on them. They don’t mean to hurt you (most of the time)—they just don’t understand that your desire to be healthy, happy and confident will benefit them in the long run, too.

The FAQs about Weight Loss

How do I lose weight fast?

A better question would be, “How do I lose weight forever?” Because the two goals are not the same. Crash dieting will take water weight, muscle and a little fat off you quickly. A month or two later, your starving body will eat it back on with a vengeance. If you want permanent weight loss, you must plan to lose about two pounds a week. If you are 100 pounds overweight—and completely committed to the process—you can expect to take one year to lose the weight forever.

“Yeah, but how do I do that?”

Number one: Write down what you eat. Count those calories. It’s not fun, but it works. Tracking your food has been shown to be the main key to successful weight loss. If you don’t face what you’re eating, then you will sit on it instead.
Number two: Control what you are eating. Once you know how much food you eat, you can actively and intelligently choose NOT to eat more than you need. Most diets for weight loss limit calorie intake to 1200-1800 calories per day based on gender, age, size and health factors. They may have other gimmicks (low-carb, low-fat, no “white” foods, etc), but they all end up reducing your daily calorie intake.

Number three: Exercise (I wish this were number one, but for weight loss purposes, it is number three). If you will not walk, will not dance, will not go bowling, will not ride your bike, you will not lose weight and keep it off. Cardiovascular exercise burns the calories. Strength training speeds up the metabolism. Flexibility work reduces the stress that drives you to eat too much.

“What do you think of Hoodia/Alli®/Killyoutrim?

Some supplements are garbage and some are crutches. Hoodia is so rare, that most of what is marketed as hoodia in the US is fake. Alli® does what it promises--IF you follow steps one through three above. Caffeine-filled amphetamine-like drugs may provide a sense of false energy and brief appetite reduction, but at the end of the day, you still have to choose less and move more. You won’t take these pills all your life, so make changes you can sustain instead.

“Do belly dancers use a pole?”

Heavens no. Oriental (or “Belly”) dance is a collective term for the folk and stage dances of the Middle East and Central Asia over the last 5,000 years or so. The best dancers in the world today are revered artists in their 60s and 70s who lecture and teach at universities and dance schools worldwide. They wouldn’t be caught dead near a pole.

“Are you going to eat that?”

No. That package of Oreos in my shopping cart is for demonstration purposes only. Pardon me while I tuck it under the bag of spinach.

By the way, Clint has nothing to do with this post. He just makes me happy.

Make Your Own Magic

When you are adrift in a sea of 20-year-olds, it’s easy to see how young you aren’t. They bop past on pain-free knees, laughing robustly with their bright-eyed, bushy-tailed friends. Watching all that energy can make your heart hurt.

How much money would you spend each day on a magic pill to take ten years off? Five dollars? Fifty? Of course, you know the pills and potions are largely lies. The good news, however, that you already have the fountain of youth. All you have to do is tap into it!

If you will invest 20 minutes a day in physical activity, you will firm your own skin. You will brighten your own eyes, elevate your mood, improve your energy, enhance your grace and strengthen your joints. One workout creates immediate benefits that last for the next 24 hours. Walking, dancing, stretching and toning for a only a few minutes each day create cascading benefits: Pain-free knees, for example, walk more--burning more calories and creating a greater sense of personal energy every day.

Youthfulness is a choice you can make right now—movement IS magic!

P.S. I'm on linkedin and facebook as Keri Kaeding, and on twitter as Radiantfitness. Friend me! (And explain what the heck twitter is all about!)

Your Thighs are Oil Wells

The good news is, you already have all the energy you need to lead a vibrant, radiant life. If you are one of the 2/3 of American adults who is currently overweight or obese, you have WEEKS of stored energy (fat) on your body, just waiting to be released. In evolutionary terms, that juicy jiggly stuff is worth its weight in gold.

However, even gold piled high is nothing but clutter if it gets in your way. So unless you reasonably fear that starvation is in your imminent future, it may be time to start enjoying life and spend some of that physical capital!

Energy is the very first change we notice when we commit to making healthier choices. Within 24 hours, you can feel more awake, alive, radiant. Your simple to-do list for the day:

#1. Get enough fluid in you. Dehydration usually manifests as fatigue. If you feel lethargic, drink water first.

#2. Go take a ten-minute walk. The body needs to be trained to use energy--the more you use, the more you have.

So, um, drill, Baby. Drill.

Let's Get Flexy!

If nothing else this holiday season, take a few minutes each day to stretch.
Flexibility work is the secret weapon in weight loss. Flexible muscles resist injury. Flexible backs avoid pain. The stress relief from stretching just five minutes a day prevents added weight gain by reducing the amount of the hormone cortisol in your system. Cortisol shouts to the body, “Trouble, Trouble! Lay on belly fat!” Extra fat is useful for running from lions and surviving Alaskan winters. Otherwise—not so much.

The easiest way to figure out how and what to stretch it to join a group fitness class. In every class (especially yoga) you’ll get your daily dose of stretching. Gym staff will gladly show a few simple stretches for your legs, back, arms and shoulders.

However, if you aren't in a class, you can still stretch on your own--just do what feels good (if it doesn’t feel good, it won’t help). Be gentle with yourself and “melt” into stretches. The only way to hurt yourself stretching is to push or force a stretch. Relax and enjoy that “Ahhh” feeling.

Give yourself the gift of five minutes each day to stretch. You’ll release tension, become more graceful and fluid, lower your blood pressure and prevent fat gain. Try it this month—and for the rest of your life!

Structure is Sexy!

Take up your calendar and look over the next three weeks. Don't be afraid, it won't hurt you! Where are the parties? When are the kids going to be out of school? Who is coming to visit? What are the potential problem conversations you can head off at the pass (remember, "No, thank you," and "I'm sorry you feel that way," are magic phrases!).

What will you be (over)eating? And when, on each day, are you going to take a walk? 1:20 P.M.? 1:20 A.M.? Can you find an exercise class to attend? Will you have the moxie to go to it even when you have a house full of guests? Can you co-opt one of them to go with you?

Plan it out now. Plan out your healthiest holiday possible. Write it in ink on your calendar. Create the structure now. Perhaps you won't follow it perfectly. Maybe you'll only hit your plan 75% of the time--but I bet that will be better than it was last year.

Eat More, Lose More

The basic principle behind diets is "Eat less." Less fat, fewer carbohydrates, less food over all.

Most people, however, don't get the bare-minimum five fruits and vegetables a day (small pieces of fruit; half a banana, a handful of baby carrots--serving sizes here are NOT huge).

Why not track it today? Write down every time you eat a piece of produce (and no, fried potatoes in any form do not count). You might find that if you try ADDING produce to your diet that you feel fuller longer and cut back on the sense of psychological deprivation that leads many of us to the fridge when we aren't actually hungry.

I like cauliflour steamed with cumin, garlic powder and olive oil. Broccoli steamed with a little cheddar cheese (3 minutes in the microwave and presto!) Cherry tomatoes and chunks of avocado. I don't avoid the fats--I just add the vegetables to them!

I'd love to hear from you, so post your "produce" count for the day in the comments section.

How To Cheat At Weight Loss!

Okay,

I'm lying, of course--there is no way to get around the basic requirement of eating fewer calories than you expend. HOWEVER, there are some things you can do to make this process easier:

1. Add "sprints" to your workouts. If you are a walker, jog for 30 seconds. Wait a few minutes and jog again. If you are an elliptical user, really pump it out for 30 seconds. If you are an aerobics video person, go off choreography and do 15 jumping jacks. 4 or 5 of these little bursts of high intensity will elevate your cardio burn for your overall workout because you'll need to recover from them. We're talking 2 minutes here--you can do that!

2. Drink water when you feel a desire for, well, anything. If you desire sleep, drink water first and wait a few minutes to see if you don't perk up. If you desire food, drink water and wait a few minutes to see if the hunger abates. If you desire your spouse, drink water and don't wait (life is short after all). The appetite center of the brain often gets confused and we interpret dehydration as a need for sleep, food or intimacy. Let food be your last resort.

3. Spice up your life. Pepper (the component called capsaicin) has appetite suppressant abilities. Cinnamon may help with blood sugar regulation. In both cases, the stimulation of spice helps you feel satiated. When you eat bland food, you tend to eat more food.

4. Light a candle. 90% of the sense of taste is actually the sense of smell. If you have a pleasing scent in your atmosphere you may be less likely to go searching for something to please the tongue. And candlelight is more flattering anyway (I don't know why they don't use it more often in dressing rooms).

Will you, by employing these little tricks, burn several hundred calories more a day? Probably not. But if you create an environment that supports your efforts and stimulates all of your senses, it will be easier for you to stick with your plan for creating a calorie deficit over the long term.

Class reminders:
Registration for January 2009 classes is open! Visit www.RadiantFitness.com for either the Lotus Yoga Boot Camp (beginner-friendly!) or Oriental Dance classes and get the early registration discounts. Spaces are limited.

Happy Birthday, Mom

Since we can't descend upon her, let's have a dance party for Mom in absentia: Scroll ALL THE WAY down to the bottom of the blog and spend six minutes watching some happiness (the two YouTube videos will totally brighten your day).

Mom is, BTW, a major reason and inspiration for Radiant Fitness as a concept and a business (and not just because of that whole childbirth thing).

Attitude Isn't Everything

Let's face it, exercising to burn calories is NOT exciting. We don't consciously feel the fat on the back of our thigh reenter the blood stream, convert to energy and jolt through us like lightning to kick start our day. If exercise doesn't excite you, do it anyway; however, if you can, make it about something else.

If you are a walker, use that time as your prayer time, your time to fantasize about renovating your house, your time to plan out what you will say in the next job interview. If you can find someone to exercise with, then call it "going out to play" instead (or tell yourself, "Jane needs my support, so I have to go.") Water aerobics is a fancy way to say "frolicking in the pool" (and yes, you have the right to frolic!) If you are using a dance video, then focus on your inner diva and DANCE!

Movement should be joyful, so actively seek to associate what you do with feelings of joy. Spontaneity is overrated--instead of waiting to go into the "zone" when you exercise, choose what you will focus on and put yourself there.

Of course, some days that won't happen, no matter how much you try. If you must stomp through your walk muttering, "I don't want to be here. I don't want to do this," then go for it. The calories will burn anyway. The fat will release anyway, regardless of your mental attitude. Whether you work OR play for it, physical activity will work for you. When you can, however, choose for it to be fun.

From the Front Lines

I'm writing this from the front lines - in front of the TV, watching the CBS Early Show. While TV news is a dubious source for your health and fitness science, at best, I can't help myself: They are reporting on a study linking depression and abdominal fat. Here's what that gorgeous doctor from The Doctors has to say:

Clinical depression can lead to buildup of deep belly fat (not the stuff you grab with both fists and growl at - this is the deep, dangerous fat inside your abdomen that wraps around and chokes your internal organs) This fat increases risk for bad cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, etc.

Clinical depression itself, however causes weight loss: You are less likely to eat. The study volunteers did not gain weight - but their weight was redistributed such that they developed more fat in the abdomen.

Why? Blame cortisol, the "fight or flight" stress hormone: Cortisol signals to the body to lay on deep belly fat for storage during danger. It's a useful hormone if you are running from a lion. If you are watching the lion on TV while debating whether to fold the seven loads of laundry or complete the report due to your boss tomorrow (who may not, in this economy, be your boss the day AFTER), the cortisol streaming through your body is, itself, the danger.

"Exercise is the all-natural Prozac!" the hottie doctor just announces. Oooh, I love that man!

My prescription: Cardio, in the morning, if possible (another, well-respected study showed that morning cardio for about 20 minutes was as effective as a clinical dose of Zoloft); Yoga, yoga, yoga (which is geared towards stress relief and total mind/body wellness); and keeping up with your doctor. If you are blue for more than two weeks, you need to consider that you might be depressed. This is a MEDICAL condition, that needs to be dealt with on multiple fronts - including whatever tools your doctor prescribes.

Do what you can to have HAPPY holidays!

Start (Again) From Where You Are

I know--you were a paragon of virtue this weekend. You filled your nine-inch Thanksgiving plate with perfectly measured portions. You started the day walking the 10K through Covington. You took fruit and nuts with you to the mall and avoided the food court. You've spent the rest of the weekend hauling and sorting heavy bins of Christmas decorations (but threw in a couple of extra pushups, just in case).

Or, maybe not.

Saint or sinner--it doesn't matter. What matters is today. The new week begins and you start from here. Whether you are carrying two extra "water bloat" pounds or not, this moment, this choice is the one that matters now: What little change can you make today for your health and your future? Can you stub out that cigarette you are working on? Can you walk down to the corner and back? Can you eat a piece of fruit out of that decorative bowl instead of a leftover dinner roll slathered with jelly? The hardest part is getting over the inertia and taking the first step. Do one little thing, then do two.

Choosing a Gym

If you are considering joining some kind of fitness facility in the new year, here are things to think about:

Is the facility within 12 minutes of your home and/or work (and if it's near work, is it between work and your house or would you have to drive yet further away?) Gym marketers target people in a 12 minute radius from their facility because those are the ones who will most likely USE the gym. If you are further away, you are exponentially less likely to go.

Do you want all the bells and whistles (tracks, indoor pools, great cardio equipment, Pilates classes) so that you can sample, pick and choose? Or do you just want to hide and get your workout done with minimum fuss? Don't sign on at Curves if you want a spinning class option. Don't join Silverlake if you don't want to be seen in public in your sloppy T.

Try before you buy--preferably with a friend and don't let yourselves be separated. Do not sit at a desk with any kind of "associate" if you aren't comfortable. I've seen colleagues use every single hard sales tactic in the book, such as "Mrs. Jones, let's face it! You're fat and it's going to kill you! For $25 a month and a $115 initiation fee we can save your life!" Initiation fees are always negotiable, so ask. Most gyms are using an archaic, outdated sales model and it is changing slowly, but old (bad) habits die hard.

Don't pay for what you already have: If you own a good treadmill, don't go to a gym to use one (or sell your old one at Play it Again Sports and spend that money on a couple months' membership).

And remember, clutter is not only physical: If you have a gym membership now that you have not used since last year, then do not renew. Cancel the EFT contract. The psychic weight of guilt you are carrying for wasting that money does not burn a single calorie.

Techno-Fun!

Years ago, I popped in my Buns of Steel videocassette and did squats under the direction of some fellow with way too much facial hair. Today, I can download streaming video of a yoga class or a review of basic Tae Kwon Do forms. No matter what kind of exercise appeals to you, you have access to it at your fingertips.

When it comes to working out with a virtual instructor, there are very few rules. You don't have to dress up (heck, you don't have to dress at all). You don't have to brush teeth or hair. You don't have to shuffle for position in class (though you may need to move the coffee table back or put your chair under your desk). And you don't even have to do the whole thing! Yep. You can hit pause, stop, delete at any time during your workout and the person on the screen will not be offended, hurt or worried if you do. So if your Billy Blanks video is 45 minutes long, you can Tae your Bo for 12 minutes. Billy is fearsome looking, but he won't jump off the screen at you. No matter what names you call him, he won't say a word. Since most exercise videos are taught at a lower intensity than actual classes, you can even start in the middle of the workout (just take it easy for the first five minutes to get yourself a little warmed up).

So peel the shrinkwrap off that DVD. Click on that YouTube link. Give yourself 10 minutes today to try one of those videos you've got gathering dust under your bed. If you hate it, put it in the Goodwill bag. If you don't hate it, do another 10 minutes tomorrow.

Do you lack a Total Gym (or even a pair of dumbbells?) Yoga, martial arts-style workouts, aerobic dance don't require any equipment. Do you live in a tiny apartment? Your coffee table can serve as a bench. No matter what your resources (or perceived lack thereof) there is a way for you to get stay fit and healthy. Isn't it wonderful to know that you have everything you need, right now?

Want to shop anyway for YOUR holiday gift? Visit the Radiant Fitness Amazon.com store.

The Morning After

I know that at least one of my Holidaily readers is planning to fast today. I'm betting that, at least, at this moment, many of you are saying, "I'm fasting, too!"

I actually believe in the occasional (less frequently than once a month) fast as a way to clean out and recharge the system. If you're going to do it, though, do it right.

#1 Decide why you are fasting. Fasting is NOT a tool for healthful, long-term weight loss. At best, it's a way to clean out the pipes, physically (and you may quite reasonably decide that once the pipes appear to have emptied, the fast is over). If you are hoping to starve off the pound of calories you ate yesterday, this will NOT work, so don't even try. If you are fasting for spiritual reasons, that's another animal and you follow different rules.

#2 Drink water. Lots of water. When your stomach growls. When you are obsessing about food, drink. Don't drink high-sugar juices--your blood sugar will be on a roller-coaster as it is (and of course, if you are diabetic/hypoglycemic, you are much too smart to even THINK of fasting, aren't you?) If you need caffeine to stave off headaches, drink it sparingly. Otherwise you will set yourself up for a rebound and be jittery all day.

#3 Exercise early and lightly. Take your walk, oh, now.

#4 Rest, rest, rest! Do NOT shop and do NOT drive the car. Black Friday is stressful enough (no matter how much you love it--happy stress is still stress) without passing out in Kohl's or having an accident. If you will shop today, do not fast. Neither your body nor your mind will be in tip-top condition.

#5 Limit your fast to 24 hours (starting last night if you haven't eaten breakfast). More than that won't help.

#6 Plan your "break-fast" now. You will gorge. Your body will insist. So set aside your two apples and 2T of peanut butter, or your pile of cauliflower and broccoli (and 2T of dip), or whatever large heap of produce you are going fall upon in a frenzy when it's over. After you've stuffed your stomach with fibrous produce, you'll be less likely to dive headfirst into leftover pie.

Family Gatherings and Verbal Self-Defense

On holidays, especially, families and friends often sabotage each other's food management and activity plans.

You need a few key phrases to get through the Turkey Weekend minefield:
1. No thank you.
2. That won't be possible.
3. I appreciate your concern.
4. I'm sorry you feel that way.

"No thank you" is used to refuse something (food, drinks, someone's pound-bound pet). Never follow it up with an explanation, or you just invite argument. If people press, simply repeat it.

Here's a sample conversation:
"Want some more pie?"
"No thank you."
"Are you sure? It's really, good, and you are looking thin and sickly these days."
"No thank you."
"I mean it--are you sure you don't have some type of wasting disease? You need to eat!"
"I appreciate your concern."

The next phrase, "That's not/won't be possible," is a gentler way to say "No" if you have a hard time letting that little word come out of your mouth. It states "no" absolutely, but doesn't assign blame. A sample:
"I gave Aunt Edna and Uncle Bob their pedicures and sponge baths last week. I think you should bring them home with you for the rest of the holidays."
"That won't be possible."
"You are so selfish! Why am I the only one in this family who takes care of everyone?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way."
Notice how the final two statements acknowledge your relative's concern WITHOUT making any commitments, attacking back, or in any way furthering the discussion.

This is your goal-to stick to your plans, convictions and guns without escalating the gathering into a free-for-all or downing half a gallon of Gallo.

The key to making this work is the "broken record" technique: Repeat your chosen phrases verbatim until they leave you alone. If you try to vary the phrases (i.e. explain your position) then you open yourself up to argument:
"Have a piece of pecan pie."
"No thank you. I'm allergic to nuts."
"Since when? You always liked my pecan pie. A piece won't kill you!"
"Actually, it will, since I'm allergic."
"That's nonsense! You're just being your usual drama queen self!" . . . and the conversation deteriorates from there.

So gird your ever-thinner loins with these few key phrases. Practice them on your cat, kids, boss. And prepare to have a more peaceful Thanksgiving dinner with those you love (even though they drive you crazy).

(By the way--these examples are real-world. I had a 375 pound client once who's mother started pushing food at her after she lost only 15 pounds, telling my client that she "looked sickly" and that her rear-end looked funny. And anyone with a nut allergy will tell you that people ignore you and minimize your concerns--sometimes with almost-deadly consequences.)

(Hey, Mom. I am thankful that I won't have to put any of this in practice myself this weekend, will I?)

The Alco-Holidaily

Before you tipple, realize that every serving of alcohol (one shot of liquor, four fluid oz of wine, one bottle of beer) has about 100 calories. Unless you are drinking from a single-serving bottle, chances are you are actually getting TWO or more servings per glass (after all, who only pours half a glass of wine?) If you drink mixed drinks, you are adding a whole lot of sugar to the mix. One good margarita can easily equally an entire meal in calories.

So if you are going to drink, be sure to pace yourself. Consider having one non-alcoholic drink between cocktails: It will keep you hydrated, mitigate the effects of the alcohol somewhat, and reduce the munchies that come along with drinking.

It also helps to plan ahead: Before you get to the event or open the bottle for your guests, decide how many drinks you will have that evening and tell your designated driver. Since alcohol breaks down barriers and releases inhibitions, you may need to take extra steps to ensure that you stick with your plan. In the end, after all, it always comes back to planning!

Do a quick cost-benefit analysis before you get to your party to determine if 1/4 pound weight gain, bloating, a hangover and the social repercussions of "letting go" are worth the pleasure of the drink and the temporary sense of conviviality.

I'm not suggesting you have a "dry" Thanksgiving (I am looking forward some of my favorite wines myself). Just make intentional choices so that you can enjoy your drink without regret and guilt after the fact.

Battle Stations #2

So you have planned out your "alone" time for the rest of this week.

Now, what do you plan to eat?

If you are standing in the kitchen for the next few days,set your personal menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks--and put them at a table in another room to eat them. This will reduce your "nibbling and testing" calories over the course of the day AND give you much-needed stress breaks.

If you are at the office, do the same--PLAN out your lunch, your afternoon snack. Don't EVER eat at your desk (I am SO adamant about this, I'm all-capsing: the only time I've ever saved someone with the Heimlich Maneuver occurred while she ate a poppy seed muffin at her computer during lunch. Everyone else was gone. If I hadn't been there, she wouldn't be here.) Take your food to a designated eating spot (even if you have to designate it yourself) and focus on it.

What (besides the big dinner) are the pitfalls and changes to your meal routine coming in the next few days? Will you spend all day Friday shopping? If so, plan for two to three fast food meals now and know what you are going to eat. Company websites can give you nutrition info, so look up Subway, Burger King or Panda Express and choose your food now.

You will eat this week. You will, in all likelihood, eat more than your body needs. But if you walk into the week eyes wide open and a plan in hand you will minimize the damage, and more importantly, minimize the guilt and self-disgust. It is supposed to be a Happy Thanksgiving, remember?

P.S. Amanda and Anonymous Pam: Thank you for the comments yesterday! Amanda won the coin toss, so please e-mail me your snail-mail addy at keri@radiantfitness.com.

Battle Stations

Friends,
This week your regular structures, calendar plans and routines will be disrupted. Not only is Thursday the traditional License to Pig Out Day, but you will, in all likelihood, be dealing with lots of emotional and personal history as families and friends gather, (or, in many cases, divide up).

Stress is the normal response to new or disruptive stimuli. In other words, whether you love every minute of Thanksgiving week or would just like to cringe in a corner, your stress levels go up. Just thinking about your to-do list or the drive to the lake house is causing cortisol, even now, to lay on belly fat. If you respond with food, alcohol and cigarettes you'll get false sense of temporary calm and higher blood pressure in the long term.

Again, I exhort you: make a plan for some "alone" time during this week. When can you schedule 1/2 hour to yourself, to spend it however you WANT to? I hide in the bathtub, myself, with a light romance novel and a mug of cocoa. Walks are always good (you can bundle up and stuff tissues in your pocket). While I can't officially prescribe retail therapy, I know it sometimes works (especially if you avoid Cinnabon!) Even if you have to lock yourself in your car to call your best friend in Alaska and vent, you need a pressure valve during this high-pressure week. Get your calendar out now and write down your time--and post a comment, letting us know how you will take care of yourself!

Change is in the Air

I used to grumble about Christmas decorations popping up before Thanksgiving, but this year I have a confession: I'm jumping even that gun, and thinking New Year.

Some of my reasons are business: I need to get classes and marketing plans in place so that when YOU hit the ground running in 2009, I have something to offer. Some of my reasons are practical: I just have to wrap up personal, business and church financial stuff so that, again, come January 1, I am ready.

But other reasons are just plain personal: I come into my first and only 39th year in 2009, and since I'm staring 40 dead in the eye, I need to decide how the next half plus of my life is going to be.

The fact is, I can't drink like I'm 21 anymore. I can't stay up late like I'm 30. I can't sleep overnight in makeup like I'm 19. I can't drink cola like I'm 32. Well--I COULD do all of those things, but the costs of small daily lifestyle choices are more evident now (they were always there. Just because you can't see the arterial plaque doesn't make it imaginary).

So even now, I'm thinking about resolutions. I make them. I love them. I succeed at some of them each year--and I fail at some of them each year. But I'm an optimist who keeps on trying, knowing that even a "failed" attempt to live a little better is better than no attempt at all.

By the way, I will be putting up Thanksgiving decorations today--just because I'm planning ahead doesn't mean I don't enjoy the here and now.

P.S. Lotus Yoga is here! Think weight-loss Boot Camp, yoga-style! In each daily session, not only will beginners be introduced to the vigorous practices of yoga, but will also learn about managing stress simply and making mental shifts to improve all areas of life. Classes will be each weekday in January (5-30) from 6-7a at the Kula Center in Newport. Cost for this 20-session intensive transformational program is $199--only $180 if you sign up by 12/19 (spaces are limited)

Close your eyes (after reading this e-mail) and inhale deeply.
Take the breath all the way down to your belly. Blow all the stale air out. Repeat. Again. Again.
Why not once more? Feel better yet? If not, try again.
Breathe energy in, blow anxiety and stress out.
One of the reasons breathing is such an important discipline in yoga is that through the breath, our involuntary physiological responses and our voluntary choices meet. Like the heart, the lungs keep working whether we pay attention to them or not. Like the muscles of our arm, however, we can tune and choose how the breath will move. The heart won't slow down because we ask it to. The arm won't move without our intention. In breathing, however, both involuntary and voluntary responses are joined, or yoked together--and "Yoke" and "Yoga" come from the same linguistic root. Yoga means "union."

Another good reason to breathe deep? To clean the smoke out of your lungs. Tomorrow is the Great American Smokeout. Even if you don't intend to quit for good on this day, at least take the day (or one cigarette) off. Even one less cigarette immediately improves your blood pressure and reduces your risk (a tiny bit) for all of those nasty, lingering, extremely painful deadly diseases smokers get.

The Pleasure of a Plan

“Spontaneous!” is a lovely word. Spontaneous people jet off to Monaco for the weekend. They buy everyone rounds of drinks. They are full of love, life and money—and, of course, they’re thin without effort.

In reality, however, the glitterati aren’t spontaneous at all. Their staffs do their planning for them. To get to Monaco, someone must budget for it and find time in a set schedule. If you buy a round for everyone, you identify designated drivers first. And if you want to improve your body, you block out time for the effort.

Each week holds 168 hours. Subtracting eight hours each day for sleep leaves 112 hours to work, eat, watch TV, volunteer, surf the web, visit a friend in the hospital—and exercise. You have all the time you need if you’ll take your calendar and plan it out clearly.

Spontaneity is a myth—true pleasure comes from a simple, well-constructed plan. Schedule some “me” time this week—and raise a toast of skim milk to your health!

P.S. Your new year "boot camp" is coming . . . Yoga-style! Susan Unes will be leading month-long intensive introductory practice, called Lotus Yoga, for those of you who are serious about transforming your bodies, your mind, your spirit, your lives. If you want more info, please let Susan know you are interested--we'll be sharing details as they become available this week.

Make Your World Work For You

Whether or not you make healthy choices is often a factor of your environment. How you structure your time and space can either support or sabotage your desire to live well.

If you buy a treadmill you’re creating an opportunity to get fit. If you put that treadmill in a cold, dank basement, you undercut your plan to take a daily walk.

When you fill your grocery cart with vegetables and lean protein sources, you increase the likelihood you’ll eat a satisfying, nutrient-dense meal. When you stuff your cabinets with cheese curls, however, then the orange goop under your fingernails is the least of your problems.

Dust off your fitness equipment and put it in the room you use most often. Shift the produce in your fridge out of the closed drawers and onto the top center shelves. Bring a pair of walking shoes to keep under your desk. When the days are sunny and warm, you’ll be ready to head out on an invigorating walking break. Bring the healthy resources in your world out where you can see and touch and taste them—and maybe, just maybe, you will.

Add some FUN!

In the olden days, the focus of every holy day, every day for celebration, was feasting. When most people barely got enough food to live on, it was always a big deal (and probably biologically important) to gather cooperatively periodically and feed each other.

In the U.S. in the 21st century, it is time to find a different model for celebrating. When our daily caloric intake meets or exceeds what our great-grandparents ingested at a feast, food-based parties are redundant and even harmful. I know it's too late for 2008--you and I both have our plans. I know that sometimes we just don't control every scenario (so you really DO have to face down Aunt Elna's deep-fried chicken on Sunday afternoon).

But why not begin planning for next year? What can you do on birthdays, anniversaries, holidays that does NOT make food the central feature? Can you do the Turkey Day walk in Newport next Thanksgiving? Can you visit the zoo/aquarium/museum center for the bulk of a Sunday afternoon and make gathering at the table an afterthought? Look ahead through your calendar. Why not have your spouse take you out for tango lessons on your birthday instead of just chowing down at the Argentine Bean? It's not about cutting family time out of your life. It's about adding excitement and FUN to your family time.

What Can You Add?

Unless you live in an ice cave, you know by now all the things you should subtract from your life: Cut carbs, cut fat, cut calories, cut alcohol, cut stress, cut cigarettes—cut pleasure? Not necessarily.

Instead of subtracting from your life, why not consider what you could add? Don’t “give up free time” to exercise--add some time walking in the sunshine or enjoying a cleansing sweat. Instead of giving up coffee, add some cool, clear water. Instead of giving up sweets, add some colorful, fresh fruit. Instead of “taking” breaks from work, add relaxation and deep breathing.

Everyone reading this has somewhere to sleep, more than enough food to eat and clothing for every reasonable need. The sense of deprivation, therefore, is a mental attitude rather than a physical reality. And you and I have the power to change our minds.

Add Orange!

Add a piece of produce to your diet today. My nominee: The Orange.

Not so long ago, oranges were scarce in late fall/winter. It was a big deal to get an orange in the toe of a Christmas stocking (though most children today do NOT appreciate it). Vitamin C is low in the winter diet--and, perhaps not coincidentally, cold and flu viruses flare up without natural protection.

Buy an orange or two today. Take 6 minutes to peel, section and eat it, and lick the juice off your fingers afterwards.

What else can you ADD to your life today to make it better?

My Celebrity Crush(es)

Many of you already know that I have a little thing for Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen (authors of You: On A Diet and the RealAge series). Not only are they personable, cuddly people, but they explain the science behind weight loss and lifestyle management with humor and clarity.

Their new book came out today. Thanks to their OLD book(You: Staying Young), I've already got a list going of the supplements I'll be adding to my diet. I'm going to need one of those three by seven pill boxes, apparently. They have a host of other recommendations, from chi gong to washing out your sinuses (which I do. Delightful it isn't, but it works).

The very, very, very first item on their lifestyle overhaul list is . . . 30 minutes of walking every day. Yep. They have a two-week plan for changing your habits and it begins, number one, with walking. Of all the vitamins you can take and sinus-washing sessions you can enjoy, the most important thing of all is the exercise!

I suppose I must consider the possibility that I adore them so much because they reinforce what I say about exercise being the one and only fountain of youth . . . . and they're cuddly.

(P.S.--Want their books, or other fitness and wellness related items? Visit the Radiant Fitness Amazon Media Store for some online holiday shopping.

Motivation, Schmotivation!

You already know WHY you should eat right and exercise. A study in the Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research suggests that, instead of concentrating on the why, you should focus on the HOW.

Sedentary college students were asked to write down either the actions or reasons associated with exercise. The students who wrote down ways to pump up their exercise became more active. The other group, who focused on the rationale for exercise, did not.

I'm not JABR junky and haven't analyzed the methodology of the study, but for me this result does make sense. Focusing on our motivation can sometimes be counter-productive, leading to a sense of guilt. When we start thinking of actually rolling up our sleeves to take action, however, we often do.

So how about it? On this crisp November day are you going to pop in an exercise video for ten minutes? Put on those gloves and ear muffs and get outside? HOW are you going to fit physical activity in today--post a comment and let me know.

PS--One way is to try Belly Dance Fitness tonight at 1070 Richwood Road, Walton, 7p. Class is $12 and I guarantee you a cleansing sweat. I also guarantee you'll have so much fun you won't notice the sweat!

Mondays Can Be Wonderful!

Got your gloves? Your scarf? Thick socks? Hat or earmuffs? Good. Go for a short walk today, preferably right after reading the Holidaily. 10 minutes is all I ask. Or, if you can't stand the cold, put on your old Duran Duran CD (or the Archies, depending on how old you were when cardio was fun) and shake it loose for two or three songs. 10 minutes. That's all.

Dr. Wayne Westcott, one of my favorite fitness gurus (he's no Mehmet Oz in the looks department, but still . . .) has good research that shows that people who exercise on Monday tend to continue for the rest of the week.

So start (or restart) this day right. Eat a piece of produce, get a walk, take a big gulp of water. If it's all downhill from here, at least start on the high ground, won't you?

The Milk of Human Thinness

Unless you live under a rock you've probably already heard that mother's milk is fundamental for babies. While formula prevents starvation and malnutrition, mother's milk does all that and promotes health as well. Countless studies show that nursing helps prevent everything from cancer to the common cold.

Relatively new analysis of several studies by the Centers for Disease Control shows that nursing also helps prevent obesity through adulthood. There is a definite dosage effect--the longer babies get mother's milk, the less likely they will become overweight or obese children and adults. Scientists speculate that mother's milk helps "teach" the body how to regulate hormones such as insulin and leptin, which affect weight gain. High-protein baby formula may actually disrupt that process.

"That's fascinating, Keri," you are thinking, "But I am a 53-year old male. What does this have to do with me?" I write a lot about finding support for your efforts to live a healthy, vital life. We spend a lot of Holidailies discussing how friends, family and colleagues can strengthen you or sabotage you. It cuts both ways . . . you need support from your community. But you ARE the community. You set the environment for the people around you. Just as you need their help to make and stick with healthy choices, they need yours.

This isn't just a New-Age Hippie Chick Karmic philosophy about how we are all part of the great universe and one in God, etc. (Okay, maybe there's a little of that . . .) When your grandchild has a toe amputated because of diabetic neuropathy, that will hit you in the heart. When your chief engineer takes days off each quarter to deal with her baby's ear infections, that will hit you in the pocketbook (both in insurance costs and lost productivity). Nursing babies is a major preventive factor for both scenarios--and it's very easy to tell a young mom, "Good job. Keep trying."

So, Uncle Fred, do your part: When you find yourself sitting across from your nephew's new wife at the Thanksgiving table this year, you can tell her, "The American Academy for Pediatrics recommends nursing your babies exclusively for 12 months." When your sister-in-law waddles through the door behind her hugely pregnant belly, hand her the phone number of a lactation consultant or send her to www.lalecheleague.org. Family holidays are all about discussing personal business in large groups, so you'll be the on top of the conversational game.

And when your Chief Engineer comes to tell you her maternity leave plans, let her know that you are going to create a clean space in the supply closet where she can pump milk in privacy. Chances are she'll come back to work sooner and take a lot less leave time since her baby won't catch every virus that floats through. Warm 98 has already started playing the Christmas music. Can you hear it? "We are the World! We are the Children!" So let's raise our lighters and sing along.

Arranged Marriage

I have friends who are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. They met hours before their wedding 35 years ago. Since my husband and I met in the traditional Western "boy meets girl" way, I was a bit taken aback to meet someone who actually had an arranged marriage. After getting to know them, though, I realized that for them and hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of others, it worked: Marriage is a choice, a structure, a plan, a way of life--not just a romantic conclusion to courtship. And since they've got more than 35 years together and three lovely daughters, I can only be impressed with them.

Exercise is like an arranged marriage. It isn't always sexy or fun, but it works. You don't have to fall in love with a particular activity to start exercising--you can simply choose to walk, pop in a DVD, or attend a class. Exercise works whether you are "in the zone" or in a funk. It is a choice to begin now, rather than waiting for the "right moment." If you choose it often and intentionally, you may find that you come to love it over time, and that you realize that you can't live without it after all (because, quite frankly, you can't!) Arrange some activity

Temple or Trailer

In both psychology and theology, the human body is often compared to a home or other building--our bodies house our souls and our sense of self.

How would you describe your body? Is it a temple or a rusted-out Airstream trailer? Is it a peaceful, welcoming place to be, or are you constantly disgusted with how it appears and/or how it functions?

No matter what your attitude or self-esteem, your body IS a temple. Through your body your spirit connects with your world. Do something today to cherish your body--eat an apple with a spirit of offering. Take a walk to dust out the metaphorical cobwebs. Wash away stress with a cup of cool water. Make a healthy choice today, and make a ritual out of it!

Plan Your Down Time

You know the day before Thanksgiving you'll be crazy busy, either cooking or trying to clear paperwork off your desk in anticipation of the holiday. You know the Saturdays before Christmas will be packed with shopping, family events, work parties.

So when will you get an hour to yourself, once a week (if not once a day?) When will you get to go the Y for a swim? When will you get to sit in the Borders coffee shop and read a magazine? When will you get to hide in your basement and tie flies?

Yes, in an ideal world, we'd just DO these things. But in the real world, you may really have to write "tie flies" on your calendar. It doesn't matter if it seems silly--it works.

Give yourself six hours between now and Christmas day to spend in total freedom, absolutely alone doing exactly what makes you happy and feel relaxed. Then schedule them in now in ink. Six hours out of the next one thousand or so is not too much to ask to keep your sanity.

Choices, Choices

It's 5:30a and the polls open in 30 minutes. I'm sitting here in my jeans and a sweater, trying to make a big decision right now: Do I put on foundation, lipstick and mascara before I leave here to go vote, or do I trust in the darkness, the early hour to give me anonymity?

My voting decisions are already made. All I have to do is poke at some chads, but sometimes the tough decisions aren't really the big ones. They are the moment-to-moment choices. Will I try to squeeze a walk or some dance rehearsal in later today? Both boys are home from school and they tend to get in the way of exercise. Will I cook up the cauliflour and broccoli for lunch, or just slap together a PBJ?

Whatever your dreams and anxieties about the future of our nation are, the actual acts you engage in to make those changes are fairly simple. Whatever your anxieties and dreams for your own life are, the choices you make to change your future are usually just as simple. Stop fretting and tie your tennis shoes on. That's not so hard, is it?

What small choices will you make today to strengthen your health and sense of self-esteem? Let me know--post you healthy choice in the comments now.

P.S. I'm putting on the makeup. My Mom reads this blog, and she raised me with certain standards!

Want Deep Thoughts? Go get your own!

I've got nothing for you today. No quotes, no concepts, no wisdom. Are you jonesing for a fix of Truth? Then tie on your tennis shoes and get outside.

This is an unfairly beautiful day today, so do what mystics and fools have done since humanity began walking upright, and walk!

The rhythm of your steps changes the way your mind works. Got a problem to solve? Walk it through. Feeling uncreative? Walk into some new ideas. Too much running through the brain to focus? Walk it off.

Meditation doesn't always take incense and Oms. Sometimes your two feet are the guru you seek.

Go on--find ten minutes. Find half and hour--and walk!

The Annual Candy Pitch

Every year I make you do it. Today is the day.

Go through the candy stash. Pick two pieces--one you love (KitKat? Peanut Butter Cup?) and one you don't (Necco wafers. Peanut Butter chunk in black wax paper. DumDum lollipop). Squash them in their wrappers (if they're squashable) then throw them in the bathroom trash.


Why am I putting you through this? Because the ability to throw food away (at least in America, where we put twice as many calories in the daily food supply as our population actually needs) is a key indicator of whether you will ultimately succeed at weight control.

You've got no problem, of course, tossing the DumDum. You know that if it's in the house, you'll eat it anyway. You get that the mindless eating of easily accessible sugar is a bad thing for you.

But the KitKat? Here's where the resistance and resentment bubble up--along with the excuses. "That candy belongs to my kid.I won't deprive him," you announce self-righteously. Yeah, right. Like your child needs one more chunk of high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats in order to be psychologically whole. Besides, you had your eye on it for yourself, didn't you?

"But that's wasting food!" True. But that food was a net loss to begin with--the medical costs associated with the binging of the last two days will cause more loss to you personally and economically than throwing away free candy.

"But it makes me happy and I want it!" Ah, now we're getting somewhere. This is an emotional reaction (and quite a logical one) to having, well, candy! Candy is fun, happy, festive, yummy, a treat, a reward! Candy is all good things. Self-control, self-analysis, self-restraint, self-discipline and long-term goal-oriented thinking are boring, and yucky. Your inner trick-or-treater is really unhappy with me right now, isn't she?

Eating mindlessly and emotionally are, in my professional opinion, the two key reasons why were are gaining weight wholesale in this country. The food calories are in the environment--and we go at them.

I won't ask you whether your higher mind or your inner trick-or-treater run your life. It changes from moment to moment, day to day and establishing the primacy of one over the other takes practice, lifestyle change and often a lot of help. All I'm asking you to do is make one choice. Throw out the candy now. Take a deep breath. That's how big changes start.

Reality Is Your Friend

The stated purpose of the Holidaily is to keep us on track in avoiding the Horrible Holiday Pound. This is the extra pound of fat most American adults (and more and more American children) add on between Halloween and New Year's Day.

So your task for the day: Go weigh yourself and write it down. Yep. That's it. Weigh yourself and write the number on a piece of paper (or post it as an anonymous comment at the end of this blog entry).

"But I don't want to!" you cry. Neither did I. The fact is, however, we cannot prove our strategies are working if we don't gather the data (guess what you'll be doing on New Year's Day as well).

It's perfectly fair to strip naked before you weigh. It's fair to wait until after you poop. It's fair to stand on your tippie-toes in the middle of the scale and hold your breath. But it's not fair to yourself to avoid reality.

15 minutes ago I stood naked on tippee-toes with my breath held and weighed 127. This is one pound away from my "trouble weight"--the weight where I start to feel sluggish, unattractive, congested and my zipper on my pants resists. We all have a trouble weight (and many are well past that number right now). In order to figure it out, you must face the scale on a regular basis.

"But I don't own a scale," a couple of you are saying, with a certain self-righteous, smug gleam in your eye. You think you've crossed a psychological barrier and reached a particularly zen-like freedom. Yeah, right. But you still frown in disgust when you look in the mirror and that zipper still fights back. It's time to find a scale--if not your own, then one at your local Weight Watchers meeting (which remains the food management system that has the best scientific data supporting it).

You're worth the truth. Go find out what that is, then come back and key it in. Together, all of us can change reality.

The Failure of Optimism

"This year will be different," we tell ourselves. We will not eat two pieces of pumpkin pecan pie at Thanksgiving. We will not raid our children's plastic jack-o-lanterns for the KitKats. Our house will be clean, organized and our dining table will look like something out of a magazine spread. We will not spend $600 more than we budgeted on Christmas presents--and if we do, our friends and families will actually appreciate what we give them. Come January 1 we will lose weight, pay off our debts, begin a personal spiritual practice and be serene for 2009.

As a confirmed optimist who believes in the power of positive thinking, I make those same plans, state those same intentions and set those same goals. Often I fail to hit the mark--but then again, often I do.

What I've had to learn is that hope is lovely, but action is magic. It's not enough to "tell the universe" what you want to have happen, then sit back and wait for the fairy dust to sprinkle down.

Between the hope and the magic comes the plan. Whether you want to lose the clutter in your basement or the clutter on your butt, the same three stages apply: Dream it, plan it, create it.

Every self-help book on the shelves writes this same story (take a moment and check any one of them in your stack): Set a goal, make a step-by-step plan, and then follow the plan.

Some of you might gain a pound or two this holiday season. You might end up looking at your January credit card statement--then shoving it under the self-help book stack. If you do, don't say to yourself "I don't know what happened." That's untrue--and it's a waste of your time and energy.

Instead, tell yourself, "I know how to fix this." Then seek the help, the resources and support so that you can plan and create a great 2009.

P.S. The weekly motivator goes to a Holidaily beginning this Friday! If you want to be on the reminder list, send me a blank e-mail to optin@radiantfitness.com.

P.P.S. If you're local, Tuesday is the first night of the new belly dance classes. Register online now at www.RadiantFitness.com.

Your Genes and Your Jeans

"Our children are the future," says every political figure up for election this year. But in your heart and mine, we are sure the opposite is true: Our parents are the future.

You look at your mother's belly and think, "Why bother?" Then you open the next bag of Chips Ahoy. You remember sitting in the hospital during Dad's quadruple bypass last year and shrug. Bottoms up!

"It's in my genes," people tell me all the time. Heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, Alzheimers. "I might as well enjoy life, because we've all got a death sentence."

Well buck up, Ms. Pessimist! Your genetic code is a lot like your house's electrical wiring. You may be "wired" for certain conditions, but it's up to you whether you switch the genes on or off. Don't want Aunt Maybelle's diabetes? Take a walk. Research shows you'll switch on the gene that helps convert food to energy and prevent weight gain and insulin resistance. Don't want to sit for three years in a nursing home post-stroke like your Uncle Joe did? Put the dimmer switch on that LDL-building genetic code with some crazy dancing or a morning in the pool.

Physical activity turns on the genes that promote health and longevity. It turns off the genes that create inflammation, hardening of the arteries and a host of other conditions that diminish the quality and quantity of your life. Exercise is medicine (and a whole lot cheaper than your copay).

By the way . . . the Holidaily is coming! If you haven't already, send an e-mail to me now to optin@radiantfitness.com. If you don't "opt" you, I won't "opt" you. NEXT MONDAY will the LAST Monday Motivator until 2009.

And . . . Next Tuesday the final 2008 Belly Dance classes begin. Keep sane, upbeat and trim during the holidays--join us for class. The quickest way to sign up is to hit the paypal link at the Radiant Fitness website right now.

Finally . . . economic crisis got you down? Susan Unes has another take and some practical advice at the Radiant Fitness Yoga blog.

Radiant Fitness--Is This The End?

Lately the other personal fitness trainers on one of my e-mail loops have been unhappy. Business is down because the economy is down. While, as an industry, we've been making progress teaching people that fitness education is for everyone (not merely the wealthy elite), when times get hard people don't contract with trainers. Some of my colleagues are going back to school now. Some are looking for permanent, full-time jobs (of any kind). Even as Radiant Fitness has expanded in the last month, it leaves me wondering--will I need to "jump ship" too?

I'm not planning on leaving the field any time soon. Radiant Fitness has grown in the last few years because we serve so many people in so many ways--from corporate lunch-hour yoga programs to evening dance classes. We have individual yoga clients and teach workshops to dozens, even hundreds. Because of our diversity of services and our conviction to teach you where and as you are, I'm fairly sure we'll still be stretching, dancing and walking with you for years to come.

But what about you? As you wonder what the bank bailout will mean for your future, have you considered your health? Now, more than ever, it's time review whether you can continue to afford that cigarette. It costs you money, it costs you time, and it costs you productivity--that winter bronchitis you get counts against you when an employer is deciding whom to "downsize."

And what about that walk you avoid taking? Regular walkers save about $2100 a year in health care costs. Break the stat down even further, and each minute you walk is worth about 45 cents. You can go out (after you type in your comments on this blog entry) and "make" $9.00 by taking a 20-minute walk. Or you stay on your sofa and lose that money down in the cushions (only you won't get it back by digging through the lint).

Being overweight, and, what's worse, sedentary, costs you hundreds in the short-term. In the long-term, who knows? Heart bypass surgery is about $50,000. Skilled nursing care and attendants at a long-term care facility? Thousands of dollars a month.

You may never decide you need a yoga instructor to come to your home and teach you how to live an active, centered life. You may decide ten bucks a week is too much for a dance class. You may not even want to spend the gas money to get to a free yoga or senior fitness class.

But what you cannot afford is to sit still and do nothing. That will cost you more in money and pain than fitness instruction ever could. Take a walk. Put in an exercise video. Move the laundry off that Total Gym bench and pull on those handles.

The only time I want to find myself out of business is when all of you are active, healthy and radiant. Then I'll hold the biggest retirement party there ever was, and to heck with the cost.


UPDATES:
The HOLIDAILY is coming! If you want to receive the holidaily, send me a blank e-mail now. You must opt in! I will not transfer your address to the Holidaily list unless you choose it.

New belly dance classes begin 10/28! Keep your sanity up and your weight down through the holiday season with me!