If you exercise only to lose weight, that’s the problem. If exercise took a completely different spin, you’d lose weight with complete ease. Yup!! I see it ALL the time in my office.
- Exercise for a real purpose. Exercise because you want to feel strong mentally and physically…simply because you feel fantastic when you do it. If you’re just pushing it at the gym or boot camp but miserable the entire time and dragging your feet, you’re only stressing out your system and potentially causing thyroid issues and more weight gain. For some, when we stop just “pushing” too hard, we actually begin to lose more weight because we are finally honoring our body and listening. If you exercise just to lose weight, well…there’s an end to that formula. Once you’ve lost the weight, you stop the exercise and the weight comes right back on. So make it more of a lifestyle than a short-term goal.
- Exercise only with fun in mind. I always tell my clients that I last 10 minutes at the gym (unless it’s swimming or Zumba) but I can play 4 hours of beach volleyball. Do what you love not what the latest fad advises so that you can’t wait to do it over and over again. Do what your body loves and it will reward you with a fit, hot body.
- Exercise because it builds confidence. I love how exercise makes me feel strong, mentally confident, and ready to take on the world (or my newborn daughter). Feeling good in your body goes so much further than a number on the scale. It allows us to achieve goals, push ourselves beyond our comfort zone, and serve our life purpose. Yes, it sounds dramatic but imagine a life where you spend time on things with purpose instead of energy on weight loss and what you should or should not do.
- Exercise so you can do what the hell you want. Exercise so that you can up and just go for a long hike when invited, travel to a crazy country because the opportunity fell on your lap, or chase after your kids and actually keep up with them and challenge them.
You see, being healthy is so much more than a stupid number on the scale, a fad diet, “good and bad” foods, torturous workouts, and staying “on track.” This is YOUR life. Live your life in a body that allows you to play hard on your terms with the mental clarity, the vibrance, and a body that can do it all while feeling great. Isn’t that what life is about??!!! STOP dieting. It will literally kill you.
Get a free health consultation at www.HappyFoodHealth or (619) 876-2655. See if this is the right match for you.
~Samantha Hua, Nutrition & Health Coach, San Diego, CA
