Author Archive: Courtney D

About Courtney D

A 20-something year old fitness nerd and medical student trying to spread the truth about health and fitness.

1. Set a Goal

Seems simple, right?

“In the year 2013 I want to ________________”

Let’s do a practice one. “In the year 2013 I want to brush my teeth twice a day.” This is a simple goal and it’s fairly obvious and straightforward. To accomplish this I need to brush my teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Done!

Here, let’s try another one. “In the year 2013 I want to get healthier.” Awesome! So I’m going to…well…be healthy. This one’s a little more complex, isn’t it? Yet it’s one of the most popular goals set by people every year, next to losing weight. What does it MEAN to get healthier? How much weight do you plan on losing? By when? How do you plan to go about this?

Ah, so it’s not that simple, is it?

The point of setting goals is to have something SPECIFIC in mind. If your goal is to lose weight in 2013 you need to establish mini-goals alongside of them to steer you in that general direction. It’s easy to say, “I need to lose weight,” but it’s hard to say, “This is what I’m going to do to lose weight.” The same is true of the “I want to save money” goal. What does that MEAN, exactly? You’re going to stop buying brand name items? You’re going to shower less, lower the heat in your house, bike to work?

The problem most people have when they set goals is they fail to make SPECIFIC and ACHIEVABLE goals. “Losing weight” or “saving money” or “get healthy” may seem both specific and achievable but in reality they mean nothing. They don’t point you in any real direction. So let’s remedy this.

“In the year 2013, I want to lose 6 pounds and compete in the 135 weight class, so I’d like to be 130-135 lbs during the regular year. The first meet I want to focus on is in March.”

That is my “weight loss” goal for this year. I’ve stated how much I want to lose, I’ve set a date and an intention. This goal is very specific and achievable. It’s also important to note that my goal has a timeline – by x date I will have accomplished this. New Years isn’t the only time to set a new goal. Say you plan to lose 20 pounds before summer. You lose your 20 pounds, summer hits and you feel great, but now you’d like to shed 5 more pounds. You can always adjust your goals!

“In the year 2013 I will save money. I will stop online shopping (so I will unsubscribe from “deal e-mails”) for clothes, put aside $30 a month into my savings account, and follow my budget on Mint.com to a T.”

Here’s another one of my goals. Now, some of you may be looking at these like, “I have no idea what to do.” That’s fine! The rest of this series will focus on finding your strengths, weaknesses and looking at where you started. Go through this series with the structure of the above goals in mind. Eventually you’ll be setting similar specific goals.

So, take out a pencil and paper and write down the following…

“In the year 2013 I will _______________________________”

Here’s mine!

 

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Setting Goals and the New Year

It’s that time of the year again – the time where we set a New Years Resolution and hope to god that it doesn’t fail this year. This year will be different, right? This year we’ll lose 20 pounds and get a 4.0 GPA and our bed will be made EVERY morning the minute we hop out. We’ll never skip a 5am gym session and we’ll finally conquer that elusive marathon.

The truth of the matter is that most people give up their resolutions by January 10th, and more than 90% of people don’t ever see their resolution all the way through. How can you avoid being one of those people?

In the next 5 days I’ll give you a step-by-step approach to setting reasonable, working goals for the new year. These don’t have to be fitness goals, they can be goals about saving money, doing better in school, or simply having less clutter in your life. Most people fail because they lack planning, or because they set unrealistic goals, or just because they don’t know what they want.

Check here every day for the next 5 days to set your goals and go into the new year with all the tools necessary to better yourself and your life!

Balancing the Holidays: To Eat or Not To Eat?

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we’ve all been mentally prepping for it. There’s the presents to be wrapped, the grandparents and aunts and uncles to visit…and the food. Oh goodness the food! The food has become such a center piece for discussion around the holidays that it’s spawned entire magazines specific to its impending doom.

When it comes to eating during the holidays you can break it down into two distinct categories – to eat or not to eat. One camp says “One day won’t destroy your goals! Go for it!” another says “Small indulgences can add up faster than you know – go light!” Both seem like solid pieces of advice, but who’s right?

Honestly, neither are right, and both are right. By using these two statements independent of any and all personal reflection is going about it the wrong way. You’re asking someone else for permission to put (or not put!) things in yourbody. You’re the one that sweats on the treadmill or deadlifts small children, you’re the one that counts calories or macros or only eats when you’re hungry and drinks liters of water a day and cut out coke for diet coke or diet coke for water…what do they know about you? What do they know about YOUR personal journey?

That’s the problem with these ways of thinking: it’s a one size fits all plan. The truth of the matter is that one size does NOT fit all. Let’s look at some different ways that these plans can backfire.

1. Cut all the desserts in half and only eat half of it

I’ve heard this advice before and I’m sure you have too. The problem with this statement is that it won’t satisfy everyone. There are people who say, “Oh, I’ll just have half…” then there’s another half, and another half, and another half…and before you know it they’ve eaten 3 slices of pie instead of just one.Some people fall into the endless spiral of “I’ve already messed up, I might as well keep going.” Others have the ability to eat that half a piece of dessert and be satisfied. If you’re one of those people – go for it! If not, you know your body.

2. It’s just one day, what can it hurt?

To some people this is 100% true. You normally eat “well,” exercise often and enjoy little breaks in routine here and there. Maybe you “planned a cheat” for today, or maybe you’re in the mindset that one day a week is specific for throwing the plan out the window. These are personal choices and are all acceptable. It’s important to remember that not everyone falls into these same categories. Sure, they eat whatever they want on Christmas Eve…then there’s the leftovers. Or maybe Christmas Eve passes and now it’s Christmas Day and another feast. Then New Years and its drinking and parties. Before you know it that “one day” has become a 5 day all out eat fest where you’re too tired to exercise and find yourself woefully far from your usually eating and exercising schedule.

Again, this does not happen to everyone. Some people only celebrate Christmas Eve, or only Christmas, and plan their holiday meals accordingly and have no problem with any of these scenarios. But by looking to a magazine or an internet guru to give you permission to eat whatever you want, you’re ignoring yourself. You know if you fit into these categories and can plan accordingly.

Trust yourself, listen to yourself, don’t ask for permission!

The best way to avoid the holiday eating trap is to find what balance means to YOU. Will eating one dessert throw you into overdrive? Don’t do it. Will not eating to your hearts content lead to an epic binge the next day because you feel deprived? Don’t suffer! Reflect on your history with eating, the holidays and diets and find the best middle ground for YOU.

By finding a balance that works for you and your personal goals you’ll find yourself emerging from the holidays with significantly less stress. The holidays are supposed to be a time of great joy that is spent with the people that matter the most to you. Don’t forget that the most important person in your life is YOU.

Are stress and a lack of sleep sabotaging your weight loss goals?

A lack of sleep and an excess of stress could be contributing to the stall in your weight loss or fitness goals. Studies have shown that an increase in stress actually increases your blood pressure, which in turn prompts some people to retain a small McDonalds fry worth of salt. Additionally, a lack of sleep has been linked to an increase in the amount of appetite regulating hormones.

We all know that sleep is important. When we don’t get enough of it we’re groggy, unable to concentrate and quick to anger. It turns out that the effects of sleep loss doesn’t stop there. It’s been reported that a lack of sleep also increases the “hunger hormones” in your body, such as ghrelin. Because of this, your body is stimulated to feel hungry more times during the day than someone who received a full nights sleep.

So how much sleep do you need? 

Like everything else, the amount of sleep you need is an individual experience. Experimenting with your body is the only way to determine how many hours of sleep you need to feel your best.

It’s also important to note that the study didn’t just talk about the amount of sleep, but the quality of sleep. Even if you sleep 12+ hours a day, if you’re constantly being woken by other distractions then the quality of sleep is to blame, not just the quantity.

What about stress? Stress can release cortisol, a hormone that has a pretty bad rep because of its role in weight gain. Inappropriate cortisol release caused by stress can cause a gain of visceral body fat, particularly in your abdomen, and cause a decrease in leptin (the “I’m full” hormone). The study mentioned above also points to the possibility of retaining salt because of high blood pressure if you have a certain genetic factor. The combined effect of stress plus high blood pressure lead to retention of up to 1,500 mg of salt a day, which in turn kept blood pressure high even during sleep.

Stress plus a lack of sleep can definitely contribute to obesity, increased appetite, high blood pressure and a general loss of interest in reaching your goals.

What are some ways to get more sleep?

  1. Turn your bedroom or bed into a “sleep cave.” The only time you should be in bed is to sleep. Your bedroom should be free of external stimuli, such as computers or televisions. The room should be dark, not too hot and not too cold, and your bed itself should be comfortable enough to allow for uninterrupted sleep.
  2. Eliminate nighttime distractions. Always use the restroom before bed, put in ear plugs if others are on a different sleep schedule, use blackout curtains to prevent early more sunlight, and other small tweaks to assure your sleeping area is always sleep friendly.
  3. Meditate, do yoga, take a warm bath, drink warm tea, etc. before going to bed to calm your mind.
  4. Avoid caffeine, exercise, or any other stimulatory activity before bed (unless you find these things help you to sleep).
  5. Some people find soothing music to help them fall asleep, others find it a distraction. Find what works for you and stick with it!

Ways to eliminate stress

  1. Identify your stress and try to eliminate or minimize it. Some stress is unavoidable, some of it is unnecessary. Find what you can fix and focus on that.
  2. Surround yourself with supportive people and supportive thoughts.
  3. Enlist the help of others. We often rely on ourselves for everything (If you want something done right, do it yourself, right?) and by allowing others to help us we can truly minimize our stress.
  4. Meditation, yoga, exercise, long baths, and other activities that allow “you time” can help reduce stress.

Q: Why do people always tell me I’m going to “gain it all back” when I’m on a diet?

Whenever someone mentions that they’re on a diet of any sort, there’s always one person who chimes in with “You’re just going to gain it all back when you stop your diet!” Do these claims actually hold any weight?

Why They’re Right

If you look for scholarly articles about diet adherence you get 181,000 results. These articles will tell you everything from people who go on Atkins to people who make small, noticeable changes to their diet and exercise. In a lot of these studies people failed to adhere to their diets for a long period of time, or they reached their goal weight and then packed on more weight than they had before.

So what gives?

There is no one right diet that fits everyone. If you’re embarking on a new diet and you pick a carb free one, yet you’re the type of person who is cranky and unmotivated without carbohydrates, you’re bound to fail. Likewise, people who enjoy high protein meals aren’t going to do well on a diet low in protein.Picking a style of eating that fits you is often the most important factor.

Second is that certain diets don’t really teach people how to pick what they eat. They give them a meal plan they must adhere to, but do little to educate the dieters on WHY they’re picking certain foods over others. These diets may be easy to adhere to if you never encounter social situations or eating outside of your house…but what happens when you go out to dinner with friends? Without properly educating people about HOW to pick ideal meals these people rarely LEARN anything, other than how to follow diets presented in a book.

Diets also often require sweeping changes for people. One day they’re eating whatever they want, then suddenly Monday (or the first of the month/year) comes around and they’ve eliminated soda, chocolate, bread, decided to exercise 5x a week and always have a clean house. These changes can get overwhelming very fast and can lead to feeling deprived or resentful.

Another huge issue with dieting involves the feelings of deprivation. How many times have you decided to go on a diet, so the night before you go to a buffet or order a giant pizza all to yourself. Some people describe this as a “last supper” type of situation where you’ll never, ever get to eat pizza ever again so you need to eat as much of it NOW. From then on pizza is a “bad” food. Creating this dichotomy leads to deprivation and resentment.

So, using these facts, it’s easy to see why someone would fail to adhere to a diet and then gain all their weight back afterwards. Without learning how to deal with food and exercise in a long-term fashion people often return to their old habits, which is why they were unhealthy in the first place.

Why They’re Wrong

The bulk of weight loss involves a simple calories in vs. calories out fashion. To lose weight, you must be in an energy deficit. To maintain weight, you break even. To gain, you have an energy surplus. So if you’ve met your weight loss goals you can increase the amount of food you eat as long as you’re at maintenance for your weight. People who follow this idea will not gain the weight back.

Additionally, the word “diet” is often vilified. A “diet” is just what you eat. When people learn that I eat high protein and carb-cycle, they immediately ask me if I’m on the Atkins diet. Just because I’m on a diet of high protein high fat foods, doesn’t mean I’m necessarily on a certain diet. Someone may have started their dieting journey with the Atkins diet, found that it worked fabulous for them and continued to eat high protein, high fat and low carb. Since this is a type of diet that is easy for them to maintain longterm they will stick with this type of eating and not gain their weight back.

Other diets teach people to make better food choices, such as Weight Watchers. These diets that focus on making healthier choices both inside and outside of the home teach long term habits. They also don’t involve “exclusion diets,” where the dieters feel like they’ll never eat pizza ever again. By encouraging people to plan their meals or even review their meals in terms of health, they’re learning where they picked up the extra pounds. It teaches people to get the dressing on the side of their salad, or to substitute fried chicken for grilled. These are long term habits.

What a lot of people don’t consider is their support system. Those who go onto a diet with friends or family members for support have long term success because they have personal cheerleaders. If their friends know they’re trying to lose weight and are actively trying to do the same they’re less likely to suggest diet sabotaging behaviors (like getting drunk food or excess study snacks).

If a diet is rewarding it’s more likely to be adhered to. People who see results, who are encouraged by friends and family, and who don’t feel deprived will begin to incorporate these habits into their life long term. They realize that health and weight loss are marathons, not sprints, and make the decision themselves to adhere to diets or changes in their eating patterns.

Weight Loss/Diets/Etc Are All About Your Mentality

Before you embark on any weight loss journey (or even a journey to a healthier state of mind), make sure you ask yourself some questions.

  1. Is this diet going to make me feel deprived?
  2. Can I afford (financially and mentally) to make these changes?
  3. Is this something my friends will support? If not, are my friends really friends if they are sabotaging me?
  4. Do I have a support system when I’m feeling down?
  5. Is this something I can maintain long term?
  6. Do the benefits outweigh the downsides?

Educating yourself on what you’re eating, making small changes here and there, and surrounding yourself with supportive people are the most important aspects of a healthy life and a long term weight loss (and maintenance!) plan.