We all get so wound up in life's events--happy or sad--that we often forget to take better care of ourselves when that happens. The last few weeks have been like that for me. Healthy eating wasn't really an option. Working out was few and far between. but amazingly, when I stepped on the scale today, I was six pounds lighter...while on what I call the "pop tart and bagel diet." It sounds impossible, doesn't it? It's true that some of that loss is most likely muscle; I lift weights 3-4 times a week and when I say lift...I mean it. We're not talking about a fluffy 30 -50 lbs, two reps of ten...we're talking 130-150 lbs, two reps of 15! My spotty work outs have certainly resulted in some minor muscle loss, but not six pounds worth! So what exactly happened then? How does anyone lose weight while eating pop tarts and bagels?
You hear stars talk about this kind of thing all the time: "Oh, I never work out," or "I eat whatever I want," but yet you look at them and they're practically skin and bones! But the trick is MOVEMENT. During the last few weeks, my life has been extremely busy to the point where I'd be up earlier than 6am and working until after midnight. I was on the move, a lot. And though I wasn't exactly doing my usual cardio 5x/week, and didn't feel like I was getting particularly aerobic, I was ALWAYS MOVING.
Yes, I did eat pop tarts and bagels--but I wasn't eating much else. If I had a bagel in the morning, there'd be maybe one other meal that would follow. Pop tarts might be lunch but then I hadn't yet eaten breakfast and was only in the mood for a bowl of cereal later on. I hadn't weighed myself for several weeks. Today, scared to step on the scale again, I pushed myself to take a look down at the numbers. I could barely believe it.
Summer is a time when people DO move around more than usual--especially if you live at a 45-degree latitude where winter is a fairly harsh season. Summer is also a time when people gather for picnics, BBQ's, reunions, weddings, go out to ice cream, attend street fairs...so our diets in summer may include more high-calorie foods than usual. My hope in talking about this today is to remind us all that we need to enjoy life more and not sweat the small stuff as much. Life is for living--not counting calories! As a middle-aged woman, I'm right there with you, sisters--you've got to keep your calories down and your activity up, but that doesn't mean you should avoid certain foods or deprive yourself. Moderation and movement helps everyone at any stage of life stay healthier. Even if you happen to lapse into the pop tart and bagel diet, like I did. ;)
Until next time, dearest readers!
You hear stars talk about this kind of thing all the time: "Oh, I never work out," or "I eat whatever I want," but yet you look at them and they're practically skin and bones! But the trick is MOVEMENT. During the last few weeks, my life has been extremely busy to the point where I'd be up earlier than 6am and working until after midnight. I was on the move, a lot. And though I wasn't exactly doing my usual cardio 5x/week, and didn't feel like I was getting particularly aerobic, I was ALWAYS MOVING.
Yes, I did eat pop tarts and bagels--but I wasn't eating much else. If I had a bagel in the morning, there'd be maybe one other meal that would follow. Pop tarts might be lunch but then I hadn't yet eaten breakfast and was only in the mood for a bowl of cereal later on. I hadn't weighed myself for several weeks. Today, scared to step on the scale again, I pushed myself to take a look down at the numbers. I could barely believe it.
Summer is a time when people DO move around more than usual--especially if you live at a 45-degree latitude where winter is a fairly harsh season. Summer is also a time when people gather for picnics, BBQ's, reunions, weddings, go out to ice cream, attend street fairs...so our diets in summer may include more high-calorie foods than usual. My hope in talking about this today is to remind us all that we need to enjoy life more and not sweat the small stuff as much. Life is for living--not counting calories! As a middle-aged woman, I'm right there with you, sisters--you've got to keep your calories down and your activity up, but that doesn't mean you should avoid certain foods or deprive yourself. Moderation and movement helps everyone at any stage of life stay healthier. Even if you happen to lapse into the pop tart and bagel diet, like I did. ;)
Until next time, dearest readers!
RSS Feed