I have certainly been getting a lot of advice about weight loss this week. I must be looking especially fat … or I’m wearing a sign on my back that says “Beware: Dieting in Session” … or perhaps it’s this continually pained or pathetic look on my face? I even got an email from a friend today – I use the term “friend” in the general sense – she sent me several ‘helpful’ articles. Well, helpful to someone, I’m sure. Among them were:
- Why you must stop doing crunches
- Get off the diet bandwagon and start losing weight
- Eating foods that are good for weight loss
- Why you’re failing at weight loss
Well, the stop doing crunches = no problem, other than I had a hard time calming the laughter. And I think I’ve read about 20 articles about foods and weight loss. SO many opinions. And then there’s the endless litany of reasons I’m failing. Sheesh. On with the reading, the final article was about belly fat. And this one was actually kind of interesting. And I may have read this before , so forgive me if I’m repeating a blog topic … I’ve lost track!
Belly Fat (ugh)
I was just talking about this today at the pool. Belly fat is such a pain … pain to have it there, a pain to try and reduce it. Unfortunately when you’re obese, you can’t forcibly reduce fat around the belly, no matter how many crunches you do (or don’t do). But these folks say that the next best thing is to live a healthy lifestyle. And I really think that’s been my mind set from day one.
They say (and I concur), “Use an app!” You can track your waist, hips and even neck circumference using an app. It’s all about motivation to see how your measurements change over time as you lose weight. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to do this in the start. And during my “struggling” phase, I stopped using my tracking app. But I’m ba-ack.
What I now know is that visceral fat responds well to regular exercise that elevates your heart rate. This is usually tied to endurance, like running or biking, but also swimming. As your body uses fat to fuel exercise, it’ll start using up your stored fat. The recommendation: sweat 30-60 minutes each day. I don’t actually sweat in the pool, but I definitely raise my heart rate. Some improvement in this area may be required on a daily basis.
Add sleep, remove stress – it’s easier said than done. But in order to take care of your physical body, you have to take care of your spirit. Sleep loss and stress both sap health and fitness goals, but I struggle to get a good night’s rest unless I forgo the pool and just sleep in. I’ve tried to decide how to best deal with this from the start. Still no good answers, except that perhaps I’m going to have to try and go to bed earlier. Period.
About my mind and spirit? Meditation? Not so much. Yoga. Can you get that picture? I think I’ll just read a good book. The article closed with, “Remember, it’s not just about your health; it’s about your happiness, too.” Agreed.