Thanks to everyone that came out for senior strength training today. While this particular class has been slow to grow, today we were over 30 strong–and I DO mean strong…Don’t forget the SilverSneakers luncheon is this Thursday at 12:30 at China Buffet on University Drive and Sunset Strip—head count is about 110! It’s our once a year splurge and we will just work harder tomorrow and Friday, because buffets are really not EVER our friends (veggies and tofu for this girl—see next paragraph) but being with our gym friends in a different environment is always great fun for all. Thanks, Ellen, for taking care of all the arrangements!…
Confession. In December I decided to really let my hair down and indulge like the rest of the world does through the holidays. For the first time in, probably my entire adult life, I stopped counting calories and thinking about every food choice and just enjoyed. I ate the most amazing vegan foods in Vegas (and with all the walking and hiking didn’t gain a pound) and came home to Chanukah, my birthday, Christmas and New Years. My takeaway is that I can now truly understand how easy it is to put on the “average of 7 pounds” from Thanksgiving to New Years. My bigger take away is that it really is harder to take the weight off, the older you get. I am now officially a counter, once again. Counting calories, counting steps (thanks to Carole and my pedometer which I wear every day) counting miles jogged, counting reps, etc. While there are many roads to choose in the weight loss journey, for me, the only sensible way is counting calories and NOT by elimination of one food, or food group. I have come to realize that most people that say they lost their weight by cutting way back on breads, rice, pasta and potatoes forget to include the worst culprits of all like cake, cookies, chips, ice cream, candy, donuts, creamy sauces, etc., We need to all get real with what we eat (and what we stop eating) so we aren’t “out there” offering false hope or spreading weight loss myths. I am tired of potatoes taking the rap for the cookies and ice cream. Nuff said. About that, anyway. It is, after all, just my 2 cents.
I have many other things on my mind but feel that this entry has already turned into an all about me story, which I so hate (and have been shying away from)– I shared the above paragraph with you because I think the December “story” speaks to so many of us. It is now 3 weeks into January and I hope that all of us have gained control of our eating/drinking/etc. This isn’t just about weight gain, but much more importantly, about HEALTH. It’s hard to be truly healthy when our numbers are out of whack. We can all moan and b*tch about the state of health care in our country, but don’t we each have a responsibility to take care of our own health??? Almost 100% of the time, when I watch people get to a healthy weight via exercise and healthful eating, I also watch their numbers stabilize and their health improve–often dramatically. Let’s all stop placing blame and start taking control of our lives, regardless of the obstacles involved. One life…….
I’ll be back at the gym tonight for 6pm cardio/combo and 7pm Yoga/Pilates streeeeetch reduction. It was so nice, last week, to see so many faces I hadn’t seen in a while. And some new ones, too! Hope to see all of you again, tonight. Doesn’t really matter where we get our daily dose of peaceandfitness, as long as we are getting it somewhere!