Work Out Like An…UnCelebrity???

Even the most dedicated fitness fanatic will have a moment of green-faced jealousy at the sight of Matthew McConaughey's golden, washboard abs. Or how about an über-fit Jennifer Garner as she sports a barely-there bikini? More than one person has traded in their remote control rights in favor of a gym membership after catching a glimpse of the latest beautiful body in Hollywood.

So what, right? At least people are getting motivated to work out! My answer to that: Yes and no. Anything that gets people across the threshold of a gym is fantastic. The problem is that a celebrity's picture tacked up on your wall is not going to keep you going once the honeymoon's over. Other commitments come up, life gets in the way, or maybe the results just aren't coming fast enough. If your only reason for working out is to look good, you're going to find a reason to hang up the running shoes. Why? Because it just doesn't matter enough.

A few well-placed muscles are not a bad side effect to adopting a healthier lifestyle. And I wouldn't say no to a nice, flat stomach! But a great body is just that – a bonus. If you are going to succeed with your fitness goals, you need to plan to work out like your life depends on it, because it does. That sounds very melodramatic, I know, but look around you! According to Statistics Canada's latest survey, almost 13 million Canadians are overweight. That's 38%! In the United States, the number is a staggering 57% of the population. Eight of the top ten causes of death in North America (and arguably all ten of the top ten…) are lifestyle related. The 20 to 40-year-olds are predicted to be the first generation ever to be outlived by their parents.

Am I saying that we're doomed? Of course not! But what you need to understand about your fitness plan is that you need to do it for YOU. Not when you're bored and have nothing better to do, but every day. Do something small, something easy. Every healthy choice you make brings you one step farther away from being the victim of an unhealthy society. Choosing to go for a walk instead of watching TV might just make all the difference. Foregoing a second piece of cake can get you more than just a swimsuit-worthy body. I'm sure most of you have friends or family members suffering from heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and any number of other medical conditions. Maybe you yourself do.

It doesn't have to be that way. I encourage you to make a choice.

-Bethany

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

Most of us aren't aiming to be pictured on the cover of a fitness magazine or hoping to try out for the next Olympic team. Far from seeking perfection, the average person's goal is to simply make it through the day without wheezing up a flight of stairs or disappointing our children because even the idea of leaning down to pick him or her up causes back pain. Shopping is a thing to be dreaded because that cute little dress that you really, really want doesn't look so cute over that pesky spare tire! We sit, exhausted, on the couch after a long day at work and think fondly of the day when we had energy to go out in the evening. Despite all this, we sit around the dinner table and thank God that unlike so many other people, WE still have our health.

Then we toss back the pharmaceutical cocktail that keeps us that way.

Somewhere along the way, our society forgot. We forgot what it was like to roll out of bed, pain-free and energetic. Ready to face a day filled with promise. "Health" became a state of being in which one was not hospitalized. A patient with heart disease is considered healthy as long as the daily pills they are taking keep their blood pressure down. Diabetes is a fact of life – an inevitable inconvenience. The list goes on and on: heart disease, cancer, depression, fibromyalgia, asthma, allergies… What happened???

The World Health Organization (WHO) came together in 1945 with the goal of promoting global health. Their definition of health half a century ago is worlds away from how we use the word today. "Health," they though, should be defined as "a state of complete physical, mental and spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." It's a beautiful idea, one that most of us feel is so far from the reality we face every day, it's not only unattainable, it's inconceivable.

Being healthy seems to get more complicated every year! Walking through the supermarket, half of the foods on the shelf list a meaningless jumble of letters and numbers as their ingredients that even a chemist would be hard-pressed to dissect. And the row upon row of books lining the nutrition section of a bookstore don't help either – they preach conflicting messages that leave readers more bewildered than they were to begin with. Is it high protein or low protein? And which fats were bad, again? Is dairy good or bad? What about gluten? Sugar? Fruit? Eating has become complicated algorithm that even experts can't seem to agree on!

And that's not the only debate. Once you've finally decided what combination of food products are going into your mouth, now it's time to exercise. But where do you start? Cardio? Weights? A mystifying array of exercise contraptions stand in lines, waiting to attack unsuspecting newcomers. The choices just keep on multiplying, until it's just too hard. Being sick isn't that bad, is it?

The key is to take it just a step at a time. And you don't have to be perfect. Try these few simple steps to start, and progress from there:

1. Write down WHY you want to be healthy (not skinny, not fit, HEALTHY) and put it somewhere you can see it every day. Don't give a vague, pat answer that you've heard a million times. Make it specific, and make it personal. The more meaningful your goal is, the more likely you are to keep it.
2. Pick ONE thing you are going to change and do it. Don't plan to do it or write it in your calendar for next month, start now. Make it simple – something you know you can do, and something you'll be proud of yourself for doing. Switch to brown rice, give up pop, or eat out one less time per week. Whatever you choose to do, no matter how small the change, be proud of yourself for doing it. Tell someone so that they'll be excited for you as well! If there's no one in your life that you want to share your goal with, email me! I'd love to hear from you.
3. Take a walk. It doesn't have to be long or fast, you're not out to beat any records. Just move! Walking is one of the healthiest things you can do, and it's not even horrible!!!

That's it, three things. The rest will come later, but for now, be proud of yourself for taking a huge step in the right direction.

-Bethany