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January, 2004
If Not Now...When?
By Graeme Street
Another year has come to a close. How did you do? Did you finally lose that extra weight? Did you ecstatically go shopping for smaller sizes? Did you actually live up to your promises of keeping the weight off this time? Or, like most people, are you making the same New Years Resolution that you've made the past five years--that this year will be different! This year you'll find your dream diet and it will change your body and your life forever...until you're tempted into some little indulgence that isn't on your diet and you find yourself overcome with regret and guilt. You'll think, "Well, I've blown it! Might as well pig out for awhile and start again later!" dooming yourself to begin yet another year of weight loss ups and downs, frustration, and self-loathing.
It's getting a little old, isn't it?
I know you don't want another year of disappointment and regret. That's why you're here, isn't it? To find something new? Something that will actually help you keep the promises you make to yourself year after year?
You're probably thinking of starting a low carb diet. After-all, you know a lot of people who've lost weight on low carb diets and they seem to be all the craze now. Yes, that's it! A low carb diet will be the answer to your weight loss prayers!
Well, you're right...and wrong. Out of all the diets out there, a low carb diet is among the most sound. But there is still one very important thing missing -- the same thing that's missing from any diet, which is why they always end up failing you.
Care to venture a guess? Before you roll your eyes or push the back button, think about this-- by adding this one important element to your life, this time next year you may not need a resolution at all...
We all know that low carb diets are a simple and effective way of losing weight fast. No one is going to deny this. However, it is my humble opinion that low carb dieting, although effective on the scale, is not the most effective way to help you get what you really want--a healthier, happier, fitter body!
Yes, low carb diets will help you lose fat. Yes low carb diets will help you lose weight on the scale. Yes, low carb diets may even help you do extraordinary things like lower your cholesterol, your triglycerides, and possibly even help you get a handle on diabetes.
But...(you knew this was coming) it WILL NOT help you improve your cardiovascular health. It WILL NOT help you decrease your stress through the release of endorphins. It WILL NOT help you walk up the stairs without losing your breath. It WILL NOT help you build beautiful, lean muscle. It WILL NOT raise your metabolic rate (in fact it may do just the opposite!) And most importantly, low carb dieting alone WILL NOT make you healthier! It will simply make you a smaller version of your unfit self.
That's probably not what you want to hear. If you're getting frustrated reading this that means I'm hitting pretty close to home. Deep inside your sub-conscious you know the truth-- that although dieting is important, it will never, ever, replace the need for you to consistently challenge your body through physical activity. That's right, EXERCISE!
You already know all this. Maybe you've thought about exercising. Maybe you've even attempted to exercise on many occasions. Maybe it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Well, if you've tried and failed with exercise in the past, there's probably one good reason why...you're intentions were wrong.
The reason you, and millions of other people like you, struggle to make an exercise program a long term success is because you're using exercise ONLY to lose weight! You're probably saying "Well of course I am! Why else would I do something as vile as exercise if it didn't help me lose weight?"
However, our obsession with weight loss has become so blinding that we have all failed to recognize one key issue: we are not overweight, we are under fit! And because we see ourselves as overweight instead of under-fit, we are doomed to focus on the wrong issue! As a result, we sabotage our own efforts, lose motivation, and discontinue our exercise attempts to revert back to our weight loss staple--dieting.
What you have to remember is that exercise is not an instant miracle for weight loss. It takes work! And not just work every now and then, but consistent, vigorous, progressive work. Exercise demands a high level of commitment and work, but the rewards are far greater than just plain old weight loss.
You have to remember that many people, maybe even you, have been abusing their bodies for years, maybe even decades by not staying physically active. Yes, abusing the body! Being sedentary is the MOST UNHEALTHY habit you can have. Even more unhealthy than smoking, drinking, and overeating. It's true!
Unfortunately, we have been conditioned to believe that simply losing weight through whatever means necessary is a healthy endeavor in an of itself. We have been blinded to the fact that all of these poor lifestyle choices are a direct result of one simple thing--inactivity!
Think about it logically. Do you see athletes or cyclists or runners smoking cigarettes when they come back home from a long ride or run? Do you see most fit people at the gym eating doughnuts or cheeseburgers before their workout? No. And why? Because they are focused on being active and healthy. And when you focus on these virtues, the other poor lifestyle habits get in your way.
Being active is a healthy choice that makes other healthy choices come more naturally. With all these healthy choices weight loss simply becomes a by-product of other great benefits. Exercise will change your life in a way dieting alone never can.
On the flip side, there is a strong correlation between inactive people and other poor lifestyle choices. They go hand in hand simply because the inactive individual can't compare what it feels like to be active, healthy, and engaged in life. It's not as apparent just how awful sweets, greasy foods, and the like make them feel because they've felt like that most of their lives. This may be you. Or maybe there is a part of you that understands this issue.
What do most inactive people gravitate towards to help them lose weight? Harsh diets, pills, and misleading products that promise unattainable results. And then what inevitably happens? You guessed it. These illusions of weight loss fail miserably.
Unfortunately, now that the new year is here and everyone is geared up and ready to jump back on the dieters merry-go-round, more and more people are doomed to fail at their weight loss attempts. That means millions and millions of people, maybe even you, will wind up desperate and frustrated. Maybe even desperate enough to try something sensible. Something like exercise, a healthy carb-conscious diet, and a strong commitment to your well-being.
Is exercise easy? Of course not, or what's the point? Does it take work on your part? You bet! Will there be days that you just don't want to even look at the treadmill? Yup. Can you lose weight this year and never even think about exercising? Yea, you could. But, let me ask you this. Will you really have improved yourself? Sure maybe a few pounds off, maybe more. But what are you gonna do when the results stop and then backfire? You already know the answer to that because you've been there before.
So, my question to you is--if not now... when? You know that you have to exercise to get what you want in the long term. You know that you eventually have to make the decision to do something greater for your weight and health than just laying off the potatoes and pasta. Deep in your heart I know that you understand my point. And deep in your conscious you know you can do it.
There is one thing that I can promise you. If you take action today and start recognizing that YOU have complete control over your health and that YOU have the ability to make anything possible, then you will break free of your diet prison and find out what it really feels like to be healthy and happy. There is no greater gift that you can give yourself than the gift of health. And it is all in your reach as soon as you make the conscious decision to move. If not now...when?
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Article By Graeme and/or Kate Street ~contact info not valid, websites gone~ Graeme and Kate first met as personal trainers at the Bay Club in Portland Maine and started an In-Home personal training business and a fitness media production business together. Graeme graduated suma cum laud in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. Kate has a BA in Psychology and an MS in Health and Wellness. She holds over a dozen various fitness certifications, three through AFAA.
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