Doggone it, people like me!

Though his fashion choices could be deemed questionable, his message is spot on.

You may be asking yourself what in god's name could Stuart Smalley possible have to do with fitness and health.  Though, if you're under 25, you're probably just wondering who in god's name Stuart Smalley IS.  I can answer that question easily, here.  Stuart was an overly positive SNL character notorious for always putting a positive spin on things while being slightly delusional.  So, what does this have to do with you, me, and our own journeys to greater well-being?  I'll tell you.

Stuart always speaks in the affirmative.  This is what makes him both highly annoying and wise beyond his years.  Take that clip for example.  He doesn't say, "I hope I'm going to have a good show today."  Instead he says, "I AM going to have a good show today."  Well big deal, I bet any therapist worth half of their $150/hour fee would be able to tell you this is a good way to talk to yourself.  Yes, but Stuart is much more entertaining of a folk hero than any self indulgent therapist would be so I'm using him as an example.

When setting your health & fitness goals for the week, be more like Stuart.  Instead of saying, "I won't eat any sugar this week," a declaration that is sure to make anyone suicidal, change the wording to, "When I am craving something sweet I'll eat some fruit."  Or, "I won't sleep in and miss the gym this week," becomes, "I'll  go to 3 spin classes with my favorite teacher before Friday."  See how much more pleasant the latter examples in those sentences feel?  Instead of being something you feel a sense of dread about doing (who wants to think about a life without candy?) you give the task a positive spin and think, hey, yeah, I CAN do this.

WWSSD? (What Would Stuart Smalley Do?)

Let's be honest....

I aim to make this a fitness blog that doesn't take itself too seriously and is more of a conversation, less of a reference guide.  Sure, I want to share info and push you to think about fitness differently, but I also want to be honest and share feelings and struggles so we can get through them together.  I never want to be disingenuous in my blogging and I think that's what makes the blog a fun place to be.  My voice, your voice, a conversation.

So with all that being said, I need to be honest with you guys.  I'm struggling a bit right now.  Like the name of the blog suggests, I'm not perfect.  And though I've kicked the ass of the eating disorder that I struggled with for so long, I still have my bad days.  Right now, I'm having one of them.  I feel like a bit of a stranger in my own body and I don't like the feeling.  Some days, weeks, months, I eat really well without giving it a second thought, bounce out of bed to run to the gym, and love every second of it.  This is not one of those times.

Everyone has days they feel like this.
I'm having one now.

When presented with healthy and unhealthy food options, I'm choosing the unhealthier ones more often than not.  I can say to myself before making this choice, "Hey, choose the healthier thing.  It may not be the party in your mouth that the grilled cheese sandwich is, but ultimately it's going to give you more peace of mind and fuel for your body than the texas toast and 3 kinds of cheese are."  And yet, I still choose the comforting flavor fiesta instead of what my rational mind KNOWS will make me feel better.  It doesn't make me a horrible person, it makes me human, but it also makes me feel a bit powerless.

One of the turning points in my recovery was when my doctor told me that my eating disorder was not THE issue, the eating disorder was A symptom.  When you're in the bathroom throwing up your food multiple times a day this sounds like, pardon my french, a crock of shit.  It took me a few years to figure it out but the day I finally understood what my doctor was talking about was a day I felt like the universe literally got in my face and shouted "EUREKA!"  It changed my life.

What does that have to do with what I'm feeling right now?  It means I need to dig deeper than just "I'm having a fat day," and figure out what's bothering me.  There is something going on inside that is bigger than "stop eating Cadbury mini eggs."  I'm unhappy or worried about something that I haven't addressed.  Maybe because I can't identify it yet, maybe because I don't want to, but knowing that I need to figure out the issue is what separates "recovered me" from "eating disordered me."

This post may be a bit Debbie Downer-ish, but I thought it was an important one to share.

I'd rather be honest than perfect.

Lose weight, save money, & it's not a pyramid scheme!

Continuing on with yesterday's theme of what we're spending our hard earned dollars on, I've come up with a new savings plan.  I don't know about you, but I have a hard time resisting cravings.  I guess that's not totally true because if I gave in to every craving I had I'd weigh 500 pounds.  Nevertheless, I know I have a tendency to spend more money than I should on food because I get a hankering for it after a hard day.  In an effort to combat this, I try to cook myself 2 main meals on Sunday that I can then eat during the week.  Saves time, money, AND thought, which I don't have a lof of after a brain frying 10 hours at work.

But I digress.  You don't care about my meal schedules, you saw the words "lose weight" and "save money" and that's why you're here.  So, what's my secret?  I'll tell you.

I've been on a Dove chocolate kick lately.  Something about the texture combined with the extra rich chocolatey-ness has been my drug of choice lately.  But do you know how much a bag of those things cost?  5 bucks and a whole lotta calories.  I'm an all or nothing type girl so if I'm going to indulge in some Dove, I'm going to eat so much I put myself into a sugar coma. This "keep a bag at your desk and allow yourself one candy a day" bullshit that Shape magazine is trying to sell me ain't happening.

The other morning I was doing some early morning mental wrestling with this craving and trying to rationalize to myself why it was a bad idea to go to the grocery store before work to arm myself with a blue bag of Dove.  Rational thought was losing to immediate gratification so I soon resorted to good old fashioned bribery.

Feed the pig, not your mouth.

I've got a big ticket item I'm saving up for to be disclosed at a later date.  (oooh, just what the blog needs: mystery!  intrigue!  What could I possibly have up my sleeve?!  I know, the suspense is killing me too.)  While thinking about how happy this big ticket item is going to make me I thought about what better use the 5 bucks I'd spend on Dove could be put to if I instead contributed it to my "big idea" fund.  And voila!  Suddenly rational thought won out and I was not only convinced not to buy the oh so seductive chocolate, I was downright excited not to be parting with $5 of my corporate slave wages!

When I got to work I immediately transferred 5 bucks from my checking to my savings account.  A little ridiculous?  Absolutely.  A lot gratifying?  Yup.

So go ahead and give it a shot, and if you think it's a bit ridiculous, you're right!  But you can think that from the bus stop while I'm patting myself on the back for my ingenuity as I drive by you in my new car.  Who's laughing now?

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Am I the only one who, as a child, was disappointed to find that the answer to this simple question was, "To get to the other side,"?  No?  OK, well, I was.  And why is that?  Because I like rewards.  Prizes.  Swag.  Call it what you will, I like it.

Reward yourself with this.....

I blame my childhood for this superficial aspect of my personality and I doubt that I'm alone in this.  How many of us were rewarded with things like ice cream when we got an A on a test?  A cupcake when we were the good citizen of the month?  Yes, childhood is filled with food rewards which can become problematic when we grow up.  Have a hard day at work?  Make yourself feel better with some chinese take out for dinner.  Get a promotion?  Go out to the trendy new tapas place and stuff your gullet.  And don't get me started on the holidays.

What does this have to do with your fitness?  Simple.  Stop making food a reward.  Make it to the gym 3 days this week?  No, calling Pizza Hut is NOT the way to celebrate your success.  Yet so many people fall into this trap.  What starts out as a cheat meal soon becomes a cheat day and then becomes a cheat weekend and next thing you know you're shocked that your pants still fit exactly the same.

....not that.

I learned this lesson many years ago and have a fabulous fitness wardrobe as a result.  One day I decided to stop rewarding myself with a creation from Coldstone as big as my head and instead, once I kept up my new fitness habit for 3 weeks, I treated myself to a new piece of workout wear from Lululemon.  Is it expensive?  Hell yes, absurdly so.  But I'll be damned if I wasn't more motivated to stick with it knowing there was a pretty new tank top to show off my strong looking lats if I hit my goal for the week.

I chose 3 weeks because I can't afford to shop Lulu every 7 days, but you can pick smaller items so that you can reward yourself weekly.  Want the new Nicholas Sparks novel?  Ugh, first, get some taste, but then, hey!  Can't have it til you eat protein with every meal from Monday to Friday.  Dying to download Adele's new album?  Go to spin class 3 times and it's yours.  You're still working towards a happy weekend treat only this one isn't going to leave you bloated and craving even more salt and sugar come Monday.

Try it out and give yourself a weekly fitness Christmas only without the stress and obnoxious relatives!

Hate running? Don't do it.

Listen up.  I'm about to impart wisdom that those of you who hate running have been dying to hear:

If you hate it, you don't have to do it.

Yes, I am giving you 100% permission to banish running from your fitness routine.  Starting today, you never have to do it again!  But, like most things in life, there is a catch.

You have to find what it is you do love.  People often ask me what *I* do to stay as lean as I am.  What does it matter?  What works for me might not work for you.  Take spinning for example.  I am spin fanatic!  In fact, I love it so much that 2 years ago I got certified as a spin teacher so I could share my passion with others.  "Others" started out as two friends of mine who were so inspired by my excitement about spin that they asked to come to a class with me.

They hated it.

HA!  I could've been confused by this, but I get it!  My passion is MY passion, not theirs.  They have to find what works for them.  That's why these "one size fits all" workout programs that guarantee results are such bullshit to me.  NOTHING gets results if you'd rather stick forks in your eyes than do the workout.  Yet people continue to punish themselves and attempt to stick with exercise routines they hate, and then they're shocked when they can't stick with it.

This is me giving you full permission to never again engage in a fitness activity that you detest.  You never have to run another mile, take another yoga class, or swim another lap if you don't want to.   But you DO have to find your some kind of exercise that inspires you and, in a perfect world, you look forward to doing it most days.

(Sorry, my advice of "don't do it" does not allow you to forgo exercise completely.  And if your favorite form of exercise is arm curls from the cheeto bag to your mouth I'm not going to encourage you.)

so what are you going to do today?

Imperfect links....

I really hate this story because it makes me so sad.  I know, as I'm sure we all do, how it feels to feel unattractive.  I'm so glad the internet wasn't so prolific when I was around and I hope these teenagers have strong influences in their lives who will show them the errors of this kind of thinking.  It breaks my heart.

Interesting.  Tumblr to ban 'self harm' blogs which includes pro-anorexia/bulimia ones .  I have mixed feelings about this and was actually interviewed by CNN about this very topic. (You can read a transcript here )  In a way those sites helped me feel less alone & in turn made me less likely to act out my destructive behaviors.  BUT I definitely learned a trick or two from them too.  Double edged sword.

And now onto something much happier.  I have only just met this blogger, but I love her.  Here, she discusses everything that's wrong with women's health/fitness magazines.  I was going to write my own post about this but I don't think I could compare to this comedic genius.

Protein: not just for dudes.

Ladies, repeat after me:

Protein is your friend. 

Yes, that's right, your friend.  It can't break your heart or punch you in the face.  It's there to make you full and help your muscles stay strong.  So why are so many women afraid of it?

The other day, I was standing in my favorite smoothie place in LA, Bodyfactory , which is known for it's lower sugar, higher protein, overall healthier smoothies.  After placing my order I listened to the woman behind me give hers,

"I'd like a bitty berries smoothie but please only half a scoop of protein.  I don't want to get too big."

I openly stared at her like she'd grown a second head.  Or incredible hulk muscles.  This had to be one of the most asinine fitness statements I have ever heard.  I'm here to tell you, 30 grams of protein in a meal WILL NOT MAKE YOU GET BIG.  If that was the case we'd all have rippling muscles instead of just a tryptophan hangover after Thanksgiving dinner.

This is not the result of an extra chicken breast.
Wait....is that a man?

Newsflash: those women in bodybuilding competitions did not just wake up one morning, eat a few extra eggs and poof! Muscles!  They have spent months training very hard and eating very specifically and you'll see that even after all that hard, calculated work, they still are no where near the size of their male counterparts.  But trust me, lifting a few weights and eating some cottage cheese will not make you suddenly rip through your brand new Chloe blouse.

So how much protein SHOULD you be eating?  Ah, the $10,000 question.  There's a whole convoluted equation that you can read about here, at Fitsugar.

Or if you hate math (like I do) you can try this: eat protein at every meal.  In a perfect world you'll be eating 6 times a day (another post for another day) and this constant intake of protein will keep your metabolism firing and your body consistently fueled.  This makes resisting the office birthday cake WAY easier.  But I promise, it will not cause you to be confused with that meathead in the cubicle next to you.

Bon protein!