Nancy Williams, Columnist Published 7:04 a.m. ET March 26, 2017 | Updated 19 hours ago
Kristen Hensley goes for a morning run on the treadmill at Cheshire Fitness Club in 2016.(Photo: Fred McCormick/Black Mountain News)
Finally the time of year when we shed layers of clothes. Having lived in turtlenecks since September, Im glad to see it.
The weather, that is. Im not as pleased to see the swimsuit months just around the corner though. Im not ready.Still need to drop a few or more pounds of my winter weight. I didnt say which winter.
One of my biggest obstacles to getting more fit is comparing myself to my younger self. Used to run races at a sloths pace, yes, but I did them. Used to hoist heavy things, be as limber as a rag and charge around like a tiger. However, as my mom said, used-to bees dont fly anymore. Bodies age, couches feel softer and television shows are better. Ergo, winter weight.
One of my ultra-fit friends joined a rigorous, ranger-guided hike on a glacier in Alaska. Amid the (mostly) young adults in the group was a 70-something man keeping pace with the young bucks, looking as if hed discovered the Fountain of Youth. Impressed, my friend asked the older man how hed stayed in such good shape. Eat less, move more. Thats it. All he said. Evidently had discovered the Fountain of Brevity too.
A billion-dollar weight-loss industry summed up nicely there. Wish it were so easy, though. I have customized his advice for myself.
Eat only the stuff experts agree on. Ha. Only kidding. Youll be dead in a month. From starvation. Experts dont agree on anything. From celery to cereal, somebody says its good for you and somebody else says no way. Theres also the one magic food diet or one best supplement. I happen to know whats best for you is the antioxidant omega fish oil vitamin D non-GMO grass-fed protein-building inflammation-fighters.
Eat only organic foods. Not because they are better for you, but because they cost so much more, you cant afford as much food and will thereforeeat less. Maybe organic is better for you too, Im ambivalent. Seems added preservatives could be good since the point is to preserve ourselves.
Go outside.Literally walk out the door and stand there. Youll probably bend over and pick up a stick or something. Which is more than youll do inside on the couch.
When College Son was about 10 years old, he was a voracious reader, not a biker or ball player, and struggled with being overweight. I made him go outside for a minimum 15 minutes a day. Eager to please, he said OK, but was a little confused and asked what he was supposed to do while outside.Just stand there, I said. Which hed do compliantly stand in the driveway. After a bit, hed knock on the door and ask if he could come back in.
Once I asked him and his visiting friend to go out and pull some weeds in the mulch around the shrubs. I looked out and they were lying on their sides pulling weeds at roughly the same pace the weeds were growing back. However barely, it was bodies in motion, I suppose.
Stand on a treadmill. If you arent ready to go outside to stand for fitness, you can stand on some indoor equipment. Even if the equipment isnt plugged in, at least you arent on the couch. And most of us arent going to eat desserts while on the treadmill.
When I am in actual motion on a treadmill, I despise the calories burned display. Im working hard (to me) for so long and look down to see Ive used calories equivalent to three crackers. May as well just stand on it. I taped a tag over the "calories burned" number with different motivational messages like Naps are for wimps.
Try on bathing suits. Some women choose suits with the little skirts on them, discreetly covering some of the winter weight. When you cant find a bathing suit with a skirt long enough (3 feet instead of 6 inches), it can motivate you. As does the thought of trying to swim in a full-body modesty skirt. Since styles cycle and trends come back, the Victorian bathing suit bloomers are due back any day. Cant wait.
Curb snacking with incompatible activities. I read about a woman who lost weight by painting her nails every night because she couldnt reach into a bag of chips while her nails dried. You also cant easily snack while you use teeth whitening strips. Ive stumbled on natural appetite suppressants, like scooping the cat litter or cleaning the oven and wiping out the spray-on chemical foam that turns to nasty brown sludge.
Unclogging a bathroom sink will keep me snack-free for several days. As a bonus, Im guessing I burn a few extra calories by literally shuddering and saying "Gross" to the wads of bleck that come from a stopped-up sink.
Spring is here and lots of us are working on dropping those pesky winter pounds. For me it means saying no to sugar and yes to standing on the treadmill.
This is the opinion of Nancy Williams, the coordinator of professional education at UNC Asheville. Contact her at nwilliam@unca.edu.
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Nancy Williams: Oven cleaning & other weight loss tips - Asheville Citizen-Times
