Golda Poretsky's Blog, page 22
October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween!
Hi all,
Happy Halloween!
You've probably seen this, but I love it (Image courtesy of bigfunnysite.com)
I'm feeling a little tapped out this week, so I this post may feel a bit patched together. I didn't even do a podcast. Perhaps I'm being too gentle with myself this week. :)
So, I've been mildly obsessed with going "no-poo," and I've written some goofy posts about it over at Persephone Magazine. If this is something you're into or want to know more, check it out!
I would also love for you to comment below and let me know what sorts of things you've been thinking about in terms of fat pride/acceptance, body image, Health At Every Size, intuitive eating, disordered eating, and all that. Where are you getting stuck? What are some things that you feel that no one is writing about that need to be addressed? Feel free to tell me. My practice has been so full lately that I'm having trouble responding to comments, but I will make sure to respond to these.
I also have a very exciting FREE teleclass coming up on November 17th on being HAES For The Holidays. Save the date, and I'll announce registration info very shortly. As always, if you sign up for the newsletter on the top right hand side of the screen, you'll get all the info as soon as it comes out.
Thanks as always for reading and have a fabulous Halloween!
xo,
Happy Halloween! originally appeared on on October 31, 2011.
October 24, 2011
Finding Strength In Gentleness
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com
Listen to the podcast here:
So for some reason, I've been writing a lot about my "no-poo" hair experiment lately. And now I've gone even deeper into this experiment, as I've begun doing something called water-only washing. In essence, I've completely stopped using any thing on my hair other than water, baking soda, eggs, and apple cider vinegar.
Big deal, right? It's just hair. But by making this change, I've noticed some other things start to change as well.
Snuggly Bunnies (Image from herwordskill, Flickr Creative Commons)
Mostly, the way I've always treated my skin suddenly feels sort of harsh. Hot showers suddenly feel way to hot. The Neutrogena foaming face wash that I've used for years suddenly seems overly drying. The Body Shop body washes that I used to love just feel like they have one too many chemicals. Now that my scalp is being treated differently, the rest of my skin seems to be calling out for something different too. I've been playing around with the most natural soaps I can find, and using natural oils like jojoba and lovely essential oils as well.
I feel like my skin is calling on me to be more gentle with it, and I'm finding that the more I heed the call, the better my skin feels, and the better I feel. It's like the old Hermetic, mystical saying, of "as above, so below" and "as within, so without." The gentler I treat my skin, the more I seem to find gentleness within.
There is such a beauty in gentleness, and I think it's a quality that we often forget. Who are we gentle with, other than babies, and maybe ourselves and others when we're injured or quite ill? Wouldn't it be beautiful if we could cultivate more gentleness in our everyday lives?
Imagine being gentle with yourself when you're late for work. How might you feel differently or plan differently for next time? Imagine being gentle with yourself when you overeat at dinner. What might you learn from that experience, and how might you treat yourself later that night or the next day if you were gentler with yourself? What if you were gentler with your friends, your kids, your coworkers, your partners? How might things shift and change in your relationships and within you?
I see a strength in gentleness. It takes strength to be kind to yourself and others, to listen, to flow with what is rather than resent that what is isn't what it should be. Cultivating gentleness, to me, doesn't mean ignoring other, potentially less gentle emotions. It just means deciding, when possible, to go a little easier on ourselves and others than we might otherwise.
Does this concept of gentleness appeal to you? Is there a place in your life that is calling out for more gentleness? Let me know what you try and how it went on my facebook page!
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Go to http://www.bodylovewellness.com/free to get your free download — Golda's Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining!
Finding Strength In Gentleness originally appeared on on October 24, 2011.
October 18, 2011
TODAY ONLY: Free E-Book Download In NOW's Love Your Body Day
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com
HAPPY LOVE YOUR BODY DAY, EVERYONE!
I'm so proud to be a part of NOW's Love Your Body Day Blog Carnival!
Rather than just write a post, I decided to share even more tips for being the body loving person you're born to be. So in honor of this most important day, I'm offering you a FREE PDF copy of my book, Stop Dieting Now: 25 Reasons To Stop, 25 Ways To Heal.
It's FREE today only!
This book will support you in:
Healing from the dieting/bingeing cycle.
Understanding why diets never seem to work in the long term.
Simple techniques for freeing yourself from negative body image.
Easy ways to lower your stress levels when it comes to food.
How to know when you're hungry and full and act on that information.
And so much more!
Just enter your info in the boxes below to get your free download in PDF format. (Kindle and Nook versions are always available for just $6.97.)
Yes, Golda, please sign me up to receive a FREE instant download of Stop Dieting Now: 25 Reasons To Stop, 25 Ways To Heal.
Name
You will also receive a complimentary subscription to the Body Love Wellness Newsletter. We won't share, rent or sell your information to any other organization and you can unsubscribe at any time.
This post is part of the 2011 Love Your Body Day Blog Carnival !
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight.
(c) Golda Poretsky 2011
TODAY ONLY: Free E-Book Download In NOW's Love Your Body Day originally appeared on on October 19, 2011.
October 17, 2011
Adventures In Body Acceptance: Letting Go Of The "Have To's"
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com
Listen to the podcast here:
I have a confession to make.
In the last few weeks, I've only shampooed my hair once (and that was actually kind of an accident).
Some of you are probably thinking, "That's gross!" Some of you are probably thinking, "I've been there." And some of you are thinking, "Golda's gone no-poo!"
Actually, you're all kind of right. I've decided to try out "no-pooing." If you're curious about this at all, I wrote a kind of extensive post about it here for Persephone Magazine. I decided to do it for a number of reasons, but mostly because it's supposed to reset your scalp and make it less oily, my hair color will probably last longer, and it's an environmentally friendly thing to do.
A "No-Poo" Exemplar? (Edgar Degas "Woman Washing", public domain)
I decided to do this on a whim, but not shampooing my hair has actually been weirdly difficult for me. I've been washing my hair every day since junior high, mostly because I was deathly afraid of having greasy hair. My hair is both oily and fine, so I washed it every day without fail because I thought it looked even finer when it wasn't washed.
But when I really connect to the emotions behind this, I think it also had to do with the body hatred and the particularly awkward stage I went through in 6th grade. I was chronically unhappy with my body, and puberty was exacerbating all of that. I was dieting all the time and struggling to be thin (with very low levels of success), so I thought that at the very least I could have the best hair that I possibly could. Washing and styling my hair every day was something within my control. Having perfectly squeaky clean hair was both socially acceptable and a form of body denial. As Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby noted in Lessons From The Fatosphere, fat is such a charged word because it's often meant to stand in for a variety of adjectives, including "smelly [and] undisciplined." So it was important to me as a fat kid to be able to deny those other ascriptions.
Now more than 20 years later, I've let go of so many "have to's" about my body, the biggest one being the idea that I have to lose weight before I can do, be and have a variety of things. I don't see losing weight as a precondition to happiness anymore, which has been hugely transformative. And yet, I find it interesting when these other "have to's" come up. Things like letting go of the "have to" of washing my hair every day has actually deepened my appreciation and approval of my body. I know that if I work through the resistance and let go of the "have to" big things happen. Sometimes the littlest action yield big results.
So I'd like to challenge you to let go of one of your appearance-related "have to's." This can be really challenging, so I would recommend trying it out for even half a day first. Just notice how you feel, what feels different, what fears come up. This can be really magical. And I'm not suggesting anything I haven't tried myself. (And I know that for some of you, these things will not be challenging at all or are just part of your daily life, while for others this will be much more difficult.) Here are a couple of suggestions, just to start you off:
1) Go out wearing no makeup (or a lot less makeup than you usually do).
2) Try a no-poo option for a few days.
3) Go out without wearing a bra or with a much less constructed bra than usual.
4) Go "commando."
5) Go much longer without shaving your legs or underarms.
6) Stop wearing deodorant.
7) Wear an outfit that is more form fitting than you're used to.
8) Wear an outfit that is baggier/looser than you're used to.
9) Wear an outfit that draws attention to a body part that you normally hide.
10) If you normally straighten you hair, try letting it be curly, or vice versa.
These relatively simple action steps can feel like a huge deal, but they can also yield big reward and be extremely freeing. Let me know what you try and how it went on my facebook page!
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Go to http://www.bodylovewellness.com/free to get your free download — Golda's Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining!
Adventures In Body Acceptance: Letting Go Of The "Have To's" originally appeared on on October 17, 2011.
October 10, 2011
Big Fat STARES And How To Deal With Them
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com
Listen to the podcast here:
When it comes to being stared at, I consider myself lucky. I don't find people staring at me very much. Maybe it's because I've retained a bit of what my college friends called "The Golda Walk" where you basically walk around NYC looking like a badass when you're really just a total nerd who happens to have broad shoulders.
But anyway, back to staring. I'm not used to it. So it was particularly weird when, one brisk October morning last week, I met up with a fellow coach at a cafe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and proceeded to get stared at by nearly everyone who came in or out of there.
Bela Lugosi STARING In Dracula (image courtesy of wikipedia)
Granted, it was Williamsburg, hipster hub of $300 skinny jeans designed to look like you got them from a thrift store. And granted, I may have been the fattest person to ever show up at that cafe (I didn't see one woman larger than a size 6 US in the 90 minutes that I was there). But after a trip to the bathroom I was able to confirm that I didn't have cappuccino foam on my nose or a horn inadvertently growing out of my head, so what, exactly, was the deal?
The only thing I can figure was that my mere presence as a fat woman in that particular cafe, for the half-asleep folks on their way to work, seemed like a blip in the matrix. And Laurence Fishburne was not there to explain to them what was going on.
Unfortunately, this stuff doesn't only affect fat people. I think being stared at is something that nearly everyone who has an appearance that is at all non-normative experiences from time to time. So I'd like to share a few tips for how to deal with being stared at.
How To Deal With Stares:
1) Assume That People Are Staring At You Due To Your Awesomeness. This is really the best way to deal with stares. When you assume that people are looking at you because you're a hot fatty who looks awesome, you just don't care. You almost expect stares to result from your blinding awesomeness.
It doesn't do you any good to believe anything else. In truth, I think that about 70% of the stares I get are due to malevolent feelings about my fat, 20% are from people who think I look cool or have a good vibe and want to know my secret, and 10% just want to get with me. But when I'm out and about, I just assume that everyone is in the latter two categories. In reality, they may all hate my fat ass — but I DON'T KNOW. I have no idea what they're thinking when they stare at me. So the choice is up to me, do I assume they think I'm awesome and/or hot, or assume that they hate me for my fat? If I want to be at all happy in my life, I must choose something positive when the truth is that I don't know.
2) Wink. If you want to get really cheeky about things, just wink at people who are staring at you. It takes the pressure off and makes them uncomfortable.
3) Have A Chat. This is something I rarely do, but I tend to lean toward the non-confrontational side of things. But if you feel comfortable, there's nothing wrong with saying, "I noticed you staring at me. Why is that?" You may actually get into an interesting conversation. Heck, the starer may indeed think you're awesome and/or want to get with you. And if they're really rude, please refer to the snappy comebacks section of Fat!So?
Have you ever been stared at? How did you handle it? Please share your thoughts below or at our facebook page.
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Go to http://www.bodylovewellness.com/free to get your free download — Golda's Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining!
Big Fat STARES And How To Deal With Them originally appeared on on October 10, 2011.
October 3, 2011
Diet School Dropout
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com
Listen to the podcast for this post here:
Last week, during her Body Love Breakthrough Session*, my new client shared the pain she'd experienced by spending her life going on and off diets. She told me, "I feel like I've been in diet school my whole life. When do I get to graduate?"
When she said that, it really blew my mind. How many years had I and nearly all of my clients and blog readers spent in "diet school?" I know that I've personally taken Restricting Calories 101, Advanced Techniques In Freaking Out About .4 Pounds, Workshops On Why It's My Fault and Not The Diet's, and so on. I've studied every diet plan in depth, from Weight Watchers To Atkins To Chew A Lot Of Gum And Ignore Your Hunger. If there were such a thing as diet school, I should have multiple PhD's by now.
My Final Diet School Report Card (Image by Golda Poretsky)
But that's the thing about Diet School. You can never graduate.
Diet school doesn't actually lead thinness for the vast majority of its students. All you really learn is to hate your body and completely destroy any semblance of a normal relationship with food. Nearly everyone fails Diet School. The statistics are grim — somewhere between 85-95% of dieters gain back all the weight they lose, and add on more, within 2-5 years of losing the weight.
And Diet School is so good at convincing you that your failure is your fault and not theirs that they convince you to re-enroll, for a fee, yet again. Here's a statistic that you definitely won't learn in Diet School. In 2010, Americans spent $60.9 billion on diets and diet products. That same year, as Marilyn Wann has noted in her blog, Americans spent $50 billion on 2 and 4 year colleges. In other words, we collectively pay more to learn dieting than to get bachelor's and associate's degrees.
So here's what I propose. Let's stop paying for Diet School and let's do the only responsible thing: DROPOUT. Let's stop the vicious cycle of going on a diet, losing some weight, gaining it back, starting again. Let's stop the cycle of paying our Diet School tuition again and again only to be told that our failure is our fault. Let's thumb our noses at an establishment that is doing us harm, allegedly, "for our own good."
Are you a Diet School Dropout? Thinking of joining our ragtag group? Let me know all about it in the comments section below or on my facebook page.
*A Body Love Breakthrough Session is a free session with me where we explore any issues you're having with food and body image. If you've never had one, click here to get yours. I've opened up 5 spots just for blog readers!
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Go to http://www.bodylovewellness.com/free to get your free download — Golda's Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining!
Diet School Dropout originally appeared on on October 3, 2011.
October 2, 2011
Transitioning Into Autumn
by Golda Poretsky, HHC
http://www.bodylovewellness.com
I'm a little biased about October. It's my favorite month of the year. Here in New York, October always signals cooler weather, changing leaves, and for me, my birthday! (Hi, Libras & Scorpios!)
But October is also a month about transitions, and transitions, though necessary, can be challenging for both mind and body.
Eucerin Smoothing Essentials Body Lotion & Calming Creme (Just Part Of The October Eucerin Giveaway)
One way to ease this transition for our minds is to feel gratitude. Take a moment to feel gratitude for shifts and changes. Feel gratitude for what was, what is, and what will be. Remind yourself that transitions and change are a necessary and wonderful part of life.
And for your body, take some time to notice how your body's needs may have changed. As it gets colder, maybe you're craving more soups and cooked vegetables. Maybe you need to rest a little more. Or maybe the cooler weather is energizing you and you want to move more.
As for skincare, see what changes might feel good. I'm really enjoying using the Eucerin Calming Crème right now!
Plus, this month we have another opportunity for awesome Eucerin swag! Seriously, these prize packs just get better and better. Here's all you have to do to be registered to win:
Follow the Eucerin Twitter handle (@eucerinus) and tell us your tips on how to make October calming for skin.
Leave a comment below (with a valid email address) and a winner will be picked at random from the commenters on October 31st. Let me know what you're doing to ease the transition into Fall! The winner will receive Eucerin Plus Smoothing Essentials Body Lotion (a unique formula with buffered alpha hydroxy that gently smoothes and moisturizes to reveal healthier-looking, radiant skin), Eucerin Calming Crème (has a gentle, non-greasy formula that combines calming oatmeal and natural emollients that help relieve dry, itchy skin for softer, healthier-looking and more comfortable skin), an Aromatique™ Pumpkin Spice candle and a holiday cookbook by Williams-Sonoma entitled Thanksgiving.
Be 18 or older and a U.S. resident.
Happy swagging!
Full Disclosure: I'm receiving Eucerin products (for my readers and me). The thoughts and opinions, however, that I share in this post are strictly my own and are not influenced by receipt of these products.
Transitioning Into Autumn originally appeared on on October 2, 2011.
September 26, 2011
Making Amends With Your Body
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com
Listen to the podcast for this post here:
Podcast Powered By Podbean
In the Jewish tradition, the period between the high holidays of Rosh Hashanah (which starts Wednesday night) and Yom Kippur (which starts Friday night, October 7th) is a time when we seek to make amends with people we may have wronged. Essentially, it's a time of seeking forgiveness and repairing relationships.
"The Platonic Kiss" by William H. Rau (image courtesy of the Library of Congress)
A few years ago, I started to think about this time as a time to repair my relationship with my body just as I try to repair my relationships with others. I started to think about the ways that I may have wronged my body. Had I pushed it to the limit working late night after night? Had I expressed my hatred for it when my favorite pants felt tight? Had I resisted movement that would have made it felt good? Had I yearned for it to be anything different than it was?
So much of the time, we treat our bodies as if they weren't a part of us. We take out our frustrations on them. We seek to change our bodies through dieting and over-exercising when they don't meet with our approval. And even if it's our norm, it needn't be our norm forever.
Even if you're not Jewish, you can see this time of the Jewish New Year as a time to make amends with your body. Try this meditation when you have a few minutes (to be guided through the meditation, listen to the podcast above or in itunes):
Get into a comfortable position, either sitting, with your feet flat on the floor, or lying down. Take a few deep breaths, allowing yourself to feel calm and centered. Now think back over the past twelve months, and think of the times when you've felt ashamed of your body, denigrated it, made fun of it, or otherwise harmed it. Take a few moments to feel what you feel in your body when you think back on those memories and experiences. After you've spent some time feeling what that feels like, tell your body (either aloud or in your mind) that you would like it to forgive you. Ask your body what it needs from you to forgive you, and promise to take those action steps. Begin to feel that feeling of forgiveness within you. Take a few deep breaths and begin to move your body to come out of the meditation.
As you can see, this not a typical New Year's resolution which gets forgotten a month later. This is much deeper. This is an attempt to heal a rift within you by listening to your body and asking for its forgiveness.
I hope you'll try it and let me know how it goes in the comments section below or on my facebook page. And happy holidays to those celebrating!
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Go to http://www.bodylovewellness.com/free to get your free download — Golda's Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining!
Making Amends With Your Body originally appeared on on September 26, 2011.
September 19, 2011
Profile In Flabulousness: Nancy Upton (She's The Next Big Thing, For Real)
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com
Listen to the full interview here!
Even if you don't totally recognize the name Nancy Upton, you have seen her pictures everywhere. For the last two weeks, news outlets and blogs have been abuzz about the woman who entered American Apparel's Next Big Thing Contest by sending in pictures of herself bathed in ranch dressing, eating in a pool, and covering her lady regions with a cherry pie. For those in the know, it was clear that her intent was to skewer the way American Apparel and other fashion industry giants seem to view plus-sized women. But she never imagined that she'd win the contest in a landslide nor cause an international media stir. So I was particularly thrilled to be able to break into her very busy interviewing schedule to have a chat about fashion, sizeism, body image and more!
(Image of Nancy Upton by Shannon Skloss. Used with permission.)
Nancy first heard about the contest when she read about on Jezebel. When she checked out the contest, she found it really condescending. "I've always found [their advertising] to be a little pornographic and obviously really objectifying of women but also portraying women in a submissive, kind of negative, role." She said that normally she would notice that and just go about her day, but this time, she couldn't get the idea of the contest out of her mind. "I just got this image of these people sitting around a conference table, being like, 'Oh, these fat girls eating food and blah blah blah.' And I thought, wouldn't it be funny if I gave them . . . what I imagine they're thinking about." She also wanted there to be a nod to the bizarre high fashion imagery that we see on shows like America's Next Top Model.
So she got together with her friend, photographer Shannon Skloss, and they shot the now well known images of Nancy. But when she submitted the photos, she had no idea of the impact it would have. "I was doing this interview with Jeanne Moos today who is on the Wolf Blitzer show," she told me. "This woman, who has probably interviewed Hilary Clinton, who's talked to diplomats… talked about the financial crisis, is interviewing me to put me on CNN to talk about me getting in a tub of ranch dressing. " On a personal level, putting together this project has given Nancy the opportunity to begin to find her voice as an artist. Nancy had always admired musician/performance artist/ author Amanda Palmer and the way she uses different media to express herself. She told me, "I had a lot of strong opinions and I had a lot of strong ideas but I could never think of how to express them. And I would get ideas to do things and I would think, 'That's dumb; nobody wants to see that.' . . . So to do it, when I'm almost not even realizing I'm doing it, has been the most amazing gift."
(Image of Nancy Upton by Shannon Skloss. Used with permission.)
I asked Nancy about her own experience with body image, and not surprisingly, her story mirrors many of the ones we often hear. "I used to hate my body," she told me, "I used to be extremely depressed about my body." Even at her most athletic, when she was running 7 or 8 minute miles, she would "torture herself about" love handles and cellulite. "If I liked a guy and he didn't like me, I would think it was because of my weight. If I was auditioning for a role and I didn't get, I would think it was because of my weight." Nancy credits therapy and the realization that there were things she could change and things she couldn't change about her body that she grew to accept it.
(Image of Nancy Upton by Shannon Skloss. Used with permission.)
For Nancy, taking these photos and putting them out there also represented another level of healing for her. All of the photos she submitted (except one) were completely un-photoshopped, because she wanted her body to look as it looks in real life. But it was still hard for her to look at the proofs. "My immediate reaction to them was to be a bit scared . . . if I hadn't told people I was going to do it, I might have chickened out." Now she's so glad that she posted them. "Since I put those up and had the response I had and it started a dialogue — I don't think I've ever felt so comfortable with my body. It really has been kind of a powerful thing."
Going forward, Nancy's considering doing more in the area of body image and fashion. "Right now, I have what very few people get in their lives, and that's a platform. . . . I feel like it would be a missed opportunity if I couldn't bring more light onto this subject."
To hear our whole interview and learn about what Nancy thought of American Apparel's response, click the link above to listen to it or go check out the podcast on Itunes. To keep up with Nancy, check out her Tumblr here.
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Go to http://www.bodylovewellness.com/free to get your free download — Golda's Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining!
Profile In Flabulousness: Nancy Upton (She's The Next Big Thing, For Real) originally appeared on on September 19, 2011.
September 12, 2011
How To Exercise Without Making Yourself Crazy
After Beth Ditto is done holding her boobs, she's totally going to lift weights.
Golda Poretsky, HHC
http://www.bodylovewellness.com
Listen to the podcast here:
(This is an oldie but goodie, but it's really a goodie! I'll be back next week with an all new post!)
Until really recently, I had had a strict "no joining gyms" policy. This policy was based upon good solid reason and logic — in the past, I would join a gym, go religiously for a few months, get sick and not go for about a week, and then never go back again. Ever. Plus, I wouldn't even work out at home because it would remind me of how guilty I felt about not getting to the gym.
I know, it's crazy. But I know from friends and clients that I'm not the only one who does this.
Once I learned about Health At Every Size and took the pressure off myself about losing weight, not joining a gym was really great for me. I would take long walks, do aerobics or yoga DVD's, and I would do it pretty regularly.
But lately, I started feeling the pull to join my local Y. They have a pool, daily water aerobics, really new weight and cardio machines, and a generally pleasant, laid back vibe. I took a tour with my friend Girthful Girl and we both loved it. And since joining, I've been going about five times a week, mostly to do water aerobics but also to use the elliptical. I absolutely love it, and I feel really good.
So how did I get to this peaceful, happy place with working out and exercising?
Well, there are methods to my madness. So if you're feeling kind of stuck when it comes to fitness or not sure how to do it without over-exercising/guilting yourself/obsessing about weight loss etc., I'd like to give you a couple of tips how to do it in an emotionally healthy way.
So here are my top five tips on how to exercise without making yourself crazy.
1. Do What You Find Fun. Just because your best friend swears by hot yoga, it doesn't mean that you have to do it. It doesn't have to be difficult or unpleasant to be really good for you.
Why? Because if you like it, you'll want to do it, and if you don't like it, you won't want to do it. It's really that simple. It's not like phys. ed. class in school, where you had to do whatever the class is doing. If you like dancing around your apartment — fantastic. Great. Do that. If you like water aerobics, find a place that has it and do it. It is worth the money if you like it and it makes you feel good. When you exercise in a way that you actually enjoy, you still get tons of benefits, and it's SO MUCH EASIER to do because you actually want to do it!
2. Be Open Minded & Try Different Things. Experiment with different kinds of exercise and see what appeals to you. Be willing to try something new and revise your opinions.
Why? Because when you're open minded, you may find that what was once true for you isn't true anymore. For example, even if you always thought you had two left feet, you might really enjoy a dance class. Or, even if you always found the weight room intimidating in high school, you may not feel that way now, as an adult. If you're checking out gyms, try to get a free week or day at different gyms, and see where you feel most comfortable. You don't have to make a decision right away, and you may be surprised by which place you like the most. (I also really recommend YMCA's and YMHA's because they're usually less "hard selling" than commercial gyms.)
3. Don't Keep Statistics. I mean it. Don't track anything about the way you exercise. Don't track how many minutes of cardio, calories burned, or your weight or your measurements.
Why? You don't need it, and it can make you crazy. You know when you've been working out regularly and when you haven't. Your body tells you. You notice when your endurance has gotten better when you get less tired walking to the train. You notice when your muscles have gotten stronger when you lift a bag of groceries with less effort. The point of exercise is not to constantly compare (and judge yourself) against a standard from last week or last year or 20 years ago. The point is noticing how your body feels. And if today your body feels tired and you only do a little, that is fantastic too because it means you're listening.
4. Schedule Your Workouts. Block out time in your schedule for classes you want to take or working out at home. Make that time as sacred as possible by not scheduling anything else during that time. Be realistic about the time you need, including time to stretch, shower, etc.
Why? Exercising really is "me time." It's time that you are putting aside, just for you, to make you feel good. Putting your favorite classes or home workouts in your schedule is a signal to yourself that your health, well-being, and personal time is really important. I literally schedule my water aerobics class (and travel time and shower time) into my schedule and don't schedule clients during that time. I know that no matter how crazy my day is, I have that time blocked out just for me and I can look forward to it.
5. Invest In Workout Clothes, Sneakers, Etc. That Are Right For You, Fit You And Make You Feel Good. When you have sneakers that fit right, clothes that fit, etc., exercising is so much easier and more enjoyable.
Why? It's really hard to concentrate on exercising when you're worried that your bathing suit is too tight or your sneakers are worn out. Wear clothes that make you feel good – even put on some makeup if it helps. Truly, it's better to wear one outfit that you like over and over again, than wear really old clothes that make you feel embarrassed. I notice when I have things that support my workout, (like these prescription goggles that I bought recently) then I'm more likely to workout and really enjoy it.
Alright, hotties, let's get cookin'! Let me know if you use these tips (and feel free to share your own) in the comments section below or on Facebook!
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Go to http://www.bodylovewellness.com/free to get your free download — Golda's Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining!
© Golda Poretsky 2010-2011
How To Exercise Without Making Yourself Crazy originally appeared on on September 12, 2011.
