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Deep Thoughts….More on Weight Loss, Health, and Living.
Posted: 14 Jun 2009 05:23 PM PDT by Modern Forager

Today I’m just going to lay out some 1-2 line thoughts and let the message just sink in. No need to probably go into much more detail with each, much like I’ve done in the past with the trainer tells all article.

If your doctor (or anyone you are getting advice from) is overweight, why do you take his advice on what to eat?

Diets don’t work, only lifestyle changes (so break free from diet books and eat for life!)

If you can tell me about what happened last night on “Survivor”, then you have no excuses of why you have no time to go exercise.

If it did not exist 100…1000….10000 years ago, you probably shouldn’t be eating it. If it will still be around in another 1000 years as is (preserved), you definitely don’t want to eat it.

Stop focusing on “how many calories did I burn” with exercise. Focus on “what hormonal response am I giving my body for the next 24-48 hours?” (to burn fat, or waste muscle?)

Food made by nature is good. Food made by man is bad. Man’s downfall in health could be thinking he could outsmart what nature had intended for us to eat in the first place.

Putting sugar into your body is saying to yourself “I don’t feel like burning fat for the next 3 hours” (with the insulin response and shutdown of fat releasing hormones)

Getting fit or lean isn’t rocket science (as some people with the best physiques are not always the sharpest knife in the drawer), just many don’t stick with it or keep motivated. Stop thinking you need something complicated, the biggest thing you need is just simple consistency.

The greatest mental flaw is people not realizing they are overweight and sick because of their deviation from eating and living in a more natural way (as our bodies were designed for).

There is no real failure…there is no real success….only actions and results. Stop judging yourself and just do what you know you need to do. As the worst action, is taking none at all.

Buy a set of good resistance bands to have with you if you travel or are busy at home. There is always time to use those for a full body workout.

Muscles seem to grow the most in 24-48hrs after a workout, so stop thinking you need expensive post workout drinks to build muscle (and focus on eating right on the other days as well!).

Lead by example with your food and lifestyle choices, others will follow (no need to preach to or force them).

It’s more important than ever to teach younger people the truth about the importance of how to eat and move, otherwise our kids will keep getting fatter and sicker by the generations (and then old age may be living past 40!).

Challenge yourself to live life fuller…get out of comfort routines….unplug your TV for a month (I just put mine in the closet)….see what happens.

Don’t have a vision of you 30lbs lighter in 30 days, have a vision of you healthy and lean in 1, 10, 25 years…that will keep you on track for life (as I can’t tell you how many people are always trying repeatedly to lose the same 15+ lbs they seem to regain).

Tell your doctor everything you do to get healthy, let them see your results and maybe they will also start to spread the good word. If the medical system is broken, it’s up to us to help fix it.

This year I challenge you to learn a new sport or hobby (dancing lessons, rock climbing, surfing….whatever you enjoy).

It’s a simple rule…but only buy healthy real foods you should be eating at the grocery. That way if you are ever feeling “weak” you won’t have anything self destructive around the house within easy arm’s reach.

Don’t spend your whole life inside a gym, you have one life to live….so go experience it. Why spin a bike and go nowhere when you could be going through the mountains?

Drop the word “cardio” and change it to “Lifestyle activity” (or lifestyle cardio) doing things you love to do outdoors and with others.

While science is looking for a “cure”, the rest of us should be living with “prevention” (and not expecting for a magic pill to bail us out, it’s our responsibility to stay in good health…not your doctors).

Throw out the scale, it’s causing more problems than it solves. You don’t know what the magic number should be anyways, so stop obsessing over it. A mirror and your clothes will tell you what is going on with your body composition.

Not exercising for a day does not give you the right to just throw your healthy eating lifestyle out the window too.

More damage is done by people “falling off” a diet wagon than those that never diet.

Eat Real Food….it can’t get an simpler than that!

Do more with less and become an expert in making real foods taste great (with real spices/ingredients). Buy a cookbook if you must and experiment (like Paleo Cookbook or Urban Kitchen).

Want to save money? Eat out less. Still want company? Then have nights of cooking for guests and alternate locations.