Exercising to Your Happy Weight?

I recently shared a blogpost on Facebook by one of my favorite bloggers, Ashley at Nourishing the Soul, that suggests with evidence that exercise is not an effective tool for your weight loss goals. Sorry to burst your bubbles and your time on the elliptical, but hang tight, it's an easy and interesting read, and I've still got good news for you, so check it out here: Exercising to Lose Weight? Think Again.

Exercise might not be the magic diet pill, but...
Since I'm assuming you read the aforementioned blogpost, just to reiterate the writer's pros for exercise, consistent doses can: "increase aerobic capacity, decrease blood pressure and resting heart rates, improve moods, build healthy bones and joints, reduce risks for heart disease and cancer, improve circulation, boost mood, increase learning ability and improve body image."

Exercise improves body image and body awareness....
From personal and professional experience, as people commit to moving their bodies in healthy, sustainable ways that include a variety of activity (think: cardiovascular, flexibility and strength training with appropriate rest), they become more connected to their bodies. And, what happens when you become more connected to how your body wants to move, how much strength you've got that day, what yoga or dance class you choose to take, what walking route to take to stimulate your body and mind? You become more in tune with your energy, your body, your rhythm and pace. You notice tightness in your hamstrings or shoulders, you feel an urge to add that song to your playlist for your next run, you take a coordination risk and join a Zumba class, you notice when you just need a rest or nap.

Improved body awareness leads to balance and authenticity...
You start noticing all these physical messages on when and how to move your body, and they lead you to noticing the rumbles in your belly when it's time fuel your body. You start to notice what would truly feel satisfying and nourishing, maybe not so much that forbidden binge food but something more sustainable. Then, you notice when you're belly is satisified because there's always more where that came from...later...when your body tells you it's time. You're getting in tune with your body because you've committed to moving your body for energy, health and pleasure. You're getting in tune with your hunger and fullness because you feel better when you have energy to move and live -- and you want to feel fueled, not too full.

The Balanced You. The Real You. The Healthy You. The Happy You.

Then -- and this all doesn't necessarily happen in this order and certainly not overnight, but you'll see the big picture -- you notice other hungers. I'm talking about neither powdered donuts and filet mignon nor Gucci purses and the knight in shining armor. When consistently tuning into your body and honoring it's needs, you'll also notice what your heart truly wants to live authentically. You'll notice what your mind wants -- not what other people think your mind should want. You'll notice the dreams and hopes and wishes you've buried underneath food, compulsive exercise or otherwise manipulating and abusing your body. To sum it up: Yes, I am claiming that exercising in a consistent, sustainable and balanced way can be used to balance out your body, to honor your energy and true hungers, to find your happy weight, and more importantly -- your happy life.

Not a miracle, just good, old-fashioned keeping it real. ;) If you need some guidance on creating a balanced, sustainable exercise program, or if you need other resources to escape the diet rollercoaster, contact me at caroline@mybodyflow.com or 404.210.6752, and we'll chat about the possibilities.

More loving, Less competing

(Wouldn't it be great if corporate meetings allowed employees to chill out in prayer pose? Off the mat, into the work-and-that-thing-called-life world...)

On Saturday morning, I took a yoga class and was handed a lovely reminder of being kind to oneself. We were moving into plow pose, adjusting our hips, relaxing tension, lengthening our spines. Then, the longer we held the pose, some scary grunts and groans sounded here and there throughout the room. Our teacher said, "Wait a minute, remember today's lesson in ahimsa - non-harming? This shouldn't hurt. Don't push or strain - be gentle with yourself."





You could feel the room relax and let go. We all stayed in plow, but the energy softened. Still full and very warm but more loving, less competing.





I love the lesson in non-harming. You can take it anywhere. Whether you're in a mat-to-mat-packed yoga class, driving in Atlanta traffic, trying to cross off your lengthy to-do list, dieting in a strict way, spending in a frivolous way, or expecting too much of yourself or someone else, it's a good reminder in being easier on yourself and others.





Sure, we can be fit as we want to be, we can make good grades, we can aim for a scorpion handstand, we can flourish in our job performance - we can accomplish the bucket list. Every once in a while, remember to do it all without harm. Set an intention, but be mindful, be gentle. And, for the heck of it, be nice. ;)

Love Your Body Month - Free Workshop

Resolve to Love Your Body in 2010:
Gain Strength, Power and Awareness
through Movement and Art!

Join Megan McSwain, MA LAPC, and Caroline Correll, fitness/movement trainer, at lululemon athletica in Buckhead on Thursday, February 18, 2010, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for a free movement/art workshop.

Let your body and spirit do the talking. Experiment various types of movement, tune into your deep wisdom and voice, then express yourself on paper. Everyone welcome. No art/exercise/dance experience required.

Some supplies will be provided, but please bring
a yoga mat and any special art supplies.
All proceeds will be donated to EDIN.

http://www.myedin.org/

lululemon athletica Buckhead address:

3096 Roswell Road, Atlanta, GA 30305

Questions? Please contact:

Caroline Correll - caroline@mybodyflow.com - 404.210.6752

Megan McSwsain - meganmcswain@gmail.com - 404.368.6174

FYI: EDIN (Eating Disorders Information Network) is a nonprofit organization based in Atlanta dedicated to the prevention of eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, and other forms of disordered eating through education, outreach and action. EDIN celebrates Love Your Body Month each February as a way to encourage loving your body and to promote a healthy body/self image. Please visit http://www.myedin.org/ for a full calendar of events. Additionally, Megan McSwain, an Atlanta-based art therapist, and Caroline Correll, an Atlanta-based movement/fitness trainer, have led several workshops together with the intentions of helping participants to feel comfortable, listen to their wisdom, honor their creativity and shed light upon an important cause. Megan and Caroline thank you for your support and welcome everyone!

Some Days You Shop

If you're wondering how much you should be "exercising", you're one of many! But, no wonder because there are so many different messages about exercise. Here's a few you might be considering:

*Something balanced and moderate like what the CDC recommends ~ About 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity/week + plus 2 days of resistance training.

*Something close to The Biggest Loser tv show ~ grueling workouts with a bully trainer.

*Something along the lines of All or Nothing.

*Something that involves no training shoes or sweat.

*Something more boring than a physics class (no offense to you physicists!).

Look, the road of fitness shouldn't equal strict rules, gym-only workouts, hardcore trainers or black/white thinking. Like I mentioned recently, think moderate, balanced and flexible - just like your diet - eat your veggies, incorporate some protein, and eat those carbs for energy! Get an array of movement, learn to tune into your body, and yes, learn proper form and function of resistance, cardiovascular and flexibility training.

Take today for example - I finished training clients pretty early, so I thought I'd take advantage of my daytime freetime to run some wedding errands at the mall. Then, I thought I'd have plenty of time at home to create some step moves for my class tomorrow - you know, have my own little class by myself at home.

Well, 11am turned into 1pm, then all of a sudden, it was 3:45pm when I started heading up 75 to go home. I'd shoe-shopped and bra-shopped until I almost dropped. Zero energy leftover for any sort of step routine, and not too much brain work leftover for my usual evening computer time.

My point is that every day is different. Every body is different. Some days you make it to the gym. Some days you squeeze in some yoga. Some days you walk with a friend. Some days you train for a 1/2 marathon. Some days you rest. Some days you shop for shoes and bras until your legs ache.

Like I encouraged a client recently: View physical fitness as a combination of all physical activity - working, playing, errands, "exercising". Add up those things to see how you are feeling strength/endurance/flexibility-wise. Then, tweak your "exercise" training where necessary to feel balanced, and of course, Listen to Your Body.

Seek Movement for the Right Reasons

I recently received the following email from a woman I'll call Jane.

Okay, exercise. Here's how I feel:
For every time I overeat or indulge, it feels like I can literally feel the poundage being added to my body! Exercise is an outlet, but it's also a way of feeling good and feeling in shape. But when I don't exercise, the exercise Nazi shows up and berates me for my laziness! My routine is important to me, but when I see myself having this type of reaction when I don't exercise, I realize it's not necessarily healthy. Also, confession. The days when I don't exercise, I try to eat less -- not quite restrict, but I def. make a conscious effort to try and not add excess calories. Lately around Joseph (the boyfriend), I feel very self conscious that I've put on weight. With my family back in town for the holidays, we have a lot more meals, have dessert with every meal, and indulge a lot more. When I was eating on my own schedule, I wouldn't eat if I wasn't hungry. Now, I eat cause it's dinner, and it's not always the food that I would choose for myself, or food that I feel good about eating. Like last Thursday - we had this cream sauce lasagna covered in cheese that my sister made. Then we had ice cream sundaes. I haven't been eating in excess, but having a meal like that makes me feel HEAVY! So there's got to be a balance between the extremes there - between not having any, and being able to enjoy some. And then ofcourse, wishing I could just eat "normally" - go out for chinese food with the rest of my family without becoming anxious about the calories involved.
And getting back to the place where exercise feels good, and not like a punishment. I'm interested in your take given that you work with people on the exercise/body front.
Thanks for your eyes!

I prefer to preface by saying I am not a therapist - I am a certified personal trainer who has battled her own exercise/body/food wars and who intends to find peace everyday through a therapeutic journey consisting of various personal routes of self care. If you've visited my blog before, you know my theme has become "self care"! If you've visited my blog before, you also know that I like to recommend therapists and nutritionists, etc. etc. etc. Please email me for referrals - carolineflow@gmail.com - If you want my personal response/feedback as a fitness/movement trainer who has found peace through movement, keep on reading!

I pasted this message from Jane because I think it's a common challenge. I also know Jane personally, so I know where she is on her journey. Please keep that in mind as I share my perspective, especially with the food advice. I only had a few minutes to write back, and it's about my bedtime tonight, but here's my take:

Jane,
While it's so hard, and it will take time to realize, your body truly takes care of itself more than you can imagine. I would be more concerned with eating emotionally regardless if it's, say, carrots v. cream-covered lasagna. I know carrots are less "body fat" threatening, but your body doesn't know that. It'll eat either one, then be full longer with the lasagna. So, there's the wisdom of the body.

A) Try not to label foods as good or bad. Chocolate, lasagna, brussel sprouts and pinto beans are all just food. I would say give yourself permission to all of it - but for a healthy, well-rounded diet that your body can perform on best, I'd say aim to eat the basics to nourish/sustain/fuel your body (veggies, dairy, whole grains, lean meats, healthy fats like nuts and olive oil) about 80-85% of your day/week, then the leftover 15-20% can be for the more processed/rich/tasty-treats that are more like to tingle your tastebuds than anything else!

B) About movement/exercise: Kudos to you, Jane, for recognizing that you might be using or viewing exercise in an unhealthy way. Sounds like you know the difference and need to work on being mindful about exercise and being kinder to yourself. Seek movement for the right reasons. Do it because it makes you feel good, strong, fit, revived, refreshed, light, energetic. If you do it to "burn calories", well, it'll take a hell of a lot of exercise to burn off a binge, so it's not even worth going down that thinking or doing path. You're better off putting that energy into thinking about what set you off to eat too much and/or taking care of yourself in the most loving way possible....And, as always, if you eat more than normal, just let your body catch up. Eat the next time you are hungry. And, if your family is having another LARGE meal, you never have to eat as much as they're serving you.

Post this note on your desk space "Seek movement for the right reasons" - Then, we can talk about some actual movement that can fit into your busy days better - so you can feel energetic, you can rest well at night, and you can still be as fit as you can be. ;)

C) Boundaries. Holidays are so heavy with family/friend obligations. Give yourself the gift of being mindful in how much you'll give and with whom you're sharing your energy and time.

Stay tuned as I write more to Jane about different ways to move to suit her moods, energy and time - as well as various routes of self care. Thanks for reading and staying in touch!