Measures of Progress

Many people look for weight loss as the ultimate reward for exercise. Losing weight takes time, and often beginners need to build the strength to support a cardio program for weight loss. Some mothers who are nursing will "hang on to" weight until months after lactation has ceased completely. We need to consider that there are other benefits of exercise, and we need to pay attention to those results as well, regardless of what the scale says.

Here are some things I expect you to see within the first few months of my program:

- less aches and pains
- increased range-of-motion
- increased strength
- increased energy
- increased sense of well being
- decrease in stress
- improved posture
- a shifting of weight- you may lose inches

These are all great reasons to exercise- stretching, strengthening and building cardiovascular fitness.

Remember that muscle weights more than fat. As we strengthen weight is shifted to lean muscle mass which burns more calories at rest, speeding up your metabolism. Do not look to the scale as the be-all measurement of our health and fitness. Do not allow it to discourage you when you consider all the other benefits you are feeling from your exercise. Keep working consistently and the weight loss will follow.

Also remember that not everyone is a Size 0 and we all settle naturally at a healthy weight once we adopt a healthy balanced lifestyle. I promise you that no matter what size you are wearing you will feel 100% better about yourself when you are incorporating exercise into your life. You will feel more relaxed, more toned, stronger- you will have better posture, more range of motion and more sex drive! You will crave crappy foods less and make more nutritious choices. The momentum of a dedicated fitness program is phenomenal.... and contagious.

Comments

I don’t have a Diastasis- Why is my abdomen still distended postpartum?

I get asked this question all the time! Here is my answer: Research has shown that 100% of pregnant women will develop some degree of diastasis recti. A diastasis is a lateral separation in the abdominal wall between the recti or “six pack”, due to a stretching of the midline connective tissue or “linea alba”. Although some diastasis will heal postpartum, in many cases a separation will remain without restorative exercise. Distention from DR will present as a doming in the midline. Women who heal a diastasis spontaneously or through restorative exercise may still find that their abdomens are distended, particularly after a meal and/or at the end of the day. If there is no diastasis, why is this? This abdominal distention does not occur in the midline, but rather across the entire abdominal wall. This is due to a weakened hypotonic TVA- transverse abdominis muscle. The TVA is the deepest anterior abdominal muscle, wrapping around the midsection like a girdle, with a left an...

Kate's Guide to Getting the Correct Sports Bra!

I wear an unusual size and it took me years to unlock the secrets to bra fitting (and finding!) I suffered for years in improperly fitting bras, and during exercise I would wear 2 or 3 just to get the support I needed. E very woman needs support while performing sports; not having proper support means that there is extra stress put on the back during various activities. Even low-impact exercise s done without the support of a sports bra can result in strain on the upper back and shoulders that can result in pain or worse- injuries that may develop over time. Sports bras affect a woman’s posture. Exercising without support can result in slouching to prevent painful bouncing which throws the back and hips out of alignment and impedes form, leading to potential injury. The most common mistakes are when women wear a bra that is too small in the cup and too loose around the body for example a 38e instead of a 36f. Note: When you go down a band size, go up a cup! Step ...

1000 Reps Time Challenge

I did another BodyRock workout today, a time challenge with 10 rounds of set reps of 2 exercises: High Knees (I did this without jump rope) Weighted Squat (I used a 5kg medicine ball which is about 11lbs) Here is the workout as posted: http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/12/21/exercise-challenge-drowning-in-your-own-sweat/ What I love about Zuzana's workouts is that they totally KICK my ass in a surprising way! Seriously after Round 2 of this looking at my time I thought I might not make the 10 full rounds, and set a goal to complete, and then have a sub 30:00. I had to rest between every round! These are hard! Here is my time count per round (I stopped the watch for about 2:00 between rounds!) I really made a push towards the end to get in under 30:00 TOTAL TIME: 27:45 Damn! See the pictures- fugly but functional I was working hard for these 1000 reps!I took these myself so bad angles and lighting and stuff, unlike Z's glamorous images so...... Can you beat me with m...

Kate Rita- Personal Trainer and Diastasis Expert

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