Woman to Woman Conference: Fitness Myths

The second workshop I attended during the Woman to Woman Conference this past Saturday was called Fitness Myths and was taught by Shannon Simmons (the Assistant Professor of Human Performance at Corban University). Here's a brief description of the breakout session from the brochure:

No pain, no gain? Walking is for wimps? Feel the burn? Dr. Simmons will help you separate the fitness MYTHS from fitness FACTS as she shares how to get healthy the smart way. Learn what is 'hype' and learn how to live a healthier life that can last the test of time and myths.

This was a great workshop, and for someone who made a New Year's resolution to exercise more (and for someone who is a chocoholic and a "snackoholic" and a "cookieoholic"--you get the idea!), this session offered some awesome tips on how to stay fit for life!

Now, it would be quite a long post if I shared all of the myths vs. truths that Dr. Simmons discussed, but I'll share a few of them along with some fabulous, practical tips on fitness:

Myth # 2: Losing weight = starving (ie: having to feel deprived).

Truth: Losing weight is not about deprivation but about consistency (ex: cut 100 calories a day from your normal diet, lose 10 pounds a year; but note that this works vice versa!).

Myth # 4: Late night eating causes weight gain.

Truth: Focus on the calories, not the time of day. (Consider your caloric intake for the whole day. A little healthy snack at night if you're hungry--preferably of two types, like a fruit and a carb--is fine if you ate well-balanced meals throughout the day. But don't eat too little during the day and then load up during the night!)

Myth # 8: I need a lot of equipment [to work out properly].

Truth: Move your body! Just get active. Equipment, the gym, etc.--all those sorts of things are nice and useful, but the point is just to get moving in some way!

At the end of the session before the Q & A time, Dr. Simmons discussed tips for living an overall healthy lifestyle, which made a lot of sense to me. Here are some of them:

• Short term does not equal success.
  
• Change one small thing at a time.
• Find a healthy lifestyle that suits you, not someone else.
  
• Be yourself; enjoy the journey.

I confess that I felt kind of like an expert after this session, and I'm afraid I offended someone recently by putting down their personal effort to try and be healthy. I don't want to do that again, so please note that I don't have all the answers. (I'm sure you were quite aware of that before!) ;) I was just really encouraged by Dr. Simmons' talk, and I think she had a lot of helpful advice to share!

Sometimes it's daunting to think about trying to be healthy. But just consider making one small life-change at a time. For example, Dr. Simmons talked about replacing one unhealthy food you eat everyday with a healthier option (except for one day a week, in moderation).

Or perhaps you could establish a short exercise schedule a few days a week that you enjoy and that you can do rain or shine, every week. For me so far this year, it's been the video workout I brought with me to school this semester--I can work out in my room three days a week without worries. And the best part of all? I enjoy it! It's fun! If you can find something fun to do to get moving, you are golden! ;)

Fulfilling the Resolution: Exercising

Exercising. It's on quite a few New Year's Resolutions lists, I'm sure. It certainly was on mine!

But how to go about fulfilling such a resolution? There is a gym on the campus of my school, so I can go and work out there. I could take a walk outside. And I'm sure similar options are available to you, as well.

However, there are those days when it's raining (or snowing!), and you don't want to leave your safe, warm house. Or there are days when you simply don't want to be surrounded by others at the gym. Whatever the reason, it's nice to just stay at home. But there's no reason why you still can't get in a good workout!

That's why workout videos are such a great help. To be sure, some of them are goofy or strange. But find the right one, and workouts can be fun!

While at home this Christmas break, I've revisited one of my old favorites: Prevention Fitness Systems 3-2-1 Workout on DVD. I love it! The video comes with a warm-up, 6 different 6 minute circuit workouts, and a cool-down. Each workout is themed (you know how I love themes!), from boxing, to dancing, to yoga. And each workout is broken down as follows:

"3 minutes of cardio moves"
"2 minutes of strength training"
"1 minute of ab exercises"

The person leading the workout (Chris Freytag) is really sweet, and the workouts are high energy but not too difficult to follow. In fact, once you do the whole workout for a while (which is about 40 minutes long, I believe), it will come second nature.

I'm not a doctor, so I can't say for sure how this workout compares to others or who should or should not do it. But if you're generally healthy and are looking for a fun way to get a well-rounded workout, look no further than the 3-2-1 Workout! You can order the DVD on Amazon.com--just click HERE to take a look.

Now, I'm off to go do the 3-2-1 Workout!