A few days ago, Stephen & I were discussing my future in helping people get fit and the fact that I am my "own first client." [Stephen has actually agreed to be my second client, and I'm helping him already work on his eating and exercise and blood sugars -- he is diabetic.]
Five years ago, I was in great shape, 137 lbs, size 7/8, and I felt great. Now, I am back up into a size 12 (although I can now fit into my 10's, snugly!). In the midst of that discussion a few days back, he asked me: "How did you get out of shape?" The obvious answer is, I ate too many french fries, drank too much wine, stopped working out like a fiend. But really when it gets down to it, that's not it.
A few years ago, someone I loved died. Within months of that, my Mom almost died. She has been struggling with her health ever since, and it has been an excruciating, uphill battle watching her change from an independent, vibrant older woman to a frail, dependent old lady. These past few years have been an emotional roller coaster for me, and in talking about it, I realized: I stopped caring about myself, about my health and about my future. I gave up.
When you think about what it is that causes you to overeat, sit on the couch and not take care of yourself and get fat, it IS food, but it's so much more than just food and exercise. Your emotions have a HUGE role in how you much you eat, whether or not you work out, and even how you metabolize food. Let me explain.
If you've ever watched "The Biggest Loser" (when is it back on, by the way?), you've noticed a really weird thing that happens to the contestants: the weeks where they're dealing with their emotional baggage are the weeks they lose no weight or gain weight. It's inevitable. I'm not sure what it is (although I intend to research it and post more on it in the future), but something happens to your body when you're unhappy or stressed that causes you to be fat.
What I do know about it is this: when you have an unhappy encounter, your body releases cortisol, the stress hormone that causes you to have belly fat; your blood pressure rises; your heart rate increases. I learned all of this information from a book called "The L Factor," which is a book all about likability and how being a likable person can improve everything in your life, from friendships to saving your job in a bad economy. Now I'm wondering, do these stress reactions have a corresponding effect on a person's weight?
At any rate, when I hit a size 12 last year, I decided enough was enough. I am still here, and as long as I am on this planet, I need to take care of the one body God has given me, respect the fact that food and exercise are in my life for good, and try to stay as positive as possible. This is not an easy feat right now, but the more I exercise, the better I feel.
Prayer for the day: God, thank you for allowing the difficulties in our lives to make us stronger, more compassionate people. Help us to handle it with grace and faith (and chocolate, when necessary). amen.
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