Posts Tagged ‘L Magazine’

For the past couple of years I’ve had the privilege of being a columnist for L Magazine.  I love writing that article every month and I’m very pleased that the good folks down at the Journal Star continue letting me do it.

In case you missed it, here’s my article from the March, 2010 issue…

Everybody Needs Rules!

One bad meal, one bad snack, one bad weekend – even one bad week – doesn’t ruin anything…so never give up.

I want you to keep that last sentence fresh in your mind the next time you find yourself mentally beating yourself up for eating poorly or skipping a workout…one minor set-back doesn’t matter.

Making those mistakes still stings a bit and I’m sure you’d like to stop making those mistakes.

Lucky for you, I’ve got a list of “sneaky tricks” that I fall back on whenever I find myself in a situation where I know I’ll mess up – parties, date night, family gatherings, etc.

If I know there’s a very good chance of my screwing up, I’ll dip into my bag of sneaky tricks and they help me from having the worthless feelings of guilt.

Remember last month we talked about sabotage, well these are more ways to keep you from sabotaging yourself.

1.    Eat a fiber-rich snack before a meal or going to a social event, along with a glass of water.

This trick is all about getting something filling in your stomach before your eyes and stomach do the thinking and you gorge on spinach dip.

If you eat something high in fiber before leaving the house, the fiber will fill you up a bit and mute your hunger alarm.

2.    Always have a “go to” food when you crave something bad, or for those times when you will turn to food for comfort.

This has to be a food(s) that is very simple, and healthy, and you will always have in your house.

For me, it’s pineapple and almonds – although not necessarily at the same time.

Those two foods are my crutch whenever I’m stressed and feel like eating something nasty.

More often than not, the craving is gone within a few short minutes of eating those foods.

3.    Learn to say NO!  Not so much a “trick” as it is a mentality, but it fits.

For some reason we have this mentality that if someone offers us dessert, we have to have it.

You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, so don’t let someone guilt you into eating their junk.

Saying “no” doesn’t mean you’re a jerk, so don’t allow yourself to feel that way.  Learn to politely decline and your body will be much happier.

4.    Have a couple rules you always stick to.

This one might sound a bit weird, but it does help.

For example, I don’t eat past a certain time.  Not because it’s magical, it’s because I understand my behavior and the type of food I normally eat at night.  But this is a rule I have and don’t break it.  I also have to start my day off with a homemade smoothie.  That’s a rule and I stick to it.

What rules can you come up with?  It doesn’t have to be something big, just a couple little things you know won’t be a problem, no matter the situation.

If you have anything special you’d like to share with everyone leave a comment below.

Have an awesome day!

Ed

I don’t know whether you receive “L Magazine” with your paper, or open it up to see my pretty face (with short hair) and read my articles but if you don’t, here’s my article from February.

The Saboteurs…

I love a good spy novel.   They shoot my heart rate through the roof, which usually means I stay up way past my bedtime.

The great books from that genre involve more or less the same thing – good guy must stop bad guy(s) before something very bad happens, BUT…

…There’s always a twist and it usually involves sabotage.

We’re not so different from those storylines, especially when it comes to sabotage when trying to accomplish something great.

Don’t believe me?

Think about the last time you’ve tried to make better choices with your diet and exercise and then think about some of the reasons you’ve failed.

More often than not you have either sabotaged yourself or let someone else sabotage you and the worst part is you may not even realize it.

Where’s Jason Bourne when you need him?!

The sabotage stops here and now and I’m going to help you by giving you a few of the most common saboteurs.

The most obvious saboteur is the social event.  When you’re at a party, the host usually does everything in their power to help you enjoy yourself and all too often that means drinks and lots of food.

If you are trying to avoid the fatness, you won’t have a plate in one hand and a drink in the other and the problem is the host and/or other party-goers will take that to mean you’re not having a good time and will pressure you into eating and drinking.

They think they’re helping you, when in actuality they’re sabotaging all your hard work.

The best action is to have a response already prepared and I’ll even let you lie if necessary.

Tell them the food was wonderful and you just put your plate down or that you have plans after the party and you don’t want to ruin your appetite.

Or if you really want to make some enemies, tell them you’re trying to lose weight and not be so fat…like them!  I don’t recommend that course of action if you fear the person or value your nose, lest they punch you.

One of my favorite saboteurs is the attempt to be perfect.  Being perfect with your workouts and diet won’t happen.  Never has and never will, so stop trying.

Plus everyone around you will hate you and that’s no fun.

My all-time favorite saboteur is the spouse who either knowingly or unknowingly sabotages all your hard work.

Sometimes when you set out to better yourself, your spouse isn’t on board or may think your route is silly.  Hopefully this only leads to a lack of support (which is pretty crappy in itself) but it can lead to that person making it nearly impossible for you to succeed.

I’ve known husbands who make it extremely difficult for their wives to come to boot camp.

I’ve known wives who stock the cupboards and refrigerator with their husband’s favorite junk foods – the foods he’s trying to avoid.

It’s pretty sad, but all you need to do to fix it is sit down and have a conversation about why your goals are important and ask for their support.  If they love you, they’ll give it.

Don’t let yourself become the prey of those common saboteurs.  Prepare yourself and you will succeed and maybe take out some bad guys along the way.

Have an awesome day!

Ed

Here’s the article I ran in the January 2010 issue of L Magazine…

What’s the old saying?  Rules are made to be broken?  I like that wise old adage.  In fact, I can remember breaking many a rule many years ago (and I’m sure you can too!).

Weight loss has some “rules” as well.  I don’t like some of these rules and I’m sure you don’t either so let’s break a few.  Scratch that, let’s smash these rules into teeny tiny bits so they’re never allowed to return and mess with your head.

By the way this list is for ladies only.  Sorry fellas.

The first rule to be smashed is that you need to weigh yourself…ever.

I hate scales.   All they do is make you depressed.  Some days it doesn’t budge, others it moves down a couple pounds and still others it jumps a couple pounds.

But the reason I included this rule is because it really misses the mark in determining whether or not you’re succeeding with your program.

What do you really want?  For instance, if I told you your waist would shrink by 4 inches but the scale wouldn’t budge would you care?

Absolutely not!  All you care about is what you look like, and more specifically what you look like naked while standing in front of a full-length mirror.

The second rule that should be smashed to smithereens is cardio is the best way to lose weight and get in shape.

It’s not.

The way most ladies do cardio takes too long and is incredibly boring plus your body gets used to it quickly and stops making progress.

If burning calories is the way you mark a good workout, you should know that you can burn just as many calories with a good resistance training workout as you can with cardio.  If it’s an awesome resistance training workout, you’ll burn a ton of calories during the workout AND for hours after you’ve completed the workout.

The catch is that you have to have the right program and you have to work the workout.  You can’t go through the motions and expect to see results.

Please don’t misunderstand.  Cardio can work and if you’d like to run for over an hour a day, be my guest.  But I’d rather give you a way to burn just as much, if not more fat in a fraction of the time and save your joints in the process.

The final rule to smash is resting.  I’m not a big fan of resting if your goal is weight loss.

This rule has always seemed a bit silly to me.  Do an exercise, then rest.  Do it again, then rest, etc.

Boring!

Let’s say I give you 3 exercises – Push-ups, Lunges and Burpees.  Do them one after the other for 5-7 minutes.  Then pick another group of 3 “big” exercises and repeat.

You’ve worked your entire body, you’re sweating and breathing heavy (just like cardio) and you’ll feel awesome.

It’s not as boring and you’ll be done much quicker.

See, it’s okay to break some rules of weight loss.  As a matter of fact, I highly encourage it!

If you have any questions or comments, let me know!

Talk to you soon,

Ed

In case you don’t receive L Magazine, or haven’t had a chance to read my column from the October ‘09 issue…

Let’s play “The Suppose” game.

Let’s suppose you decide to lose weight.

Let’s now suppose that in order to lose that weight you’re going to exercise.

Let’s also suppose you’re going to “watch what you eat” in order to lose that extra flubber.

Can we also suppose you’ll go to the gym, hire a trainer or buy a diet book?  Will you join a boot camp (hint, hint)?

Okay, now that we’ve “supposed” all those things, let me twist things around and make you think.

What is your first priority in this journey?

Is your first priority doing things the quickest way just to reach your goal?

Maybe your first priority is fitting into your clothes from high school and everything else be damned.

Is that right?  Are those good priorities?

Nope.

Sure they might get you to your goal and you might get there quickly, but you won’t stay there long.

You’ll revert back to your old self in no time and you’ll hate yourself in the process.

Now that I’ve painted that gloomy picture, I suppose I should tell you what your first priority should be.

Your first priority, whether you want to lose weight, get stronger, get rid of your gut, be “healthier”, or whatever else, should be your body.

Sounds simple, right?

But do you know what that actually means?

It doesn’t mean you should become a narcissist.

It also doesn’t mean you can flex your muscles in front of every mirror, ask random people to feel your “guns” or fix your hair and make-up every time you see your reflection.

Don’t get me wrong; wanting to look better is a great goal.  It’s always near the top of my list, but you need more than that.

Making your body your first priority means listening to and understanding what your body NEEDS and WANTS.

You have to understand that in order to successfully achieve and maintain your weight loss goals, your body needs more than to just “look good.”

Your body has certain nutrition and dietary needs that you should listen to.

Your body NEEDS a lot of fruits and vegetables, and other real foods like seeds and nuts in order to perform at its peak while also cutting out the processed junk that leaves you with inflamed joints, a whacked out digestive system, poor skin and hair health and a flabby gut.

Your body also NEEDS to move.  You have muscles for a reason – movement – and you don’t do near enough moving as you should.

Sitting for prolonged periods is the worst thing you can do for your body.  It hates sitting that long and it tries to tell you by giving you back problems, hip problems and a weak stomach.

Listen to your body and fix those problems.

You need to make your body your first priority.  If you do that, everything else will fall into place, including the “look better” goals, and you’ll be a much happier and healthier person.

In case you haven’t read my latest article in L Magazine, here it is.

Also, in case you didn’t know L is now available online at www.LMagazineLincoln.com.  It’s a pretty cool option they’ve given readers since they changed up their distribution process in the past year.

Anyway, here’s the article…

When it comes to fitness and weight loss, it’s been pounded into your head to have a goal.

Gotta have the goal, right?

It’s true, by the way.  You have to have at least one goal, and preferably many, if you want to succeed, but I want to ask you something.

How much closer to your goals are you today than you were 3 months ago?

Be honest.

Are you close?  Can you see the finish line?  Are you so stinkin’ happy you’re about to achieve something you’ve worked so hard at over the past few months?

Or have you let another 3 months slip by and are now kicking yourself because of it?

You were so excited then, weren’t you?  You had a clear-cut goal in mind and you were bound and determined you were going to get there.

But something happened…something always happens.

You got tied up with other “stuff.”

You let kids’ activities push your workout and nutrition plans to the backburner, then they went completely off the radar.

You went to a few too many golf events, had a few too many drinks and a few too many burgers, potato salads, ice creams, etc.

You let summer do what summer does best.

But you know what?

That’s okay.

All that stuff is in the past and today is a new day.

You can’t change what you did yesterday, but you have complete control of what you do TODAY and that’s all that matters.

Guys, if you want to get rid of that big ole’ gut, you can start right now.

Ladies, if you want to get rid of your “bye-bye” arms, you can start right now.

Do you want to be able to walk up a flight of stairs without panting like a dog on a hot summer day?

Don’t say you’ll start tomorrow, because tomorrow never comes.

Take charge right now.  Decide you want to change, and then do something about it.

That’s the key…

You can’t decide to change, get warm and fuzzy inside, then let the day get away from you.  You have to act.

Figure out what you want to do and how you’re going to do it…then DO IT!

Better yet, find someone to do it with.  Your spouse, a friend, sibling or co-worker.  It doesn’t matter who, just pick somebody who has similar goals.

Someone you can rely on when times get tough and kick you in the butt when needed.  Someone you can trust won’t back out on you and someone who won’t let you do the same.

So, what are you gonna do?  Let another couple months go by without doing anything?  Let this fall go by only to hop in the same carousel come January?

Or are you going to decide this time’s different, set some meaningful goals and go after them like N’damukong Suh goes after quarterbacks’ heads?

The choice is yours and only yours, but I have faith you’ll make the right one.