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Wenatchee Fitness Blog is following a local Wenatchee blogger named Shelley.  Her blog, named "Fat, Interrupted." is filled with Shelley's 'random thoughts and experiences while trying to become less woman.'

I feel like my body is revolting.  No, well, yes, it isn't pleasant to look at but I don't mean that kind of revolting this time.  I feel like my body was perfectly happy the way it was and I'm really pissing it off with all this fitness crap.  For the last two weeks, I've been up and down 2 to 2.5 lbs and it's making me a crazy person.  See, the last time I tried to lose weight seriously, I lost 16 pounds in 6 weeks doing this:

Now, I'm doing this:

And I've lost 16 pounds in 5 weeks.  Which, comparatively, sounds fab.  16 in 5 vs. 16 in 6.  Victory!  But it doesn't feel that way.  It feels like I'm working 10 times as hard to get the same results.  I would have to be at 25 lbs lost by the end of this week to be on goal for my challenge target.  So I got to thinking....

Maybe I'm putting way too much pressure on myself for the challenge.  Honestly, other than working out for TWO hours a day, SEVEN days a week and reducing my caloric intake to that of a 2-year-old, I can't think of anything I could be doing differently.  And until I can afford a maid, a chauffer, someone to do my errands and basically handle everything in my life, that two hours isn't going to happen.  So I guess it's time to change the thought processes and stop beating myself to a pulp.

I need to focus on the life change, not the challenge. 
I need to remember that it took me a long time to get this way, and it will take a long time to change it.  I don't have to be The Biggest Loser and drop 10 lbs a week in order to be successful.  If I had nothing to do with my time other than work out, I could probably do the 10 lb thing.  But I have stuff to do.  Lots of stuff.  I'm a mom and I have to work and I have to do everything to take care of my fam.  Because I'm the only one to do it. 

 

fat, interrupted by Shelley English

 
- one package lean ground turkey
- one cup hummus
- one cup finely chopped spinach
- 2-3 cloves finely chopped garlic
- minced capers
- minced sundried tomatoes
 
Mix and grill.
 
sauce:
 
- one laughing cow
- lemon juice
- finely minced fresh garlic
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
- diced cucumber
 

serve on a whole wheat sandwich thin...yummy!

We get it. We’re fat. Americans are fat. Europeans are fat. And the rest of the globe is quickly catching up. And, yes, excess weight is very, very bad. Gaining too much weight boosts your risk of cancer, heart disease and, well, 17 other terrible things that we’ve written about before.

So, do our chubby thighs and seems-like-we’ll-never-shed-it baby weight always spell disaster? Is there any silver lining at all? Maybe. Here are four surprising things you may not know about weight—and why a few extra pounds aren’t always as bad as you think.

MYTH No. 1: A high BMI means you need to shed pounds.

FACT: Body mass index, or BMI, is a good starting to point to determine if you’re in shape because it is a simple number that takes into account both height and weight. (You can easily check your BMI using a calculator). But it isn’t perfect—far from it.

BMI does not take into account physical fitness or bone structure, and it doesn't differentiate between weight gained at a muscle-building camp or weight gained at McDonald’s.

So if you’re packing a lot of muscle—say, if you’re a bodybuilding male—you may end up with a BMI in the obese range. (For example, at the peak of his bodybuilding career, Arnold Schwarzenegger had a BMI of 33, which is considered obese.)

Keri Gans, a registered dietitian and American Dietetic Association spokesperson, measures her clients’ BMI during a consultation, but takes the number with a grain of salt. “The key is muscle,” she says. “A bodybuilder might have a BMI that’s almost obese, when he’s just really, really built with a lot of muscle.”

MYTH No. 2: Weight loss is always good, no matter how you achieve it.

FACT: Yo-yo dieting can strain the heart, cause gallstones, and disturb your metabolism. It’s better to adopt a healthy diet and exercise program and lose weight steadily—experts generally recommend a pound a week—than to crash diet and shed tons of weight, only to rapidly gain it back.

Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are very different from crash and yo-yo dieting, but they pose many of the same health risks and also are potentially life-threatening. Anorexia and bulimia can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and other serious problems due to electrolyte imbalances. Purging, or repeated vomiting, can put a serious strain on the heart and damage teeth due to stomach acid exposure.

Gans says it is “much better and healthier” to be five or 10 pounds overweight than to constantly lose and gain weight.

MYTH No. 3: Slender equals healthy.

FACT: Sure they look good, but those skinny people may not be any healthier than heavier people—particularly if they have a cigarette hanging from their lips.

People who are relatively thin can still carry unhealthy fat internally. This fat is called visceral fat, and it pads vital organs. Thin people who carry internal fat are still at risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, says Gans.

“Just because you’re thin doesn’t mean you’re walking away scot-free from disease,” she says. Anyone, thin or not, could be at risk of heart disease or diabetes due to his or her genetic makeup. People often assume that type 2 diabetes is caused by eating too much and exercising too little, but, in reality, about 20% of people with diabetes are thin, and that’s generally due to genetics.

What’s more, smokers are particularly at risk for illness. Some people smoke to curb their appetite (thereby staying skinny), but cigarettes can cause lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease.

A 2008 study found that one in four normal-weight people had at least two metabolic factors (such as high triglycerides, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar) in the abnormal range.

MYTH No. 4: Fat is fat, and it’s always bad.

FACT: Not all fat is created equal. New research suggests that even if two people are equally overweight, one may be much healthier than the other.

For one, people who carry fat around their midsection are at greater risk for illness than their pear-shaped counterparts, who carry weight in the hips, buttocks and thighs. Belly fat has been linked to a greater risk of erectile dysfunction, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and other conditions.

But it goes deeper. Some people with extra pounds tend to accumulate fat in their liver; others the same size do not. Researchers now think that obese people with fatty liver deposits are at much greater risk than those without them, particularly because they are prone to insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes. The problem? It’s hard to tell who’s who. In reality, extra weight is bad for anyone, but it’s clearly worse for some people than others.

Whether you can be “fit and fat” is still hotly debated, but physical activity and a healthy diet do tend to offset the risks of being overweight, says Gans. Of course, it depends on how overweight a person is; if you’re only slightly overweight but still active, you may be less likely to experience health problems like high cholesterol or heart disease.

Although the term fit tends to be subjective, much of a person’s fitness is based on how quickly his or her heart rate returns to normal; the quicker the heart can recover, the better shape it’s in. So if you’ve hit a stubborn weight plateau, keep working out anyway—you’re doing your heart and lungs a favor.

Gans agrees. “You don’t need to be thin to be fit,” she says.



You’ve mastered the cable cross-over and amped up your push-up. Now it’s time to perfect your form on a set of skills that often get overlooked at the gym: your manners.

We spoke to author and etiquette expert Dan Post Senning (great-great-grandson of the original maven of manners, Emily Post!) and Ramona Braganza about what constitutes courteous—and crass—behavior at the gym.

IN THE LOCKER ROOM

Do: Towel It Up, Dude
Let’s just get right to the point. Not everyone is cool with nudity. Yes, the human form is a beautiful thing. And we get that you’re proud of the work you’ve done and the way your body looks. But given the semipublic nature of the gym locker room, save those hour-long looks in the mirror for your bedroom.

“You’re not there to be on display, or to preen and promenade about,” Senning says. “You have some liberties to be naked, to shower, to get dressed and undressed, but out of consideration for others, exercise a little bit of modesty.”

Don’t: Burn Through Your “Anytime” Minutes
This rule definitely applies to every area of the gym: Save the cell-phone conversations and marathon email sessions for outside the gym. Most people see the gym as a chance to tune out from telephones and email—so whether you’re running late to work after your early-morning workout or letting the kids know that you’re on your way home, keep your phone calls, text messages and emails short.

“The same rules apply as in a restaurant,” Senning says. “Out of respect for your fellow diners and the owners of the establishment, you wouldn’t carry on a conversation in the middle of the dining room floor, so don’t do so in the locker room.”

Do: Wash Your Hands
This might seem like a no-brainer for most folks, but a quick reminder never hurts: Clean hands are a must for anyone heading out to the gym floor to use cardio equipment or weight machines. (And just to be extra courteous and hygienic, wipe down those machines when you’re done using them.)

AT THE WEIGHT ROOM

Don’t: Create a Slip-n-Slide
Most people go to the gym with the express purpose to sweat, but do a favor for everyone queued up behind you at the bench and wipe down the area when you’re done.

Do: Keep the Noises to a Minimum
A small expression of exertion—a sigh or long breath—are perfectly acceptable; grunting, groaning, weights slamming and other Olympic-lifting noises are better suited for, well, the Olympics. If you’re planning to bench some scream-inducing weight, schedule your workout for an off-peak time.

Don’t: Offer a Tutorial
“As a trainer, it bugs me when people try to correct my form,” Braganza admits. “Whether they’re using it as a pickup line or trying to show off how much they know, it’s just rude to offer unsolicited advice.”

Of course, if someone is clearly attempting an unsafe movement or is on a crash course with injury, definitely offer a helping hand or alert a member of the gym staff.

Do: Get Help
Never be afraid to ask for advice or for a spot. If you don’t feel comfortable asking a fellow gym member, then look for a Gold’s Gym trainer.

Don’t: Double-Dip
Repeat after us: I can only use one machine at one time. Don’t try to reserve the hip sled by throwing a towel on it while you finish that set of lat pull downs or take a 10-minute break to chat with a buddy. We understand you want to get the most muscle burn in the shortest time, but there are other people who want to use the hip sled and the lat pull down.

Do: Ask to Share
Instead of tapping your foot and checking your watch over and over while you wait for the chest press, ask your fellow gym member if you can switch out sets. That said, if you can see that two people are already sharing a machine then just keep moving. Two is company, but three is a crowd.

 

ON THE CARDIO FLOOR

Do: Limit Your Screen Time
Sure, you get a little ego boost every time you whip out that iPad or Kindle, but be sure to watch the clock—or even set the alarm. When lines of members are waiting to use the machines, focus on your workout rather than on your epic Angry Birds battle.

“E-tablets have a tendency to draw people in so they lose awareness of the people and environment around them,” Senning says, meaning that those intense 20 minutes you planned to spend on the recumbent bike may stretch to a leisurely 45. Which brings up another point…

Don’t: Hog the Machines
Most gyms assign time limits to the machines, especially during peak hours. Pay attention to how long you’ve used a piece of equipment when other people are vying for a turn, and give someone else a chance when that time is up. “If you want to get in a 40-minute run at 6 p.m., switch cardio machines halfway through,” Braganza recommends.

Do: Share the Water Fountain
After a monster, water-bottle-emptying workout, you head to the fountain to refill your Nalgene when a parched yet water-bottle-less lad sidles up behind you. In this situation, Braganza offers this tip: Step aside and let the dude quickly quench his thirst before you spend five minutes commandeering the faucet. Hopefully, the next time you forget your water bottle at home, someone will return the favor.

Don’t: Forget the Deodorant
“The No. 1 rule of gym etiquette is to be clean,” Senning says. That means wearing deodorant and antiperspirant at all times, and putting on a fresh pair of clean clothes. The Emily Post Institute even recommends asking a person you trust to give you a quick sniff test every now and again. “Have them evaluate your breath, body odor and even hair—things you yourself may overlook sometimes,” Senning explains.

 

IN A GROUP FITNESS CLASS

Do: Leave the Front Row to the Pros
While everyone should try out new classes, nothing bursts Yoga Zen faster than a person who keeps falling out of a pose directly in your line of sight. Don’t ruin a Zumba routine for your fellow classmates by taking center stage on your first go-around.

“Stay near the instructor but to the far left or far right, so you’re not interrupting others’ concentration,” Braganza says.

Don’t: Make a Beeline for the Door
“What tends to happen is that people gather outside the door before the class begins, then when it’s time to enter, everyone bum-rushes the studio,” Braganza says. To avoid a stampede situation, hang back and let the pushy pushers go in first. It’s not like the class is going to start any earlier for them.

That said, if a certain fitness class is constantly overcrowded, talk to the gym staff about creating a sign-up sheet.

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