The 6 Things in your House Keeping you FAT…
and what you can do about it today.
Day after day, year after year, we fall into the comfort of a routine. We know pretty much how each day is going to play out. We get up in the morning and go through our morning ritual, get the kids off to school, get on with our day, then get home and relax in front of the tv. We are living the American Dream. Guess what? This comfortable routine of ours is keeping us fat. In our efforts to live healthier lives, there are several things we continue to overlook. Here’s a quick breakdown of a few things that could be keeping us fat and what we can do about it today.
The Bathroom Scale.
Getting on the scale can set you up for instant defeat because you can weigh up to 5 pounds more within the same day. Not to mention, muscle weighs more than fat, so if you’re working out, it can appear that you’re gaining weight instead of losing it. Don’t torture yourself anymore! Put away the scale and get out the tape measure. Just measure your waist and hips every 2-1/2 weeks. You can measure at your natural waist, just above your navel and then at your hips, just below your hip bones and around the widest part of your butt. You will always drop inches before you drop pounds. Seeing the reduction of numbers on the tape measure will keep you motivated and be cause for monthly celebrations.
The Pantry.
I’ve tried the whole ‘nature’s candy’ thing with my kids but they don’t buy it. They’re like,’ Mom, it’s not candy, it’s fruit’. So if you’ve given in, you probably have snacky stuff in your pantry. That’s fine as long as you can keep your hands off of it. I can’t be trusted so this is what I do. I fill a snack basket once a week. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. It totally keeps me on the straight and narrow. I don’t want anyone to think I’m the big fat pig that is taking food out of the mouths of children. The snack basket works in harmony with your civilized nature. All you have to do now is stock a few healthy snacks in the pantry for yourself like roasted nuts or dried cherries. I have my husband give me 2-3 pieces of dark chocolate at a time and hide the rest. If I had access to the whole bag, I’d eat it. Knowing your weaknesses can make you strong.
The Kids.
The after-school activities, the birthday parties and the general whining are a test of will power. Moderation is the only key that fits. Rushing to get to or from soccer or ballet makes the drive-thru a logical choice. I really try to limit this because it’s not good for any of us. I pack homemade sandwiches, apples and carrot sticks. It takes some extra work and everyone gripes but it makes the drive-thru extra special when we do hit it. Do I eat cake at birthday parties? Yes, but only if it’s chocolate and it looks good. I never eat it just to eat it. I still haven’t solved the whole ‘taking the kids for ice cream’ ordeal. I pray for the ice cream to start dripping so I can ‘help’ them by snatching up their cones and licking all the way around the sides while they’re yelling “Mom! Stop!!!!! You’re eating it all!” I’ll let you know when I get that one worked out.
The TV.
Did you know that the average person makes time to watch 4 hours of television a day? Yet, the #1 excuse not to exercise is lack of time. Go figure. Why not try a little multi-tasking and do both. My best girlfriend just had a baby and has given me every excuse in the book for why she’s not exercising BUT she can tell me all about what was on television from 5:30 – 10:30pm last night…apparently, I’m really missing out. I told her to march in place in front of the television. She laughed so hard she almost peed her pants. Why does that seem so funny? It’s not like I asked her to play the trombone while she was marching in front of the tv! You can do almost anything in the privacy of your own home, so why not? Just think, you could knock out 20 minutes of physical activity during your favorite show. Sounds like the best of both worlds.
The Computer.
Consider the computer the television’s younger, smarter brother that digs fat chicks. Again if you’re sitting in front of the computer, you’re body is not active. Put a limit on yourself. Set the timer. We limit our children’s computer time so let’s try to parent ourselves as well. My kids earn computer time with chores…so how about earning time with physical activity. For every minute of physical activity, give yourself 2 minutes of computer time. What are you really doing on there anyway? I remember a time when there were no computers…I was in much better shape then. In school, I typed my papers on a typewriter, remember those?! I couldn’t wait to NOT be sitting at the typewriter. Try imposing a little discomfort on your office space. I recently removed the super comfy computer chair that felt like it was hugging you from my home office. I replaced it with this really uncomfortable, small, ladder-back chair from the kitchen. The discomfort makes me want to get my computer stuff done and move on.
The Bedtime.
Most of us are not getting enough sleep. We get up early and start our day, then get to bed late trying to make the most of the hours we have left. When the human body doesn’t get enough sleep each night, there is a breakdown of important processes that keep us healthy. Studies show that people who get less than 7 hours of sleep are much more likely to be overweight or obese. The hormones that regulate appetite and repair the body’s cells are disrupted by lack of adequate sleep. People that get enough sleep enjoy less stress, healthier bodies and better moods, not to mention the absence of bags and circles under the eyes. They don’t call it beauty sleep for nothing. Try going to bed 30minutes earlier than usual, even if you’re not tired. I have a feeling you’ll fall asleep when your head hits the pillow. Nighty, night!
Gimme Ten!
Do you have a tough time getting in the mood to exercise?
Then GIMME TEN.
If you will commit to doing any kind of physical activity for just ten minutes, you will start to:
Feel the endorphin rush in your brain
Get your heart-rate up
Increase circulation & blood flow
Release stress and tension
Sweat
Engage the mind/body connection
By committing to ten minutes, you can actually get the motivation you need to continue a full-body workout. Once you’re in the mood, Gimme Ten of the following exercises in this sequence for an easy, exercise circuit, then repeat the full sequence as many times as you want:
Push-ups
Squats
Jumping Jacks
Old-School Sit-ups
I’ll let you in on a little something…I made up Gimme Ten for myself. Although I eat, sleep and breathe fitness, sometimes I just don’t want to do it. I have a hot pink sticky note on the door of my studio that says ‘Gimme Ten’. I know it always works for me, without fail. It works for my clients when they are scheduled to workout on their own, and it will work for you too.
Remember ‘Gimme Ten’ when:
You just want to stay in bed
When you just want to come home from work and put your feet up
When you can think of 10 billion things to do other than exercise
Let yourself get motivated and do something physical for just ten minutes…you’ll be so glad you did!
Susie Shina is the owner of Fitness180, author of the new fitness flip-book 60 Second Circuits, and contributing writer for My Fit Tribe, ClarkBartram Fitness and Buzzle. She leads fitness and nutrition seminars for women and is publishing a new cookbook due out this fall.
Our Competitive Human Nature!
I‘m 5‘11“and leggy…surprisingly, I’m not a natural runner. That being said, I ‘ran’ a 5k race for charity not too long ago. After the pack thinned out, I was just sort of running my own race. Next thing I knew some woman twice my age, wearing a crocheted sweater over her sweatpants was passing me. I heard that voice in my head say, “oh, hell no…“and I picked up my pace and started hauling it. I would NOT be beaten.
What was up with the sudden rush of competition? I’ll tell you what it was…
My ego.
We’ve all felt it. That deep, almost animalistic urge to compete. Since the beginning of time, we, as a human race have competed for everything from food to love. There is nothing like the feeling of overcoming, conquering, squashing, rolling over, pummeling, or stomping our competition. Pretty exciting , huh?
Our egos kick into high gear the minute we perceive someone is ‘better’ than us. Fitness ability, weight, looks, money, kids, or the lasagna they make, whatever…there will always be someone who seems to be, do or have more. What about the flip-side of this? What about when we are on the receiving end, being perceived as fitter, thinner, better-looking, with loads of money, gifted kids and mad kitchen skills?
What if we let it all go. Let go of the competition. Instead of competing, we focused on cooperation. I’m not one to hug trees, I’m just talking about working together for the greater good so to speak. Imagine allowing yourself to be inspired by those people that are doing, being and having what you want. Then in return, reaching out and inspiring, motivating and helping other people to be their best too. We can check our egos at the door with these 3 things:
Focus on your personal best.
Have the confidence to see the awesomeness in others.
Be willing to share what you know.
Striving for our personal best has nothing to do with anyone else…non-competitive, it’s a personal best. Seeing the greatness in others can help us be aware of what we want to achieve. Sharing what we know is a testament to our own awesomeness. If we let go of the competition, focus on cooperation, and aim to achieve our personal best, we can all get what we’re looking for.
Instead of trying to show that woman that I could beat her and her crocheted sweater into the ground, I could have run my own race, congratulated her at the end, been inspired by her ability and shared some training tips with the two people that finished behind me. I have a feeling there will be other opportunities to get it right.
Susie Shina is the creator/author of 60Second Circuits: 1000 exercise combos to Get your Body Back! Susie is the creator of Fit Enough™ and continues to be a sought -after expert fitness resource and contributing writer for several publications and websites.
© 2008 Team Shina Go! Inc. www.60SecondCircuits.com Fit Enough™
Gotta Start Somewhere!
Everyone, and I mean everyone, is in a different place in their quest for fitness and improved health. We all have something in common though, and it’s this…we all want to be better than we are today.
In this effort to succeed, we become overwhelmed by the goals we set for ourselves. The question that rolls around in our heads is, “How in the world am I ever going to get there?!” Thinner, faster, stronger, leaner, healthier…it’s all the same when it is feels like it’s a million miles away. So what do you do?
You gotta start somewhere so start where you are.
Whether you’re just beginning a fitness routine with the goal of walking to the end of your street and back or if you’re on the crazy train to a triathlon, you still have to start where you are. It’s all relative!
I remember after I had my first child and was just trying to fit into something besides maternity clothes. It was a daunting task to lose all that weight and go from bed-rest to bikini! I would go to the gym and be in awe of these super fit, thin, tight, beautiful people. Discouraged? Yep… but I still went every day. I became great friends with one of the super fit. She told me something after her first triathlon that continues to resonate with my soul…
She said that after her first race, she approached a top finisher asking for a little wisdom for her next race. This elite athlete told her very simply to ‘Swim your swim. Bike your bike. Run your run.“ In other words, you gotta start somewhere so start where you are. These words inspired me to buckle down and get it done. I figured if it worked for triathletes, then it’s got to work for me!
I now live by a short set of simple rules. These rules allow me to start where I am where ever that might be and have gratitude for each success. Here they are in all their simplicity:
Live in the present.
Love who you are today.
Let go of the competition.
Focus on YOU.
Be inspired by others.
Be an inspiration.
Take a good look at where you are and where you want to be. Your path is yours. If you will start where you are, focus on your daily successes and truly enjoy the journey, you will definitely be better than you are today.
Susie Shina is the creator/author of 60Second Circuits: 1000 exercise combos to Get your Body Back! Susie is the creator of Fit Enough™ and continues to be a sought -after expert fitness resource and contributing writer for several publications and websites.
© 2008 Team Shina Go! Inc. www.60SecondCircuits.com Fit Enough™
Beauty Rest Basics: 8 Secrets to a Great Night’s Sleep
(It’s easier and more important than you think!)
If there’s one thing I do really well, it is sleep. I love a good afternoon nap, I go to bed early and always wake up refreshed and excited to start my day. If you hate me, you’re not alone. My husband is a night-owl, wakes up on the wrong side most mornings and thinks napping is for babies. He can’t understand how I can fall asleep in 30 seconds and not be bothered by the neighbors’ barking dog or our 6 year-olds’ nightly ghost sightings. Everyone is entitled to a great night’s sleep… It’s more important than you think! These are the things that work for me each and every night:
Invest in a sleep mask. I’ve been wearing a sleep mask for over twenty years. It really helps shut out the rest of the world leaving you to take care of business.
Take it all off. That’s right, get naked. Wash your face, brush your teeth and take off all of your clothes. You’ve been wearing clothes all day… give your body a well deserved break.
Move your clock. Put your clock on the other side of the room. Seeing what time it is can stress you out. It shouldn’t matter what time it is until the alarm goes off in the morning.
Limit the alcohol. I have a glass of wine every night. More than a heavy handed glass will make your body metabolize the sugar and you’ll wake up in the middle of the night when it does. Ugh.
Hot sex. Forget the sleeping pills. The very best sleep aid is great sex. Even if you think you’re not in the mood, give it a go and enjoy the sleep that comes after.
Turn the TV off. Lulling yourself to sleep with the TV fills your mind with the images you’ve been shown. Give your brain the chance to work out the stuff that is specific to your life each night.
Close the kitchen. Try not to eat anything 2 hours before you go to bed. Your body will be able to burn extra calories for its’ nightly tune-up instead of digesting food.
Write it down. If something is weighing on your mind, write it down before you go to bed. If you do wake-up in that alert state in the middle of the night, go ahead and get up. It’s your creative spirit trying to get some stuff done.
So now you know my secrets for a great night’s sleep. But why is sleep so important? Just like you have things to do during the day to keep things running smoothly, your body has a job to do at night to keep you in prime condition so you are able to do what you do. Here are a few of the great benefits of sleep:
The hormones that regulate appetite are released only when you get 7 or more hours of sleep each night. These hormones help you maintain your weight effortlessly!
The body repairs itself from the harmful effects of stress while you sleep. This greatly reduces your risk of depression.
Enough sleep bolsters your memory, makes you more productive during your waking hours and improves your overall mood.
The hormone melatonin is produced during your sleep cycle. This is thought to protect against cancers and suppresses the growth of tumors.
Sleep reduces inflammation of the organs, reduces stress on the heart and regulates blood pressure.
Cells regenerate during adequate sleep offering the very best anti-aging solution around. Don’t forget how great you look without those bags and circles under your eyes!
Sleep is the cornerstone of health and best of all you can do it with your eyes shut!
Susie Shina is the creator/author of 60Second Circuits: 1000 exercise combos to Get your Body Back! Susie is the creator of Fit Enough™ and continues to be a sought -after expert fitness resource and contributing writer for several publications and websites.
© 2008 Team Shina Go! Inc. www.60SecondCircuits.com Fit Enough™.
Be who you are!
There is something so genuine about seeing children doing their thing. They don’t have the self-imposed beliefs and rules that adults feel like they have to live by. They are true to their being. Completely connected to their inner-most selves and disconnected from what is ‘expected’ of them.
I found myself living this way for about 2 hours on a Sunday night and haven‘t looked back.
I’m a huge music fan but don’t get out much…you know, kids and stuff. We were lucky enough to get a sitter and tickets to the sold- out Rancid show. It started out as a very nostalgic night because their music is on the soundtrack of my youth.
As soon as the show started, I was taken to another place within myself. For 2 hours, I was the real me. I was living in the now. Nothing else mattered. I was in it like the world was going to end. I left changed and nothing has been the same since.
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve said, ‘be who you are’, I might be living on my own private island by now. Here’s the deal, I don’t think many of us know how to be who we are anymore.
We’ve been so wrapped up in what we think we are supposed to be doing, how we are supposed to be living that we’ve lost our connection to who we really are. I’m seeing now how much we are all living in a shell of what we think we’re expected to be. Living life without heart and soul is not actually living.
You know when you’re alone and you talk to yourself (I can’t be the only one here!) and you just let your real self out…what would happen if that real self were out all the time? Living free and in the present is just like that. It’s liberating. It’s beautifully connected. If we, our society, could drop the pretensions, stay connected with our souls and just be who we are, I think we would truly be able to experience the essence of life…whether we have babysitters or not.
Susie Shina is the creator/author of 60Second Circuits: 1000 exercise combos to Get your Body Back! Susie is the creator of Fit Enough.™ and continues to be a sought -after expert fitness resource and contributing writer for several publications and websites.
© 2008 Team Shina Go! Inc. www.60SecondCircuits.com Fit Enough™.
5 Simple Ways to INSTANTLY Improve your Health Today.
(psst…it has nothing to do with diet or exercise!)
Mind, body, spirit…it’s today’s mantra for a healthy life. Hmmm….mind, body, spirit…It sounds like you have to meditate, take a bunch of yoga classes and do a dietary detox to get any sort of benefit. Not true. There are many ways you can better your life forever with little effort. The following ideas not only make your life free and easy but they are actually easy and free too!
Move the television OUT of your bedroom.
Your bedroom serves purpose to two of the most important areas in your life – sleep and sex. Most likely, you’re not getting enough of either one and it’s the television’s fault. Moving your television out of your bedroom will shift the focus – if there is nothing else to do in there you might get lucky…or at the very least, get some extra sleep. Along with the television, also get the laundry that needs to be folded, the ironing, and the unused exercise equipment out of your bedroom. Anything that does not enhance your sleep or your sex life has got to go. Try it for a week. If you’re doing it right, you’ll know you’re not missing out on a single thing.
Enjoy the art of social dining.
This might seem difficult if you have kids but every meal doesn’t have to play out like an eating contest. Set your kitchen timer for 20 minutes and make your meal last until the very end. I started doing this after my husband and I dined at a 5-star restaurant. It was a 6 course meal with wine pairings, very fancy and although I can’t remember what we ate, I can tell you that there wasn’t a lot of it. We laughed about how we would have to pick up a pizza on the way home…there was no way this would be enough food. Surprise, surprise…by the fifth course, I was full. The meal took 3 hours which is extreme if you have a life but it works just the same way with 20 minutes. That’s how long it takes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s full. So it doesn’t matter what you eat just make it last for 20 minutes. Satisfaction guaranteed…you might also have a chance to reconnect with your family too.
Look through your closet.
Look through your closet and take out everything that is not your current size. Now pack it up and give it away. I can hear the “but’s” right now. ‘But’ here’s the deal, if you can’t wear it now, what’s the point in it taking up precious space. If something is too small, it is depressing. If something is too big, you should be celebrating. I found this pair of cream linen short-shorts that I wore before I had kids. I held them up and thought ‘I can’t believe I used to wear these things!’ Then I thought, ‘These would fit my eight-year-old!’ Why was I holding on to them? What was I trying to prove? Even if I could fit into them, I certainly would never wear them again. Let it go and treat yourself to a great pair of jeans that fit you NOW. You deserve to look your best whatever size you are today.
Smile.
You know that saying ‘grin and bear it’…well, there happens to be many benefits of smiling. Even if you don’t feel happy on the inside, the physical action of smiling can trick your body to lift your mood. Smiling releases endorphins and serotonin, the body’s natural pain killers, giving you a boost of an all natural feel good drug. Studies also show that smiling lowers stress and blood pressure. Feeling stressed out? Try smiling for a full minute. Even if you’re faking it, the smile still works the same magic with your body. Now for the ultimate benefits…the muscles you use for smiling lift the face making you look younger. Maybe you don’t need to schedule that facelift after all! Smiling also makes you more attractive, draws people to you and is totally contagious. Best of all, you can do it anytime, anywhere, it’s free and legal!
Go to bed 5 minutes early.
Instead of dragging yourself to bed, ‘put’ yourself to bed 5 minutes early. Take those extra 5 minutes to replay the day in your head like a movie. See all the highs and lows, what would you have done different, more of, less of, or what would you have done better? Now that the day is done, it’s officially in the past…time to move on. Now think about tomorrow. What does your ultimate tomorrow look like? See yourself doing all the things that will make your day great. These extra 5 minutes should be enjoyable and will easily set you up for a terrific nights’ sleep. If you have something pressing that seems to weigh on your mind, that makes you toss and turn, write it down and leave it for tomorrow. With these extra 5 minutes at night, you won’t feel guilty about hitting the snooze alarm in the morning.
Oh the simplicity… Mind, body, spirit has never seemed so attainable! There are definite benefits to meditation, yoga and detoxing but there are other ways to get it done. If you’re not up for wrapping your legs around your head or if you struggle to find the time to sit down let alone meditate, or if you can’t fathom going without coffee for more than a day…there’s still hope for your mind, body, & spirit too.
Be Fit Enough™ to Enjoy Delicious Meals – Guilt Free!
There is this great Italian place around the corner from us. The pizza is amazing, the eggplant parmigiana is one of the best I’ve ever had, the mozzarella stix are ridiculous and the cannolis are homemade too. It’s always really crowded so we usually just get take-out. One night a few weeks ago, we got there early enough to get a table. The kids were excited because you can see them throwing the pizza dough up really high in the air. Anyway, as they were bringing our dinner out, a woman I know came in with her family. She rushed right over and said “I see you! It’s going to take you all week to work that dinner off.” Then she walked away laughing like a hyena.
First of all, it’s nobody’s business what I eat for dinner. Secondly, I’m fit enough to enjoy delicious meals and not feel an ounce of guilt. Unlike the hyena, I will never go to a great restaurant that is known for its’ amazing New York style pizza and order a salad. On the other hand, if I have to take my kids to a pizza buffet place for a soccer party, I don’t waste my time eating that crap.
Deprivation vs. Hedonism – it’s been a point of heated debate since the beginning of time. I like to live somewhere in the middle, leaning a bit toward one or the other as certain situations dictate themselves. I don’t like using right or wrong, good or bad when talking about food. I like to use ‘clean’ and ‘delicious’. Clean would be the things you eat to live like vegetables, whole grains, fish, and fresh fruit. Delicious is anything else that tastes like heaven on earth. I eat clean for clear skin, good health and a great night’s sleep. I eat delicious for pure unadulterated pleasure. I want to make it clear that I like to eat delicious meals, not junk.
For instance, I pass this super-buffet every day and it is always packed. People are coming and going all the time. I asked somebody if it was any good. “Yeah, it’s cheap, they have a ton of food and its all- you- can eat.” I didn’t hear anything about the quality of the food, the deliciousness of it or that they had the best whatever there that you can’t get anywhere else. Eating food based on the portion size, the price or the convenience is not enjoying a meal…it’s just eating. When I’m faced with the ‘clean’ or ‘delicious’ decision, I ask myself these questions and then I enjoy, guilt-free:
Is this what I really want to enjoy right now? – I hate ‘searching’ for just the right taste, the salty, then the sweet, no, not quite right…you know what I’m talking about.
Am I excited about enjoying this? – Hint: Strapping on the feedbag in front of the TV is not excitement.
Am I going to feel disgusting or satisfied after I enjoy this? – I get satisfaction from enjoyment; I get a stomach ache from putting my face in a plate of so-so food.
Like this…My mom makes these Magic Cookie Bars, my very favorite Christmas treat. Chock full of chocolate, coconut, butter and other deliciousness, I look forward to enjoying them because she only makes them once a year. I will eat these all day long but I won’t waste my time on a pre-packaged snack cake, especially if it says low-fat on it. Why? Because I feel like it is perfectly fine to eat something delicious as long as you are truly enjoying the experience. You don’t have to be a salad eating hyena or the pig at a buffet; just be who you are…be Fit Enough.
Susie Shina is the creator/author of 60Second Circuits: 1000 exercise combos to Get your Body Back! Susie is the creator of Fit Enough™ and continues to be a sought -after fitness resource and contributing writer for several publications and websites.
© 2008 Team Shina Go! Inc. www.60SecondCircuits.com Fit Enough™
Be Fit Enough™ for Your Kids!
I had lunch at my children’s school last week. There is something so familiar about that elementary school cafeteria smell – ugh. We had the rectangle pizza (not bad), a corn nibblet (soggy), a side salad and a sugar cookie. All in all, not much has changed since I was in elementary school (thankfully, there wasn’t a lima bean in sight). Anyway, the little girl sitting across from me left her pizza untouched. I asked her if something was wrong with it and she said “It has too many calories and I don’t want to get fat”. Then the boy sitting to her right asked very politely if he could have her pizza and cookie because it is wrong to waste perfectly good food. Here we have a beautiful little 3rd grade girl, very conscious of her dietary choices and the consequences of them and a little boy, heading toward a life-long struggle with weight, seeing the injustice of being wasteful.
It made me sad to hear these precocious kids. Where do they come up with these things?! They didn’t come up with it all by themselves…these kids learned these thought patterns from their parents. It’s not just what they’ve been told…It’s also what they’ve been shown. The way our children see us living our lives makes a huge impact on them. As parents, our job is to raise our children to be able to go out into this big world and make their own way. The lessons they learn when in our care builds their life’s skill set. Just as children will be kind and compassionate when they see their parents showing kindness and compassion, so too will they develop unhealthy habits and hang-ups in their lifestyles based on what they’ve been shown.
Parenting is a tough job. We have a huge responsibility and it goes far beyond putting a roof over their heads, shoes on their feet and food in their mouths. As parents we want the best for them…sometimes that means making efforts to better ourselves first. Leading a healthy active lifestyle and being fit enough for your kids is not just about you. It’s about showing your kids how great life can be when you are fit enough to LIVE it. Think about this…
What do your kids see you do that inspires them?
Do you want your children to treat themselves the way you treat yourself?
When your kids grow-up, do you want them to focus on the same things you do now?
Would you be ok with your kids emulating your current lifestyle?
When I asked myself those questions a few years ago, I made some necessary changes. In changing my attitude and focus on what was really important, I saw a shift in my children’s lives as well. Now my kids see me enjoy my life, eat the good and the bad, they see me lay on the couch with a book, they see me take the dog for walks, they see me dance with their daddy. They see me have fun playing tennis and get sweaty riding my bike. My kids never see me complain about my weight, or negatively comment on others. They know my ’20 chew’ rule (that’s right, everyone has to chew each bite 20 times) and they know it’s important to enjoy what you’re eating as well as the company you’re in.
While no one’s perfect, understanding the magnitude of our personal behavior and the effect it has on our children is powerful. If it turns out that I’ve ruined their lives, they can work it out with a therapist in their twenties!
Be who you are…be fit enough.
Susie Shina is the creator/author of 60Second Circuits: 1000 exercise combos to Get Your Body Back! Susie is the creator of Fit Enough™ and continues to be a sought -after fitness resource and contributing writer for several publications and websites.
© 2008 Team Shina Go! Inc. www.60SecondCircuits.com Fit Enough™.
Be Fit Enough™ to Feel Great in Your Own Skin!
I have two girlfriends and the only thing they have in common is the name Leslie.
One Leslie is effortlessly sexy and confident. She’s attractive but never worries about the way she looks. She rides her bike to work, gets a little fitness a few times a week when she feels like it, and dances with her husband on the weekends with a drink in her hand. She eats delicious food when she’s hungry, sleeps when she’s tired and lives her life like there is no tomorrow.
The other Leslie is beautifully put together, simply flawless. She wakes every morning at 5am to get to a spin class and goes for a run every day after work. She lives on protein shakes and lean cuisines and always orders the salad in a restaurant, even on her birthday. She’s not training for a marathon but instead is trying to lose 5 pounds, all the time, no matter how much she weighs…I know this because she talks about it incessantly.
One Leslie is a size 12 and the other Leslie is a size 2. Go figure. Being fit enough and feeling great in your own skin transcends size. It’s how you feel about yourself. If you love the way you look and feel, then nothing else really matters. Whatever your size, how do you feel about it? Forget how other people feel…it’s all about you. Feeling great in your own skin is magical. What can you to get there?
Think of your ideal fitness, not society’s fitness ideal.
Decide what’s important in your life and be fit enough to live it.
Let go of the competition because it isn’t real.
Let your soul shine from the inside out.
In our world, there is a huge emphasis on how we look. Vanity and fitness are walking hand in hand. One Leslie is so good with where she is she doesn’t even think about it. She’s living her life the way she wants and feels great about who she is. The other Leslie is chasing this idea of perfection. Yes, she is fit but what is it all for? At the end of the day is anyone going to award her a certificate saying ‘congratulations, you’ve attained it!’ The time she spends worrying about the last 5 pounds could be spent doing something that makes her happy.
Happiness is boundless. It doesn’t have a size. When we think about the day to day, the happiness that we experience, does it come to us in a pair of size 2 jeans? Feeling great in your own skin, being confident with yourself right now, living your life to the fullest by your own rules…now that’s happiness.
It all comes down to this…I recently hosted a ladies night and the Leslie’s finally met. At the end of the night, one Leslie whispers to me while eyeing the other Leslie, “remind me never to talk about my weight, it’s so annoying”.
Be who you are…be Fit Enough™.
Susie Shina is the creator/author of 60Second Circuits: 1000 exercise combos to Get Your Body Back! Susie is the creator of Fit Enough.™ and continues to be a sought -after fitness resource and contributing writer for several publications and websites
.© 2008 Team Shina Go! Inc. www.60SecondCircuits.com Fit Enough™
