Kirsten Captures

Today is January 10th. Do you know what that means? Today is my 10th day of posting daily photos on the blog! My 2012 Goal for the new year is to take one picture every day for the entire year. So far? So good! It is fun carrying my camera with me everywhere and I am getting over my shyness of being snap happy in the street.

You know what is not good? New Years Resolutions. Well let me rephrase that. New Years Resolutions regarding weight loss. In the female dominated office where I work, January has brought a verbal crescendo of goals to lose weight, to eat better, and to eat less “bad stuff”.

As a personal trainer-to-be I have some things to say to those people making weight loss resolutions:

Please do not make another half-hearted resolution to lose weight. Make a SMART goal instead and commit to maybe walking for 30 minutes every day or seeing a personal trainer two times a week. Change does not happen through restriction. Restriction only leads to failure. Change occurs when you make specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals to achieve a desired outcome.

It drives me insane to hear people around me counting calories, complaining about their weight, and berating themselves and everyone around them for eating from the candy jar. These same people claim they have no time or no desire to go the gym. Or even take a walk with their granddaughter. Why are people so scared to MOVE?

We need to step away from the terms “working out” and “exercising”. They conjure up negative connotations of sweaty aerobics, senseless machines, and never-ending treadmill  of doom. What these terms fail to represent is how any sort of movement feels and what it does for your body! Regular resistance training is especially important! Resistance training grows your muscles, increases your resting metabolic rate, improves your body composition, enhances your quality of life, and lowers your risk of premature death. It is a no brainer! Lift some weights, do some squats, take the stairs, walk your dog and you are on your way to healthier, fitter, more functional body. Best part? You will feel better, live longer, and look better!

Everyday at the office I see the effects of a poor lifestyle on our aging retired clients. Many of them are diabetic, in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, challenged with poor balance and posture, plagued with a series of maladies and pain, and generally in poor health. If we all took time out of our busy lives to commit to a healthy body through some type of MOVEMENT, we could avoid severe physical degeneration as we age.

So stop obsessing about what you put into your mouth and MOVE. When you start to condition your body, I swear you will begin to see food as fuel instead of calories and will feed yourself better. Calories are essentially units of energy our body uses to fuel its proper functioning and movement. So fuel it right and use it right. Yes, think about how you want to improve the way you look now. But also think about how you want to be physically in your 60s and 70s. Nobody wants to be an invalid.

Stop complaining and start doing! 

Speaking of doing… Tuesday Trainer is back from the holidays! Lindsay posted a great legs workout on her website and I encourage you to try some of the moves.

Strong legs are beautiful! So bite the bullet and start squatting.