The impressive performance of UK's women in the London Olympics has coined an inspiring meme: "Strong is the new skinny."
In the last six weeks, I have lost several pounds, an inch of fat off my belly, and two inches off my hips. I've also gained serious muscle tone in my arms, shoulders, quads, and abs (hello, six-pack!). I did this not with any magical powder, juice fast, Hollywood fad, or crazy supplements, surgeries or ointments, but rather through good old-fashioned exercise and a few minor modifications to my diet recommended to me by a professional fitness coach.
The best part? I've been genuinely inspired and happy the entire time.
When I arrived in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica in late June to surf, do yoga, and write a novel with my husband Kiran, I discovered that my good friend here, Gem Yates, had just completed two International Sports Science Association certifications: fitness nutrition and certified fitness trainer. She is also an International Surfing Association (ISA) certified surf coach, an international beach lifeguard, a Balanced Body Pilates instructor, and a former professional chef.
Admittedly, I was in pretty decent shape when I started Gem's fitness program. But I wanted to push myself to the next level. Who better to help me than Gem?
Gem's plan makes intuitive sense. It has been easy to stick to it. I never feel like I'm depriving myself. I've worked out harder than I have in years, and that feels great. Most of all, I love Gem's positive, can-do approach.
Read on to discover Gem's tips for getting strong and healthy. She works with clients around the world by Skype, so feel free to drop her a line if you're interested!
Photos by and of Gem Yates.
Loading Slideshow
Love Your Body Now
"Feel good first, then look good," Gem advises. “Accepting your body as it is right now is the key to leading a leaner, healthier lifestyle.”
Studies show that Gem’s philosophy is right on target. In a <a href="http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/07/20/positive-body-image-helps-weight-loss/27898.html" target="_hplink">clinical trial</a>, women who were given coaching that led to enhanced body image lost “much more weight” than women who were given information only on exercise, diet, and stress management.
Stop Striving for Perfection
“Are you the type of person who has one slip up in their nutrition plan then decides the day is spoiled, so you go out and splurge all day?” Gem asks. It’s time to shift your mentality. Being healthy is not “all or nothing,” but rather about doing the best you can right now.
In Gem’s words: “Obsessing over every last thing you eat or do will destroy not only your diet plan but also your happiness.”
Don't Compare Yourself to Others
Gem encourages her clients to "Be the best <em>you</em> you can be." The key is to stop comparing yourself to others. You are where you are, and that is exactly where you must begin. It’s best to direct your attention to accomplishing your goals—not someone else’s.
“I think this is a great way to live in general,” Gem says. “The less preoccupation you have with what other people are doing, the more you can achieve in your own life.”
Be Prepared to Get Uncomfortable
"To get what your want out of life, you have to get uncomfortable first," Gem advises. "For healthy eating, this means changing your habits. For fitness, it means pushing yourself to run further and faster, lift heavier weights, and increase the frequency of your workouts. For life, in general, it means being vulnerable--opening up and telling the world, 'This is who I want to be and nothing is going to stop me.'"
She adds, "You will have many successes and failures along the way. To experience the highs, you have to have the lows. I like to think the path to great achievements starts by allowing yourself to feel uncomfortable."
Go Lean, Green & Clean
As Michael Pollan wrote in his seminal book <a href="http://michaelpollan.com/books/in-defense-of-food/" target="_hplink"><em>In Defense of Food</em></a>: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
Remove all processed foods from your diet. If you cannot determine the source of your food or it has over six ingredients on the label, don't eat it. If you don't want to eat something, don't keep it in your house.
Fill yourself up on as much greens and lean protein as you want--you can't consume too much of these staples. Organic is best. Eat only a limited amount of fruit, dairy, and whole grain carbs. Focus on healthy fats from nuts, avocado, olive oil, and fish.
Eat Multiple Small Meals
Gem advised me to eat five to six small meals each day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, (snack). Each of these meals is small but packed with nutrients from greens, protein, and healthy fats.
Commit to HIT
The biggest change to my exercise program came from incorporating high-intensity interval training, or HIT, into my workout plan, whereas previously I had only done rigorous yoga and hiking. I attended Gem's circuit training classes for one hour, three times a week. We did intervals of jumping jacks, pushups, burpees, leaps, uppercuts, and squats to get our heart rates really pumping.
<a href="http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/05/10/health/100000001515630/the-20-minute-workout.html" target="_hplink">This recent video</a> from the <em>New York Times</em> explains how scientists are finding that 20-minute sessions of HIT can prove as effective as much longer endurance training. You can work out with a personal trainer at a gym or online, create your own program, or follow HIT programs like CrossFit, P90X, and many others.
Get Outside With Friends
Incorporate an activity that gets you moving outdoors and socializing. Once you have made a commitment to go, you won't want to let your friends down. It's important to have this support network.
"For me," Gem says, "it's surfing--not only the sport, but chatting in the line-up and all the cool people I meet doing it." Other ideas include forming a mom's soccer team, having a doubles tennis match after work, and getting the girls together for a walk or hike on the weekends.
Start Small
"In my experience, the anticipation of doing something is always worse than actually just doing it," Gem says. "I work with my clients to start implementing small changes gradually. When this small change becomes a habit, then we introduce another small change. This way you don't get intimidated by the big picture, and instead have lots of small successes that keep you motivated and reduce the risk of failure."
Let's say you have a break at work. Stand up from your desk and do 10 jumping jacks. If you do that 10 times a day, that's 100 jacks. Over a week, that can add up to half a pound of fat loss! If you're trying to get more flexible, take a few minutes every hour to stretch. You don't have to commit to doing a full hour-long exercise session to start making a difference.
Start Today
Gem says the number one excuse her clients give for not getting fit is: “Now is not a good time to start something new.” On the contrary, now <em>is</em> the time. If you wait until the time is right, you are probably never going to start!
For more by MeiMei Fox, click here.
For more on personal health, click here.
For more on weight loss, click here.
Follow MeiMei Fox on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/meimeifox
Everyday i ask myself why cant food that's bad for you be good for you and food that's good for you be bad LOL sorry but that's just how i feel. I don't blame people for not eating healthy cause the healthy stuff taste terrible. YUCK
1) That meme ("Strong is the new skinny") was around way before this summer's Olympics. Just sayin'.
2) Why does the title imply that getting fit and being happy at the same time is some sort of surprise? Are the two actions mutually exclusive?
3) "Love your body" should mean actively loving it by improving it; by feeding it clean whole foods and giving it exercise, not some passive platitude lip service toward accepting/"loving" it "as is." I've seen obese (and I mean 250+ pounds) teenage girls on TV talk shows insisting that they are "fierce" and "love their curves" and love their bodies just the way they are...not a particularly constructive attitude to have or message to convey.
1) I found the meme "strong is the new skinny" as a direct result of the Olympics, and the article I link to from HuffPo. Let's spread the word even further!
2) I do NOT think being fit and happy are exclusive, but unfortunately I think many people do... They think "diet" and "I have to workout" as negatives - "Shoulds" - rather than activities/goals that people enjoy. Personally, I find it a complete positive feedback loop: the more in shape I get, the healthier my diet, the happier I am, and the more I want to eat well and exercise more.
3) It's true that "love your body" shouldn't mean resigning yourself to accepting obesity. On the other hand, I know so many women who constantly beat themselves up about 5 extra pounds. I thought the article I cited, which found that women who were coached on positive body image lost "much more weight' was really fascinating and aligned with my thinking. We can come at healthy changes from the perspective of self-love "I'm doing this because I love myself and want to be healthier and happier" rather than self-loathing: "I'm a fat ugly person who can't stand myself. I'm dieting to punish myself."