Dear Reader,
I'm excited to share a bit about my fitness routine. I am frequently asked what I do to stay fit.
I'd like to say right out the gate, it has been documented that "Eighty percent of our body composition is determined by what we eat." Yes, 80! It's also been said that "You cannot outrun a bad diet." I find these to be very true in my own life. However, exercise is still important.
I hope you won't mind if I give you a bit more of my background that I did not include in my About Me profile.. It'll allow for a little more perspective as to how I landed where I have.
Truth be told, I grew up as a chubby (okay - fat) Italian girl. My weight battle began when I was 9 yrs old. (The age I hit puberty - good grief!) Over the years, I've had many bouts of weight loss doing all sorts of different diets. You recall the term Yo-Yo dieting? That was my life.
Then there was the "NO FAT" craze that conventional 'wisdom' (and I use that term lightly) advised us to do in the late 70's. It was not until the mid 80's or so that we began to see the low fat and no fat replacements of many of our favorite foods. Like margarine which, in my humble opinion, should not even be legal! Folks, when you take out the fat, you take out the flavor. And if you want to continue selling your products, you need flavor. So what then is used in lieu of fat to obtain flavor? Sugar! The "S" word of nutrition. Not to mention, other ingredients you cannot pronounce. I won't be-labor this point regarding the Standard American Diet (SAD) , as there are much more educating articles you can read like this one.). Though this craze has subsided, it still is hanging around despite the great amount of the new data we have now. SADly (pun intended) it's truly just ignorance. Many people simply do not know the truth. Newsflash: Fat does not make you fat - sugar does! It's no wonder we are experiencing such a health crisis in our society.
It got worse for me. I'll gladly spare you the details, but I spiraled down into a full blown eating disorder in my 20's which lasted about 8 years. I was rail thin (and I loved it). I ate hardly anything and exercised sometimes twice a day. When cardio first became popular we called it Aerobics. Jane Fonda and friends was IT! Yikes. I'm old! - HA! Other days I would run 5 to 8 miles. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not against running. I'm only against the effects of what it can potentially do to your body if you are not mindful to take care.
For several years, I was doing the Beach Body workouts. If you're not familiar with Insanity or P90X that's probably a good thing. However, both Shaun T (Insanity) and Tony Horton (P90X) have revamped their workouts to 25 and 30 minutes respectively. And for very good reason. The data is now indicating that you do not need to be working out for hours on end to obtain a strong and healthy fitness level.
It was not until my 40's that I finally got a hold of some healthy information. All thanks to God, I discovered the healthy lifestyle of our ancestors. I was able to turn the tide and find my way to good health and fitness. When I read Mark Sisson's bio in his book, The Primal Blueprint, it was very enlightening. He was a super star athlete. He writes how this lifestyle of hard core cardio and fitness broke his body down. His motto now: Move, Lift, Sprint. Read this article to learn how to exercise the "Primal" way.
As I shared in my profile, I am 54 years old and now in the best health of my life. I am also the fittest. For me, the Ketogenic lifestyle in conjunction with intermittent fasting (see my post on this amazing practice!) works the best. This was even my solution to menopause. I tried bio-identical hormones, but could never seem to get regulated. So, I decided to simply use my diet and supplements called Adaptogens (see my post on these amazing herbs) to support my hormone health.
Please do yourself a favor and watch at least a couple of the fantastic documentaries I have listed on the sidebar of my blog. They are on Netflix and/or Amazon Prime. They've helped to educate me tremendously regarding healthy, clean eating. Hungry for Change is one of my favorites. And understanding the danger of wheat/gluten and grain products in "What's With Wheat?" was super helpful. The experts are great at explaining the science of food and its effects on our bodies and overall health and well-being.
I no longer struggle to keep the weight off. And my fitness program consists of a variety of routines from HasFit.com. The link is listed on the sidebar of my blog with under "My Favorite Places". They have a plethora of workouts to choose from. There are schedules you can follow or just mix it up to fit your personal needs. Coach Kozak and Claudia are household names! They are simply delightful and fun!
** Please see Note
Here is a fantastic article you won't want to miss. It's a perfect summary of what I practice now to be fit at 54! You CAN reprogram you genes! It's called Epigenetics! Check this out!
OH! If you'd kindly pass along my "Wellness-Inspired Kitchen Card", I would sure appreciate it!
Thanks for reading! Ciao!
~ Barbie
** NOTE: Coach Kozak is an excellent trainer always mindful of instructing on proper form, but if you are new to working out, you may want to start by actually working with a personal trainer until you can become familiar with proper FORM. Bad form not only keeps you from working your muscles properly, it causes injury, too. FORM IS EVERYTHING! Be sure to learn it well.