Every Gym’s Nightmare

This week’s Every Gym’s Nightmare is Mariposa from What Do I Eat Now?. She made a video for us!

Enjoy!

Hi Everyone!

If you guys like it enough- I’ll do more I promise! : )

OMG, everyone has to promise to do that sometime today right along with video. I already did. I’m not kidding.

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If you would like to share why you are every gym’s nightmare, email me your story at kelly@everygymsnightmare.com, and I will post your “I Am Every Gym’s Nightmare” here on the site.

Every Gym’s Nightmare, fitness, health, yoga, pilates, strength training, personal trainer, cardiovascular, cardio, exercise, wellness, weight loss, blog, blogging, fitness blog, weightloss blog,

Attention Broken Folks: Win a Back Support from Gaiam, and keep your self safe and supported during your workouts or everyday activites.

As you may know, I have back issues. Even though I broke my back years ago, I’ve never tried a brace before. When I first broke it, they stuck me in a neck brace to keep me from moving but the actual break was between my shoulder blades, so it didn’t help much. And after I got sick of people thinking it was funny to tap me on the shoulder and try and get me to look like that way (which, yes, does sound a lot like that one Brady Bunch episode) I ended up taking it off.

Ever since then, I just kind of sucked it up.

Gaiam.com says of their brace:

“Used for decades by Olympians, these medical-grade, lightweight supports are breathable and non-binding and safely stabilize the joints. They provide circulation-stimulating compression to help injuries heal faster and stay comfortably in place during rigorous activity.”

The brace is quite impressive- lots of detachable parts, velcro, colors and designs. There is a little detachable triangle with round nubs that rests right at the small of your back- which is what I felt the most out of the whole thing. ( I would have taken a pic but my stupid camera is broken.) I wore it for a trip to the gym, trying my hardest to conceal it under my shirt, but eventually gave up and just rocked it over top.

I also wore it around the house doing every day activites. The brace is really supportive and comfortable- I forgot I was wearing it after a while. It didn’t slide or move around during exercise, even running, which i think is due to the double layer it has- with two velcro fastens. It’s adjustable, comfortable, and easy to use.

My lower back isnt my injured area, so I can’t say for sure if it helped with pain at all, but it did keep me stable and supported, while still allowing me to breathe. The little triangle peice was the best part- it pressed constantly on my lower back to release the pressure that usually builds there.

Here’s how to enter for your chance to win the Gaiam Back Support, a value of $134.00

Earn one entry of any (or all!) of the following:

Giveaway ends Friday, April 3rd! Good luck!

Every Gym’s Nightmare, fitness, health, yoga, pilates, strength training, personal trainer, cardiovascular, cardio, exercise, wellness, weight loss, blog, blogging, fitness blog, weightloss blog, giveaway, contest, win, free

www.nataliedee.com

Hi Kelly

-Clare

I only answer for me, but its a simple answer: workout! Anyone can be skinny if they are born with it or diet obsessively, but no one is naturally muscular- it takes work! Hard work! and its rewarding. Even if i dont have the skinniest legs in the world, or some junk on my trunk, I work hard for the body I have and I know that it is going to last me a very long time. It makes me feel good that I can run around and not get winded, beat my guy friends at arm wrestling (some of them), or carry 5 bags of groceries and not get tired.

I’m proud of my body because I work so hard for it and it does so many things for me.

Another thing, which is kind of catty of me, but it works, so who the hell cares, is I talk to the boy about it- but not in a way he knows. except now he knows. But anytime i need affermation that guys DONT LIKE FAKE GIRLS WITH BLEACHED HAIR AND ORANGE SKIN AND ZERO BODY FAT I bring it up, and he agrees. Guys dont like sticks. and they don’t like tons of makeup. I think girls glam up like that either because they think guys like it, or they do it more for other girls. Im not sure- Ive never been like that, but Im glad that I can put my hair in a knot, wear workout clothes all day long, and my boy still loves me.

Alright peeps- I need your input! What do you do to boost your body image?

I have found that most people with food issues, no matter whether its bulimia, anorexia, binging, or anything in between, have the same personality trait in common: they need immediate gratification.

Ok, I can’t take credit for figuring that out on my own, my counselor shared that little pearl with me, but ever since he said it, its become very obvious to me, especially within myself.

Take food: those of us with eating issues always look at the “normies” and think how can they eat that and not think about it? Or not plan everything? or obsess? or count? I dont get how food isnt a big deal to them.

It’s because food isn’t filling a void for them. It’s not a I MUST HAVE THAT NOW kind of thing. To normies, hunger is a gentle nudge saying “hey, you are low on fuel, you should probably eat soon,” and they go about their merry way until its convenient to eat.

To people with food issues, hunger is either a screaming alarm telling you that if you dont eat right now and fill this void you aren’t going to be able to think about anything else until its taken care of, or a big high five saying, “great job, you are being strong, keep it up.” Either way, that stupid little hunger cue (which if you have ever had a past in binging, you know its not even hunger, simply not being full is enough to send you into a anxious food spiral.)

Its all about immediate gratification. People with food issues use food to fill some void, and when the slightest hint of a trigger arises, you need to fix it NOW.

THAT’S how you know if you have issues with food. If you need food so intensly at any given moment, out of no where, whether you are hungry, anxious, sad, lonely, happy- anything, and you cant think about anything else until you get it (or deprive yourself of it, in an anorexic’s case) you are abusing food. Its like a drug fix- you cant think of anything else until you get that hit.

It took me a while to figure out how to tell when I was genuinely hungry or not. I was always scared of being hungry, and at first I thought it was because I didnt want to engage in restriction patterns like I used to before bulimia put me in a choke hold (I dappled in starvation, but was never very good at it) but I later realized that was a lie I told myself to rationalize continueing to abuse food. I was actually scared of getting hungry because I would get anxious, and nervous, and I needed my fix. Eventually, with a lot of white knuckling I got through it, got used to it, and figured out my REAL hunger cues as opposed to my anxious hunger cues.

I discovered its ok to be hungry. I’m actually hungry right now but wanted to finish this post first. That’s not restricting, its not starving and as long as Im not about to pass out, its perfectly healthy. I don’t use food to fill voids anymore.

Except for the one that’s in my stomach, so I’m going to go eat now.

Hi Kelly T,

advice please!

Dear reader,

I think it’s perfectly fine to use diet pills.

How weird would it be if I said that? You guys would so have a heart attack, lol.

Ack, it scares me when people ask questions like this. With all the information out there, it seems like this would be common sense, but apparently, not so.

I can’t tell you why your weight loss efforts aren’t working, especially if your doctor and nutritionist cant figure it out, because they are professionals in the field, and i just know how to make people throw up in the gym, but based on my past your metabolism might be screwed up from your past.

What I can comment on is what a horrible and dangerous idea taking diet pills are.

If you google Hydroxycut, you can find all the side effects, including, but not limited to:

The only thing I can say, is ask your doctor if its a good idea. I’ll bet you a million dollars he’d tell you without a doubt, no. Aside from it being dangerous, there is not evidence that it’s effective.

Think about it: if there was a weight loss aide that actually worked, don’t you think it would be all over the news, and be perscribed by doctors for those in immediate danger of weight related diseases, instead of in the back of magazines or on infomercials at 3:00 am?

Every Gym’s Nightmare, fitness, health, yoga, pilates, strength training, personal trainer, cardiovascular, cardio, exercise, wellness, weight loss, blog, blogging, fitness blog, weightloss blog,

Healther D, of Heather Eats Almond Butter, is this week’s Every Gym’s Nightmare.

After years of daily exercise, the most important lesson I’ve learned is to focus on what my body can do rather than what it cannot. No matter how much I work out, my body will never be perfect. I will never have six-pack abs or run a 6-minute mile, but I do have legs that can take me on a beautiful trail run through the woods or support me as I flow into Downward Dog during a challenging yoga class. Don’t dwell on your weaknesses, but love your body for its strengths. -Heather D

To read more about Heather’s amazing weightloss journey, visit her blog, one of my fave’s, at www.heathereatsalmondbutter.com.

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If you would like to share why you are every gym’s nightmare, email me your story at kelly@everygymsnightmare.com, and I will post your “I Am Every Gym’s Nightmare” here on the site.

Every Gym’s Nightmare, fitness, health, yoga, pilates, strength training, personal trainer, cardiovascular, cardio, exercise, wellness, weight loss, blog, blogging, fitness blog, weightloss blog,

www.nataliedee.com

“I don’t eat anything with HFCS in it,” says the 800 calorie muffin eater.

“I watch my daily sodium intake,” says the trans fat eater.

“Oh, I’m trying to limit my caffeine,” says the person that just came back form lunch at McDonald’s.

“I never use artificial sweetener,” says the person who consumes 5 cans of regular coke a day.

Im so sick of this. The odds of dying because you ate HFCS? Next to nil. The odds of dying of a disease caused by a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet? As an American- pretty freakin’ likely.

Lets tackle the big, obvious stuff first, shall we? How about we try and get a little daily exercise, eat our fruits and veggies, and cut out the fast food before we start spouting off about the health “risks” of too little antioxidants or eating out of plastic containers.

The only people that need to worry about these tiny, minute things are those that eat practically perfect already. If thats you, cool, more power to you for trying to improve your diet. If it’s not, lets work on the unhealthiest behaviors first.

But wait, that sounds hard. I have to change the big portions of my eating habits, instead of focusing on tiny, insignificant aspects?

Priorities, folks.

And you’ll probably get hit by a bus tomorrow anyway.

On a lighter, less judgemental note: Missy Maintains is giving away a Micheal Season’s care package. Head over there for some free loot.

www.toothpastefordinner.com

Where did the weekend go??

No Giveaway This Week

Sorry guys but there isn’t going to be a giveaway this week. The product I have deserves an in depth review which I just haven’t had time to do this week, with all my other writing that seems to always be due at the same time of the month. Its a great product and worth over $100, so its worth the wait for next Sunday!

If you have a giveaway going on this week, be sure to let me know about it and I’ll post it in my giveaway’s place.

I Am Every Gym’s Nightmare

Remember to send me your I Am Every Gym’s Nightmare post- telling everyone what make’s you every gym’s nightmare. Videos, stories, recipes, pictures- anything is game! Email them to kelly@everygymsnightmare.com and I’ll get them up ASAP!

Jerome Interview

If you have any questions you would like Jerome to answer about his new fitness endeavor, send them to me at kelly@everygymsnightmare.com, and I’ll have him answer them for you. Its nice to get some testosterone around here every once in a while, so if you want to pick the male-non-exerciser-turned-gym-rat brain, send me your questions!

Ok, off to do the dishes, laundry, recycling, bills, research, writing, proofreading……

Every Gym’s Nightmare, fitness, health, yoga, pilates, strength training, personal trainer, cardiovascular, cardio, exercise, wellness, weight loss, blog, blogging, fitness blog, weightloss blog,

The One Year Fitness Magazine Subscription Winners Are….

Cindi

and

Melissa

Congrats! Email me your addresses at kelly@everygymsnightmare.com and I’ll get you signed up!

Next giveaway starts Sunday!

Every Gym’s Nightmare, fitness, health, yoga, pilates, strength training, personal trainer, cardiovascular, cardio, exercise, wellness, weight loss, blog, blogging, fitness blog, weightloss blog, giveaway, contest, win, free

I’ve gotten curious about BIA scales. I tried looking into it a bit, but there are so many, with so many different functions, and some models really seemed to be, well, a little bit snake oily. I was wondering if you had any opinion on their usefulness as a measure of health and fitness, and whether or not you had a recommendation of any particular model or features. Aubrey

For those of you who aren’t familiar with BIA, BIA stands for Bioelectrical Impadence. Basically, it sends a tiny electrical current through your body and based on how quickly or slowly the impulse travels, and your information you entered (age, weight, height, etc) it reads your body fat percentage.

For actual evidence and study of the accuracy of BIA, variables that affect readings, plus the pros and cons, read this article at Formula for Life. I can’t say it any better myself.

We use this method at work, except in handheld form, and I can tell you right now its not always accurate. Sometimes clients will drop weight and inches, but their body fat percentage goes up: impossible.

Machines are machines and they aren’t always accurate. Just like regular old digital scales, the reading can flutuate depending on what scale you use. I always recommed using machines like this to gauge change, as opposed to looking for accurate readings. In other words, if you step on the scale one week, and it reads 160 pounds, then next week 158, I would veiw that as a 2 pound change, not that that your weight is actually 158.

The only way to get real answers is to do all the math yourself. If you are really concerned with knowing your body fat, you can use calipers, or you can do the equations below:

My verdict? Don’t waste your money. Aside from having one more number to obsess about (isn’t weight enough) you will drive yourself crazy with the inconsistent readings you are bound to get.