That's Fit

Life Fitness is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Need motivation and guidance to facilitate positive changes in your life? Ask Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis!

Dear Laura:

I have tried so many diets but end up going off of them because I miss my favorite foods. I don't know why I just can't stick to a program. Do you have any advice? I really want to lose the baby weight I gained during my last pregnancy. But that was three years ago and I am still thirty pounds overweight.

Signed,

Fran in Little Rock, Arkansas

Dear Fran,

Over the years, I have helped so many people get their health and their eating on track. The one commonality I have found between many of them is their unwillingness to let go of foods, beverages, candy, gum and even condiments that they "love." When you want to lose weight, get healthier, live longer and get more fit, you have to go through a process of what I like to call "Letting go to lose!"

Life Fitness is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Need motivation and guidance to facilitate positive changes in your life? Ask Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis!

Dear Laura:

I am a woman in my 40s, married and have two kids in high school. I try to work out but my diet isn't the best. But I am doing better than others I know. My question is what do you think is the most important thing to focus upon if I want to live a long time yet feel and look great too?

Deborah K., Lexington, KY


Dear Deborah:

Great question! In other words, what is the fountain of youth? Remember the movie with Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn entitled "Death Becomes Her?" The comedy focuses upon the two rivals obtaining a youth elixir from the eternally beautiful Isabella Rossellini's character. They end up being beautiful on the outside while their bodies decay on the inside. Funny yet thought provoking movie. Does a fountain of youth exist? Maybe. It appears residents of a particular community in Europe seem to have found it.

Life Fitness is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Need motivation and guidance to facilitate positive changes in your life? Ask Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis!

Dear Laura:

What is your opinion about affirmations? Do you think they work if you are trying to lose weight? I've tried them before and no luck.

Signed,

Curious in Webster, NY

Dear Curious,

By affirmations, I assume you are referring to where one speaks out loud a phrase related to specific goal. Yes, I believe they can work. But your mind and your heart need to be in the right places. Or you might as well be reading The Gettysburg Address out loud every day.

Life Fitness is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Need motivation and guidance to facilitate positive changes in your life? Ask Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis!

Dear Laura:

My husband and I work full-time. By the time we get home and eat dinner, we really aren't interested in having sex. I know all I want to do is get ready for bed to sleep! My husband is usually asleep by the time I get into bed. I read somewhere that exercising might help by putting us "in the mood." Would joining a gym help us out in the love department?

Thanks a bunch!

"Feeling like a slug" in Chicago

Dear Feeling,

So many people are low energy, depressed, stressed and just plain unhappy. Like you, there is not a lot of activity happening in the bedroom. Many are sedentary. Yet, did you know that simply exercising, specifically doing weight resistance exercise at least three times per week can naturally elevate your testosterone or "T" levels? And the higher your testosterone levels are the more you will be in the mood to hop in the sack with your honey. If you are interested in having some smoking hot activity in the boudoir with your sweetie pie, listen up! Check out these 5 "T" boosting tips on how to turn up the heat!

1. Join a gym. If you have never had a private session with a trainer, then book one. An experienced personal trainer can give you a thorough orientation on how to properly use all of the exercise equipment a gym has to offer. Most gyms will provide a free session upon request to help you get started.Then once you get going, really focus upon the goal of doing three high intensity sets on each piece of equipment with resting periods in between sets, of 30 seconds to three minutes. Workout hard and push yourself to go beyond your comfort zone. Higher intensity workouts result in higher elevation of testosterone. Also, the harder you workout, the longer you can rest before you move on to the next set!

Life Fitness is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Need motivation and guidance to facilitate positive changes in your life? Ask Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis!

Dear Laura:

I am a worrier, a workaholic and when I get home at night, I am so overwhelmed with getting things "done" that I just can't relax. I am overweight, stressed out and basically unhappy and NOT motivated to workout! I would love to bust out of this cycle. Help!

Exhausted in Carrollton, Texas

Dear Exhausted,

Do you ever stop moving? Stop working? Stop running on that treadmill of your life? Did you know that it is "uber" important for you to take small breaks throughout your day? And also did you know meditating daily and getting "present" is something your brain loves and needs in order to stay healthy, happy and ultimately keeps you mentally, emotionally and physically fit? Yes indeed. Researchers agree: You NEED to slow down and give yourself a break!

Let's chat about the human body for a moment shall we? What would happen if you took a well-oiled machine and pushed it to the max day after day? Hmmm? It would not function optimally for eternity. No way. Your body, and more specifically, your brain has its limits! If your brain works and works without taking breaks, you're not giving it a chance to let information flow, and as a result, breakdown occurs. Is this sounding familiar? With high gas prices, a shaky economy in addition to everyday stressors, taking brain breaks helps you in so many ways. Emory University sociologist Corey Keyes says that "a feeling of emptiness and exhaustion is a sign we need to tend to things." My dear "Exhausted". You fit the bill. Let's see if I may help you see the light!

Life Fitness is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Need motivation and guidance to facilitate positive changes in your life? Ask Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis!

Dear Laura:

I have heard something about how when we kiss someone we can tell if they are a good mate for us or not. I've also read your post on how humans are attracted to people who have genes that are not the same or are dissimilar to our own. Are these two somehow related? Since I haven't been the best in choosing girlfriends, I need all the help I can get. Is it possible how someone actually smells and kisses influence who I end up with?

Signed,

Casa Nova, U.S.A.

Dear "Casa",

You are correct. When you kiss someone you are actually taking a "taste test" to determine if someone is compatible with you or not as a mate...with the intent of having little critters of your own! Er, I mean kids. In this post I wrote about how women on the pill may choose the wrong mate due to how it can change their "ideal mate compass", causing it to point in the wrong direction! It turns out, without any synthetic hormones involved, you ideally tune in to a potential partner's chemistry by scent which relays their MHC's or major histocompatibility complex. MHC's are a "key" that relays genetic compatibility which in turn determines the success having healthy offspring. MHC's are not only present as a scent but also in your saliva! Wow! When I read this article I was simply blown away! And then I started to think about the boyfriends I have had since I was a teen, how I felt about kissing them in relation to how the relationship went!! What a concept to contemplate. Here are a few rules to follow on your Kissing Quest for your ideal woman:

Dear Laura,

I am a newly divorced, 38 year old woman and have 3 kids, ages 13, 11 and 9. When my kids are with their Dad I end up just sitting at home instead of going out. I really do want to get on with my life and have fun. But I am really shy. I have gained weight, have low energy and even my skin isn't what it used to be. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Thanks.

Aida A. in Pennsylvania



Dear Aida,

Alrighty then. Well Aida, I am not exactly THE expert in not being shy because I actually am. Yes. Go figure. I have been in media for a long time, radio, TV, speaking and more but throw me into a situation where I am actually supposed to talk to people I don't know, like at a party or if I am out with friends and I am coaxed to speak to stranger, I freeze. I can certainly identify with having to deal with shyness. Even my daughter, who is sixteen, was absolutely beside herself when, a few years ago, we were at our local Whole Foods and a really handsome and friendly looking fellow was trying to get my attention. What did I do? I avoided making eye contact and scurried out of the store with my daughter asking me if I was out of my mind! Since then, after hearing my daughter tell the story over and over again to friends and family, I have attempted to conquer this perplexing "condition". In doing so, I have found a few tips to be helpful which you might find beneficial as well.

Dear Laura:

I consider myself a pretty together person when it comes to working out and eating healthy food. Yet for some reason my moods are not the best. I find I get angry easily and react when others tick me off. For example, when I am driving I get really impatient and end up being really stressed and agitated when I get to work. I feel better after I work out, but I don't hit the gym until after work. Any ideas?

Thanks.

David S., Rochester, N.Y.


Dear David:

Gosh, your not perfect? David, it is unfortunate that so many of us have the same problem. I really feel a big part of our journey through life has to do with conquering those lower emotions and staying in a "higher" state of being. It's super that you realize it' s not healthy to "go there". To be truly healthy as a "whole", you do need to conquer those negative feelings. Read on for some motivation to kick the anger habit.

Here's a bit of background on how negative and positive emotions have an impact upon you... body, mind and more! Warning: This information may change your mind next time you get yourself worked up when someone cuts you off while driving to work!

Dear Laura,

Recently I have been really stressed. I'm in sales and with the economy the way it is I am making a lot less money than I usually do. Not a good thing. Since I am fairly health conscious I have been working out regularly and trying to eat right. But get this. I have gained about 12 pounds in the last three months. The only thing that changed is my stress went up. What gives?

Best,

Rick M., Clearwater, FL

Dear Rick,

Ah, one of my favorite subjects! Why? I consider myself an "expert" in this area from first hand experience...hey, I am a type "A" personality who, at times, has to really think about taking my stress down a few notches. With about two thirds of our American population to be considered in the "overweight" category many experts attribute this statistic to our high levels of stress as well as poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles.

So Rick, here's the deal: Being stressed out all the time may make you gain weight simply for the reason that your cortisol levels are higher than normal. "Messaging" to your brain says, wait a minute, survival is in order, let's store more calories as fat. Hmmm, also blood sugar levels get a bit whacky too. The roller coaster ride your blood sugar is on can cause higher levels of insulin to float around in your body too, in an attempt to level it out. Your brain tells your body via your liver to store more calories as fat, "just because". See, keeping your stress level down will level out your biochemistry, making things work a bit more "normally, so you'll burn more fat calories as fuel. At least in theory.

Here are a few tips on how you can take a "chill pill" which may, in turn, tell your body to ramp it up in the fat burning arena:

Dear Laura,

Every time I decide to start a new workout routine I end up "falling of the wagon" within matter of a few weeks. I have a strong desire to get in shape, especially since I have put on 30lbs since I got married two years ago. But it is just so difficult. What should I do?

Signed,

Jessica W. , Grapevine, TX

Dear Jessica,

Your problem is all too common among many people. Health clubs that sell memberships make a mint off of those like yourself who sign up with great intentions yet after a while, they end up going to the gym less and less. Then one day they just stop going, all the while their checking account is getting debited for the monthly membership fee. Why does this "fitness drop out" phenomenon occur? The answer may be found in the "anatomy" of motivation.

It turns out sports psychologists have identified four phases in the motivational process as one begins to implement a new workout routine: Form Phase, Storm Phase, Norm Phase and Perform Phase.

Check these out!

Form Phase: Excitement is a great indicator for this phase. It's normal yet you might have a difficult time getting started so set a date and go for it!

Dear Laura,

I read that laughing can be a good cardio workout. Can I lose weight just by laughing a lot?

Signed,

Kathleen R., Ridgewood, N.J.

Dear Kathleen,

Laughing is good for your body in many ways. As a matter of fact, I devoted an entire chapter in my recently published book to the subject and named the chapter "Laugh it Off!" People who know me realize that smiling and laughing are behaviors I have integrated into my daily life, and for good reason. Laughing can do wonders for the body, mind and soul! Can you lose weight just by laughing? Read on for some rather enlightening laughter benefits!

Thanks.

Ms. Fitness, Chicago, Illinois