We all have different versions of our body throughout our lives. In our quest to accept and even honour ourselves, we must begin to see ourselves for who we are. When we change our focus from being the best to being our best, we can rejoice that we will never look like anyone else. Why would we want to?
A healthy way to determine a realistic weight for you is the lowest weight that you have been since you were over the age of 25 (when you were eating sensibly and exercising reasonably) and maintained it for a minimum of two years. If you have never been at a weight you were happy with, then ask yourself if you are being irrational and expecting to be thinner than you should be. Or is it because you have never made an effort in your adult life to eat healthily, exercise and take care of your body? Be sure that your expectations are realistic and not based on Hollywood’s unhealthy, skin-and-bones version of perfection.
And, as you start to make improvements in your life, don’t be surprised by the reaction of the people who are close to you. Countless clients tell me that once they begin losing weight and looking good, their friends or family begin making negative comments or pulling away. If you find that every time you start to follow a diet your partner brings home chocolate, you need to ask yourself why. Better yet, you need to ask him why.
Sadly, we live in a world where many people are uncomfortable with your success and determination, especially if it’s a physical or financial improvement. It subconsciously forces them to look at themselves, and if they don’t like what they see, they feel threatened by our success. Realize that these are their fears – not yours – and don’t be guided by them.
Exercise
Getting fit takes a combination of five components: muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular training, and nutrition. Don’t fear gaining muscle. You will not look like one of those female bodybuilders you’ve seen in magazines. It’s impossible for you to look like that without lifting heavy weights and taking muscle-building supplements. Unless you want exactly the same shape you have right now, just smaller, you have to sculpt your body by contracting your muscles and toning your core body. Do your strength training workout three times, in the morning if possible. Train hard. It does and will work.
Nutrition
Reducing carbohydrates will absolutely work as a weight loss strategy in the short-term, and is why many carbohydrate-restricted diets are so popular. But if we stay on them we are causing ourselves long-term problems. Not only do we need carbohydrates for energy, we need them to live. Our brain needs at least five grams per hour just to function and our body requires close to ten grams an hour to fuel its biological functions.
The secret is to eat the right carbohydrates: with the slow release of sugar associated with low-glycemic carbohydrates, the blood doesn’t feel a surge and thus very little insulin is released, meaning we don’t get the crash. Our blood sugar, endorphins, and serotonin levels rise at a nice constant rate and begin declining at the same gentle pace so we feel content for at least three to four hours. This helps to avoid the cravings we feel after eating high glycemic carbohydrates such as white bread, white potatoes, and white sugar.
We also need to monitor how much carbohydrate—even of the low glycemic variety—that we eat in one sitting. Try to consume about 40% of your total calories from low-glycemic carbohydrates. And if you are going to eat high glycemic foods, watch how much you consume at one time. Keep your portions small.
I also recommend that everyone take a good quality multi-vitamin daily, including 50 mg vitamin B complex, 500-1000mg vitamin C, 400 IU vitamin E, calcium and magnesium. Try taking your vitamins in a great tasting green drink! You also want to be sure to have 1000mg of enteric-coated essential fatty acids daily from a toxin-free fish such as sardines, mackerel and anchovies to help with metabolism and to build healthy cells.


Crystal Andrus is a popular Canadian fitness expert and motivational speaker. This article is the third in a 12-part series.
www.simplywoman.com

The column Simply…Woman! is adapted from Crystal Andrus’s new book on personal transformation. Crystal will outline one step per month on how to become the woman you’ve always wanted to be. She is an authority on women’s health, a sought after speaker and author of the best seller Simply...Woman! The 12 Week Body/Mind/Soul Total Transformation Program. For 15 years Crystal has worked as a fitness model, health-club owner, personal trainer-to-the-stars and mother of two daughters. She is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Council on Exercise, the Canadian Fitness Professionals and the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=2247. Crystal will be giving free public lectures January 31, 7-9 pm at Planet Organic, 3995 Quadra St., Victoria; February 1, 7-9 pm at the Parksville Community Centre; February 2, 7-9 pm at Whole Foods Market, West Vancouver and February 3, 7-9 pm at Planet Organic, 2755 Lougheed Hwy., Coquitlam. For more
info 1-800-258-0444.