January 19, 2022
Hello WW Philadelphia Members,
Last week’s topic was right up my alley, I have really found my groove with tracking and made the most of it all throughout 2021.
This week’s (UHG!) topic about activity, is not my cheese, instead, it’s a reminder of something I know I need to do and never do enough.
Decades ago, at Weight Watchers, activity was not encouraged while losing weight. The Weight Watchers line from some old lecturer (YES, that’s what Coaches were called a long time ago.) was “lay on the couch until the urge to exercise passes.”
One of the funniest reasons I hear for avoiding activity is muscle weighs more than fat. Hmmm, a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same. What is different is the volume. A pound of muscle is remarkably smaller than a pound of fat--which means that a pound of muscle looks better on us than a pound of fat.
Finally, the science kicked in at Weight Watchers and Pep Step was the big program change, and integrating activity into the program was a real game-changer.
The other fallacy about activity is increasing your movements will be the only thing you need to lose weight. Let me share this with you ... if I could lose weight with exercise alone (no healthy eating plan) I’d sign up for that in a heartbeat. Walking on a treadmill every waking hour of the day would be worth it if I could eat doughnuts and drink lattes while doing it.
There have been times in my life when I have been committed to activity, and I know it is really time to get there again. The basics of the aging process are not good for maintaining muscle mass or keeping joints a little more agile and strong.
The beauty of the new PersonalPoints program is I can add to my weekly Points budget by being more active. Currently, I add about 2-3 Points per day to my weekly budget through my regular activities, but I’d love to see 2 or 3 more added several days throughout the week.
Not sure about you, but I’m one of those people who when I start saying things aloud, like in a Workshop, or even now, writing this to you, it motivates me to do what I say I'll do. What’s that?
- Get to moving MORE
- Make a plan
- Pick a date and time
- Get started
My other reminder to myself is to start conservatively.
I once started an exercise routine where I promised myself --and said aloud to others, “I'm going to ride a stationary bike for one hour a day, six days a week.” Twelve minutes into my first hour, I thought I would die and crawled off to recover on a chair. A few short weeks later I was able to do one hour a day. Remember to give yourself time to build up your endurance no matter the activity you chose to do.
A stronger body is one thing that can see us through many challenges of life. Adding some resistance training to your regular routine of walking, swimming, biking, dancing or other activity can be a wonderful way to increase muscle mass, improve agility, and balance no matter your age.
So, while I was writing this to convince you, it became a “physician, heal thyself moment” and I’m ready to make the appointment with myself to get activity worked into my life in a bigger way again.
Have a fun week, stay well, and let’s get moving,
