Misconceptions

I'm learning little golden nuggets of information that are helping me along my journey. I had some serious misconceptions (and still do...) about  healthy eating and exercising.

I was on the treadmill the other day and I was trying to get my heart rate up as high as possible. Because of course, that's the best way to get results, right? Again, it's me trying to do 150% for a short burst, and the main thing that I am burning is... burning out. It was explained to me that when doing so, I am burning carbohydrates (energy) first, and then fat. If I don't sustain activity, I will miss the burning fat stage altogether.

Something else that never occurred to me is that you burn the same amount of calories running a mile or walking a mile. WHAT? That is so hard for me get my head around. So better to walk 5 miles, than run 1 and stop.

And if this is my idea of what exercise should feel like, no wonder it is not something I enjoy.

A little bit at a time

I've tried pretty much everything. It began with Weight Watchers and a gym membership when I was 16... up to the crazy hCG fad diet I tried recently. I've gone to a nutritionist, naturopath and a life coach (who Ryan calls "the food shrink"), all to help me with my journey. I've joined gyms, and taken stroller-fit classes and bootcamps. I've tried low carb, no carb... I've even thought about the lap band- a quick fix it seems. All of these (with the exception of the last) were things I tried, for a while, but never kept it up. My weight has continued to climb and climb, and two kids later I am unhealthily obese. It hurts a bit to say it  that way (especially because I'm not sure that's grammatically correct)... but it's good to face the truth.

A friend pointed out the other day that when I try these things I tend to go all out- putting in 150% and then I fizzle out pretty quickly. My goal is to make changes slowly and realistically, so I can achieve and maintain them so they are part of my life.

Here is my journey, chronicled in plain view for others to see. My desire to have a healthier, more active, more energetic, pain-free life. A little less weight on the bod would be nice too.

I struggled a lot with a name for my new blog. The title, "Kristin Gets Healthy" was suggested to me. This struck a sensitive chord deep within me, because it implied that I'm not. It was hard for me to admit, but after some thinking, I've re-evaluated my definition of healthy, and it is one which I do not seem to fit in. I guess I haven't been healthy. Well, unless you are describing, you know, that "healthy-looking" girl.

So what is healthy? From a doctor's point of view- all your numbers and levels are within the appropriate range. From a personal trainer's point of view, you work out 3-5 times a week for over an hour, and your BMI says you are in the healthy range or not . In a dietician's eyes, it means you only eat whole grains, vegetables and lots of flax. A quick google images search shows vegetables with muscular arms, people running, and plates of salmon. It's hard to draw the imaginary line in the sand and decide what is healthy and what isn't. I'm still not entirely sure what healthy is, but I know what healthier can be.

So here goes...



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