Carole Carson

Fitness Trends in 2010: Old Views Are Being Replaced with New Innovations

Losing weight and getting fit preoccupied Americans in 2009:

• Nearly one out of two American women, including high school girls, were on a diet.

• Over $60 billion was spent on branded diet plans.

• Children as young as 9 to 11 years old were sometimes or very often dieting.

Yet an epidemic of obesity continues to affect more people than ever before:

• Less than a third of adults enjoyed normal weight.

• Children were two to three times more likely to be overweight today than they were 30 years ago.

Can we begin to reverse these worrisome trends in 2010?

We can if we update our old views with new ways to look at fitness in the coming year.

Old View: It’s hopeless! Efforts to lose weight are inevitably doomed to fail. Even if a person manages to lose weight, he or she will eventually regain the weight and add back even more.

New View: You can do it! Strategies for making healthier choices involving diet, physical conditioning and improved self-care are available to you and can be learned. Championing this view is Kelly Brownell, PhD, who heads the LEARN Program for Weight Management at Yale University. And thanks to widespread access to the Internet, peer counseling in online communities is expanding. Internet support may include food and exercise diaries, weekly counseling, online weight-loss lessons and motivational phone calls.

Old View: Thin is in! Most individuals, especially women, seek to lose weight because they have internalized the media's ultrathin ideal.

New View: Healthy is in! Health is replacing vanity as the primary reason for pursuing fitness and weight loss. In 2009, researchers reported that four healthy habits could reduce or eliminate 80 percent of major medical problems: eating a healthy diet, not smoking, exercising regularly and maintaining a normal body weight. This insight, combined with rising medical costs, is triggering a focus on fitness.

Old View: If you are fat, you are a bad person. Obesity is a personal problem caused by a lack of willpower.

New View: Obesity is a disease that is treatable. The cost of providing medical care per person has skyrocketed from $356 in 1970 to $8,160 in 2009. Moreover, in 2009, the cost of treating obesity-related medical problems reached $147 billion. Given these costs, obesity has become a public health concern requiring a multifaceted community-based approach. In response, community leaders in Albert Lea, Minnesota, implemented a comprehensive lifestyle program to improve the health and longevity of the city's residents. To increase employee productivity and reduce health insurance costs and absenteeism, corporate wellness programs are proliferating.

Old View: Low-fat diets are required to lose weight. Eating fat makes a person fat. To lose weight, a dieter needs to stick with low- or no-fat foods.

New View: Total calories actually determine weight. The total calories consumed by a person, whether from carbs, fats or proteins, determines weight. Since the goal is a balanced diet, the Mediterranean diet, which includes healthy fats, is recommended by the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association as a nutritionally sound and healthy eating plan. Nuts, which until recently were on dieters' "do not eat" lists, are making a comeback because of their health benefits, especially almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans and macadamia nuts. Momentum is growing for mandating information on the caloric content of fast foods and food products.

Old View: Medical intervention is needed. Weight-loss drugs or bariatric surgery can solve the problem of surplus pounds for many people, and advances in medicine can address obesity-related problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer.

New View: A healthy lifestyle is the best way. Prevention, rather than treatment of obesity-related medical problems, will move to the forefront because of the rising cost of medical insurance and healthcare. While the number of bariatric surgeries will continue to skyrocket, family physicians will increasingly write exercise prescriptions in lieu of drug prescriptions.

Old View: Ignore overweight children. Children who are overweight will outgrow their chubbiness, so kids' surplus pounds can be ignored.

New View: Help overweight children now! Dr. Robert Murray, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health, is alarmed that nearly half of kids and teens are overweight or obese and, as a consequence, children's life expectancies are lower than their parents'. Treating childhood obesity is a serious medical problem that if ignored will place the child at risk for heart disease, diabetes and other serious medical conditions.

Old View: Don’t ask, don’t tell. Asking employees to modify their unhealthful behavior is an invasion of privacy and violates employees' right to choose their own lifestyle.

New View: Offer help, incentives and access to experts. In 2008, medical insurance premiums reached a record $15,609 for a family of four. Employers are proactively seeking to reduce costs (medical insurance, workers' compensation claims and absenteeism) by restructuring benefit programs. In increasing numbers, employees are being offered incentives to quit smoking or lose weight. They face penalties if they refuse to change habits that drive up the cost of healthcare.

Old View: Hard-core exercise one hour daily. Going to a gym daily for a 60-minute workout on a treadmill and resistance equipment is the best way to exercise.

New View: Diversity, fun and enjoyment. Thanks to popular television programs, dancing for fitness is back, particularly Zumba, a one-hour workout that fuses Latin rhythms with calorie-burning dance movements. Exergaming, such as Wii and Dance Dance Revolution, continues to grow in popularity with young and old alike. Michelle Obama has made the Hula-Hoop popular once again. The use of technologically sophisticated feedback gadgets, from pedometers to heart monitors, will expand. To attract members to the gym during tough economic times, more fitness centers will offer cardio cinema so members can watch a movie while exercising.

Will we continue to get fatter until 2018 when, according to research by Kenneth Thorpe, PhD, of Emory University, 40 percent of us will be obese (and another 33 percent overweight)?

If we are to succeed in reversing the obesity trends and mounting medical care costs, we’ll have to find new approaches. And the more readily we learn from the past and update our understanding of the complex nature and causes of obesity, the more quickly we can successfully move into a healthy future.

Want to Live to 109? Join the Fitness Protection Program

Will you live long enough to become one of the growing numbers of vital, healthy centenarians? Your lifestyle may make the difference between aging gracefully to 109 or stopping at 79, the current average life expectancy.

Obviously, the length of your life is partly a function of genetics and good fortune, neither of which you can control. The life span of your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents provides clues about your genetic makeup. Another relevant factor is whether any chronic diseases, such as stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer or diabetes, occurred in family members before age 50.

Even so, experts assert that simple decisions you make each day have an enormous impact on how long and how well you will live. Based on the longevity test developed by Drs. Robert Goldman and Ronald Klatz, co-founders of the American Academy of Anti-Aging, the Fitness Protection Program considers six lifestyle factors. If you want to age gracefully and healthfully, you need to incorporate these elements into your daily routine:

1. Outlook. Optimists fare better than pessimists do when it comes to longevity. An ability to see humor in the course of life’s difficulties helps. Having a purpose and making meaningful contributions promote a sense of well-being that translates into a longer life. Being connected with others, even a pet, nourishes our spirit. A regular routine, along with vacations and stress management, promotes health.

2. Diet. Eating a variety of foods in modest amounts promotes longevity. Maintaining a reasonable body weight with a body mass index of 18 to 25 is also key to living longer. Including five or more servings of fruits and vegetables from a rainbow of colors along with high-fiber foods each day is important. Consuming meals consisting of wholesome, fresh food rather than packaged, precooked or fried foods aids longevity.

3. Physical Fitness. Moving our bodies doesn’t wear them out; instead, it preserves our ability to function. Maintaining physical fitness requires a range of exercises, including aerobic, strength, balance and flexibility. Sixty minutes a day of vigorous walking or an equivalent form of exercise is a good foundation. Lifting weights builds bone strength, while yoga and stretching improve balance and flexibility.

4. Mental Fitness. Learning new skills and challenging ourselves with puzzles and word games preserve memory, and mental acuity is associated with living longer. Daydreaming and recalling wonderful moments in our lives keep us sharp. Experiencing life on a moment-to-moment basis rather than multitasking unclutters the mind. Setting goals, keeping a journal, volunteering and engaging in a hobby also promote mental fitness.

5. Preventive Care. Access to medical care, including a hospital in case of acute trauma, improves our chances of a longer life. Obtaining comprehensive physical exams and blood tests, including a sigmoidoscopy every three years after the age of 50, is important. Women need annual mammograms after the age of 50, and they need to perform monthly self-exams. Men need a rectal or prostate exam yearly after the age of 30.

6. Environment. Living in a high-crime area reduces the odds of achieving longevity, as does smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke. The chances of developing skin cancer, which can shorten longevity, can be reduced by wearing sunscreen and avoiding excess sun exposure. Wearing a seat belt and refraining from talking on a cell phone or driving under the influence of alcohol improve our chances of avoiding injury in a car accident.

If the sheer number of these factors for improving your life span seems daunting, here’s a simple solution.

According to HEALTHbeat, an e-newsletter published by Harvard Health Publications, four small lifestyle changes added an average of 14 years to the lives of the people studied, even among individuals who were overweight. The healthy behaviors are eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, drinking alcohol moderately, refraining from smoking and exercising daily.

To calculate the cost of your daily choices, go to www.hbhealthonline.com/longevity-test.html or enter longevity tests in the Google search engine. You’ll find tips on how to add vital, productive years to your life. Armed with information, you can join the Fitness Protection Program.

Are You Ready for Some Weight Loss?

Most of us are willing to admit we need to shape up. But are we ready to tackle the business of losing weight? Or would we rather just watch the tackles on Monday Night Football? Or better yet, go out to dinner with girlfriends when fall football fever takes over?

I was lucky in that multiple factors converged to steer me into a re-invention of myself losing my unwanted 62 pounds: medical problems appeared on the horizon. More compellingly, though, I hated my appearance—183 pounds spread over a 5-foot 1-inch frame. And as the last straw, the bathroom scale broke when I stood on it.

The decision to get fit was my own, but when it came to carrying it out, I recruited support—my husband, a fitness trainer, a physician and a nurse at the local hospital’s wellness center. Even with considerable help, though, I struggled to maintain equilibrium. My daughter’s near fatal cardiac arrest, the September 11 attack, my own life-threatening medical crisis and a trip to France for my son’s wedding conspired to derail my efforts.

Belatedly, I discovered Dr. Kelly Brownell’s test for readiness in his book, The Learn Program for Weight Management, an authoritative resource written for professionals and laypersons alike. Drawing on his extensive clinical experience at Yale University, Dr. Brownell gives us questions to ask ourselves so we can realistically assess our readiness to tackle losing weight. Let’s look at some of those questions:

How committed am I, not just FOR today, but for the months ahead? Can I handle the stress of making changes in eating and exercising and still manage other responsibilities? None of us can stop living, get fit and then return to living. We must achieve fitness while life goes on.

Will I feel deprived or upset when making different food choices? Or will I feel challenged? Am I willing to make lifelong changes? To give up forever the yo-yo cycle of overeating followed by strict dieting? Since I can never get enough of what I don’t really need, am I willing to replace flawed choices with mindful decisions that are in my best interests?

When I stumble, can I recover my balance? Instead of eating over them, am I willing to face and deal with difficult emotions like anxiety and loneliness? Can I find ways to celebrate other than eating? Can I comfort myself after a difficult day without resorting to food?

Do I have realistic goals? 

Am I willing to exercise regularly? For the rest of my life? With whatever disabilities, handicaps, financial or time limitations I encounter? Can I find exercise that entertains me? Helps me make new friends? That relaxes me and lifts my mood? One that creates more energy for me?

Taking control and facing life head-on are essential commitments. Complete ownership of eating and exercise choices is also necessary. Excuses—be they related to genetics, medical problems, lack of time or support—must be abandoned.

None of these questions can be mathematically scored to give a clear “yes” or “no” sign. Answering them honestly can, however, help you assess your readiness.

If you decide to proceed, I can tell you that you won’t just lose weight. You’ll also lose the baggage surrounding the issue. You’ll find yourself more cheerful and positive. You’ll have more energy, think more clearly and have a stronger sense of well-being. Going forward, the quality of your life will be better. You’ll have more fun and experience more joy.

I can’t even begin to place a value on what I’ve gained from losing weight. It’s the best gift by far I’ve ever given myself. And everyone I’ve talked to who’s undergone this transformation is unabashedly enthusiastic about it.

Yet when neighbors and friends approach me seeking help with their fitness efforts, I’m ambivalent. On the one hand, I’m excited to share the transformation I experienced and want everyone to enjoy the same wonderful benefits it brought me. On the other hand, if the person isn’t ready, expectations may be dashed by reality a few weeks from now.

Consequently, my typical response is to neither promote my own example nor emphasize the difficulty and thereby potentially discourage the person. Aware that when it comes to knowing ourselves, each of us is the expert, I simply pose Dr. Brownell’s questions.

Are you ready for some weight loss? Only you know the answer.

Discovering the Athlete Within

When I undertook the task of re-inventing myself as a fit person, I had no idea what was involved. No high-minded principles guided me, nor did I adopt any particular program. Nor were my motives practical, for example, to improve my health.

Quite the opposite, my motives were shallow--I looked in the mirror and was too vain to accept the pudgy reflection. Only retrospectively can I figure out what happened.

First, I made an unconditional decision to change my lifestyle permanently. Second, I got help--from professionals (a personal trainer and lifestyle counselor) as well as from family and friends.

Next, I managed my thinking, especially about food. Instead of being grim, I explored new ways of cooking, challenging myself to eat well within caloric limitations.

The last step was discovering my latent athleticism. Somewhere along the exercise path, I stopped exercising to achieve its by-products--improved health, more energy, lower weight and a shapely figure. Instead, I just wanted to get better.

Practicing yoga, I wanted to improve my form. Working with weights, I wanted increased strength. Playing tennis, I wanted more consistency and an effective serve. Before I knew it, I was "in training."

Drs. Harvey Simon and Steven Levisohn, in their book The Athlete Within, say that "all of you can become athletes. Each of you has surprising potentials; most of you will never be sports stars, but all of you can greatly extend your horizons through careful planning and diligent training."

Initially, I was self-conscious in tennis clinics where many students were half my age. But the lure of becoming an athlete was irresistible--I surrendered. Today, instead of having to exercise, I have to limit activity so my body can rest, especially when I have a sports injury, like the back pain that's currently plaguing me. Taking a longer perspective, I reassure myself that I'll be back on the courts in a few weeks and more ambitious than ever.

Imagine my delight when I read that Clarence Chaffee, the tennis coach at Williams College, did not begin competing nationally until age 70. Since then, he's collected 48 national Super Senior' tennis titles. Or Albert Gordon, a well-known businessman and philanthropist, who entered his first marathon at 80, at which time he completed the difficult London Marathon in an excellent 6 hours and 30 minutes.

I'm not aiming this high, but I do want to become the best tennis player, gym-rat and yoga student I can be, independent of external recognition. Seeing the improvement in my athleticism, after 40 years of being out of shape, is its own reward.

Drs. Simon and Levisohn confirm, "If you exercise regularly and develop your potentials to their fullest, you will be a true athlete, even if you never win a race or compete on center court."

Lest you think you don't have time to exercise, as I once did, listen to Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby, 1873, who observed, "Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."

His perspective is confirmed by medical research coming at us from all directions. The way we live accounts in large part for how long we will live and how well we will live. The good news is that we are free to make choices about the way we live. Even better, if we've made poor lifestyle choices in the past, we're free to make adjustments today. If it isn't too late, our bodies will respond magnificently. Best of all, there's an athlete residing in each of us just waiting to come out and play.

Fitness: A Success or a Work in Process?

I promote fitness through writing, speaking and coaching the AARP Fat 2 Fit online community, yet my efforts to become fit are far from perfect. And if perfection were the standard against which my efforts were judged, while I might not classify my endeavor as a failed project, I could not claim total success either.

In fairness to me, given that I spent 40 years gaining weight and only the last few years promoting fitness and weight loss, I’m doing reasonably well. I also take comfort knowing that my example has contributed to others becoming more fit and possibly extending their lives.

Still, the nagging questions keep surfacing: How should I judge my efforts? What are my criteria?

When I tried to answer these questions, I realized I had only the vaguest notion of what constitutes success. Consequently, I began analyzing the nature of success and concluded the following:

• Success can be defined only by me, not by my spouse, my parents or any other person.

• Success is a feeling, not the physical trappings, awards or recognition that others consider the benchmarks of success.

• Success at any price may not be worth it.

• Success is a dynamic process of attaining, not a fixed state. I define and redefine my fitness goals as I make day-to-day decisions.

• Success occurs in steps. Experiments and setbacks help me determine what is needed next. The results—both successful ones and failed attempts—provide useful information.

• Success can be learned. I am not failing as long as I am learning new ideas, experimenting and moving forward.

• Everyone has a few failures under his or her belt.

• Success is best achieved when goals are not so high that they are impossible to reach or so low that they fail to challenge.

• Success is, in the final analysis, being honest and present with myself.

After I explored my own ideas on success, I thought it might be worthwhile to see how others define success. The thinking of two people, Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Wooden and author Maya Angelou, resonated with me.

In his book Beyond Success, John Wooden asserts that the score at the end of the game isn’t the defining measure of success. In his view, the measure of our success is whether “we’ve given our best to become the best of which we were capable.” John’s view of success relies heavily on internal leadership—that is, self-coaching and self-talk that keeps us on track.

Maya Angelou defines success as liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it.

John’s and Maya’s definitions of success make me more comfortable with my progress and achievements. I am wholly committed to becoming the best of which I am capable. And, at least most of the time, I like myself, like what I do and like how I do it.

What about you? If by chance you are discouraged by your current lack of progress, remember the observation of Mike Ditka: “Success isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal.”

As long as we have a tomorrow, we have an opportunity for a fresh start.

The Bareable Lightness of Being a Thinner Me

When I stepped on the bathroom scale, I saw the numbers racing upward—153—168—174—before stopping at 183 pounds. I was shocked at the number. The word “flabbergasted” took on new meaning.

Then the scale broke. My options were limited: either I was way too short (5 feet 1 inch) for my weight or I was fat and seriously out of shape.

I interpreted the broken scale as an unmistakable message from the Universe. Alone, naked and mortified, I looked up at the ceiling and said aloud, “I get it.” In that instant, I knew it was time to get fit and lose weight. Little did I know that in the six-month process of losing 63 pounds, I would lighten my spirit far more than my body. The more weight I lost, the more self-respect I gained. In the course of getting fit, I found thinner peace.

When I dropped the surplus pounds encasing me, I slipped out of the chains that were holding me back and raced toward my life’s work. Stepping out in an entirely new way, I began writing, speaking and encouraging others to adopt healthier habits. When I offered to help neighbors and friends get fit and lose weight in my small northern California community, I was surprised when over a thousand people showed up for our first meeting. Even more amazing, we lost four tons in eight weeks.

Having found my voice, I’ve since written four books and hundreds of articles on fitness (the Wall Street Journal dubbed me “An Apostle for Fitness”), and I serve as the coach for the AARP Fat 2 Fit online community. How ironic that the lighter my body is, the larger my presence.

When I decided to lose weight and get fit, could I have imagined what the future would hold? Never in my wildest dreams!

Given this life-transforming experience, I was eager to talk to Dr. Judith Rich, a well-known teacher in the field of transformation and consciousness. I wanted to quiz her about the relationship between spiritual and physical well-being. My questions and her responses follow.

Q. Does caring for our physical bodies trigger an impulse to care for our spiritual self?

A. Here in the West, we tend to think of body, mind and spirit as three distinct entities. The mind is the seat of thought that resides in the head and functions separately from the rest of the body. Yet Eastern traditions teach that the body is the mind and vice versa. I tend to see the concept of self this way. In this context then, taking care of the body is one way of expressing love for one’s higher or spiritual self.

Q. Is getting fit and losing weight a challenge and difficulty that we can use to help us grow?

A. Undoubtedly! Anytime we stretch ourselves beyond our expectations, we grow. In the process, we empower ourselves by building courage, gaining self-confidence and learning to trust in our abilities.

What is Your Dangerous Idea?

What do you believe but cannot prove? What is your dangerous idea? What are you optimistic about?

These intriguing questions are the subjects of books whose author, John Brockman, challenges our thinking about almost everything. Each is a collection of essays from some of the smartest people on the planet. When exposed to the innovative thinking in the essays, I remind myself that ideas once considered radical, even heretical, in one century are widely accepted in the next. If nothing else, reading the essays stretches my imagination.

So what’s my dangerously radical idea?

My idea is that just as obesity is contagious, so is getting and staying fit. Becoming fit can be a fun-filled, lifelong adventure. I cannot prove this idea, although I can offer evidence in support of it.

When I chronicled my own fitness and weight-loss efforts and told the stories of others who had undertaken similar efforts, residents in our small community took notice.

When I issued an invitation in the local newspaper to join a weight-loss program, over 1,000 people showed up. Each week attendance grew, until we had over 200 teams. We lost nearly 4 tons in 8 weeks. From my perspective, that phenomenon demonstrated the truth of my idea.

Our local experiment triggered the next question: Will this idea spread? The increasing number of community weight-loss programs springing up across the country is a good sign.

According to an article by Michael Shermer in the September 2007 issue of Scientific American, several elements are needed for a movement or an idea to gain acceptance:

1. The idea takes a stand for something, not against something, and is based on a positive assertion.

2. The idea uses an intelligent, rational approach to tackle myths and raises consciousness and awareness.

3. The idea embraces the uniqueness of self and others, and it requires us to respect each other.

4. The idea encourages exploration, experimentation and a sense of adventure.

If I look at my idea for these characteristics, I think it passes the test.

First, my idea does not argue against obesity, poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles; rather, it asserts that getting fit can be fun, educational and enjoyable.

Second, my idea challenges the myth that losing weight involves dieting, deprivation and boring exercise—all requiring heroic amounts of willpower and discipline. It also challenges the myth that weight is inevitably regained. Instead, my idea is based on rational decisions about what and how much healthy, satisfying food to eat each day and how many hours to devote each week to fun-filled exercise.

Third, my idea acknowledges that the path to fitness is unique for every person, depending upon his or her age, size and time of life. Given that “one size does not fit all,” my idea requires respect for others’ choices.

And fourth, my idea asserts that the pursuit of fitness involves exploring new foods, experimenting with different exercises and learning new, healthful habits. The journey to fitness is a personal adventure.

Is my idea taking hold? I don’t know. But what I do know is that I’m having lots of fun promoting fitness and hope that more people will adopt the radical idea that getting fit is contagious and fun! (539)

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Dubbed “An Apostle for Fitness” by the Wall Street Journal, Carole Carson is the author of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction, which chronicles her own 62-pound weight loss and the Nevada County Meltdown. Visit www.fromfat2fit.com for more information.

Waitingitis—Five Symptoms of a Potentially Fatal Syndrome

I tore the meniscus in my left knee playing tennis. I felt the tear as it occurred. Arthroscopic surgery easily fixed the problem but recovery forced me to examine my views on the use of time.

Once home and with the worst of the pain dissipating, I immediately became an impatient patient. How long, I whined, would I have to wait before I could resume my life?

When I opened my eyes each morning, I asked: “Is today the day I return to normal?” Then I tried to walk. My stiffened knee reminded me I must wait a little longer!

In this vulnerable condition, I started thinking about all the other periods in my life where I felt suspended between the “before” and the “yet to come.” Limbo periods seem to be a regular feature of my life. In high school, I waited impatiently until I could leave home and start college. I waited through my first pregnancy by marking off each long day. I waited in the hospital to see if my daughter would survive cardiac arrest. The list goes on.

When I tally up the time, I realize how much of my life I’ve spent in one spot, idling my engine, waiting for the next stage or the next event. Waitingitis reminds me of driving a car with the emergency brake on—very hard to gain momentum and disastrous on the running parts of the vehicle.

In my medically imposed leisure, I’ve had time to identify five symptoms of this malady that could easily be confused with excusitis or blamingitis. Although waitingitis isn’t life-threatening, like obesity, it can lead to other conditions that are, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and even dementia. Immunized with information, maybe I can avoid the damage of waitingitis by recognizing its symptoms:

1. Downward Spiral: A sense of decay and deterioration is present. If depression doesn’t cause passivity, it certainly takes over if I feel helpless long enough.

2. Excuses: Life is filled with remarkably plausible excuses that I try to convince myself, and others, to believe.

3. Powerlessness: The cause of my waiting always seems beyond my control. And since I have no control over what is going to happen next, my only alternative is to wait.

4. Myths: If I repeatedly tell stories about how real the obstacles are, I convince not only myself but others as well.

5. Self-Pity: It is easier to talk myself into accepting my situation rather than to seek the unique opportunities in each particular circumstance.

Recognizing the dark role of waitingitis and noticing when I am in that state freed me to handle my recovery more positively. While I couldn’t do everything, I could still do floor exercises in the morning with my good leg and upper body. As part of the healing process I noticed both improvements and setbacks. By keeping track of progress in my diary, I took charge of my outlook.

Going further, in a real turnaround, I began to realize the huge opportunity I had to use this time constructively. I became rested, I read broadly, and I had time to reflect and replenish my emotional bank. Best of all, I had a ready-made excuse to enjoy the upcoming holidays without all the fuss and work!

Shortly before the knee surgery, I finished teaching a workshop—From Fat to Fit—offered at the local hospital. Like me, they’ve finally realized the destructive power of delaying their intent to get fit. They are having fun getting fit, they are designing their own individual programs, and they are participating together—surrounded by a support team of their own creation.

We don’t have to wait for the perfect time to begin adopting healthful habits. Now is not only the best time to begin but it is the only time we have. The rest is obstacle illusions.

Breaking Out of Our Spiritual Jail: Weight Loss Lightens Our Spirits as Well as Our Bodies

When we make changes toward a healthier lifestyle—losing weight and exercising regularly—not only do our bodies respond positively in measurable ways (reduced blood pressure, lowered cholesterol, greater strength and increased flexibility) but our spirits soar as well. We break out of a spiritual jail. These feelings are the little "proofs" that we are headed in the right direction when we focus on becoming FIT:

F = Free: We are able to fly through life because we are free from the dead weight of remorse. When we feel bad about excess weight or about being a slug, our spirits are grounded. When we lose weight and become fit, we sprout wings and become more creative, energetic and positive. Unencumbered by guilt about not taking care of our bodies, we give up swimming in peanut butter. We have a lot more fun and feel fortunate that we found the key to our personal jail.

I = Inspired: We are inspired to become our unique selves—more centered and more confident of who we are and of what our purpose is. We become more intuitive and, at the same time, more informed as research on the impact of healthful eating and exercise confirms our decision to lead a healthier lifestyle. Our enthusiasm inspires others.

T = Transformed: Those of us who have lost weight commonly become unrecognizable. That is, we have transformed ourselves or reinvented ourselves as different people. We have triumphed over earlier limitations; our joy is apparent in our walk, talk and manner. Like an addict who has broken free of a destructive habit, we have escaped spiritual slavery and rejoined the productive members of our society.

Having been blessed with a second chance at life, we eagerly share that opportunity with others. Instead of dying with our potential untouched, we allow our lives to take off in the direction they were always intended to go.

Coming to My Senses—Time Well Wasted

In an attempt to convey my resentment of the tyrannical clock, I once wrote a poem about a woman who was imprisoned by her wristwatch.

For years, it seems, my life has been measured in rushed increments. A half-hour to get home from work; an hour to unload the dishwasher, prepare dinner and start a load of laundry; and then a few minutes to pay some bills after a quick glance at the mail.

Living under the pressure of time, I gained weight and exercised very little. With a perpetual sense of no time to lose, I had no time to lose—pounds, that is. Only after I retired did I take the time to shape up, dropping over 60 pounds in the process.

Even in retirement, I feel time is scarce. When I become engrossed in writing, a few minutes can morph into hours. Before long, the day is over. Where did the time go?

Because the minutes fly by, I make myself start each morning with an hour of playtime on my living-room floor. The routine is a collection of exercises from a yoga instructor, a physical therapist and gym classes. I also include exercises that I made up. When I begin, my mind bombards me with tasks to accomplish that day. To escape their oppression, I repeat the mantra “Work can wait. First things first.”

During the exercise routine, I pay attention to how my body feels. Some days I can do more, other days less. I extend my limbs and stretch my back. In the process, I’m reminded that body awareness was a given as a child—not something I sought out each day. I didn’t need to come to my senses; I lived in them.

I experience the same conflict when I quit work in the middle of the day to play tennis—play being the operative word. Never am I so carried back to my childhood days as when I am running around on the tennis court with my friends. I laugh when I succeed; I groan when I miss. I give my partner a high five when we make a great play. The game isn’t about winning—though I hate to lose—but about being outdoors, running around in the open air and playing with friends.

While my self-discipline is spotty, my appetite for play is strong enough to throw off the tyranny of time. I can count on myself to exercise regularly—not for health reasons but because it‘s fun. Maybe my heart appreciates the exercise. Maybe my lungs function better. Maybe I can move more easily. Maybe I have more energy. Maybe I reduce my risk of stroke. Maybe my waistline stays trimmer. These results are all wonderful outcomes—but they aren’t the reasons I get out and play.

I exercise because, for a few minutes every day, I want to forget I’m grown-up. I want to be lighthearted and escape the seriousness of everyday affairs. For an hour or so, I want to live only in the moment.

John Seivert, a physical therapist, gives his clients one rule to achieve fitness: Play regularly. He said we will know what our exercise is because doing it will elicit uncontrollable smiles, fits of laughter and childlike behavior. Before you know it, John assures us, we will become more fit than we ever dreamed possible, no matter what our age.

Nothing reveals our values more than how we allocate our time. For the joy of it, I’m going to continue to spend hours each week playing—whether I’m stretching on my living-room floor or running on the tennis court. These moments help me come to my senses. It is time well wasted.