Life is Not Fair, Part 5: You've Been Convicted

Life is Not Fair, Part 5: You’ve Been Convicted

con•vict (from Dictionary.com)
1. to prove or declare guilty of an offense, especially after a legal trial: to convict a prisoner of a felony.
2. to impress with a sense of guilt.
3. a person proved or declared guilty of an offense.
4. a person serving a prison sentence.

Since we have been discussing means, motive and opportunity, it seemed to follow that, having investigated all the clues, we would eventually have a conviction. Further, the etymology of this word goes back to the Latin, convictus from com - with, together + vincer to conquer. I like the last part of this definition, because by conquering objections, we can set out to be victorious in our goals.

“Guilt” has been determined without any shadow of a doubt. The jury has returned a unanimous decision. But instead of being confined to an 8 X 8 cell, you have to go out and explore a whole world of exercise opportunities. Not a bad sentence now, is it?

Recently, I spent the weekend with my sister. She said, “I want to talk about calories.” Ever the attentive younger (smile) sister, I gave a nod, indicating she should continue. “I added the zero to my weight, and I know how many calories I need.” “Well,” I said, “that seems a little low.” “Well, yes,” she replied, “it is, but it’s not what I actually weigh, it’s what I want to weigh.” This is a smart woman, because if you calculate your BMR from your current weight, and continue to consume that amount of calories, it follows that you would maintain your current poundage. What she did was absolutely correct as far as goal-setting.

Here’s another angle: what if you were neither losing nor gaining weight? What if instead of only restricting calorie intake, you increased calorie expenditure? What if you slightly reduced calories and steadily increased your body’s daily calorie expenditure? To me, that sounds like a lot less trauma for the palate, and ultimately a healthier option, because you are not only lowering the amount of harmful adipose tissue in your body, but also strengthening your cardio-vascular system. Consider your body your very own science project and see what happens when you adjust calorie intake and calorie expenditure. In addition, keep a log as to your state of mind as you record your journey.

One thing to keep in mind if you work out in a gym, and regularly use cardio machines that automatically calculate your calorie expenditure. The machines are set to record the calories of a 150-pound individual. If you weigh less, you should adjust the settings accordingly. But if, for example you weigh 145 pounds, and you really want to weigh 130 pounds, set the machine to calculate expenditure based on your goal weight. That way you will have to work a little harder, because a smaller person requires fewer calories to function, and therefore will require a longer (or harder) workout. On the treadmill, this could mean adjusting the speed, but I would recommend adjusting the incline, because you will also get a really good hamstring and glute workout in the process, and trust me, your heart will be working hard, as well!

You don’t always have to exercise at a gym. Here is a site that will give you approximate calorie expenditures for most activities. http://www.nutribase.com/exercala.htm.
Here are a few other ideas:
• Take a bus, walk to the bus stop. Take a walk during lunch.
• Use the stairs whenever possible.
• Park further from the grocery store (come on, a little rain never hurt anyone!)
• Stand up from your desk every 45 minutes, or get up and walk around.
• Split up your workouts so that that you do 30 minutes in the morning, and 30 minutes in the afternoon or evening.
• Cook more meals at home instead of eating out (you actually burn calories preparing food!)
• Read instead of watching TV. A lot of calories are consumed in front of the TV.
• Drink more water. Dehydrated people tend to experience a drop in their metabolic rate (muscles have a lot of water in them and muscles are better calorie burners than fat).
• Fidget.
• Wear a pedometer and try to increase your steps each week. It’s funny how you will challenge yourself when you have a means to measure your progress.
• Laugh. A study at Vanderbilt University found that people who laughed burned 20 percent more calories when laughing. (No joke!)
• Get enough sleep. (there's a blog coming on this topic)