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Posts Tagged ‘body weight’
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
 All too often, we eat for reasons other than satisfying hunger. Food becomes a “remedy” that we turn to when we feel depressed, bored, angry, anxious, lonely, stressed, tired, or powerless.
This is emotional eating, and it often leads to weight-related illness. It is a problem for many of us. Generally speaking, all of the people I train who have serious weight issues have difficulty managing food on account of stress and anxiety. Rarely do their weight problems have to do with a lack of awareness about which foods are good or bad; that knowledge is widespread.
Are you an emotional eater? One way to answer this question is to carry a food diary. When hunger pangs set in, note how you feel. Are you stressed, have you argued with the kids or your partner, is there too much to do at work? Analyze whether your hunger is real, or if it was aroused by an emotional feeling.
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One way to treat emotional eating is through cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps you identify and change unhealthy thought patterns. For more information on CBT, visit the Mayo Clinic and Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies sites. I will also have some exercises for overcoming emotional eating my upcoming book, Your Life Force.
Image: ginnerobot
Tags: anxiety, body weight, cognitive-behavioral therapy, depression, emotional eating, food diary, hunger, life force, stress
Posted in Body-Mind Health, Nutrition | No Comments »
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
 Q: Hi, Tanja! About six years ago I finished losing the last of my weight (75 pounds!) but now my weight has gone back up 12 pounds (yikes!). I have tried to go back to my five days a week exercise, which includes jogging and eating better. What is wrong? It seems that I have forgotten how to keep my calories down and my knee hurts more. What is the best way to keep motivated with food and exercise with a bum knee? Sweets are my weakness!
– Venessa
A: Hi, Venessa. Congratulations on your weight loss! That is a great accomplishment! As you know, body weight moves up and down slightly – maybe one to three pounds – and will not stay exactly the same all the time. It can’t. But a 12-pound weight gain definitely has a reason. I can imagine that since you are saying sweets are your weakness, that it is also a reason for weight gain.
If jogging hurts your knee at this point, mix up your cardio workouts. Use an elliptical or cross-trainer along with spinning and/or rowing, resting in-between so that your knee manages to heal and recover a bit. If your knee problem persists, definitely go and see a doctor. For a “bad” knee, you might use a foam roller. Stretch and recovery between training days is very, very important.
Throughout this process, you will have to remind yourself what is more important – your physical health and a satisfying life, or giving in to your sweet tooth?! Can you will your way through it? Is it worth it? Are you worth it? I would answer YES, and the feeling of success will just increase your motivation … you will feel great!!
Ask your body what’s really up. I think you have the answer right there: is it the sweet tooth and less exercise? Be honest. You deserve it!!
Do you have a question? Don’t be shy – ask it here!
Tags: body weight, cravings, jogging, knees, sweets, weight loss
Posted in Ask Tanja, Fitness, Nutrition | No Comments »
Monday, November 16th, 2009
It’s time to hit the weights and get into some serious resistance training and stretching! The two go together like peanut butter and jelly (the low-cal version, of course  ).
A few days ago, a dear friend of mine, and an amazing nutrition coach who also works with my clients, called me up with a worried voice. She explained that she had started weight training with a trainer about six weeks ago, and now she actually felt worse about her body shape and had experienced no significant weight loss. “Am I doing the right thing?” she asked. “Why is this not working?”
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Tags: balance ball, body weight, core, resistance, stretching, weights, yoga
Posted in 10-Week Transformation, Body-Mind Health, Fitness | No Comments »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Fall is here! It’s the season of dramatic color and chilly nights. In the colder and darker areas of the country, the decrease in sunlight signals our bodies that it’s time to hibernate. (California might not experience it to the same extent but trust me, we feel it here, too.) It can be difficult to find motivation, but slowing down is not necessarily an obstacle, just merely a bump in the road on our long and exciting journey to a healthier body and lifestyle.
A big part of living a healthy life is listening to what the body needs, and accepting the changes it goes through. Let’s invite some new movement to play with, to get the body going and the mind motivated again. Here are a few things I have seen lately, which bring the fun into staying fit…
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Tags: abs, body weight, cardio, core, flexibility, fun, hula hoops, motivation, movement, resistance, spinning, suspension training, TRX, yoga
Posted in Body-Mind Health, Fitness | 1 Comment »
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