Fitzness.com
Q. Hi Fitz, I’m a 42-year-old mother of three and am completely out of shape. My life had become so hectic several years ago that I totally gave up on fitness. I’m now 60 pounds overweight, have zero endurance and have horrible eating habits. I don’t even know where to start. Help! Leann
A. Hi, Leann. I’m sorry you’re feeling so badly about yourself. It sounds like you’re a wonderful mother who mistakenly thought your job was to give 100 percent to your family and zero percent to yourself. Although that sounds like the perfect equation for “perfect parenting”, you found out the hard way that it’s not. Fortunately, three years is a short period of time in the scheme of your life. There’s no reason you can’t undo what you’ve done and get your life and body back on track. Let’s get started!
The first thing I want you to do is realize that taking care of yourself will ensure that your children get to keep their Mommy around for a very long time. Healthy mothers are more energetic, patient, productive and happy as well. You owe it to your kids to prioritize your health and get in shape.
The next piece of the puzzle is creating and executing a plan for exercise. I implore you to start slowly. This will allow you to increase your time and effort with fewer setbacks. Walking and swimming are ideal for beginners. You might even want to join a gym that offers long-lasting guidance for the use of strength training equipment. The gym I attend, Gainesville Health & Fitness Center, literally does absolutely everything for their members outside of blowing their noses. It’s awesome for people who are not so savvy with exercise, and you’d be quite comfortable at a facility like this. The guidance is incredible!
Once you’re moving, you’ll need to address your eating habits. I recommend a one-time appointment with a licensed dietitian or nutritionist. This person will guide you towards the foods you should choose: Lean meat, lean dairy, whole grains, lots of produce and tons of water. She’ll also teach you what to avoid: Sugars, white flour, candy, soda, alcohol, oil, butter and so on. And you’ll learn to count calories and understand your eating parameters. My book, The Everything Flat Belly Cookbook, is a great tool which will help you enjoy the flavors you love without all the fat and calories. It’s not a diet (because I don’t believe in diets), but it offers a ton of healthy recipes, which are low in calories and fat. You could go cold turkey on crap food, but you’re more likely to be successful if you slowly wean yourself away. Go from Coke to Diet Coke to water. Cake to sugar-free Jello to berries. Gradual transitions seem to allow great habits to stick. Work on improving your kids’ eating habits too. Ideally, they’ll never feel as run down as you do now.
Leann, your road back to feeling fabulous may take a while, but I promise it will be well worth the effort. Wake up each day with a plan to better yourself, and do what it takes to succeed. In a week, you’ll feel more energetic. In two weeks, you’ll be a bit lighter. In three weeks, your exercise will last longer. In three months, you might just run a race! Stay the course, and the results will come. I’m so excited for your future Leann — you should be too. Have fun with it, take pride in your efforts and get to work!
