I may have crossed a line....

....into complete uselessness. One day on Wednesday, maybe I will actually remember it is Wednesday. I should recruit someone to be my offical reminder so I can save myself the weekly apology, but until then....sorry....again.....and here is your workout wednesday/challenge thursday for the week.

Tip #192

Use it or Lose it

I often hear people say, "If you don't excercise, your muscles will turn into fat." While that may be a good fear-instilling way to get people to exercise, it's simply not true. Muscle tissue doesn't magically turn into something different - it is and will always be "muscle tissue". What really happens is that our muscles slowly break down and deteriorate due to lack of use - they essentially waste away. When this happens, your energy level crashes, you feel tired, and your metabolic rate drops (meaning you have to eat less and less in order to lose or maintain weight). But there is a light: exercise - strength training specifically - is the one and only way to keep that muscle tissue active, healthy, and vivacious. Stimulating your muscles every day promotes a healthy metabolism, allowing you to eat sensible, normal amounts of food without the constant fear of weight gain.

The bottom line is simple: we all have to excercise - not just to lose weight, not just to look better, but to survive and feel good in this very unhealthy world.

(I know this is not technically a workout, but it made me feel like moving!)

Tip #17

The Power of Positive

Have you ever uttered the words, "I'm too fat," "I'm too out of shape," "I'm too flabby," or other negative, nonproductive thoughts? If you're human, the answer is probably a resounding "yes!" Most of us are pretty harsh when it comes to our physical attributes. We forget about all the good things we do and pick at ourselves by saying things to ourselves we would never say to someone else. And what good does it do? Does it motivate you to go do something positive? Not likely. Picking on your self gets you down, making you think and do negative things like "Oh, forget it. I'm a fat slob and there's no hope, so I'll just eat this whole pint of ice cream."

So today your job is to be positive about yourself. Don't say anything negative about your physical shape or size. Think about your positive attributes today. Those good attributes deserve to be taken care of. That's the motivation to make the healthier choices.