How to love and care for your body - expert advice v. personal experience & self love

[Jane C]

I first stepped foot in a gym around 1980. I have studied goju karate, ethnic dance. I've used nautilus, universal, free weights. I regularly took flexband classes with Karen Andes before she had a book or a video. I've done hundreds of jumping jacks, jogged, done old school high impact aerobics, jazzercised, free-danced. I've done alot of step - I started out using 3 risers in classes where some people used 4 - and that was considered a good thing (Crunch NYC circa 1995 or so). I've taken classes, regularly, with some of the best instructors in New York City. There have been periods in my life where I routinely spent 3 hours a night in a gym. I've used dozens of pieces of cardio equipment and I have a "Coach Troy" style home bike set up. I've had a fair amount of private pilates instruction, and I've done alot of yoga - Integral, Sivananda, Kripalu, Iyengar, Ashtanga, etc.

Over the course of my checkered fitness career I've been told "mix it up", "do the same", "machines only", "free weights only" "high weight/low rep" "work to failure" "cardio only" "pilates only" "yoga only".

Here are what I consider to be the only genuinely useful pieces of information I can convey to anyone else:

1. Do something, anything, 5-7 times a week
2. Find something to do that you love
3. Love yourself, and love your body
4. Find a supportive community
5. Listen to your own body
6. Make fitness and self-care a priority.

anything after that is gravy. Most people quit their exercise programs.

I find the recent stampede of threads seeking the holy grail of studies or rotations disturbing. It takes fitness out of the hands of the individual and puts it in the hands of so called "experts" who often have their own agenda. Its also somewhat intimidating. People stop exercising because they feel compelled to do something they don't like - and that "like" factor - the enjoyment factor - is the key.

I know it can be useful, on a personal level, to rev up one's commitment by reading literature - I'm not talking about that.

You're body is a living organism. It is unique to you. It is spirit and flesh. Listen to it - pay attention to your body, not magazine drivel. Do what moves you

[bugaboo62]

Applause, applause! THAT was fabulous Jane. Well said! And thank you for the reminders.

sallie

[Helen S]

Well said, Jane!!

Helen

[meggie]

Jane, you rock. Well said. And timely.


meg

[Sharon T]

I enjoyed reading your post, Jane - valuable words,well stated. Very nice.

[bdandy3]

Jane -

What an awesome post!!! We so often forget to be nice to ourselves..and if we're not, who will be?

[RovinUSA]

Very thought provoking post, Jane!

On the other hand, I can see some value in trying to find out what is the most effective use of one's exercise time and effort. You are more likely to stick with a program that gives you the results you want. For example, a woman might be doing cardio every day, and finally quit because her body shape never really changes, just gets smaller. (That was me once!) Adding some weight training might finally give her the body she wants, and motivate her to continue. On the other end of the spectrum, there are many women like me who start off Firming with gusto, only to be dismayed and ready to quit weeks or months later when they realize that all their hard work has given them much bigger quad and glute muscles than they wanted. Adding some cardio and changing their approach to lower body strength training can make a real difference in their results, and motivate them to continue.

I know what you mean though - as long as you are doing the basics of cardio and strength and flexibility, it is less important to worry about the details of how many minutes of each, exactly what heart rate, how many sets, reps, etc. That can be very time consuming and ultimately frustrating because there are no clear cut answers and much conflicting information. I've been down that road! I've gone back to the basics myself, and devised a plan that I can actually stick to. Otherwise, I feel like I am never measuring up to the grandiose goals I've set for myself, and that's discouraging.

Shelley

[Vintage VFer]

Yay Jane!

I think you ought to open a day spa!

[Jane C]

Shelly,

I agree with what you write, and that's the piece of the puzzle I didn't flesh out. Results are a big booster.

Lately, I've been trying to incorporate Lotte Berk type stuff because I feel like it hits my core and gives me strength I need for yoga. But that doesn't mean it hits everyone's core, or that you should do it if you hate it. And maybe that type of strength isn't a priority for you. You can learn so much by listening to your body, rather than beating it into submission.

[suebella]

Well put!

Personally, I am a rotation kind of gal, but I do understand where you are coming from! You can drive yourself batty trying to figure the perfect combination of exercises, the perfect rotation, to get the perfect you.

The concept of a supportive community is an element of a good fitness program that is overlooked a lot - and I agree, it's critical.

Do you ever read Krista Smash's web site - stumptuous.com? Her August rant is along the same lines as your post and she's a pretty funny gal, to boot.

I do hesistate to post a link because Krista is not always video-friendly (I think her July rant touches on exercise videos and DVDs, and not also in a nice way), but she is consistently amusing and common-sensical. You can find her by googling Krista Smash.