The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (117 page)

Tennis

Weight lifting

Dancing

Reduced stress

Any form of exercise can decrease the body's stress hormones and relieve stress-related tension. That's good news for anyone trying to lose weight because these s
ame stress hormones may be linked to abdominal weight gain. And if you're a stress-eater, you'll be happy to know that dealing with stress also helps alleviate the urge to eat to relieve your stress.

Often the activity you're engaged in helps deter your mind from the day's problems and challenges. Why? Because you actually switch your focus from those worries to the task at hand. Even if you're just walking, you begin paying attention to the road, the people around you, or the beauty of the area. This combination of movement and refocused attention helps lower your overall stress level.

Creating an Exercise Plan You Can Stick With

Do you ever start an exercise program with good intentions only to watch your efforts fade away after about three weeks? Y
ou're definitely not alone. You're likely experiencing this setback for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you don't particularly like exercising or the specific program you're doing. Maybe you jumped in with too much that you can't commit to, or perhaps you just haven't made exercising a priority in your life. Knowing you need to exercise for weight loss and health is one thing, but making exercise work in your life is quite another.

More important than getting started in an exercise program is maintaining that exercise long term. A practical exercise plan should

Take up a realistic amount of time for your lifestyle

Be challenging enough to give you results

Involve one or more activities that you love

An exercise plan that doesn't meet these criteria is difficult to stick to and won't help you achieve long-term weight loss. The sections that follow help you deal with each of the possible reasons why your exercising efforts fail. They also provide some new insight to help you craft the perfect-for-you exercise program that you can stick with for the long haul.

Before you dive into exercise, discuss any and all exercise plans with your healthcare provider to guarantee you'll be engaging in the safest form of exercise for your unique needs.

Dealing with exercise resistance

Does the thought of exercising create a pit in your stomach, or do you tend to find excuses not to do it? If so, this section is for you because
you may be suffering from exercise resistance. It's not a medical disease, but it can certainly sabotage your best efforts.

The phrase
exercise resistance
was first coined in 1996 by Francie White, a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist. Francie defines exercise resistance as a conscious or unconscious block against becoming regularly active. This block leads to an inactive lifestyle for both children and adults, meaning they either can't be consistent with a physical-activity regimen or they never get started with one in the first place. Many people may look at this concept and think it's plain old laziness, but there's actually a lot more to it.

People who struggle with exercise often experienced past embarrassment or shame around physical activity. They're the kids who were always picked last for the team or who were teased for not being a good player. When you experience emotional pain from an activity or situation consistently, especially starting at a young age, you avoid that activity or situation in the future at all costs. This is a natural response. It's sort of like if you got sick on a carnival ride when you were four. You likely aren't going to be excited to get on one again in your lifetime, even if the latest research says the Tilt-A-Whirl will be helpful for your health and weight . . . speaking from personal experience.

Exercise resistance is also common in dieters. When strict exercise regimens are prescribed that people don't enjoy, they can become resistant to exercising at all. Exercise becomes something they have to do to get the desired result rather than something that's enjoyable. This perception alone can make the thought of going to the gym sound like going to the dentist.

If you're beginning to recognize some signs of exercise resistance in your own life, or in that of your children, try using one or more of these strategies to help overcome them:

Explore your personal history regarding exercise.
First, identify the areas of your life in which you have negative emotions about exercise. Were you picked last to play on sports teams? Were you teased for not being coordinated? Did you attempt to follow exercise routines you didn't enjoy to lose weight?