Do you have a sincere desire to become more fit and healthy in 2012, but the idea of exercising outdoors or in a public gym brings you to a dead stop?

Many people who are self-conscious about their size or fitness level find it uncomfortable or even distressing to exercise in public. Maybe they believe that others are looking at them critically. They might think they don’t fit in with fit people. They may even fear someone is going to say something insulting to them.

It’s common to put off walking around the neighborhood or joining a gym, thinking, “When I lose weight I’ll get out there and start training.”

Invariably, that day never comes. Few people can manage their weight without incorporating exercise. Most likely more weight is gained and more precious health is compromised.

Because of society’s bias when it comes to weight, it’s understandable why many people have such fear of exercising in public. Yet most of the beliefs that keep people from moving forward with their fitness are just that – beliefs. Here are some points that are closer to the truth:

. More often than not, people are too concerned about themselves to worry about those around them. In fact, the person whose opinion you fear may herself worry about what others are thinking about her. More likely, however, she’s thinking about other things entirely.

. You are not a mind reader. So you could be completely wrong in your beliefs about what others think, yet you’re allowing those beliefs to rule your life.

. It’s not other people’s thoughts that make us feel bad, it’s our own. It’s important to realize that it’s your own thinking that’s in your way, not the thinking of others.

. Even if you were openly ridiculed early in life because of weight, that experience does not have to rule your life any longer. It was unacceptable for anyone to mock you as a child; it’s equally unacceptable for you to keep ridiculing yourself. Everyone has the right to pursue health and happiness, so it’s important to treat yourself the way you wish to be treated by others.

As a young psychologist, I worked with a very large patient whom I will never forget – not because of his size, but because of his determination. We not only worked on his fitness by walking together, we worked on his thinking about exercising in public.

He wanted to participate in an organized 5K run, but he didn’t want to wait until he was thin. Instead, he decided to train and run it at whatever weight he was on the day of the race.

He was larger than most of the runners. There was no getting around the fact that people would look at him: Race spectators are there to watch the runners.

We jogged and walked for the entire 5K, and we did attract attention.

But it was all positive. Everyone was cheering him on and, in the end, he got his picture in the paper, a ribbon, and a huge amount of pride in himself. Mostly, he felt pride for not letting the thoughts of others keep him from doing what he wanted to do with his life.

So, if worrying about what others think of you is keeping you from being as active as you wish to be, explore your thoughts and beliefs and work at turning them around so that they no longer get in your way. Focus on your goal, be proud of yourself for working on it, and enjoy every minute of it. Let others take care of themselves.

Previously published in St. Petersburg Times

The greatest myth about calories and losing weight is this: The less you eat, the more you lose.

The human body is not so simple. It’s built for the complicated work of survival. It kills foreign invaders, digests all kinds of things that we throw into it, it tries to make sure that we have the energy we need, and much, much more.

Calories have gotten a bad reputation because of the scores of fad diets that tell us we should eat as few as possible. However, calories are key to survival. Sure, if we eat too many calories we will gain weight and we don’t want that to get out of hand.

But if we don’t provide enough calories for our body to do its many jobs well, we are setting ourselves up for weight-loss disappointment. The right number of calories can help us lose weight and maintain weight loss.

Experts in the field have known for some time that eating enough calories is important for efficient fat loss. Here are just a few of the negative consequences of skimping on calories:

Slowing metabolism. The last thing you want to do when losing weight is to slow down your fat-burning mechanism. Eating too few calories, however, does just that. You’re giving your body no choice but to protect its vital functions by conserving energy when you undereat. This is why, for instance, people who are undernourished tend to feel cold and lethargic.

Psychological deprivation. When you are calorically deprived, hunger becomes tough to ignore and cravings intensify. It’s next to impossible to stay in this state for long. Before we know it, we make up for undereating with compulsive eating or bingeing followed by weight gain.

Fatigue and lack of energy. Not eating enough calories also decreases our energy levels so we feel weak and unable to exercise, further slowing metabolism and weight loss.

Breakdown of muscle. Muscle burns calories, but not eating enough calories can break down muscle mass. The more muscle we have, the more calories we can eat without storing fat. If we’re eating so few calories that the body has to break down muscle to function, we’re setting ourselves up again to gain rather than lose weight.

So the wise person who wants to become leaner will make sure that they get enough calories to keep their metabolism burning efficiently, avoid fatigue and deprivation, and prevent muscle breakdown.

Figuring out the precise number of calories your body needs requires sophisticated equipment not available to most people. But these general USDA guidelines will get you close enough:

. An adult woman who isn’t physically active has an estimated total calorie need of 1,600-2,000.

. An adult man who isn’t physically active has an estimated total calorie need of 2,000-2,400.

TIPS FOR FAT LOSS

Counting every calorie isn’t necessary, but it’s important to avoid fad diets that expect you to go below these levels. Here are steps you can take to make sure you’re fueling your body properly:

. Be active on a daily basis.

. Don’t skip meals and eat 4-6 small, nutritious meals and snacks daily.

. Eat when hungry, but don’t let hunger get intense.

. Reduce portions gradually until you start noticing your clothes becoming looser.

. Strive for gradual, rather than rapid weight loss.

. Stay away from weight loss programs that make you feel deprived.

Getting enough calories makes losing weight an easier task with more permanent results. Your body will thank you for giving it the fuel it needs to burn fat, rather than expecting it to go into survival mode.

Previously published in St. Petersburg Times

Do you know a diet book junkie?  That’s a person who seems always to read
the latest diet books while making no apparent changes with respect to
weight, activity, eating, or other behaviors.
They seem to get a kind of high from espousing the wonders of their latest
discovery — “Well, in Dr. Skinny’s book, How to Get Thin and Rich in 24
Hours, it says drinking eight glasses of water before lunch doubles fat
burning!”
Maybe this sounds like you.  You get excited every time you buy a new diet
book, believing that its contents are going to somehow change your weight
and your life.  You remain excited throughout the book – each page seems to
make so much sense!  It’s so exhilarating, you can’t put it down. Some of
these books even have beautiful color pictures of healthful recipes that
you know will be great to eat and definitely produce the weight loss you’ve
been hoping for.
But eventually you get to the end of the book.  What now?
“Hey, I heard there’s a new Rocky Mountain Oysters Diet book out!” That’s
the ticket, you think – another diet book.  But, is it?
Not all books about weight loss have useful and accurate information. Some
are based on ineffective fad diets and gimmicks.  Even if the book is full
of sensible and effective methods, however, that doesn’t mean it will help
you. Only you can do that.
Lifestyle changes aren’t magically absorbed simply by reading a book. And
if, like a diet book junkie, you jump from book to book, expecting magic to
strike, it’s no wonder that your eating and weight problems don’t change.
Ineffective methods never work, but effective methods only work when you
use them.  The books are simply tools; and like a hammer or screwdriver,
they won’t fix anything if all you do is look at them.
Here are some suggestions on how to kick the diet book habit and get more
positive change in your life with respect to health and weight management:
1.      Become more selective about what you read. This means becoming a
better consumer of dieting information. If a weight loss book doesn’t
promise amazingly fast weight loss, doesn’t suggest you have to buy certain
products endorsed by the author, makes good logical sense, and teaches a
program that you can follow for the rest of your life, it’s a good place to
start. Skip those that are based on fads, prescribe a rigid diet plan,
instruct you to avoid the foods you like most, and say you don’t need to
exercise.
2.      Take your time savoring what you read. Stop and think, make notes,
highlight key points, and consider how the book’s suggestions can be
incorporated into your life.
3.      Don’t jump to another book immediately. Finish the book you’re
reading, and put it into practice.  Go back through the book focusing on
what you’ve highlighted and the notes you’ve made.  Follow through with the
suggestions that you would like to incorporate into your life.
4.      Continue using what works for you, and set aside whatever doesn’t fit
your life. If you feel you need more information, the next step may be
another book but, then again, it may not.  It may be trying a class,
searching for health information online, joining a group that does
something active (like hiking), or seeing a therapist for emotional issues
that have been too difficult to solve on your own.
Reading is generally a good habit to have.  However, if you’re reading a
book with the intent of having it help you change something in your life
you have to go beyond just reading it.  You have to use it.
Kick the diet book habit in favor of taking constructive action, and you’ll
notice real changes starting to happen.  Your library of diet books may
stop growing, but who cares?  Your body and mind will be getting fitter.
Isn’t that what you wanted in the first place?

Starting an exercise program — and sticking with it — is all about knowing yourself.
Especially with beach season upon us, plenty of people are thinking about picking up yet another shape-up routine.
Others don’t need to start exercising, because they’ve never stopped moving, but you probably don’t hear from them so much. Why? They consider their exercise routine as daily hygiene, almost like you would brush your teeth or take a shower. Sure, they might miss a session every now and then. They are not perfect, but they’re not trying to be perfect either.  They’re focusing on a good average, not a perfect score.
Plus, consistent exercisers aren’t all about the short-term goal. They intend to be active today, tomorrow, and forever.
Who are they? Maybe the lone runner or walker you seem to pass every day. Or the person who’s at the gym whenever you are there, too. Or maybe it’s the tennis player you regularly see at your neighborhood courts.
What do these people have that others don’t?  Nothing that anyone can’t acquire. Here are few ideas to help you to adopt — permanently — the attitudes and behaviors of consistent exercisers:
• Choose activities you like. Recognize that you can change your mind whenever you like.  You can do the same thing every day until you’re tired of it, or you can do something different every day of the week. It’s up to you. Just keep moving. Understand that over a lifetime, you’ll go through changes that will require you to switch things up. Maybe you suffer an injury, you get ill, or you’re just tired of the same old same old. Be ready to roll with what life brings you.
• Train your brain to think realistically. There’s no room for perfectionistic thinking if your goal is to be active, long-term.  Strive for a good average rather than a perfect score.  For example, your average improves when you decide to do part of your workout if you’re strapped for time instead of skipping exercise altogether.
• Develop the art of not giving up.  Imagine yourself staying active throughout your life.   Knowing that life has its challenges, you can decide that you will always work at figuring out any problems rather than giving up.  Keep the mind flexible and it will be a good problem solver.
• Provide incentives that make sense.  A lifetime of healthful exercise requires both short- and long-term goals, not short-term goals alone.  Starting to exercise in order to train for a race is good, but if that’s your only goal, it’s more likely there won’t be an incentive strong enough to keep you moving after the race.  Try a meaningful long-term goal such as, “I want to stay active so that I can stay independent in my older years.’’ Then add to that many short-term goals, such as “I want to learn to dance salsa,” “I want to run a 10K,” or “I want to increase my walking pace.’’ The combination of long and short-term goals keeps the brain focused on wanting to move.
• Don’t make losing weight the primary goal. This is the most common reason people use for starting an exercise program but it just doesn’t work long-term. Include weight management on your list of reasons to exercise but don’t put it at the top of the list. Put health and happiness at the top of your list.  Perhaps daily exercise helps you reduce your stress level or helps control your diabetes.  It may keep you limber so that you can continue your passion to garden into your old age. These kinds of priorities are far more likely to keep you moving.

Previously published in the St. Petersburg Times

It’s so frustrating to go on a diet and lose weight, only to regain it.
Frustrating, but common — studies show 90 percent of dieting attempts fail.
What can we do to improve our chances?
Despite overwhelming evidence that most diets fail, ever more people are
vulnerable to quick weight loss promises that won’t work in the long run.
Most of these people have histories of going on and off diets, over and
over again.
Diets may be one of the few things that intelligent people will keep trying
even after repeated failures.
What do the lucky 10 percent know about losing weight and keeping it off?
The problem is that people usually confuse weight loss with fat loss.
Actually, the faster the weight is lost, the more likely it is that the
weight lost is water or muscle, not fat. A lot of research has been done
showing that fad diets show particularly dismal results.
But it’s fat that people want to lose and they want to lose it for good —
not to gain it all back and have to start dieting all over again.
So don’t just go on yet another diet. First, stop and think.

•••

If you have a long history of on-and-off dieting it’s time to face the fact
that what you’ve been doing doesn’t work.
Maybe you’ve tried a bunch of diets with different names, like the Low Carb
Diet, the Blood Type Diet, the Grapefruit Diet. But consider what was
similar about them. Did they eliminate particular foods completely? Did
they emphasize fast weight loss? Did they not include exercise?
If you are a first time dieter, learn through the experience of others
rather than following them down the road of fad diets that don’t yield
lasting results.
Preparing yourself psychologically in this way will keep you on the right
track to successful weight loss and maintenance, not just this summer but
every summer from here on out.

•••

If you want this next weight loss attempt to be your final effort because
it actually worked, try these tips:
1. Focus on the behaviors (portion control, increased activity, better
nutrition) that help you lose fat, rather than achieving a weight goal
number.
2. Make sure that you include consistent aerobic exercise in your plan.
3. Don’t set a time limit for your goal. Instead, keep your mind focused on
the forest (the rest of your life) instead of the trees (an upcoming
wedding or bathing suit season).
4. Don’t go on a rigid, stringent, fad diet of any kind. If it sounds
depriving, you need to consider something else.
5. Make sure that the eating and exercise plan you go on is one that you
can follow for the rest of your life. For example, are you really going to
be able to keep buying expensive food through the mail?
6.      Your body has genetic limits. You don’t know if your body will be
able to reach the ultimate weight goal you have in mind. Instead, keep
doing what will make you leaner and healthier and let your body take care
of the weight. It will show you what its best weight is.
7.      Take time to keep your fridge stocked with easy to prepare,
nutritious alternatives.  Get rid of those foods that don’t fit a healthy
lifestyle and fill the fridge with luscious, colorful, fresh foods.  It may
require a stop at the grocery store more often but fresh food actually
requires less cooking — or even no cooking — which saves time in the end.
8. Reinforce, compliment, and pat yourself on the back often.  Stop the
criticism and judgment altogether.  The psychology of weight management is
a key factor that is usually ignored.  If you don’t do the right things
emotionally, psychological barriers will continue to get in your way.
You don’t want to put all that effort into losing weight only to regain it
and more. Let’s do it differently this time.

Previously published in the St. Petersburg Times

Stress is everywhere, and chronic stress is known to be harmful not only to
our emotional health, but also to our physical health. It can affect the
immune system (making us sick more often), the heart (causing high blood
pressure and other heart problems), and muscles (causing problems with
neck, shoulder, and low-back pain), to name just a few concerns.
It can also be linked to overeating, and so contributes to obesity.
Stress eating is a common problem in our fast-paced world, although many
people believe they are alone when it comes to this issue.  In reality,
most people have a tendency to overeat when moderately stressed.  That can
make controlling food portions particularly difficult.
There may be physiological reasons why we tend to eat more and eat certain
types of foods when we are under chronic stress.  For example, research
suggests that certain brain functions linked to chronic stress compel us to
eat. Stress can also compel us to eat faster, potentially increasing the
amount we eat even more.
The types of foods we’re more likely to reach for at times of stress are
the sugary and starchy favorites we might call “comfort foods.’’ These have
properties that affect the brain in soothing ways, making us feel better
and reinforcing eating when we are under stress. So you see — you’re not
alone. It’s just how our bodies are wired to deal with chronic stress.
It’s essential to identify whether stress is driving your overeating. If
you try to control portions with tricks like using smaller plates, but
don’t address the real reason for overeating, such tricks won’t help.
Here’s a quiz to help you decide if it’s stress that’s eating you:
• Do you get irritated over minor things?
• Do you often feel anxious, jittery, and “hyper.”
• Do people get on your nerves often?
• Is it difficult to control your temper.
• Is it hard to focus on and remember things?
• Are you constantly worrying and  thinking about the next thing you have
to do?
If you see yourself in these signs of stress and are having problems with
portion control, there may be a link. We can’t eliminate stress from our
lives but we can learn to manage it.
Here are some tips for reducing stress and portions:
•       Take deep breaths throughout the day, especially before eating.
•       Slow down eating by savoring your food.  Focus on the sight, smell,
and taste of your meal before swallowing it.
•       Try to be mindful if you find yourself feeling “hyper” and
purposefully slow down your movements and actions.  You’ll find that you’ll
still get plenty done.
•       Look at the big picture. Remind yourself of what’s really important
in your life.  Perhaps what you’re worrying about really isn’t as important
as you think.
•       Remind yourself of what chronic stress can do to your health.
•       Manage hunger by eating sensible meals on a regular schedule. Being
hungry just adds to any other stress you’re carrying around and causes more
overeating.
•       Watch the servings. A brain under stress thinks it needs more food
than the body really demands. So, if stressed, serve less than your brain
is telling you.  Wait 20 minutes after having eaten slowly. If you’re still
hungry, have a little more and savor that, too.
• Exercise has repeatedly been shown not only to be a great fat-burner but
also a highly effective stress buster and appetite reducer. Make the time
to use this powerful health tool.
• Do something relaxing every day. Sit outside, meditate, practice yoga,
play – do anything that makes you feel at peace, comfortable, and focused
on the present moment.
Take a deep breath, address the stress in your life, and start on the road
to a healthier lifestyle and natural portion control.

Previously published in the St. Petersburg Times

It’s good to learn from our mistakes.  The more we pay attention to what
we’ve done wrong in the past the more successful we’ll be in the future.
This is certainly true when it comes to weight loss and fitness.  And, for
some reason, when it comes to dealing with weight, many people put their
blinders on and don’t look back to see what they’ve done wrong. This only
leads to a seemingly endless cycle of failures.  It’s no wonder most
dieters are frustrated, anxious, and often hungry.
I believe people ought to try to become better consumers of dieting
information just as they try to be careful when it comes to buying
electronics, baby car seats or hair straighteners.  In 2011, wouldn’t it be
nice to stop being frustrated and confused by all the weight loss diets and
products that are thrown at you daily?
With this in mind, I have put together a list of the Top 10 dieting
mistakes I see people make over and over again. If you notice that any of
them apply to you, try to focus on correcting these barriers to your
fitness, and see what kind of progress you can make.
1.      Looking for quick fixes through fad diets. The mind tends to resist
when it feels deprived, and the result is loss of control over food.  The
body needs the right nutrition to function well, and without it,
fat-burning can slow down so that you hang on to fat instead of releasing
it. Quick test: If you can’t picture yourself following the plan for a
lifetime, don’t bother for even a few weeks.
2.      No regular exercise. The people who are most successful with weight
and fitness tend to be active on a regular basis, yet most dieters don’t
take advantage of this wonderful tool.
3.      Undereating. The body has a wonderful ability to slow down its
metabolism when it’s not getting enough fuel to function.  Undereating
means losing fat more slowly, and when normal eating resumes, putting it
back on faster.
4.      Skipping meals. Going without food for too long can result in
overeating due to ravenous hunger and a slower metabolism.  Consider
smaller portions, four or five times a day.
5.      Drinking too many calories and not drinking enough water. Liquid
calories count just as much as the solid variety, only they don’t satisfy
you. On the other hand, not drinking enough water can lead to thirst that
can be confused for hunger.  But being hydrated helps the body perform all
its tasks more efficiently — including fat burning.
6.      Getting too hungry. If you want to control your food intake properly,
a good trick is to not allow hunger to go beyond a “3” on a scale from 0 to
5 (0=no hunger, 5=ravenous).
7.      Eating late at night. At night our body starts to slow down,
readying itself for sleep. Metabolism slows and any calories eaten are more
likely to be stored as fat.  Try to eat your last meal by 6 p.m.  If you
get hungry later it probably means you didn’t eat enough during the day.
Pay attention to hunger at night by eating a light snack but then focus on
eating properly the next day to avoid late night hunger.
8.      Not eating breakfast. After many hours without food the body is
ready to be fed and start burning.  Not eating breakfast keeps metabolism
low, which is why numerous studies show the most successful dieters don’t
skip this meal.  If you think you can’t eat in the morning, start with
small quantities and slowly increase your intake until you are eating an
adequate amount.
9.      Over-focusing on weight and food. This kind of preoccupation with
food can increase cravings to eat. So put the focus where it counts – on
the behaviors of increasing quality of eating and activity level.
10.     Thinking negatively. Judging yourself harshly is self-defeating. Not
only does it affect motivation, but it increases stress levels, leading to
overeating. Instead, pat yourself on the back for every small step forward.

Previously published in the St. Petersburg Times

If the commercials, the talk show hosts, and the annual crop of new diets
are to be believed, making a resolution to lose weight during the new year
is not only a good idea, it’s mandatory.
Resolutions imply sincere intent and motivation to make it happen this
time. But if there’s ever a time to look to the past before planning for
the future, it’s before you make another resolution to lose weight.
A recent study of weight gain during the holidays found that the average
weight gain from mid-November to mid-January was less than a pound. Fewer
than 10 percent of the study participants gained five pounds or more.
Although this doesn’t sound bad, the trouble is that the pounds that are
gained tend to stick around, only to be joined by more the following year.
So if you’ve made a resolution, as yourself a few questions:
• Have I made this resolution before?
• How many times have I made this resolution?
• Has it ever worked?
If you think it did work — until you regained the weight — I’d ask you to
think again. Success is not about how much weight is lost in a specific
time frame; it’s about losing the weight and not regaining it.  It’s about
managing weight well for a lifetime.
So why don’t most New Year’s resolutions about weight work?
• Most resolutions about weight are about the weight itself (“I’m going to
lose 20 pounds,” “I’m going to fit into my wedding dress”) rather than the
behaviors that will produce weight loss such as exercise, eating
nutritiously and reducing portions.
• Most resolutions about weight are followed by diets that don’t work
because they cannot be followed for the long haul.  It’s no wonder that 90
percent of dieting attempts fail.
• When deadlines are set for weight loss, the focus is temporary and so
will be the weight loss.
Now, I do think there is a place for resolutions. It is good to take stock
of our lives periodically and the New Year provides a reminder to do just
that. It’s time to stop spinning your wheels and approach life in ways that
are positive, long-lasting (even if not fast), and logical. Here are some
tips:
•       Set goals about behaviors, not numbers (e.g. “I want to work on
increasing my exercise,” “I want to take a class to learn to eat more
nutritiously,” “I want to focus on increasing the veggies and fruit that I
eat”).
•       Set specific but small goals that are gradually increased.  For
example, “I want to add one more day of exercise each week until I reach at
least six days per week.”  “I will make a list of different activities that
I want to try for exercise and I will try a different one each week.”
•       Forget about perfection.  Perfectionism leads to loss of control and
failure.  Instead, be ready to learn, accept setbacks, but continue on.
It’s about a lifetime of managing weight successfully, not about yo-yo
dieting for the rest of your life.
So, what’s the best resolution to set this New Year?  It’s the one that
says, “I resolve not to set useless resolutions that don’t work.” Sit down
and think of smart ways of striving to change your lifestyle gradually so
that the efforts stick. Need suggestions? Check out my blog at
www.FatMatters.com, where you’ll find more than 65 articles on the subject.

This article was published in the St. Petersburg Times 1-1-11

I received so many good questions from readers about weight and exercise during the holidays, I’m devoting another column to the subject.

Next time we’ll tackle the thorny issue of New Year’s resolutions.

Determine what’s behind urge to binge

I have problems with binging and the holidays make it worse. What can I do about it?

A binge is different from overeating. When we overeat, we’re just eating more than our bodies need for the day. With binging, the eating is accompanied by emotions such as anxiety, fear and a feeling of being totally out of control. The binger doesn’t want to eat but feels compelled to. He or she tries to keep from eating. But the harder they try, the likelier it is that they will break down and eat uncontrollably.

Contrary to simple overeating, the binger’s eating is rapid, without savoring the food. Rather than enjoyment, the binger just experiences relief from the effort of trying to stay in control – but not for long. Guilt and shame follow the binge.

Overeaters, on the other hand, enjoy food and stop when they don’t want any more. Bingers stop only after they can’t fit any more food into their stomachs, or they feel forced to hide their behavior.

While overeating is common during the holidays, the binger has particular problems during these times. Fear about losing control of eating goes up, both because the foods they forbid themselves are more available, and because they are putting an inordinate amount of pressure on themselves about eating and appearance during this time. Bingers tend to be perfectionists, expecting superhuman things from themselves. No one is able to withstand this kind of pressure without breaking down in some way.

The way to get rid of binging is not to find the “right” diet or focus more on food, but rather to address the causes of binging. Psychological barriers and rigid, cyclical dieting are at the core. Binging behavior can be a symptom of an eating disorder that requires professional assistance to overcome.

For now, understand that it’s not your fault. The best thing to do is to let up the pressure on yourself during the holidays. Use this time to do research about binging and find a professional that can guide you through ridding yourself of the problem once and for all. It’s not about weight loss or food and it’s not about self-discipline. It’s about getting natural control over food back in your life. You might start by getting information from my blog, www.FatMatters.com.

Eliminate barriers to exercise

I find it either too hot or too cold here in Florida to exercise regularly. Do you have any suggestions?

Central Florida has beautiful weather, but it can have long stretches of very hot weather – and as we’ve seen this past week, cold spells, too. The first step is to decide that you want to have a lifestyle that includes consistent exercise. If you don’t want it, you’ll find excuses not to do it. But, if you really want it, you’ll find ways around any difficulty. Make activity a priority in your life and leave room for it on your schedule.

Secondly, think about everything that can interfere with exercising outside – rain, cold and heat – and make sure that you have tools to address those obstacles. For example, good rain gear will allow you to walk in the rain. Have a piece of equipment in your house that you can use on those days when it’s too dangerous to be outside (like when there’s lightning). It can be as fancy as an elliptical machine or as simple as a set of resistance bands. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s ready to use, no assembly required. Learn how to layer clothing for cold days so you can gradually remove layers if you feel too warm; on hot days, plan to get outside early, before the sun heats things up.

Finally, find something that will make activity even more enjoyable, such as listening to your favorite music or podcast. I’m sure that if someone offered you a million dollars to exercise outside every day for three months, you’d find ways to deal with the weather. Find the incentive and the solutions will come to you.

by Lavinia Rodriguez, Ph.D.

Previously published in St. Petersburg Times
December 16, 2010