Fit and Female

Welcome To The Fit Female Blog!

My name is Geralyn Coopersmith.  I'm the author of Fit + Female, an exercise physiologist and a certified personal trainer. 

I'm also the creator of a complete weight loss system, The Best Me Ever.  I've been helping women get in the best shape of their lives for the past seventeen years.  So I know what works -- and what doesn't.

One thing that I've learned is that most women (most people in general, for that matter) have the same issues that prevent them from getting fit.

• They are fed up with workout programs that are boring -- or painful
• They don't have any (or enough) time to exercise
• They find it difficult (if not impossible) to get to the gym on a regular basis
• They aren't motivated to workout at home
• They can't find a "diet" that really works in the real world -- with real food!

This blog, and The Best Me Ever are all about breaking down all the barriers that keep us from getting in shape and staying that way.  Ultimately, it boils down to three critical factors.  You have to change:

• The Way You Think - This can mean everything from having realistic expectations about what YOUR body is supposed to look like at its most fit -- to making your fitness a daily priority.
• The Way You Move - You need to exercise almost every day.  But you don't need to beat yourself up.  The secret is balanced, time-efficient exercises that give you some muscle toning, some fat-burning cardio and some flexibility.
• The Way You Eat - Healthy food, is for the most part, non-fattening food.  You can eat a heck of a lot of fruits, veggies and lean proteins without gaining weight.  Sure portion control definitely plays a role, but learning to focus on nutrient-rich, high fiber foods makes daily weight loss very easy!

If you continue to read this blog you'll see that these are on-going themes that I like to address. 

With The Best Me Ever, I've developed a step-by-step system that teaches you how to workout to get the best gains in the shortest period of time, what to eat to lose weight and keep it off and how to think about the importance of fitness in your life.  The beauty of it is the simplicity...if you follow this system, it works -- plain and simple.  In fact, I'm so proud of it -- and so convinced that it will work for anyone, that I back it up with a 90-day full money-back guarantee!!

I was recently interviewed by celebrated fitness podcast host, Anthony Renna of The Better Golf With Fitness Podcast and The Strength Coach Podcast.  Anthony asked me about some of my training philosophies, female fitness myths and misconceptions and the reasons that I developed The Best Me Ever.  Click on the player below to listen.

Five Iron Fitness Opens This Wednesday in White Plains, NY!!

Dear All:

I am very pleased to announce that my good friend, Anthony Renna is
opening his own golf fitness facility, Five Iron Fitness, in White Plains, NY.
(inside Motion Golf).

Anthony is a Level 2 Titleist Certified Golf Fitness Instructor, a NSCA
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and USAW Sports Performance
Coach.  He also has two amazing golf fitness sites packed with free info, videos -- even a podcast on golf fitness.  Check them out at www.golffitnessproducts.net and www.bettergolfwithfitness.

Given Ant's unparalleled level of talent, knowledge and enthusiasm
I know that this is going to be a truly unique and wonderful golf fitness
facility. 

To celebrate the opening he's hosting an open house this Wednesday night.
Please check out more details below and the RSVP link below.

Best,

G

http://fiveironfitness.com/openhouse.html




Five Iron Fitness
http://www.fiveironfitness.com/


From: Anthony Renna, Five Iron Fitness


I wanted to let you know that I am finally open for business and this
Wednesday, June 25, I am having an Open House from 6-9pm for everyone to
come down, have a glass of wine and check it out.

I am located inside Motion Golf, a golf teaching facility with the most
advanced swing analysis software on the market.  It's pretty cool stuff
and I am really excited about working with them.  They have a simulator as
well so you can hit some balls while your here.

It's a small space but I plan on doing some big things here!  There are 3
sections: a warm up/cardio area, a fitness area and a Pilates Reformer
studio.

It's not just for golfers though, so I hope you can stop by!

Where & When
Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Time: 6-9pm
Location: Five Iron Fitness
188 East Post Road
(inside Motion Golf in the Key Bank building)
White Plains, NY
To RSVP or for directions visit the link below
http://fiveironfitness.com/openhouse.html




Sincerely,
Anthony

Is Hoodia Any Good(ia)?

Cher (right up there with Plato in my book) once said of a great body, "If it came in a bottle EVERYBODY would have one". 

That's so true!  Everyone wants to look amazing without having to do all the hard work and sacrifice that it takes to get there. 

Hence the constant search of the American public for the "magic pill".  Lately, hoodia is getting a lot of press as being this magic pill.  My brother-in-law recently asked me what I knew about -- the truth is not much, so I did a little digging to get the 411.

Hoodia is really hoodia gordonii a succulent plant which grows in South Africa.  It has been used for ages by the San Bushmen of the Kalahari to help suppress their appetites and thirsts during long hunts.  (Hmmm..not too many fat bushmen...the stuff MUST work.  Then again, there aren't too many couches or 7-11s in the Kalahari)

There isn't a lot of research on the safety or effectiveness of Hoodia.  The most often sited research is from a small study done by Phytopharm (a British pharmaceutical company).  That study did find that obese individuals ate 1000 kcals less per day after 15 days on the drug.   Even more encouraging, there did not appear to be any short-term side effects.

The problems is hoodia gordonii is very rare and difficult to grow.  In fact, hoodia is actually on a watch list of plants in danger of extinction.  Apparently Pfizer pulled out of a partnership with Phytopharm because of concerns on the harvesting, farming and sustainability of the plant.   This means that hoodia is very rare making it highly unlikely that most of the many hoodia products currently on the market have much hoodia at all.  

Ironically, Phytopharm (in partnership now with Unilever) which is the only company with the patent license for studying hoodia as an appetite supressant -- doesn't sell a hoodia product yet!  They are still doing clinical trails to find out more about how P57 (the compound in hoodia believed to effect the hypothalmus) works.   Phytopharm does not anticipate having a product on the market for the next several years pending the results of their research.

The bottom line on Hoodia...

• There is some anecdotal and research evidence that it works
• There is no regulation of this substance now -- including how much of it is in the supplements currently available
• It is very rare (and expensive) so it is likely that most products currently on the market have little to no hoodia
• We don't yet know the long-term health effects or appropriate dosage
• Probably best to hold off on hoodia for now-- do the thing you'll need to do ANYWAY -- (sigh) yes, diet and exercise!  But keep your eyes open for future research developments.

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss and wellness system just for women

Hot, Hot, Hot!!

Wow -- it's a steamy here in the Northeast!!   Well into the 90s with the three Hs -- hazy, hot and humid.

As an exercise physiologist, I'm a big believer in the importance of working out consistently --  all year long.  That said, EVERYONE (even the most fit among us) needs to modifiy their workouts in extreme heat and humidity.  Especially, when the weather first turns steamy and you're not acclimatized. 

Heat illness is more than just feeling "a little uncomfortable" from the noon day rays -- it can literally be a matter of life and death.  Heat illnesses range from the relatively harmless "heat cramps", to heat fatigue, to heat exhaustion to the potentially-fatal, heat stroke.

The body cools itself in two primary ways:

• By increasing blood flow to the skin so that heat is dissipated away from the body's core to the skin's surface.
• By increasing sweat production, so that the evaporation of sweat off the skin's surface can cool the body.

Heat (particularly with humidity) and exercise both compete with the body's ability to regulate body temperature within safe levels. 

Exercise challenges the body by demanding blood for working muscles.  So now your skeletal muscles are crying out for blood (for oxygen, nutrients and the removal of waste) at the same time your body is trying to keep you cool by bringing the blood to the skin's surface.  On top of that, exercise generates its own heat which also needs to be removed from the body.

Humidity further exacerbates this problem, because if the air is already full of water vapor (as it is on a humid day) there is less room in the air to take up the sweat on your skin.  So it just clings to you -- rather than cooling you as it evaporates.

And guess what?  Your body is smarter than you are.  Effectively your brain tells your body, "Hold on, Body -- apparently, we've got an idiot running in the noon day heat and humidity, let's shut her down before she overloads the system!"   And you experience that as heat illness.

The signs of heat illness, include:

• Muscle cramps (particularly in the hands, feet or calves)
• Excessive thirst
• Agitation
• Drenching sweats with cold and clammy skin
• Headache
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Feeling faint
• Slower heart rate

Signs of heat stroke (which is a medical emergency requiring immediate 911 assistance) include:

• Rapid heart beat
• Nausea and vomiting
• Hot, flushed dry skin
• Decreased sweating
• Decreased urination and/or blood in the urine
• High body temperature (104-106 degrees F)
• Convulsions
• Loss of consciousness
• Shortness of breath

With heat illness (as with most things in life) an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  So here are some tips for beating the heat -- before it beats you:

• Allow your body a chance to acclimatize to heat.  It takes at least 4-7 days for your body to adjust to the change in temp and about 2 weeks to get used to working out in the heat.
• Drink plenty of water.  Be sure to drink at least 4 oz. of water every 15-20 min.  Don't rely on your thirst to let you know when you need water.
• Avoid alcohol.  It dehydrates you.
• Add some salt to your food.  Salt helps the body retain water.
• Workout smart.  Exercise in the cooler times of day, either early AM or later PM when the sun's going down.  Consider taking your normal outside workout indoors in the AC until the heat breaks, especially if you must workout at midday.  Pace yourself.  Do not expect to workout as hard as you normally would.  It's not realistic -- or safe!
• Wear clothes that breath and wick moisture away from your body.  Microfiber clothing such as Cool-Max, can really help draw your sweat towards your skin and allow it to evaporate more easily -- keeping you cooler.   Cotton can get soggy and hold moisture against the skin -- impeding the evaporation process.
• Consider working out in the water.  Swimming, water polo, water aerobics, even treading water are all good workouts that keep your core temperature down and can even be done in the heat of the day -- another great summertime alternative to pounding the pavement in the heat.

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss and wellness system just for women

Developing a Healthy Relationship With Food

 A girlfriend of mine once said, "To be female and living on The Upper East Side (of Manhattan) is by definition -- to be eating disordered". 

It wasn't as funny a statement as it should have been -- because in the circles we traveled in -- it was actually true.

(Manhattanites will also appreciate this gem from that same friend...she used to call Tasti D-Lite Stores -- "a beacon for the eating disordered"...I love TD, but it's really true!)

And from the emails that I'm getting from women all over  these days, I think that there is far more borderline eating disordered behavior among women in this country than anyone believes. 

Not really a stretch of the imagination when you consider that:

• According to some studies as much as 97% of women are unhappy with their bodies.
• Models whose bodies represent 2-5% of the world's women are touted as the ultimate goal of womanhood in the media. 
• It seems like the celebrities whom thousands of young girls idolize are coming clean about their body image problems every day.

My friend and I were both in our mid 20s at the time (I'm 29 now ;-), both teaching "aerobics" (that was old skool for "group exercise") and both recovering from various issues with food.  She was a former professional dancer who had dabbled in both anorexia and bulimia. 

I was never a full-fledged anorexic, but I was as close as you can get without falling over the edge.  I was aspiring (but failed) bulimic, having tried a few times to make myself throw-up with no success.  Virtually every woman we knew had issues with eating, food and their body image.

One of our friends (a group fitness instructor) was a serious exercise bulimic.  She would literally spend two hours at a time on the stairmaster after teaching fitness classes all day long.  Her weight would swing back and forth 20-30 pounds in the seeming flash of an eye.   Lose-gain, lose-gain.  Then she would be seen by various people at odd times (like 9 AM) in some random out-of- the way dinner eating huge amounts of chocolate cake. 

Later, this fitness professional actually took up smoking, because it helped her lose weight.  And finally, and most tragically..apparently, she got addicted to heroine and cocaine...true story...her health meant nothing to her.  It was all about looking a certain way.

Does Stress Speed Aging?

Tension is who you think you should be.  Relaxation is who you are.  ~Chinese Proverb

We’ve all heard it said that stress can cause premature aging.  But is that REALLY true?  And if it is -- what actually causes that to happen? 

Scientists are just now beginning to tease out the differences between so-called “normal aging” and stress-induced aging.  But there is no doubt that connection between stress and physical declines is very real.  In fact, it has been estimated that a whopping 90% of all doctor’s visits are in some way stress-related!!! 

There are more and more scientific studies which suggest that chronic stress changes both the physical structures-- and chemical pathways -- in the body in ways that mimic (and therefore speed up) the normal aging process.

For example prolonged exposure to the stress hormone, cortisol, appears to shrink the hippocampus, a structure deep within the brain associated with memory.  Therefore, stressed individuals are more likely to have memory deficits similar to those seen in the elderly

Additionally, chronic stress appears to alter the brain signals which result in the decreased release of anabolic hormones, such as DHEA, which help keep cells healthy and maintain good immune function.

Dr. Elissa Epel (and her colleagues) from The University of California at San Francisco studied the chromosomal differences between the mothers of chronically ill children and the mothers of healthy ones.  Her research indicated that stress actually altered the chromosomes within the cells, by shortening structures known as telomeres.

Telomeres are responsible for allowing cell division and preventing the scrambling of cellular information.   As we age our telomeres shorten, when they get too short, cells can no longer divide, become inactive and die.  It appears that stress effects the telomeres in the exact same way.   Incredibly, the mothers of seriously ill children had cells that looked an average of 10 years greater than their chronological age!

In total, these studies underscore the notion that the effects of stress are not just "all in our heads", but very much in our bodies.  Moreover, they remind us that learning to manage stress is one of the most important health maintenance and anti-aging strategies. 

Daily meditation is one of the best ways to manage daily stress.  To view my free 3-min video on meditation made fast and easy just click here.

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss and wellness system just for women

The Myth of "Longer and Leaner"

Have you ever heard someone tell you they know of a workout that makes you "longer and leaner"? Did you believe them? If so, I have some prime real estate in Florida that you might be interested in. Yeah, sure there's a few gators scrambling around amidst the reeds...and a bit of a stench, but its really not that bad once you get used to it.

Seriously though, the truth is exercise can make bodies "leaner", but it can't make them"longer". "Lean" means that you have proportionately more muscle tissue and less fat tissue. That is certainly a realistic goal to have with any consistent workout routine. But "length" is another matter all together. Muscle length is a function of your limb length. Folks with longer bones (such as the femur in the leg and the humerus in the arm) have longer muscles strung across them to make them move properly.

No matter what you may read on the cover of a magazine -- no exercise program will make you "longer"...although there was that medieval torture "the rack"...hmmm...maybe they were on to something... could be the next Thigh Master...but I digress. The truth is if you are an adult then your limb length is set. So unless your limbs happen to be made of salt water taffy -- they won't get LONGER from exercise.

I am particularly sensitive to this subject because I think a lot of exercise professionals deliberately distort the science to get people to sign on to a particular program. Let me say here that I am a big fan of both yoga and Pilates. Moreover, I think they each have their own significant contributions to make as part of a well-rounded fitness program. But I think that many times women gravitate towards these types of workouts (in lieu of weight training) because they are afraid of developing "big, bulky muscles" from weight training. Nothing could be further from the truth.

When many women think of "lifting weights" they call to mind mental images of enormous female body builders who make Lou Ferrigno look like Gwyneth Paltrow. But these women are not the norm -- not even in gyms. Look around you. It is very unusual for a woman's body to look that way. Women bodybuilders are doing this as a full-time job, doing far more volume and intensity then "normal" women would working out 3 times per week for an hour. These women are trying to look that way for a certain look needed for competition in their "sport" -- and they train for hours and hours every day. And sadly, many of them use anabolic steroids on top of that to achieve the results they're after. Because it's still hard for a woman to develop "big, bulky muscles" -- even when want to!!

Women simply lack the testosterone levels that men have that allow them to experience significant "hypertrophy" or an increase in muscle size. Study after study has shown that women experience significant increases in strength (similar in relative terms to that of men) without significant increases in muscle size. And weight training has benefits beyond creating "lean" sexy muscles.

• It promotes bone strength and can reduce the chance of developing osteoporosis
• It strengthens joints and connective tissues It helps prepare the body for the physical challenges of everyday life
• It increases metabolism helping the body burn more calories per day
• It can improve posture and correct imbalances
• It increases self-esteem and self-confidence

If you think you might be ready to start a weight training program, I strongly suggest that you get some guidance from a Certified Personal Trainer. There is a lot to know in getting started and developing a safe and effective plan. Just a few sessions in the beginning will set you up so that you use your time wisely, efficiently and get the results you want.

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss and wellness system just for women

Burn Baby Burn: Exercise "Afterburn" & Weight Loss

There's been a lot in the media lately about the contribution of exercise "afterburn" (aka EPOC - excess post oxygen consumption).  EPOC is the period after a workout session during which your metabolism remains elevated as your body works to return to it's normal resting state (homeostasis).  This period can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as 48 hours.

Two main things have the biggest impact on how many calories are burned after exercise. The first one is "intensity".  The harder you work during the session, the higher the EPOC afterwards.  The second is "duration" -- or how long you workout for.  The longer the session the greater the effect of EPOC.

Here are some other interesting facts about EPOC...

• "Intermittent" exercise tends to cause a greater "afterburn" than continuous exercise. For example, in one study the EPOC was higher when folks worked out in two separate 25 minutes bouts than in one continous 50 minute bout.
• Resistance training produces a higher EPOC than cardiovascular exercise
• Circuit training workouts produce higher EPOC than continuous resistance training programs
• In appears you need to be working at >70% of your VO2 Max (or an intensity you'd describe as "somewhat hard to hard" for 30 min or more to maximize EPOC
• You don't actually burn that many calories from EPOC from one session (typically 50-130), but the cumulative effect of those calories over the course of continued workouts adds up and is thought to significantly contribute to weight loss and control

So while "afterburn" isn't a weight loss panacea -- it is certainly one of the many benefits of working out.  So if you'd like to take maximal advantage of EPOC be sure your program:

• Includes interval cardiovascular training (2x a week is a good goal, then 2-3 days of steady intensity cardio) 
• Includes resistance training (2-3x week working the entire body)
• Circuit training when you do resistance training, going from exercise to exercise without resting
• Working at intensities 2-3 times per week that you would describe as "challenging"

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, a certified personal trainer, author of Fit + Female: The Perfect Fitness and Nutrition Game Plan For Your Unique Body Type and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss, toning and wellness system designed especially for women.

The Skinny on Cellulite

If you don't love the look of the back of your legs, thighs or butt because of the appearance of cellulite, --  take some comfort in knowing that you are not alone.  Not by a long shot... Despite what the computer-altered backsides of models in magazines look like, that fact is The American Society of Plastic Surgeons estimates that at least 85% of all women have at least some "cellulite", somewhere on their bodies.  For women over 40, that number is thought to be more like 90%. 

The term "cellulite" has actually been around for over 150 years, it was first coined in France.  The word was used to describe the dimpled, mattress-like or orange-peely appearance of body fat often seen on a woman's thighs or buttocks -- and sometimes seen on the abdomen or the back of the upper arms.  The term was first crossed the Atlantic in a Vogue article published back in the 1960s.  And a national obsession began.  Today, cellulite treatments represent a 97 million dollar industry.

But what exactly is cellulite?  What causes it?  And of greatest interest to many women -- what (if anything) can be done to get rid of it?

Most women mistakenly believe that there is something unique about this type of body fat, because of its distinctive appearance.  But the truth is, scientists have analyzed cellulite using needle biopsies and found it to be no different in anyway to fat found in other areas of the body.  It's really just plain old body fat.

So why then does it look the way it does? 

The reason for cellulite's distinctive appearance is due to the nature of the structure of the skin and the connective tissue in areas where most body fat is stored. 

Those lumpy, bumpy areas are caused by regular body fat pushing up against the upper layers of the skin from inside of cylindrical-shaped pockets of connective tissue below the skin's surface.  The more that collagen fibers stretch, break down or even pull too tight, the more that fat cells will tend to bulge out towards the skin's surface, causing a rippled or dimpling effect which we term, "cellulite". 

Cellulite can be "consistent feature cellulite", meaning that it is visible at all times, regardless of body position.  Or it can be "pinch" or "compression cellulite" meaning that it is seen only when a women sits or moves in a certain position.   

How Bad Is Coffee For You Anyway?

I love my java! 

I could honestly drink the stuff all day...I love the way it tastes -- and the extra zip it adds to my often sleep-deprived step.   Although I do try to limit it to two cups per day...okay... so they're REALLY BIG cups. 

All of which got me thinking...  just how bad is coffee for you anyway? 

So as a public service (and in the hopes of assuaging my own guilt) ...here is the upside (and down) of being a slave to the grind.

Some of the Benefits:

• Coffee is high in antioxidants, compounds which can help protect your body from heart disease and cancer...hmmm so is chocolate...so is red wine... oh, how I LOVE those antioxidants!!!!
• Some studies show that drinking coffee can reduce your risk of colon cancer by up to 25% by helping speed up "transit time" -- 'nuff said.
• Some research indicates that coffee may reduce the chance of developing kidney stones.
• Asthmatics who drink coffee may have a 25% reduction in their symptoms, because one of the compounds in coffee (theophylline) actually helps open breathing passages.
• Research indicates that coffee may be helpful in preventing: Parkinson's Disease (one study showed coffee drinkers were 80% less likely to get PD), gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver, skin cancer and Type II Diabetes.

Some of the Risks:

• Coffee drinking does increase the amount of calcium you urinate out which could be problematic for those at risk for osteoporosis.  Experts recommend off-setting this by drinking a glass of milk for each cup of coffee...hmmm...where are those damn calcium supplements anyway?!
• The caffeine in coffee causes a temporary rise in heart rate and blood pressure which may be undesirable for folks with hypertension and heart disease
• Coffee can irritate ulcers and cause indigestion.
• Coffee can result in sleep disturbances.

So although there are some individuals who probably shouldn't be drinking coffee most of the current research suggests that coffee is either harmless or potentially healthy in the long run.  So bye, bye guilt -- hello, Starbucks!!

Why You Should Never Ask, "Do These Pants Make My Butt Look Big?"

Beauty is not in the face;
beauty is a light in the heart ~ Khalil Gibran

Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical ~ Sophia Loren

How many of us have asked someone (usually our "significant other") something along the lines of "Do these pants make my butt look big?" or "Do I look fat in this dress?". 

Sometimes we ask a sister or a close gal pal, but usually we ask the men in our lives this kind of stuff.  And I really feel badly for the guys on this one, Ladies, because I don't think there is any good answer to that. 

If they say, "Well, they are not the most flattering pants you've ever worn",  they are dead meat (even if its true -- and even if we KNOW its true).  Because true or not, there isn't a woman on the planet that wants to hear it.

Really smart men side-step that one with a "No, Honey, you know I always think you look beautiful...no matter what."  And even that's not a safe answer, because often they're accused of not being honest -- or being dismissive.  Maybe the safest answer is, "Well, Sweetie, what do YOU think?". 

To my mind that really is the most important one, any way.  Why are we asking these kinds of questions in the first place?  And what in the name of heaven is the most politically-correct response?

In fact, I would be curious to do a study on exactly what time of the month (and after what behaviors) this question usually asked. 

My hallucination is that it is: 1) while we are going through a raging bout of PMS and 2) immediately following a pig-out with a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey.  In fact, that also seems to be the time that most of us decide to try on a bikini (you know the one that we bought on sale a few years ago and that never fit quite right from the get-go).

The better question is -- why are we asking other people (even those we care about most) for their opinion of our bodies? 

Because the truth is even if they thought we should be gracing the pages of Victoria's Secret (move over, Ms. Lima, coming through), if we don't believe it -- it doesn't matter what other folks say or how many times they say it.

I have a girlfriend who was a model for about fifteen years.  Drop dead gorgeous.  She told me an interesting story.  She said that she used to have a few steady clients that would "book" her but whose clothes she really did not enjoy modeling, because she felt that she didn't look good in that particular line. 

On occasion, during a modeling job she would say something in passing about how she didn't think that she looked very good in these particular outfits -- in front of the client.  And she told me that every time she did this, she would never get booked by that particular client again.  No matter how many times they had used her in the past.

She said that taught her a valuable lesson.  After it happened a few times she resolved to keep her mouth shut regardless of how she felt in the clothes. 

Clearly, the client thought she looked great!  That's why they had booked her in the past -- and that's why they continued to book her...until she put the notion in their heads to the contrary. 

The point is your reality and other people's reality (particularly when it comes to an analysis of your physical appearance) may have absolutely nothing to do with one another.

I'll tell you another story along the same lines that really struck me as a teenager.  Back in high school, I had these jeans that I really thought of as, well not the most flattering.  I wore them, but I didn't think they looked that great.  In fact, I thought they made me look a kinda fat and dumpy -- and I always felt a little self-conscious when I wore them. 

Long story short, a good guy friend of mine told me on day that he had overheard some of the other guys in the gym lockeroom discussing me -- and these particular pants.  My stomach dropped...OMG...I was right!!!   He was about to tell me something I didn't want to hear...they were making fun of me??  I just knew it!!

But NO...he told me that the conversation was how HOT the guys thought I looked in those jeans.  I damn near hit the floor!  How could that be???

Well, naturally I wore those jeans till they went threadbare after that ;-) -- and with a completely different attitude.

But the point is NOTHING in that situation had changed except my attitude.  And unfortunately, my attitude changed based on someone else's opinion and validation.  I could have just skipped a step (and saved myself a few months of unnecessary discomfort) by telling myself that I looked great.

I personally haven't asked my husband (or anyone else) those kinds of questions in years. 

One, because I think its a set-up so you can get pissed off at somebody else due to your own insecurities about your body (which ultimately only you can deal with).  And two, because until you believe that you are attractive nobody in the world can convince you otherwise.

Again, as with other insecurity issues I think a good way to go with this is to act "as if".  In other words, "fake it 'til you make it".  Pretend you believe it, try to push out any other thoughts, act as if you believe it -- and bit by bit you will come closer and close to actually believing it. 

Also, I would follow my model friend's advice and stop asking ridiculous questions.  Bottom line, there is only one answer to that question that matters anyway -- and that is the one that you give silently to yourself. 

Now repeat after me, Girlfriend, "Damn, I'm fine...damn, I'm fine...damn, I'm fine" ;-).

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss and wellness system just for women

Lion Love Part 2

Okay, I love animals...and this is my blog so from time to time everyone will have to deal with it.  This is another AMAZING clip of a lion reunited with his human caregivers.  Looks very circa Dukes of Hazzard, but I love it just the same....."Mommy, how come ALL the other kids get to have lions and I don't?!"

"Some Lip Gloss May Promote Skin Cancer"

Noooooooo!  Say it ain't so!!!   That was the title of this article on my homepage today.   My eyes got wide and I clicked on it. 

After all, I'm the girl with at least 5 tubes of lip gloss in her purse at any given time.  I've loved the stuff ever since I heard the words "Bonnie Bell Lipsmacker" back in the 7th Grade (bubblegum was the bomb!).  And I was recently busted going through airport security -- the guard laughed and shook her head as she threw 7 different glosses into the trash (I wasn't quite as amused).  So in the interest of protecting all my glossy gal pals...here's the 411.  Definitely off to buy gloss with SPF 15 tomorrow!

Still Not Great To Be Fat -- Even If You're Fit

We all know that obesity and lack of physical exercise are two major risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease.  But is one more important than the other?  Also, for those individuals who are obese -- how protective is being physically active?

That's what researchers in Boston wanted to know, so they followed the BMI and exercise habits of nearly 39 thousand women for an average of 11 years to see which was more predictive of developing heart maladies -- being obese or being inactive.

According to the results published in this week's Annuals of Internal Medicine, (not too surprisingly either) -- the lean, active group were the least likely to develop cardiovascular disease.   More specifically as compared to normal weight active women (defined as 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week):

• Overweight active women had a 54 percent higher chance of developing heart disease
• Obese active women had an 87 percent higher chance of developing heart disease
• Overweight inactive women had an 88 percent higher chance of developing heart disease
• And obese inactive women had a whopping 2 and 1/2 times greater chance of developing heart disease

(*Overweight was defined as a BMI between 25-29 and obese was defined as having a BMI greater than 30)

So although exercising regularly did offer overweight or obese women better protection against heart disease than their sedentary counterparts, the risk of overweight women who exercises was still considerably greater than people of normal weight and worked out.  So while working out is great the news is still the same.  At the end of the day its not an "either or proposition".  You still need to maintain a healthy body weight - - and workout.

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss and wellness system just for women

I'm In The May Issue of Health!

I'm thrilled to be the fitness expert on The Dream Team for Health Magazine's 6-month feature "Your Feel Great Weight" by Kimberly Dawn Neumann.   

In the May issue you'll see the cardio and resistance workouts I designed to help three women (and the Health Magazine readers) on their journey to looking and feeling great!  As they say, "on newstands now"...hope you'll check it out!!

 

Is Weight Gain Contagious?

Sure you know you can catch colds from other people...but what about weight gain?

The Framingham Heart Study has been analyzing the long-term affects and health consequences of lifestyle choices since 1971 .  The study now has more than 12,000 participants (more than double the initial size), including the children and grandchildren of the original participants.  It is a landmark project which has provided invaluable information about the association between certain choices and maintaining health -- or developing disease.

One recent finding from the study that I found amazing....was that obesity in one's social network increased the likelihood of a person being obese.  The effect was strongest in same-sex friendships (for both genders), but there was also an effect with opposite-gender friendships (and much less surprisingly, spouses)

Why would this be?  Researchers theorized that when one's friends are obese it is more socially accepted as the norm for others within that network to be obese, too.  Even more interestingly, the relationship had much more to do with the "closeness" of the friendship, than it did to physical proximity with some of these people living hundreds of miles apart from one another.  Additionally, neighbors who were not friends, did not influence whether a person was overweight.   And the relationship was the strongest in situations where both people named each other specifically as being good friends.

So the next time you're frustrated about your weight, feel free to call up your friends and yell at them (it's their fault, after all)... or better yet --convince them meet you for a long walk.

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss and wellness system just for women