Fit and Female

She Likes Me, She Really Likes Me!!!

A friend of mine, emailed me the other day to let me know that she Googled me and found this on somebody's blog.  It's about my book Fit + Female...I thought it was really lovely and it made my day!!

I read “Fit + Female” today, and it was a great read.  I’m going to photocopy a number of the pages from this book.  I want to start a healthy binder for myself.  When I was in high school, I did this using clippings from newspapers and magazines. It was definitely helpful in keeping my motivated.

This book was absolutely wonderful. It talks about a variety of topics, including body types — I’m an endo-apple, which means I am “full through the waist, bust, and sometimes the upper arms but often with well-defined legs and a small, flat backside” (p. 45) — and exercises for those body types.

The author (hey, that's me!!-GC) also talks about how you have to eat mindfully, and be completely present when you are eating. This is something I need to work on. She advises (paraphrased) breathing deeply, eating slowly, and being mindful of the taste of the food. She also includes guidelines for a food log, one much more specific than I have ever attempted to keep. According to Coopersmith, it should include (1) what you ate, (2) how much you ate, (3) what time you ate, (4) where you were, (5) who you were with, (6) how you felt, (7) what you drank, (8) any vitamins you consumed, and (9) any exercises during the day.

This book is catered toward women, and I highly recommend it to any woman — regardless of whether you want to lose weight or not. The author also includes a list of other books to read — not just for physical health, but also for motivation and overall well-being. I am going to write down these books for the next library trip!

Winning The Losing Game

Did you know that 97% of all diets fail? 

There is nothing more frustrating than going on a diet, losing weight, only to find out that several weeks or months down the line you've gained all of it back -- and more! 

If you've read my book, Fit + Female, then you know that I am not a big proponent of "dieting", but rather making permanent lifestyle changes.  Changes that you embrace for the long haul -- not just for a quick fix.

So how do you keep those pounds from slowly creeping back on?  Here are some sure-fire strategies to keeping your weight off after dieting.

Change the way you think about "dieting" .  Most of us approach dieting and weight loss as an all-or-nothing proposition.  We are either "on a diet" or "eating normally". 

The problem is the "eating normally" is what caused the weight gain in the first place -- so that is the LAST thing we want to return to doing.  You need to identify those areas where you were either overeating and/or eating too much of the wrong thing.  You need to be honest about it and limit whatever it is in the future so that you don't undo all the hard work you did to lose weight in the first place.

Watch your drinking!   And I'm not just talking about alcohol consumption here, although certainly that can contribute to re-gaining weight.  Remember that ALL calories count, even the ones that go down quickly and easily in the form of a beverage.  This means limiting your consumption of: juice (eat the whole fruit instead), coffee drinks, "health shakes", smoothies and (of course) alcohol can have you drinking 300 calories in a minute or two.  Just one extra 300 calorie beverage per week can add up to over 1/2 pound of weight gain per week -- 2.4 pounds per month --or an unbelievable 28 plus pounds in a year!!!

Remain a "conscious eater".  When we are on a diet we are all very aware of what we are eating and when.  Somehow when we "go off the diet" we start developing "eating amnesia".  That bag of M&Ms we had at the desk didn't count, the handful of fries off our kid's plate didn't count, the food you nibble while cooking dinner didn't count. 

The painful reality is EVERYTHING COUNTS.  Calories count.  In order to keep weight off you have to be aware of everything that you eat and make conscious choices. 

It's fine to have a piece of chocolate cake every once and a while, but you need to balance it out with some healthier, lower calories choices (salad and grilled chicken for dinner that day, for example) in order to compensate.

They like me, they really like me!!!

Check it out!!!  Publisher's Weekly reviewed my book this week and -- they really liked it!!  I'm so excited!!

From Publishers Weekly
Coopersmith, resident fitness instructor on the Fine Living Channel's Simplify Your Life, has devised a fitness and nutrition plan to accommodate the needs of women of all shapes and sizes. Observing that "fitness is not one size fits all," Coopersmith divides her approach to address six basic body shapes: the endo-pear, endo-apple, meso-pear, meso-apple, ecto-pear and ecto-apple. Each shape, she claims, requires a customized workout and eating plan, though all incorporate components of a cardio workout, muscular fitness segment and flexibility training. For instance, the already slim ecto pear focuses on shaping muscles while maintaining weight and should not overdo aerobic exercise, while the bulkier meso-apple needs to zero in on cardio work to trim the waist and abs. Illustrated exercises are provided for each body type. Noting that "fitness must fit into a busy woman's life," Coopersmith modifies each sequence, offering a "bare minimum," "ideal" and "gung-ho" work out. While Coopersmith's methods are individualized, her message to all women is to give up their notion of a "Barbie body," work with what they have, steer clear of fad diets and eat healthfully. Perky and friendly, Coopersmith offers an accessible plan and outlook that many women will warm up to. (Aug. release)