March | 2013 | Mrs. Murphy's Law of Fitness

Hey friends,

I hope everyone is having a great Easter weekend. I love Easter and I love weekends so I am a pretty happy gal. 🙂

Tonight I wanted to talk about a couple books that truly changed my life and the way I look at food and my relationship with it. They were a life saver when I was going through a particularly rough time. I know that sounds kind of bizarre and I understand they will not be for everyone, but if you have ever had ‘food issues’ than these books will shed a little light on the reasons we struggle with them and help us understand them a little better.

These books aren’t a list of crazy rules you need to follow to lose weight, nor do they tell you that you are simply addicted to sugar and you must avoid it at all cost. They are quite the opposite. They give you a feeling of relief instead of feeling like you must be stoned for eating that second (or third) piece of cake.

These books are the reason I threw out my scale and haven’t looked back. (I can’t even describe to you the overwhelming feeling of relief I had once I quit weighing myself every single day.)

Women, Food and God By: Geneen Roth

This is the most recent book I have read from Geneen Roth and she did not disappoint. Roth is trying to help us realize that we must live in this present moment. We must pay attention to our bodies and not let our minds define what goes into it. Ultimately our bodies want to be well nourished and healthy. Our bodies want to be able to perform all the tasks that we must do in a day with confidence and ease. This takes nourishing our bodies with healthy, real food. It also means not eating when you are not hungry or continue to eat when you are full. Usually when we do this we are bored or upset. In the book she says “it’s not about the weight and it’s not not about the weight.” It’s true.

Living in the present moment also means living through the sometimes, unbearable pain you are feeling. We must live THROUGH the pain to get over the pain. Boy, was that an eye opener…

When Food is Love By: Geneen Roth

In this book Roth tells the story of her struggles and how it has affected her. You do not have to have her exact problems (compulsive eating) with food to relate to her. Issues with food are issues with food and we have them for the same reason. Eating too much, eating too little or throwing up what you eat, they are one in the same. Trust me, I know how crazy it sounds to tie your issues with food to your emotions, but after reading this book I understood how they were connected. It was like a light bulb in the brain!

Also, Oprah.com has an article about Women, Food and God that is worth the read.

I also want you guys to know that this was a difficult post to write. I was embarrassed at what people might think of me, knowing that I have struggled with something like this, but it is so important for me to help other people who may be struggling. I know how depressing it is to feel uncomfortable in your own skin and thinking about your weight and food all the time, and how it can control your life. I don’t want that for any woman. I want to share what has helped me in hopes that it might help someone else. I know this sounds cheesy and I hate cheesy, but I had to get it out and now I am done! J back to my sarcastic self, I promise.

Happy Easter!

Hey guys!

I hope everyone is enjoying the 1st day of spring! It started off right with beautiful weather! People start to panic a bit when they realize that bikini season is just around the corner. The gym is busier and more people are out hitting the pavement. I wanted to share with you a few mistakes that you could be making at the gym now, so you can start your spring training off right and get the most bang for your buck!

5 bad habits at the gym

Not monitoring your breaks in between exercises/ sets.

This is a HUGE mistake that so many people make, thus hindering you from reaping the results you have been working for. Monitoring your breaks is VITAL to getting the most out of your workouts. The amount of rest between exercises depends on how much you are lifting and your goals. For endurance training and a more metabolic effect the rest time should be 30- 60 seconds. If you are looking to increase general strength 60- 90 seconds is the range you should shoot for.

Not changing up your routine

It’s easy to get intimidated by changing up your routine, or not feeling like you have enough time to change it up. The fact is, you have to keep your muscles guessing or you will quit seeing results and get bored! Take time out BEFORE you get to the gym to create a new routine. When you go to the gym prepared you will be more confident about trying something new.

Using the wrong machines

I see it all the time, people wasting their time with ineffective machines. Use machines that work multiple muscle groups. Compound exercises burn more calories and saves time.

Skipping a warm- up and cool down

Warming up gets your muscles ready for the workout and a cool down/ stretching helps rebuild the muscles and keeps you from feeling sore the next day.

Lifting weights that are too light

If you haven’t changed the amount of weights you are using in two years, or you can do an infinite amount of reps, you are using weights that are too light. You need to use weights that are challenging and adding more weight when you feel it is getting easier. If it’s not challenging you, it’s not changing you!

Here is a little workout to get your spring training a jump start!