On February 17th Emma was working out at her local gym and it turned out to be the last time she would do that. That was the day she decided to quit and never go back.
Emma had joined her gym right after the start of the New Year. She worked with a personal trainer for 6 sessions and joined the Weight Watchers group that was held at the gym. Though she suffered from gym-intimidation, this time she was bound and determined to lose weight and get in shape before her daughter’s wedding. So, she diligently went to the gym 5-6 times a week.
Emma had followed WW in past and she was determined to lose the 25 pounds she had gained back after her last go around with counting points.
So, what happened? Why did she stop going to the gym after only 6-weeks?
Emma quit because she was gaining weight, most of it was in her mid-section and because her right hip started aching all the time.
How does this happen? Why did she gain weight and why did her hip ache?
Because she was under-eating and over exercising.
Let’s talk about eating.
Emma had lost weight with WW before. But she also gained all the weight back! Why? Because restrictive dieting doesn’t work. It only slows down the metabolism. And eating a low-calorie diet can cause all kinds of issues centered on hormonal imbalances that cause the body to hold onto fat.
Emma thought she needed to go on a restrictive diet to lose weight. When in fact she needed to learn how to eat to boost her metabolism.
On the exercise side, Emma wasn’t giving her metabolism or her body the opportunity to recover.
Look I love exercise and it is a good thing. But it also puts your body under stress.
Since Emma wasn’t giving her body enough rest, recovery and nutritional support, the stress caused by over exercising increased her release of the hormone cortisol that, in turn, promoted fat accumulation around her belly.
She also was exercising with the mentality of a twenty-year-old and set her up for injury.
I met Emma at a friend’s house. It was absolute serendipity that she happened to sit next to me on the couch. I saw that she was limping and just about fell onto the couch, so I asked her if she was OK? She told me about her hip, and we started talking. From there she asked what I did for work? When I told her that I was a woman’s health coach, she unloaded the FULL story.
Once she took a breath, she asked: “what do you think happened? What did I do wrong? Why isn’t my body responding positively? Is this what I have to look forward to as I get older?”
WOW! I wanted so badly to help her right there, but I knew I needed time to explain to Emma how under-eating and over-exercising impaired her metabolism instead of unlocking its power. So, we set up a time to talk the next day.
When we talked, Emma asked me if I thought I could help her. Of course, I knew I could, BUT I needed to know something from her first. I needed to know, on a scale of 1-10, how badly she wanted to change and how open was she to doing something vastly different? She answered 15!
Why did I ask Emma that question? Because my teachings are the exact opposite of what most women believe to be the only way to lose weight and get in shape.
I know that as we get older the rules change. What used to work doesn’t work anymore. Women over 50 need to take an approach to food and exercise with a different mindset. One that gives us permission to get rid of the restrictive diet and over exercise approach to one of making healthy choices and taking care of ourselves for the rest of our lives.
Metabolic magic happens when we slow down, accept that things are different and focus on healthy changes that bring results slowly and over time. When we take a healthier and more mindful approach, we can end the vicious restrictive dieting cycle and begin to lose weight the healthy way.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can lose weight and reboot your metabolism without over exercising and under eating, click here and let’s set up a time to talk.
Talk soon,
