The Secret why Diet and Exercise isn’t Working for You

Photographer: Wendy Spickerman

Wendy Spickerman

The one thing I have learned about staying fit is “You have to enjoy it”.

If you’re starting a diet or exercise routine, ask yourself why you are doing it. Are you doing it because you have a health issue with your weight, maybe low self-esteem or are those New Year resolutions kicking in?

If you’re starting a diet or exercise routine because you feel you have too…

Nine times out of Ten it’s NOT Going to Work.

And here’s why…

Not even I, myself like to do something because I have too. Did you ever really like do something because you were told too? No!

People tend to GET MORE out of things they LIKE DOING. We tend to ENJOY DOING things we have an INTEREST in doing . And we KEEP doing it because it makes us FEEL GOOD inside.

It makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Women go shopping for clothes all the time because they LOVE buying clothes! Men LOVE their cars, building things, working out, sports… do you see where I’m going with all this?

So today… RIGHT NOW… grab a pen and paper. I want you to write down all the things you LOVE doing and we are going to turn that into a working fitness, healthy life, and healthy living tool.

If you love shopping I don’t want you to go to just one place. I want you to make a day of it. Trust me it works! If you don’t have a pedometer get one. You can find them at Five Below, Walmart, Target any fitness store and ladies if you’re at the mall trust me, they are there too!

Slap that bad boy on your hip and walk. I walk everywhere! Are you really driving to the store three blocks away! Step out that front door and walk! I walk anywhere from around the corner to fifteen miles. Don't freak! I’m not expecting you to walk fifteen miles. Some of you just turned white as a ghost!

I’m not saying do it all the time. I’m saying just do it once a week. I want you to start sending in replies whether it’s in comments here or an email to wendyspickerman@gmail.com . I want to hear you ladies say, “Hey, I went shopping today and we walked the whole mall.” Or how about, “We parked at one store and we walked to two other stores shopping, than back to the car we went.”

Don’t put those packages away! Carry them! Here’s why… you’re walking.. you’re carrying things… you’re now walking with more weight then what you started with. Ladies.. you’re working out and you don’t even know it! Does it feel like a workout! No! Why… because you’re doing something you LOVE doing!

It’s that simple! Do you love to garden? Great! Spend two hours in the garden pulling out those weeds, carry that waste to depose of it, bending, lifting. It’s a natural healthy workout. Plus, you’re getting sun, something the body needs.

Guys, that goes for you too. Shoveling that snow is a natural healthy workout if done right! Why not carry those groceries in for that special someone. You get a workout, she feels respected as a woman because you offered to help her or even better yet do it for her! And it doesn’t even feel like a gym plus, you’re working on your relationship. It’s a WIN WIN situation!

At 45 years of age, I like to stay active. Trust me; if you had trouble sleep before, this is going to help you sleep too. Just remember to say hydrated whatever you plan on doing. I don’t want you to worry about a scale or over doing it. When we start making demands on ourselves that’s when we start losing interest. And if you lose interest you’re not doing it right. Change it up go shopping one week, clean out your closet the next.

I like to do a few things to keep tone. That’s all I really want, that feminine body look. You’re probably thinking, “Good like with that.” I’m sure you’re thinking, “Nothing works.” Ask yourself does it not work because you stop to soon or is it because you have a very low metabolism to start with?

Here at Growing Old Gracefully – Fitness and You, I’m going to share many of my secrets to getting fit and staying fit. So be sure to follow, share, even tweet my blog posts. Until next time!

Share Your Personal Trials and Tribulations

Photographer: Wendy Spickerman

Share your personal trials and tribulation. Whether you're trying to stay fit, finding that work/life balance or wish to share with us your triumphs.

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Welcome to Growing Old Gracefully

Wendy Spickerman

As you can see from the photo I’ve load, I’m a pretty fit person. I have a high metabolism, which allows me to eat whatever I want. I know… “you hate me” for it!

So many people have a hard time keeping weight off, especially women after having children. I have three children, who aren’t quite children anymore. At 45 years of age, I still like to stay very active. I used to be a runner in my youth.

I ran the mile in school plus cross country. From time to time in my adulthood I’d still run, but it was more of a tool for de-stressing than anything else. There really wasn’t a need to lose weight not even during my pregnancies.

Running gave me the chance to burn off unwanted stress. It was a way to work things out during my run. The harder I ran the better! It was never just a jog. It was a fast pace or sprint.

A couple years back I injured my right leg during a run and it’s never been the same. The x-ray showed nothing was broken, but it sure felt like it! I couldn’t walk on it! It didn’t swell nor bruise, yet the pain was so bad and the injury so great I was put on crutches and given something for the pain to help me sleep.

For the better half of the year I was going in and out of physical therapy, but it didn’t help! Each time they told me I was healed and could again; I was right back in there. It happened three different times.

Of course, I clearly told them they didn’t know what they were talking about. I’d show up on crutches and they’d ask, “What did you do?” My reply, “I thought you said you fixed me? You told me I could run, I ran and it re-injured again.”

Being I could no longer chance running I switched to biking. I still run maybe once or twice a year. You know, those moments when you just get so stressed you just have to burn off that energy. Those it does injure the leg each time.

The injury is right below the knee on that bone. It hurts so bad it feels like it want to pop right out of the skin. I can’t put weight on it or walk. Doing stairs is totally out of the question, yet they can’t seem to figure out what is wrong.

I like to do a few things to keep tone. That’s all I really want, that feminine body look. You’re probably thinking, “Good like with that.” I’m sure you’re thinking, “Nothing works.” Ask yourself does it not work because you stop to soon or is it because you have a very low metabolism to start with?

Maybe you had a high metabolism when you were younger, but then as you got older it started to slow right down, like an old watch needing to be winded to keep it going. Here at Growing Old Gracefully – Fitness and You I’m going to share some of my personal secrets.

So be sure to follow, share, even tweet my blog posts. I also want to encourage my readers to share your personal trials and tribulation of trying to stay fit, finding that work/life balance as well as telling me all about your triumphs.