Increase Physical Activity instead of Dieting....Try it!
Have you ever been on a diet? Did you lose weight? Did you gain it back?
I can answer yes to all of those questions. I don't have a lot of weight to lose (maybe 10 lbs) and I like to think I am not obsessed about it. I would just like my mid-section to be a bit less bulgy.
Recently, I started a fad diet. Lost 5 lbs in one week and thought I was on my way to battling the bulge. But then I hated restricting myself so I veered off my strict dieting path, gained all the weight back just as fast as it came off and felt defeated. I was also mad at myself for falling into the fad-dieting-quick-fix mentality.
So now I don't count the amount of calories I am eating. Instead I am counting the calories that I burn. A colleague and friend of mine introduced me to an "app" that helps track physical activity. The Endomondo Sports Tracker uses the built-in GPS in your smartphone to track physical activity and then automatically sends the data to a personal profile on endomondo.com. You can also manually enter any workouts you do on a treadmill, elliptical etc.
In the Endomondo community you can create a network of supportive friends. I currently have one friend but when more friends sign up (hint, hint) we can see and comment on each other's workouts and progress.
It is also fun to compete in challenges for most km, most calories, or most active minutes. A popular challenge is the "Rotten Egg Award" in which the ultimate goal is to be over a certain number of calories burned so you are not the "rotten egg". I have to admit, I was a rotten egg in April but I was not deterred because I signed up for the same challenge in May.
Here are the links for the free and pro version of the app. I doubt these links will work but I had to try.
Endomondo Sports Tracker Free
Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro
I also like that Endomondo keeps track of my personal bests and uses charts and graphs for all of us visual learners. It even has a summary section that provides a good snapshot of my activity. Here is my progress so far....
I can answer yes to all of those questions. I don't have a lot of weight to lose (maybe 10 lbs) and I like to think I am not obsessed about it. I would just like my mid-section to be a bit less bulgy.
Recently, I started a fad diet. Lost 5 lbs in one week and thought I was on my way to battling the bulge. But then I hated restricting myself so I veered off my strict dieting path, gained all the weight back just as fast as it came off and felt defeated. I was also mad at myself for falling into the fad-dieting-quick-fix mentality.
So now I don't count the amount of calories I am eating. Instead I am counting the calories that I burn. A colleague and friend of mine introduced me to an "app" that helps track physical activity. The Endomondo Sports Tracker uses the built-in GPS in your smartphone to track physical activity and then automatically sends the data to a personal profile on endomondo.com. You can also manually enter any workouts you do on a treadmill, elliptical etc.
In the Endomondo community you can create a network of supportive friends. I currently have one friend but when more friends sign up (hint, hint) we can see and comment on each other's workouts and progress.
It is also fun to compete in challenges for most km, most calories, or most active minutes. A popular challenge is the "Rotten Egg Award" in which the ultimate goal is to be over a certain number of calories burned so you are not the "rotten egg". I have to admit, I was a rotten egg in April but I was not deterred because I signed up for the same challenge in May.
Here are the links for the free and pro version of the app. I doubt these links will work but I had to try.
Endomondo Sports Tracker Free
Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro
I also like that Endomondo keeps track of my personal bests and uses charts and graphs for all of us visual learners. It even has a summary section that provides a good snapshot of my activity. Here is my progress so far....
Counting calories burned instead of calories consumed helps me focus on adding to the calorie count instead of trying to restrict myself. It makes me see what I am accomplishing as opposed to stressing about what I can't have. Also, focusing on activity seems to take my attention away from my midsection and weight. I feel great when I finish a run or a workout and that feeling far exceeds a number on the scale.
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