Shhhh – don’t tell anyone but… wanna know a secret?
It took me a LONG time to figure this out…. I mean, like 15+
years to figure out this bottom line fact
- You cannot out-exercise a bad diet! Forgive me if I am starting
to sound like a broken record, but I want to tell you a story about a girl I
know at the gym. Let’s call her Tara. Tara is approximately 27 years old and is
a local schoolteacher in the area, and I’ve known her via the gym for about three
years now. Of course in chatting with her, I introduced her to The Challenge,
and even gave her a free bag of Vi-Shape shake mix to try. She said she tried
ONE SHAKE, with water, and didn’t think it was “for her” so she didn’t want to
continue with The Challenge. Fair enough, she “tried” it (not really but if she
wants to think she did, that’s cool).
Now over the past three years, I’ve seen Tara work hard, and I mean really work hard at the gym. She’s there six days a week early in the morning before she’s off to educate our young kiddies. She does weight training – squats, lunges, curls, back and chest exercises, etc. and she is strong; I mean she’s lifting heavy weights! Then she’ll put on a heavy sweatshirt and do a good 45 minutes to an hour of cardio. She’ll work hard and sweat hard. She’s very strong and I’d even say in shape, and I admire her for her effort. Here’s the problem…
She’s gaining weight, and no, it’s not muscle. She’s putting
on a steady layer of fat all around her body! I overhead someone at the gym ask
her if she was pregnant the other day! Oh gosh, I felt so bad for her (it’s a
logical question really since she just got married this past summer).
Now before everyone start telling me all the reasons she
could be gaining weight (besides gaining muscle or being preggo), let me say
that in my past conversations with her, I don’t THINK it’s a medical condition
(i.e.: thyroid, steroids for some kind of reason, etc.), so that leads me to
conclude really only one thing – bad diet. She has vented to me in the past about
her downfalls with her diet – the pasta, the cookies at night, drinking fruity
alcoholic beverages – and that she struggles with staying on track.
So –what does this mean for her? Well if she’s happy doing
what she’s doing on a daily basis, then that’s great – but I know she’s not
because she’s hired a personal trainer now, is hitting more classes, and I
overheard her tell someone in the locker room that she also joined weight
watchers because she’s gained weight.
I know so many people who think that working out is the answer to losing weight and getting into better shape. Going to the gym and working out IS important, but so is your nutrition. So whether you are like that girl who kills in the gym and still struggles to lose weight, or if you are the person who says “I’ll start eating better when I can work out”, you need to look at what you’re eating on a daily basis and really ask yourself if you are fueling your day’s activities with the proper nutrition. If you’re not or are struggling, pick up the phone and call me or email me; I’m always here to help!
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