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Summer Fitness - GH

Bonnie Burroughs (Gladys)

“I firmly believe that crazy diets are not a solution that can be sustained over a lifetime. My advice is to make your own food so that you know what’s in it, it doesn’t contain polysyllabic chemical craziness. I tend to be better about portion control when I make my own food, whereas if I’m out at a restaurant, I tend to overindulge. You can enjoy things you like, but work on moderation; mix fresh things and protein and the occasional treat.”

* “I teach yoga, and I recommend it because it has the added benefit of calming the mind and lowering the emotional temperature. My tip for getting started is to reassure people that anybody can do it and you don’t have to be a stretchy person to start yoga or benefit from yoga.”

* “My mother lives a block away from me and we walk six days a week, 45 minutes to an hour. I joke that I walk my mother and then I walk my dog! But walk when you can — walk to the bank, take the stairs. I’ve had a lot of bad habits, trust me, but I’ve always had an exercise regimen because I get cranky if I don’t. I think it helps to establish that as early as you can in your life, but it’s never too late. It’s never too late to start walking!”

Michael Blake Kruse (Rory)

“I think one of the biggest things that people neglect is staying hydrated. There are countless benefits with either weight loss or growing muscle that is related to drinking water, so I would say, make sure you are getting plenty of water. Also, make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep, because that will affect your mood, your muscle development and your recovery after a workout.”

* “I highly recommend looking into intermittent fasting. It’s kind of a growing trend, but it’s been around forever. I recommend fasting for at least 16 hours, where you will only drink water, or coffee or tea, which has no calories, and then in the other eight hours of the day, that is when you consume food and calories.”

* “Instead of creating goals, like, ‘My goal is to lose five pounds,’ I would recommend creating a system that you would like to try and stick to it over the course of several weeks. If you have a regimen where you try and make sure you at least walk three times a week, versus trying to lose a certain amount of pounds, I think you will be more effective in reaching that ultimate goal.”

Lisa LoCicero (Olivia)

“I’ve been on every kind of diet, I’ve been through every kind of [body image issue], whether it’s body acceptance, body-loathing, body-shaming, the ‘two pieces of macaroni’ diet that I made up in my head. But the goal is to make healthy eating an add to your quality of life, not a detractor. You want to get to a place where you can recognize what foods, and what amount of food, actually makes you feel better. You cannot think of it from a standpoint of, ‘I’m not going to eat any of the things I want so that I can fit into that smaller size of pants.’ That is not sustainable, and it’s no way to live. It has to be about what makes you feel better, day to day, moment to moment, not about fitting into a smaller size of clothing.”

* “You have to move your body. That’s nonnegotiable. When my son was little, I was running around all the time, but I wasn’t doing traditional workouts. When I hit 50, I was like, ‘Some workout each day is like the best all-around commitment you can make to yourself.’ It has to be something you at least quasi-enjoy, some version of breathing, moving and keeping your muscles active. Find a way to make time. If you spend 30 minutes scrolling through Instagram or emails, you can find 30 minutes to move your body. This is not an advertisement for them, but the current workout I do is from Beachbody, their Barre Blend. I do it for 30 minutes and I’m done. I have found something I can work into my life. I’m not a person who is going to drive to the gym; it has to fit into your life and your schedule.”

* “It all starts with small steps, like every single thing in life. Maybe the first thing you should do is try five different workouts to find what resonates with you. Put your detective hat on: ‘I’m finding the thing that I enjoy.’ Then say, ‘This week, if nothing else, I know for certain I can put on some shoes and walk for 15 minutes, and at the end of this week I will have shown up for myself in that way.’ Put on an audiobook and take your walk. The goal is really to make it something you look forward to. Start small. You will see little bits add up if you’re patient. If you don’t start, you definitely won’t get whatever results you want!”

* “Be a detective with your recipes. Find a few dishes to make that you actually enjoy eating and are good for you. You might only need four of them, and then you have that really delicious soup in your fridge all the time so when it’s lunchtime, you have something great that you just put in a bowl in your microwave and eat it. I don’t have time to wonder, ‘Oh, gee, what am I going to have?’ I don’t plan my life to be spent in that way.”

* “Get your blood checked with an endocrinologist and make sure your blood levels are good, because if your blood levels aren’t right, you can’t do anything. People don’t know that they might be anemic or their thyroid isn’t working properly and that’s affecting your weight, your fitness, your overall health. The difference that it makes is so night and day. When your thyroid isn’t functioning, good luck getting out of bed! Once I got mine in line, there was a cascade of positive changes.”

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