The Healthy Goddess » lifestyle fitness

Post Traumatic Body Image Disorder

Alyson — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:05:22 +0000

I have been thinking about the barrage of “perfect” images, ideas of what we “should” look like, eat, drink, do that are constantly shoved in our faces daily. We’re all suffering from the impossibility of living an ideal that no one actually embodies. What would we tell our dog or cat if he wanted to look like a wolf or a tiger? “You’re perfect the way you are; it’s not possible for you to be that.” Well, it’s not possible for me to look like a model. I will never grow 5 inches and lose 20 pounds (which, by the way, would be really unhealthy). It’s not even possible for most models to look like their pictures. It’s all airbrushing and makeup.

It is possible, however, for me to be happier, more self confident, and more self satisfied than any model. How do I do this? By accepting myself, as I am, in this moment, and doing things in my life that are true to who I am and want to be. This is not easy, but there is good news. In each new moment, we have another chance to try again. – www.lightenyourlifecounseling.com

Waist to Height Ratio vs BMI

Alyson — Fri, 28 May 2010 03:48:05 +0000

If anyone has ever calculated her BMI, which only takes into account one’s height and weight, it may have been frustrating that the BMI ignores gender and muscle mass. These factors make a huge difference in a person’s perceived health. I’m sure we’ve all seen some female trainers at the gym who look rather thick because they are SOLID MUSCLE! If we look at these women’s BMIs, they may border on the obese categorization, which is ridiculous.

Review this article about the Waist to Height Ratio: http://www.livestrong.com/article/93638-whtr-the-new-determinant-health-risk/. This hopefully will replace the BMI, as it more accurately calculates a person’s health. Apparently the most dangerous area to carry one’s weight is in the waist, which is why this measurement is more useful. This is unfortunate for those of us who happen to gain weight first in the waist region (”No I’m not pregnant; I just look like it when I gain weight!”). There is some wiggle room, though. There are more categorizations, such as basically 3 ranges of healthy weights, one for underweight, and 3 ranges for overweight. This at least feels better to look at than the BMI chart, in which one is either healthy or one of 3 labels for overweight. Alyson Stachiw, www.lightenyourlifecounseling.com

The Secret to being Fit

Christi — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:44:00 +0000

The Healthy Goddess is now starting a new blog. It is about time the Goddesses have their own page separate from The Healthy Bride. The idea is to provide information that will assist Goddesses in their quest for lifestyle fitness.

We feel that lifestyle fitness is the amount of fitness (greater than zero) that truly fits into your busy, hectic schedule. That might sound corny, but in my opinion, the secret to being fit boils down to no more than being consistent with exercise. I realize that requires finding a level of exercise that truly does fit into your life and your schedule regardless of what else is going on in your world.

This might sound harsh, but the truth is that committing a few hours per week to exercise will help you sleep sounder, help you eat healthier, help you think more clearly, and be a better woman, mother, girlfriend or wife. It’s really not an option.

Where to begin? Start slow. Just add in 10 or 20 minutes of exercise (if you are starting at zero) per week to get things kick-started. Take a brisk walk around the block, or walk with your kids to the park, to school, or even the grocery store instead of driving. Don’t make it too hard or too complicated. Do this for two weeks, then add another 20 minute bout of exercise. It will be easy to go from one day to two, once you have been successful for a couple of weeks.

Come back often to see what new exercises, advice, workouts and nutrition information we have here for you.