Well Casper is back with an eye opening look at the American way life – from someone who is American, but no loner calls the US home:
Well after a much needed vacation (been three years already) I have had some thoughts. My wife finally convinced me to go “home” whatever that is. I was opting for taking a trip to Thailand or India or Dublin or Greece or Argentina or Cape Town or some other great place I have not yet seen… but the winning argument was that my folks have never seen the baby and hadn’t seen the oldest since she was a baby.
So while I was back home I could not believe how overweight people are. Consistently I was counting 8 out of 10 people were over weight, 2 of which were grossly obese. My wife didn’t even believe my decleration until I said check it out for yourself. then she really started to look and was like ” Wow your right ”
I understand that typically asian people tend to be ectomorphs but this isn’t always the case just look at sumo wrestlers and the people who frequent McDonalds (not kidding… if you want to see a fat Japanese person go to McD’s) The one difference I have to say though is that the diet we eat here in Japan is drastically different. Lots of veggies, lots of raw fish, a little beef, a little chicken, a little tofu and a small bowl of rice with every meal. The food here has not been mass produced by agribusinesses using NPK and GMO. While “Certified Organic” is not as big of a deal here, a lot of the food here is organic anyways, there just isn’t a great need to get certified.
Now for the hard truth. I kinda did crude experiment. I am a pretty lean person, after a fight Iwill take a week or two off of training. Not totally off but I give my body some time to recoup. So I will put on two or three pounds. Not really a big deal. So while home on vacation I pretty much said I am just gonna relax. I am not gonna hesitate on moms good ole apple pie, baklava, brownies, and pecan pie. Or my sisters cheesecake ( she also makes a mean bowl of mashed potatoes), or my dads grillin two full cows. I decided I am gonna actually have a real vacation and just let the discipline slide. I’m not going to mention the Mead and Beer my family makes.
The hard truth is that American food has caused me to gain 17 lbs in 6 WEEKS!!!!!!!
Now this doesn’t matter to me because already back into training for the last week I have lost 5 lbs. Now that jet lag is over I can actually train unhindered. The fact is the American way of life will KILL you. I can’t see it any other way. Pay attention to what your putting into your body. You can do it!
Lacking the money to reach your fitness goals? The recession has been hard on everyone, especially black women. Fitness equipment manufacturers, fitness clubs and the rest of the fitness industry hasn’t been immune to the downturn either. Because of the recession fitness equipment sales are down as are fitness club memberships are down for the first time in 20 years. Americans just aren’t willing to spend the money on keeping fit like they once were:
Economic hard times have Americans downsizing their workout equipment, trimming their workout budgets, and shifting their workout venues, according to a sporting goods industry survey.
“The fitness industry was not immune from the effects of a tough economy,” said Tom Cove, president of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), a global organization which conducted the poll.
SGMA represents over 1,000 sports manufacturers, retailers and marketers around the world. They have published their study, Tracking the Fitness Movement, for 10 years.
The 2009 edition puts U.S. wholesale sales of fitness gear and equipment sold for use in home, clubs and institutions, at $4.2 billion in 2008, down from $4.7 billion the year before.
So how do you manage to keep your workout going when your pockets are lighter? Very easily actually. Follow these simple tips and you’ll be burning the fat and saving money:
1. Join the YMCA – YMCA memberships are based on your income and are significantly lower than traditional gym memberships. Their facilities are right on par with for profit fitness clubs and the YMCA also has many free and low cost fitness/nutritional and sports activities. It’s also great if you have a family as there are many activities for kids and the whole family to enjoy.
2. Hit the Park – I live in the city with the largest park system in the country and I’ve been making full use of them. Walking, running, even strength training in local parks is a great way t get you workout on without spending any money. It’s also nice to be out in the elements enjoying the fresh hair. Fall is upon us so make sure you have the proper gear to keep warm as your’re exercising outside.
3. Invest in Dumbells, an Exercise Ball and Exercise Mat – If you have dumbells, an exercise ball and a workout mat you have all you need to get in a good workout for little money. Whatever weight machine you used in the gym, you can mimic with the aforementioned fitness equipment.
4. Break Out the Workout DVD’s – It’s time to dust off those old Jane Fonda or Donna Richardson workout dvd’s. It may seem a little corner to go bouncing around your living room with spnadexed, leg warmered, head band wearing fitness gurus of the 80’s and 90’s, but hey – burning calories is burning calories. If you currently don’t own any workout dvd’s you can get them for cheap on Amazon.
While the recession is has been difficult for many black women, we shouldn’t allow it to derail out fitness goals. If you’re serious about getting fit their is a way to make it happen without a fitness club membership, home fitness equipment or without breaking the bank in the general.
Aww…the elusive inner thigh muscles.
Those muscles that even when you get your quads and hamstrings looking tight and sexy still manage to flap about like a turkey waddle.
I can say that my inner thighs are also the one part of my legs that never seems to want to cooperate with the rest of my leg muscles. I will have that tightest looking calves, quadriceps and hamstrings and my inner thighs will just be loose and hanging and making think I will never get in a swimsuit or have sex with the lights on again.
Ever.
However while spot reduction isn’t possible (you’re going to have to lose the weight fist before you can start toning the muscles) there are cetain exercise that ae great at targeting the entire leg with a special emphais on those hard to reach inner thigh muscles.
The Wide Leg Squat
Inner Thigh Leg Lifts
Side Step Lunges
Scissor Kicks
August 2008
August 2009
Hey All!!
What a difference a year makes!! I will try later to post the most recent pic of me – THE ONE WHERE I AM WEARING THE SIZE 8′S!! OH YES!! HAPPY DANCE!! UPDATE: THERE IT IS!!
A dream come true.....
I managed to squeeze into them last weekend. They cut off the oxygen to my head, and if I eat anything more than a grape, the pants will explode into a thousand tiny pieces, but I got them on! Single digits!! Woo Hoo!!
The scale finally moved for me this week, tho this time I can only blame myself for the slowness of my progress. Seems that I have discovered the joys of peanut butter these last few weeks. Low fat peanut butter, mind you, and with low fat graham crackers and banana slices and honey. All healthy, until you have about six of ‘em at one sitting. And then you switch to just Peanut Butter and Spoon. It was bad as the Nilla Wafer episode. And tasted just as good!!
Part of my weight loss regimen is to weigh and measure everything (except veggies, they are free) that I eat. I notice that now, so close to my goal, I have gotten lax on that. I also need to start tracking my food intake again – it’s getting easier to “miss” that few points here and there. In maintenance mode, I believe that you can be a little forgiving there, but when you are trying to lose, every little point counts.
I also get more food points for exercise, and since I am in the 160’s, I need to adjust the points that I get for running . Like your food points, your exercise points go down 1 point every 10 pounds you lose. So I either have to be more truthful or run more…..And I don’t think that I can run any more than I am now…. So basically, near home stretch, I’m getting lazy! Must fight the lazy….bad lazy!!!
For anyone that is considering Weight Watchers, I have to tell you this secret to success: GO TO THE MEETINGS!! Yea, I know time, money bla bla bla…. Listen, the money that I spend a month on the meetings – I used to eat that much up on a Saturday Nite at Chilli’s!
And if you add up the amount that I have spent over the past year and compare it to the diabetes medicine, doctor and dentist bills that I have had to pay…..there is no comparison. Plus the meetings are fun!!! Last meeting, we compared food downfall stories ( peanut butter versus Dairy Queen), and I learned that as far as running goes, I aint doing nuthin!! I met a marathon runner that can run 21 miles at a time!! And she was in the same boat as me a year ago! Is that inspiration or what?!? So pay the money, do the program and get the results!!
Now, I promised you all a surprise this month. August 25th marks my second year (off and on) blogging for Sweet Potato Pie! I asked you to take this journey with me, and what a ride it has been. When you get some time, click on the older entries and see how crazy we both were!
Like we always say – Sweet Potato is a forum for Black women to tell of their struggles, and success and whatnot of this weight loss game. So – and you can put it in comments – let us hear your story of how you plan on making some life changes for the better. Winner gets a free SPP Diva T-shirt.
I already have two entries so far - I am counting Ms. Chambers and another commenter that recently told her story – so get em in ladies (and gents)!! Cutoff is August 25th!! You can do it!!
Well, gotta go for my run – ate a forbidden candy bar and I want to keep my girlish figure!!
If you guys have any questions about anything , please let us know or comment – we will be happy to answer and help!
Til next time! Next time – Wigs and “What do you eat?”
(Okay, get these jeans off of me, I’m gonna faint……)
