5
Step 3: Move a Little
By simply removing your hidden food from your diet you will lose weight. Why is that? Most people don’t believe it, but more than half of all weight loss success is due to a change in what you eat, period. By simply cutting out the food culprits in your life, you will lose weight with less effort than you ever have before.
And again, some people stick with that step for weeks before incorporating step 3. Other people do the steps together. Jake said that he wanted to “go for it” by taking out his hidden foods (fried seafood, French fries, chicken fingers) and then hiring a personal trainer. In less than three months, he had lost thirty-two pounds and felt “ripped.” Of course, not everyone can afford a trainer, and many people need to start moving in a more modest way before engaging in more strenuous physical activities, including sports. Which is why step 3 includes the word little!
What’s involved in the next step?
In step 3, I am asking you to move … a little. I’m not asking you to join a gym, start jogging, or invest in a treadmill. Those exercise options are out there—yes. But all you need to do in the Start Here program is go from not moving to moving a little. That’s it.
In this chapter you will find three lists to choose from: the first is a list of twenty-five everyday activities; the second, twenty-five basic, easy movements; and the third, twenty-five sport-like activities to get your heart pumping and your muscles aching!
You naturally encounter most of these familiar movements in your daily life. You don’t have to buy any equipment, and you don’t have to commit to an hour-long program. Even better, you don’t have to feel intimidated by gym junkies.
All you have to do is familiarize yourself with the list of activities and begin to move—just a little—each day. I work with women and men all around the country and the world, all busy and distracted, yet every one of these clients has been able to fit a handful of these activities into their regular schedules. One of the best bodies I ever saw belonged to a woman from Australia who walked everywhere, up hill and down, and that effort alone paired with proper eating got her ripped. For example, you could:
Walk up the stairs instead of riding an elevator
Iron for fifteen minutes
Take an extra lap around the office
Sweep the floor or vacuum
Integrating these movements into your day and week may take some extra thought in the beginning as you familiarize yourself with your options, but soon enough you will be doing these activities regularly. For now, you don’t even need to think about time or duration. Simply move. I love to vacuum. During stressful times I still pull out the vacuum cleaner and get nice and sweaty cleaning my house. The bonus is the house sparkles!
Now let’s get started!
First Things First: Health Checkup
Depending on your current activity level, you should check in with your doctor, physical therapist, or nurse practitioner before starting step 3 of your Start Here plan.
It’s always a good idea to know where you stand in terms of important health measurements; with that in mind, ask your physician to give you a routine physical to gather the following information:
Blood pressure
Cholesterol
HDL (good cholesterol)
LDL (bad cholesterol)
Blood sugar
Weight
BMI (body mass index) (see this page for more information about how to interpret your BMI)
Waist-to-hip ratio
It’s also important to review your medications so your doctor can share any information related to side effects. None of what you do in the Start Here plan is remotely life-threatening; in fact your health and life will improve, but it is important to be sure you have no unexpected risk factors. For more specific information regarding healthy numbers for these tests, refer to the Resources section at the back of the book.
25 Ways to Move a Little
The following exercises are really just little movements you can incorporate into your day. They are suggestions, not guidelines; you might think of lots of other little movements that fit into your daily life just from reading these. Peruse the list and think about those movements that work in your lifestyle. Ask yourself if they seem realistic, given how and where you spend the majority of your day. If you work in an office, for example, putting away the laundry piece by piece is probably not realistic. If you work from home or are a homemaker, then putting away laundry makes more sense than, say, walking the stairs in your office building.
25 Gentle Movements
• Put laundry away piece by piece.
• Wash the dishes.
• Wash down the refrigerator inside and out.
• Go up and down the stairs, slowly at first.
• Plant flowers or vegetables or pick weeds in the garden.
• Take a special trip to the mailbox.
• Vacuum while holding in your stomach.
• Walk your block or around your office building during your coffee break.
• Park your car far from the entrance to the grocery store.
• Walk when you would otherwise take a taxi.
• Dust tops of window frames, fans, and other high places.
• Wipe down the walls in two rooms of your house or apartment.
• Wash the windows in one room of your house or apartment.
• Sweep the floors.
• Push a stroller.
• Vacuum the car.
• Move the furniture and vacuum behind it.
• Paint a piece of furniture.
• Sit on the edge of the sofa and lift one leg, straightening your knee, while watching your favorite TV show, alternating legs.
• Sit on the edge of the bed and raise your arms up and down in continuous motion as you think about your meal choices for the day.
• Clean out the tub.
• Go apple picking or take a walk to a nearby park or nature preserve.
• Walk the mall or business district by your home.
• While sitting at your desk or the kitchen table, lift your feet up and down as if you were marching in place.
Do you see a pattern? These movements are designed for people who already have a full plate of chores, so each of these movements—or any you might add—are designed to help you finish work that you have to do anyway.
But be intentional when you engage in these activities. Be purposeful. For example, when putting away the laundry, stand firmly on your feet and hold in your belly. When you pay attention to your feet and push into them as you contract your abdominal muscles, you activate your core and strengthen your overall posture.
Many people who have been sedentary and are not used to physical exertion lose a sense of balance and often feel unsteady on their feet. When you begin moving in simple ways but with an awareness of how you are moving, you will gradually improve your balance and strength.
Begin by devoting fifteen to twenty minutes to one or two movements three to five days a week. As I indicated in the previous chapter, don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Instead, take it week by week, especially in the first three weeks of your Start Here journey. Try activities one at a time and limit your movement to fifteen to twenty minutes until you feel comfortable with the movement. Then consider extending your activity time to thirty to forty minutes, or simply adding a second movement until you find yourself active for thirty to forty minutes. Look at the list below and consider your options.
So for now, here’s what to do:
1. Choose one, two, or three activities from the list above.
2. In your calendar or journal, mark five to seven 15-minute periods to incorporate movement during the day over the course of a week.
3. If you feel ready, combine movements in different ways:
Two 15-minute sessions in the morning
One 30-minute session in the morning
Three 15-minute sessions—one in the morning, two in the afternoon
One 60-minute session
You get the idea! As you will see in chapter 8, where I have designed a four-week program, you can create your own combinations at whatever time of day best works for you. And what best works for you is the time that you are most likely to move a little!
Renee was a tennis player when she was young, but gave it up after college. Since then, she’s packed on the pounds—twenty-five to be exact. She was feeling grumpy and groggy all the time, and complained of frequent headaches. After removing her hidden food (she lived on pasta—especially with thick, creamy, cheesy sauces!), she began by doing simple tasks around her house. She was handy, so she decided to put together a bookshelf. This project led to another: she decided to clean out her basement!
Within a month of giving herself these everyday chores, she actually felt inclined to pick up her tennis racquet again. But she had to take it easy. Her legs were weak and unsteady, and her knees were achy because the muscles of her thighs had atrophied.
Yet she persevered. Six months later, she was playing tennis on a weekly basis—not only getting into better shape but enjoying herself immensely.
Start small. Keep your near goals in mind and try not to get ahead of yourself. If you haven’t been moving and your body is weak from disuse, then it will take some time to feel strong enough to try activities that require a bit more exertion.
Once you are comfortable adding these movements to your life, you will feel up for a challenge and ready to commit to movement that is slightly more demanding. In addition to the movement that your body will enjoy, can you imagine how clean your home will be?
Fitting Movement into Your Schedule
Like me, many of you may have lives that seem to get increasingly busy, with longer work days and crazier schedules, so it may seem unreasonable to include one more thing! But try and move away from that line of thinking and give yourself a new direction: imagine that by including just a small amount of physical activity, you are actually doing something that will increase your overall energy level.
There are many ways to fit movement into your life. Instead of plopping yourself in front of the TV to eat your lunch, eat at the kitchen table and then take a five- to ten-minute walk. My guess is that if this becomes a habit, your walk will soon extend to fifteen or twenty minutes! We all know about parking our cars farther away from the grocery store or office building. How about parking our bodies farther from our destinations by getting off the bus or train a stop sooner? Or walking three or four blocks past your destination and back? You will find that once you get moving, you will feel more inclined to move. You will actually miss those days when you don’t have that activity!
You also want to think ahead: When are you most likely to fit in your physical activity? If you are a morning person, then it’s probably best to plan on moving a little in the first half of the day. If you are slow to rise and tend to be a night owl, then late afternoon or early evening movement sessions are likely best for you. I have to look at my weekly schedule and fit in the days I will train along with my other responsibilities; otherwise I may be inclined to skip my movement date.
Personally, I like to work out first thing in the morning. I eat a quick, simple breakfast of a banana and ½ cup plain yogurt—enough to get my blood sugar in balance—and then I exercise for twenty to forty minutes. That way, once my day becomes hectic—and it always does—I know I have already given my body that special time.
But moving in the early morning is not for everyone—it really depends on what works for you, and what is most realistic for you.
Moving is important for overall health, but it also has the added benefit of supporting the removal of your hidden foods. Remember: you will lose weight simply by cutting out your hidden foods. So if you like what you see in the mirror, add a little movement to your routine in order to step up your pace of weight loss. The following list of easy movements will take your activity up a notch.
Remember, muscle tone and strength are built over time. The power of repetition is persuasive: it primes your muscles to respond to the movements, strengthening and toning them. Doing something like lifting for twenty minutes or leg raises for twenty minutes will help strengthen muscles, whereas doing different movements that are more cardio based (such as walking) might help you burn more calories but not necessarily pinpoint a particular area. As you combine different activities—some of them stretching, some of them strengthening, some of them increasing your cardio capacity—think of them as a gentle circuit training so that you get into the habit of engaging your entire body.
25 Easy Movements to Step Up Your Weight Loss
Consider the following moderate movements, which are longer in duration than those in the first list and a bit more complex, to step up your weight loss. As you try some of these movements, I recommend extending the duration for at least twenty to thirty minutes instead of the fifteen to twenty suggested above.
• Walk around the block, bending your arms at the elbows and gently swinging them forward and back as you walk.
• Vacuum the entire house while holding in your stomach muscles for thirty seconds at first, and then—if you can—for sixty seconds at a time.
• Wash the windows of your entire house or those inside your apartment, concentrating on using your biceps.
• Walk to the grocery store, the post office, or a friend’s house for a sustained twenty to thirty minutes.
• Push a stroller around the park, pulling in your tummy and exerting your arms with intention.
• Take a long walk in a park or wooded area, stopping every fifteen minutes to do knee lifts in place for five minutes.
• Walk on a treadmill, keeping your arms at your sides but moving them back and forth as you walk.
• Hold a can of food in each hand and do arm lifts from a standing position while listening to the radio or watching TV. Make sure you keep your shoulders down when you lift your arms overhead.
• Sit on the edge of a sofa or bed and lean down from side to side while watching your favorite TV show; this torso twist helps stretch out your abdomen and back muscles.
• Clean out the garage or storage unit. When lifting or moving heavy objects, make sure you pull in from your stomach and don’t overuse your back.
• Walk up and down the stairs two times, building up to five times.
• From the bottom step, step backward down and up, down and up; you should feel this in the back of your thighs (your hamstrings) and in your butt (your glutes).
• While sitting at your desk, in your car, or on the subway, sit up straight and pull in your stomach muscles, first for thirty seconds at a time, then for sixty seconds at a time, for a period of fifteen minutes.
• Walk your dog at a fast pace around the block; remember to breathe as you increase the duration from fifteen to twenty minutes and then twenty to thirty minutes.
• Lie on your bed and do scissor kicks while watching TV. Remember: keep that tummy tight.
• Pack up boxes of clothes you no longer wear; carry them to the car or a taxi, and take them to a charity or resale shop.
• From a standing position, raise your knees one at a time while watching your kids or reading a book; after five minutes, try to touch your knee to one elbow and then alternate sides.
• From a standing position, touch your toes, then squeeze your butt muscles when you straighten up.
• Standing with your legs wide apart (about the width of a yoga mat), bend your knees as if you were sitting on a chair, sticking your butt out and keeping your back straight; gently move up and down. You will feel this squat in your thighs, the back of your legs, and your butt.
• Raise your arms overhead and circle them backward and then forward while watching TV; these arm extensions open your shoulders, back, and the muscles across your chest.
• Raise your arms out to your sides and flex your fingers up and down.
• Lie on your back, tuck your legs into a loose fetal position, and stretch your knees to one side. Stay in this position for five to ten minutes; then alternate sides. These easy stretches are wonderful hip and back openers.
• Sit up straight in a chair and turn your head gently to the right, back to center, and then to the left while listening to music or an audio book. This easy movement unlocks your neck and helps maintain posture.
• Lie on your back and place your hands behind your head; cradle your head without straining your neck. Now do ten gentle crunches, pulling in your stomach muscles as you raise your upper body off the floor. Remember: don’t lift from your neck!
• Lie on your back and tuck your chin toward your chest; this easy neck roll helps to keep your spine and neck soft and pliable.
These movements can be done by themselves for fifteen, twenty, or thirty minutes or combined for an even longer duration. The key is to decide to do three or four activities (from either list) each week, trying to do at least one each day.
The more you move, the more you will feel like moving. So if all you can do the first week is one 15-minute activity, don’t sweat it.
By next week, you will feel different—you will feel better and more ready to increase the duration and the frequency of your movements. That’s when you want to think about pairing different activities: fifteen minutes of one activity in the morning, then twenty minutes of another during lunch, then fifteen minutes after coming home from work. If you don’t like splicing it up, then pair up activities in one or two segments, again thinking about when you are most likely to follow through.
Tom loved doing three 15-minute segments—stretches when he woke up at 6:30 A.M.; a walk around the office complex at lunchtime; and a fifteen-minute session on his StairMaster when he got home from work and before he enjoyed his dinner. There are really easy ways of fitting in these little movements throughout the day—and they will start adding up to a lot of movement. Then you can ease into a more intense type of activity, duration, and frequency.
You may find it helpful to create one place in your kitchen—maybe an erasable whiteboard—where you list the activities and easy movements that you want to incorporate for that week. That way you’ll walk by your list every day. Each week, revise your list to keep activities fresh and fun. Or challenge yourself to go for a longer duration. You can also change the sequences. The more you change it up, the more you will motivate yourself.
Each one of us has our own goals for moving a little. What are yours? Here are some other inspiring goals that women and men have shared with me:
Suzanne: “to change from an XXL to an XL”
Mark: “to dance at my sister’s wedding”
Karen: “to really taste food again”
Barbara: “to keep losing weight”
Henry: “for my psoriasis to go away”
Diane: “to get off my blood sugar medicine”
Your Journal: Reflect on Your Goals
In your journal, reflect upon your near goals for fitness. Why do you want to move a little?
Write down, draw, or make a note on your phone of your near goals. Keep these ideas as simple and specific as possible.
What types of movement are you going to commit to this week?
Look at your schedule. Find four 15-minute slots.
Now step back for a minute, and imagine the benefits. Say your goal out loud. Move a little.
Going the Distance: Burn Baby Burn
As some of you may know from my previous books, one of the biggest transformations of my adult life happened to me after I turned forty. I had met my husband, Robert, who happened not only to be the publisher of Oxygen, the women’s fitness magazine, but also a former body builder himself. He and I clicked in a lot of ways, but one important thing he did was help me frame one of my far goals: after living a fat and frumpy life, I aspired to reshape my physique and get on the cover of Oxygen magazine. Yes, I did it! But it wasn’t easy, and it took time and a lot of willpower.
The activities on this next list have the potential to push your body into even better shape. Please don’t try these right out of the box; first give yourself time to heal on the inside, remove your hidden food, and move a little. But when you are ready—and you will know when that is—you just might enjoy the extra challenge of these activities.
The Challenge List:
25 Activities to Move Your Muscles
• Circuit training
• Cycling
• Dancing (line)
• Golf
• Hiking
• Elliptical machine
• Kickboxing
• Mountain biking
• Pilates
• Power yoga (Ashtanga)
• Boot camp or muscle pump class
• Rock climbing
• Rowing
• Running/jogging
• Cross-country skiing
• Squash
• Spin class
• StairMaster
• Swimming
• Tai chi
• Tae Bo
• Tennis
• Triathlon
• Weight lifting
• Zumba
• Cross fit
• Endurance events
Calorie Burning Chart
Your weight loss and dietary results will no doubt be enhanced by your physical activities. As one woman I know put it, “Nothing motivates me to stay away from the pantry like realizing that a serving of chips and hummus (which I think of as healthy, since at least it’s not sugary or fried!) is equal to the hour I just spent walking home from work.”
Take a look at the following chart and consider the calories you can burn doing these everyday activities, as well as some exercises that are more rigorous.
Rewarding Yourself for Steps Well Taken
Many of us want to reward ourselves with “cheat meals” or “cheat days” that allow us to return to our hidden foods or skip a day or two of movement. Sure, you can do this on the Start Here program and still continue to lose weight (so long as you return to the program!). But consider this: the real reward is what happens when you lose weight and feel great—when your health returns because you’ve removed your hidden foods, moved a little, or both. What could be better? Once you feel this, other rewards (like cheat days) become less important. After all, what could possibly taste as good as feeling lighter and healthier? If you’re looking for rewards outside of yourself, you are probably not motivated by your own goals. This can trigger bad habits. So make sure that your rewards align with your goals. Do you feel better? Then you’re on the right track. What a great reward!
As you come out of hiding, taking your new place may feel wonderful, but also a bit overwhelming. You may feel uncomfortable because you’re not used to putting yourself and your health—even how you look!—first. But remember this: true learning and lasting change in life tend to come out of our most difficult challenges, and for you to grow, the ground will sometimes feel a little shaky under your feet. But this is not going to stop you from getting to your best self ever.
And of course, no matter how carefully we plan our lives, or how cautiously we live—and how well we are doing in our program—we will always face some form of external adversity. Whether that challenge or stress comes from a job change or loss, a new addition to the family, financial worries or woes—you need to feel ready to address things other than your internal challenge. I’m not suggesting that you stay poised, expecting bad things to happen; rather, I’m saying don’t waste your energy being surprised when difficult events occur. The true test of your vision of your new self is when life gets complicated. Instead of retreating to familiar, comforting habits, remind yourself that you are ready to take on or absorb this new challenge. So as you remove your hidden food, begin to move a little, and list your goals, keep reminders of the things and people you can call on to support you when you feel less strong—to help you stay on track with each part of the Start Here plan.
Ultimately, I encourage you to allow the simplicity of the Start Here plan to serve as a support system. It’s just three things—certainly you can take one of these steps on most days? Use these three steps, as a backbone, a support system, and a best friend you can always rely on. Rely on them, believe in them, and trust in them. I did, and they helped me make all my dreams come true. And if you take these steps, too, they will lead you to the new life you have always dreamed of.
What Are the Benefits of Moving a Little?
Moving a little seems so simple. What can it possibly do for you?
We’ve all heard about the importance of exercising. But no one really tells us how regular movement has an impact on our shape and metabolism. When you begin doing these movements routinely for fifteen to twenty minutes a day, you will not only maximize the impact of removing your hidden food, you will also wake up your body and feel more in touch with yourself. You will feel lighter, look leaner, and have more energy. You will be more alert to how certain foods, including but not limited to your hidden foods, make you feel. You will become more trusting of yourself, more confident. This is what taking your place really means. You are taking charge of yourself, your health, and your life.
