LilySlim Exercise days tickers

Jan 15, 2013

Why Slaving Over the Treadmill Alone May Not Do the Trick

I downloaded this health app from Google Play just a couple of days ago.  It's called Noom Weight Loss Coach, one that keeps track of food and exercise, much like what My Fitness Pal does.  I'm just trying out different apps.  This one has got tips popping out and this just popped up to me on my tablet the other day. 

So here's something to mull over:



Screenshot from Noom Weight Loss Coach


The first line with the large font is obvious enough and quite easy to understand.  A lot of us have excuses for not exercising.  Even I have a hard time dragging myself out of bed sometimes just to join a 5-kilometer run.  If I give in to my lazy self, I would never have ran any of those races hahaha!  It's easier to be a couch potato right?

The succeeding sentences are a bit harder to swallow, but I could attest to the truth in that statement.  I'm never one to really watch out for calories.  I just am not so good with keeping track of all of that (and yet I keep downloading various apps haha!).  If I eat, I just want to eat and not worry about calories and all.  But when I started doing food substitutions and eating more fruits and veggies instead of the usual meaty stuff, I am unconsciously doing that -- lowering my calorie intake without feeling starved.  It's actually basic.  How much you put in your mouth, your body must need most of that for certain body functions.  The surplus calories, we just wish we could excrete, much like when we drink too much water.  But the thing is, some gets stored by the body as fats.  That depends on the food we consumed.  Stuffing one's self every meal and hoping to burn all that by hitting the gym is probably not such a plausible idea for weight loss.  On the premise of the above equation,  I'm imagining a nation of half-marathoners because Filipinos love to eat! 

Exercise of course, is still important but most of us look at it as just a means for damage control  (a.k.a shedding all those reserve fats).   Exercise is good for a lot of things other than that, like building muscles, for strength and stamina, good blood circulation and a whole lot more.  To be honest, I started exercising more and eventually got in the habit of running again, not solely to lose weight.  I did it more for those other reasons I've mentioned and to help with my hypertension.  I am running more for the benefit of my heart and lungs, rather than having to-die-for abs, which I still don't have (and still wishing to have lol!).  I just figured that weight loss and fat reduction would eventually follow. 

It's all about mind setting, I suppose, and disciplining one's self.  And although it is still not deeply ingrained in me (getting there someday) I try my best to make healthy food choices and to eat just the right portions. After all, it is easier to run with less weight to carry around, right?  And it takes the pressure out of exercising and I get to enjoy my run! 


38 comments:

  1. It's all about mind setting, I suppose, and disciplining one's self - really really agree with this.... journey to weight loss will never start without going through this one first... :-)

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  2. It is about the mind set but my wife finds that if she goes with a friend and they are chatting away then they do more than if they went alone

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  3. Yeah I thought running is my one way ticket to losing weight (plus balanced diet). Since I started using MFP though I found out it doesn't burn much calories pala! Stationary bike, swimming and squats burns more. :/

    These days I mainly run too to boost my immune system. ;3

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  4. Hehe. Guilty me! I am cutting carbo foods and hopefully can run kahit 2-3 times a week. Ang lamig naman kasi, hirap gumising ng maaga. Hehe #palusot


    Mommy Maye

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  5. But... I love food! I didn't know exercise alone could not burn fat. Oh well, I guess it's goodbye carbs. :-(

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  6. Cheers to a great post! I'm a runner, myself. I also do core workouts at home to break the monotony. I eat, eat, eat; and burn calories so I stay fit and fab!

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  7. Nice app! I will look it up. I also use myfitnesspal too. Only loosely :) -Jellybelly

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  8. i should download this app.. start eating the right way.. :)

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  9. As a diabetic, I understand where that's coming from. I have to choose to both be active and couple it with a proper diet for my glucose levels to be in an acceptable range.

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  10. I could say I'm a couch potato sis when it comes to exercise,waaa!!! and I'm a great fun of sweets,oh my! I just hope to live a healthy life soon,ngek!

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  11. Great tips... I agree that we need a whole overhaul of our eating and exercising habits to find the right balance... TY! :-)

    Eliz - http://positivekismet.blogspot.com/

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  12. sometimes i really am a couch potato...masarap kaya matulog lalo't malamig sa madaling araw...sarap lang matulog hahaha, sometimes i am really lazy to join my bro to jog every morning

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  13. I'm trying my best to eat more healthy this year and it is true we do need to control calories in order to reduce.

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  14. Life indeed is a never ending balancing act. :-)

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  15. Not totally good bye carbs...Hey, I eat the same amount of rice...but my viands are usually veggies or white meat at the most. I rarely eat pork and beef. I make it a point to always have fruits also.... and the crucial thing is, I rarely let myself eat until I'm about to burst hehehe. Sometimes, that still happens but on rare occasions only. We really need not be too hard on ourselves.

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  16. Good for you Rizza! I hope I could look fit and fab also :-)

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  17. I had that same palusot last Sunday. I was so sure it will rain on Sunday morning because it was raining Saturday night, so we cancelled our morning jog...only to wake up to a bright sunny day. Toinks!

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  18. Wow ang galing ng bro mo...daily jogging! Well, you could try to join once in a while, not necessarily everyday. You could try MTWThFSS...hehehehe :-)

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  19. Nothing beats the equation to lose weight: exercise + eating everything in moderation. Diet fads are dangerous and they never last.
    -Farida

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  20. In my opinion the act of running does not burn fats but the end result of running which is taking in oxygen by inhaling and exhaling burns those fats. Just my thoughts... be healthy!

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  21. I have actually lost weight doing just the SBD diet, and did not lose any weight while I was doing the treadmill (at various speed pa) for an hour and a half last summer and actually gained weight! Working out makes you really ravenous haha

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  22. Yeah... I know I need it, but I don't seem to be consistent with it. I want to do it every day or 3 times a week and not only when I feel like doing it. hay!

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  23. Gosh! I need to walk 4 miles every time I eat a cupcake! Now I have to think twice when I have cupcake cravings.

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  24. Waaah! And here I am so diligent with my exercise thinking that I could burn as much calories that needs burning. So I guess it should boil down to eating healthy. :-)

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  25. the first month of the year is almost over and until now I still wasn't able to run. umulan kasi parati hehehe..parati may dahilan. At least I have 2 hours of badminton twice a week pwede na muna yun. :)

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  26. Do you agree that "you cannot out-exercise a bad diet"? If I read that, I will be discouraged, hehe!

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  27. I'm also trying my best to eat less especially dinner. Hopefully may improvement. :)

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  28. Naku just by looking at a cupcake and it's equivalent run makes me tired already hahahaha!!!!!! I'm too lazy to walk and run. Having 2 kids loose a lot of power in me. LOL!

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  29. Great app you have here, sis. Google will surely love your site. I read somewhere about blog apps and better search ranks, etc. While most of you are sleeping (and are having a healthy lifestyle), I'm still "bloghopping" at 2:00 AM. Hehe.

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  30. So running is not enough? If the equation is right, I must run more than 4 miles!

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  31. It really is all about discipline. Discipline in exercising, and discipline in eating the right food. :)

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  32. I love to eat, so no wonder I am continuously gaining,. shedding off is one of my goal this year and I hope I will succeed this time..

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  33. Diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle is the key. Exercise alone won't do the trick.

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  34. Soem of us are too optimistic that exercise can help in shedding extra pounds. But more to this is the food we take. Always be aware of the calories it has. I was surprised last night that I already shed 1 kilo without exercise, just picking the right food.

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  35. I agree it's all about mind-setting, goals setting and DISCIPLINE to attain all of those goals set. It's part of my 2013 goals, to get fit, live healthier and lose a little weight. Hope I achieve them all, it's still January anyway (yes I know I'm procrastinating again! hahaha! )

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  36. I agree, it's all about self discipline. I have a weakness for sweets and I'm really trying my hardest not to eat much of it now... :(

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  37. After being diagnosed with heart disease this fall my doctor insisted on putting me on a diet to lose weight and get healthy. He says it is all about portions. I actually feel better on a diet of lean meats, fruits, and veggies.

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

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  38. I hear you, Ai! I'm trying to eat healthy, too. And I need to exercise na talaga!!!

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