Beyond
Walking

By Ronda Gates, MS

Ronda Gates, MS, is a pharmacy grad who traded her white coat for a pair of athletic shoes and never looked back. Her health promotion business, LIFESTYLES, provides motivational speaking, program development, and fitness assessment services to support people making a lifestyle change. She has developed health promotion programs for many organizations nationwide.
Visit www.rondagates.com for a complimentary subscription to Ronda’s weekly email newsletter.

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

— Henry David
Thoreau

Seven Skills that Pave the Path to Successful Weight Management

The path to a healthy weight goal, paved with regular exercise and a nourishing diet, is inevitably strewn with challenges. When we meet them successfully, we often describe ourselves as “good.” A lapse along the way may precipitate a conviction that we are “bad.” Instead of labeling behavior in the minute, consider focusing on the journey by arming yourself with these skills.

1. Learn What Works.
Successful weight management is predicated on exercise, healthful nutrition, skill development, and support — not rigid diet or exercise plans that ignore the lifestyle that nurtures you. Acknowledge that fat loss is about balancing calories in and calories out, and you will lead the pack. Create a deficit of about 500 calories a day for one week, and you should reap a one-pound loss of stored body fat.

2. Boost your metabolism permanently and safely.
Instead of being tempted to use supplements that give temporary and dangerous boosts to your metabolism, use techniques that will last an active lifetime. Build intensity intervals into your walking program that increase calorie use during your exercise session and create an “after burn” that uses more stored energy (fat) at rest. Add a nutrient-dense diet (high fiber and no added sugar or fat) to boost metabolic rate further.

3. Use the Rate of Perceived Hunger (RPH) Scale.
You may have used Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) to measure the intensity of your walking workout. Consider a similar strategy to measure your degree of hunger. Before eating, rate your hunger on the Rate of Perceived Hunger (RPH) scale of 0 to 10, where 0 indicates extreme hunger and 10 signals extreme fullness. Healthy eating and satiety occur between 3 and 8. Eat when you are at 3 on the RPH scale and stop at 7 or 8. The “eat slowly” message recognizes that it takes 15 to 20 minutes for your brain to get the “I’m full” message that can prevent the uncomfortable “I’ve eaten too much” 10.

4. Distinguish Between Emotional and Physical Hunger.
Using food or too much exercise to satisfy the emotional emptiness that can accompany feelings of sadness, happiness, anger, loneliness, anxiety, boredom, or exhaustion are, ultimately, self-defeating behaviors. Instead, learn to recognize the cues for physical hunger — a physiological process, signaled, for example, by an ache in your stomach, lightheadedness, or an inability to concentrate.

5. Beware the Sales Pitch.
A safe weight loss is one or two pounds a week. People who promise more are relying on your lack of knowledge about metabolism. Resist a sales pitch that promises success in a pill. The package will also include strategies that work without the pill — exercise and healthful eating. Forgo promotions or diet books that moralize by describing foods as “good” or “bad” instead of advocating moderation. Remember product testimonials may or may not be true, spokespersons may or may not have relevant credentials, actors are always paid for endorsements, and success never happens overnight.

6. Watch Your Language.
Notice, without judgment, if your self-language is negative and irrational (“I feel fat,” “I never get past the dessert bar,” or “I’ve never made it up this hill without a cramp.”) Change a negative thought into a positive one by adding the words, “up until now.” For example, “I never get past the dessert bar — up until now.” Affirm your intention as though you’ve reached your goal. “I enjoy walking 10,000 steps a day.” “I am eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.” That affirmation is a precursor to your reality.

7. Reward Your Success.
Achieving a goal deserves a reward that revitalizes you. If your goal is dropping a pant size, look for a new pair of pants when you hit your mark. If you succeed in your goal to hike a challenging trail, reward yourself with a massage. When your fitness is heightened enough to spur participation in a long hike, hire a coach to help you meet the inevitable physical, mental, or emotional challenges. Arm yourself with rewards that cost little money too — a bubble bath, an extra hour of sleep, a trip to the coast.

Success in meeting any goal follows a path paved with persistence, patience, perspiration, and a positive attitude. One step at a time is the pace for a path that reaches for the stars.