#Fitness: A Day in the Life Sunday
/Good morning! I slept in until 8 am this morning. It's been a long time since I've done that. I needed the rest and the loss of 3 productive hours was a good trade this morning.
I've been in this over-50 zone for over 2 weeks now and I have got to tell you, it's not bad.
I have been exercising and eating clean (a work in progress for this carb lover) and just this morning I fit into the dress I wore for my daughter's christening AND the dress I wore out for my birthday dinner that same year - 12 years ago.
I went shopping yesterday to buy new pants because the ones I have are too big. Need a pant size 6-8-10-12? I got you covered and hope I never have the need for the bigger ones again. Weight fluctuations stink.
There are some real reasons your weight will fluctuate up to five pounds each day:
- Eating and drinking. Weighing yourself after eating a meal or drinking a large amount will give you a falsely high measurement. Weighing yourself after you sweat a lot, such as after working out, will give you a falsely low reading.
- Sodium intake. The large amount of sodium in a fast food or pizza meal leads to water retention and a falsely high weight.
- Carbohydrates. A meal high in simple carbohydrates will also cause you to hold water and temporarily raise weight. Similarly, high protein and low carbohydrate diets give a false impression of weight loss when the body is simply losing carbohydrate and water weight.
- Hormones. Water retention, and therefore weight, fluctuates with a woman's menstrual cycle.
My fluctuations have blown past five pounds and over the years, pregnancy aside, were due to stress, no exercise and a lot of food. For the record I am all for falsely low readings but have made a commitment to myself, my closet and my wallet that this is not a short term experiment but a new way of life.
Don't believe me? I went to Trader Joe's yesterday and bought sprouted bread and nitrate free turkey bacon. Replace the mayo with a touch of guacamole and you have a killer, clean BLT.
What do you do to keep your fitness in check? HR-sphere friends, need some motivation and support? Join the HR Fit Crew on Facebook and get out from behind the desk right now.