It's Okay To Skip The Gym?!

Woody and I are an old married couple - we usually turn in pretty early each night in order to get up at 5am for the gym. Last night I stayed up a bit later since I had been out in the evening and didn't get to eat dinner until 9pm (I know, not healthy but it's definitely not a habit) and I needed to decompress a bit before I went to sleep. So, I caught the local NBC 11pm news which I don't typically do and they did a segment that bothered me just a little bit.

The lead in headline for the segment was "It's Okay To Skip The Gym" and "Looking for an excuse not to work out? We have it for you." That was what the newcasters were actually saying! I couldn't believe it and had to watch the segment.

Turns out they were really talking about studies that show (and I don't really think you need studies for this) women over the age of 40 are unable to lose weight with exercise alone. If they expanded the studies to younger women and men, I have a feeling they'd come to similar conclusions.

The segment included short interview clips with medical professionals as well as Sherry Glover (some of you NYers may know as one of the NYRR running class coaches) during a running class in Central Park Tuesday night. She was quoted saying that the majority of class participants are women and many of them are looking to use running as a way to lose weight. She also supported the claim that running, and fitness in general, must be accompanied by healthy eating in order to lose weight.

The segment bothered me a bit because the lead in was saying "hey, here's an excuse you can use not to workout. Since you have to exercise and eat well to lose weight, if you're not going to do both, why spend the hours at the gym?" Personally I think that's a pretty lazy way to look at things and only supports those who are looking for an easy out when all they may need is a little boost. Hey, I was one of those people just a few years ago.

I think everyone knows that they can't really lose weight without getting a bit of exercise and watching what they eat. But I also think that sometimes people believe they have to jump in and make huge changes immediately in order to do so or it won't work. It is possible to start with small changes that are easy to incorporate into every day. Yes, it's true, you don't have to go to a gym to do it. Just take a walk during the day, park as far away as possible at the grocery store and walk a bit further, take the stairs instead of the elevator, start to take a jog one or two days a week and make small food changes along with it. Make a few more each week and the weight will start to come off. 

While you may not technically need a gym (as the title of the segment suggested) to get exercise, the fact that weight loss and general good health requires us to get exercise and watch what we eat shouldn't be an excuse for anyone to do nothing. Eating well and being fit is a good feeling! I have definitely found that I feel at my best when I'm doing both and not indulging in too many treats (um, holiday time!) but still working out.

I planned ahead yesterday since I knew I'd be home late, so I boiled a few eggs to make a healthy and quick dinner. I wasn't too hungry, so I put together this simple dinner that was delicious and hit the spot.

Eating well doesn't have to require a lot of work. I had carrots, hummus, two egg whites and one full egg, and a pear. It was a perfectly healthy and quick meal for me last night and a found a great new flavor combo - hummus and egg!

What is your 'go to' healthy and quick meal when you have a busy day but still want to eat well?

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Workout Stats -
3/23 (Catching up since I was MIA yesterday, unless you follow me on Twitter. And if you don't, why not?!)
7mi elliptical
6mi stationary bike
3x10 (ea side) weighted side bends
3x10 tricep extensions
3x12 tricep dips
stretching
1.5mi walk (afternoon)

3/24 - rest day from gym, will get a walk in later this afternoon and enjoy a day without rain!