By the end of Season One, Karen was working-out intensively, five or six times a week. A car accident that injured her neck and back put a complete stop to that. Over her lengthy recuperation, she’s learned that ”trying to do too much, too fast, just set me back further.” Now, she’s managing chronic pain with specialized therapy and has come to believe that small changes, at a steady pace, are the best method of ensuring a lifetime of fitness.
Karen’s other major challenge has been to schedule exercise into an increasingly busy professional life. She’s received a promotion at her communications job and is also working part-time as a customer-care representative, which means she often doesn’t get home until after 11 p.m.
Ever practical, she’s switched her focus to activities that don’t require a trip to the gym. She starts every day with stretching and has purchased a mid-price elliptical trainer, a resistance band and a therapy ball. ”There are tons of things I can do, that take 20 minutes, to get a good workout at home,” she says. Walking is another favourite standby. ”I can’t do two hours of cardio like I did, so I just go for a walk for half an hour.”
Although Karen’s disappointed to have regained weight she lost during Season One, she’s mindful of not letting her emotions deter her from the next phase of her goal. ”It gets very depressing not being able to follow the healthy lifestyle I had, not being able to work out, but you can’t let yourself go and overeat because of that.”
What she’s learned about herself from the experience of taking it off:
”You have to be happy with yourself. Whether it’s your age or your weight, it’s just a number. Of course I want to be as healthy as I can be at whatever age or stage of life I’m at, but you can’t put things off until you lose 30 pounds. You have to love yourself every single day. Your whole outlook is going to determine your motivation level.”
Karen’s best advice on taking it off:
”Be sensible about everything, everything in moderation. There’s no quick fix, there are no good or bad foods -- everything in moderation. It takes planning, it takes self-discipline. Educate yourself and do it.”
”Working out is not fun. I don’t find it fun. But it’s like brushing your teeth. You just do it.”
Karen’s best food strategies:
Plan and pre-cook food that can be frozen in single-serving sizes: ”I’m a single person. Cooking for one is not fun. If it meant making a meal every time, I wouldn’t do it.”
”You have to look at labels. There are lots of healthy alternatives out there, but take (fast-food) salads. A lot of those dressing have 30 grams of fat, just in the dressing! Read labels. Be aware. Look on the Internet. Do your research.”
Karen’s favourite exercise strategies:
”I love the elliptical machine. It doesn’t put a lot of stress on your joints, there’s lots of fluid movement and it gives me a better workout than a recumbent bike ¡¦ they’re not as expensive as people think. You can get them from $500 to $5,000.”
On the challenge of maintaining weight loss:
”It’s physical, emotional, social and there are so many things working against you: market forces, biology, genetics. And it can be very confusing. There are confusing messages about the food pyramid. (So) use common sense. You have to figure out what makes the most sense to you.”
”There is no failing. It’s a lifestyle. You just do the best you can, everyday.”
