Part 2
Picking up where we left off — weight does not determine your size, shape or health. Though it may be a contributing factor, a more accurate gauge of health and wellness is how you feel.
Sometimes, heavier is better. Here are a few things that can add pounds and may enhance your health at the same time.
Dense bones weigh more and are more resistant to injury and osteoporosis.
Hydration keeps your many systems running — body fluids circulate throughout your body: in the colon, intestines, joints and stomach. Your entire body uses fluid for its function. Even though a properly hydrated body may weigh more, it handles its functions more efficiently. The skin will have fewer wrinkles and crepiness, especially in your face.
Proper long-term exercise distributes muscle mass evenly to the front as well as to the backside of your body. You may not see your backside often but if your exercise routine is balanced, you may have exchanged muscle for fat in places you haven’t noticed. This also improves definition and posture.
The more muscle you carry, the more calories you burn, not just during exercise but 24/7. The more calories you burn, the leaner you stay over time.
There’s no need to be uneasy about the number of pounds you weigh. Adopting a “Forrest Gump” attitude is to our benefit. Let’s release anxiety about issues that don’t matter — like your weight. It’s like Forrest said; “One less thing.” What’s important is feeling healthy and strong with clothes that hang on your body in a way that makes you feel lean and confident.
Your measurements are a much more accurate gauge of what needs to be quantified in your body. Keep an ongoing record of your measurements, including height (in bare feet). You should wear the same clothing and use the same tape measure each time you take your measurements. If the tape measure is indenting your clothing or skin line, you are pulling too tightly. Allow the tape to lay flat against the skin. Rechecking your height occasionally will let you know of any changes in your spine. Lengthening, even ¼ or ½ inch, is wonderful and improves the likelihood of a pain-free spine. I see this lengthening often in students that attend my Tuesday class or yoga regularly. Getting shorter can mean your spine may be settling or compressing—so stand up taller! Keeping a record helps you be in tune with your own body.
Your size and shape are a better judge of your body’s composition, tone and disposition. Devote brainpower to remembering your driver’s license number, shoe size, kid’s cell phone numbers, social security numbers and family birth dates. It feels good to take “weight” off the list — one less thing.
I’ll see you in two weeks.
Love & health, Loa
LOA BLASUCCI teaches her Mind & Body workout at the Community Center of LCF Tuesday mornings at 8 a.m. Contact her by e-mail at heyloa@gmail.com.
