This probably isnt the first time youve heard that strengthening your core is, well, at the core of all fitness. Having core strength is not only vital when doing ab exercises, but also to have good posture, avoid lower back pain, and improve your entire gym experience.

Without a strong core, your exercise routine will have you overcorrecting with other muscle groups and possibly doing more harm than good (for example, if you find your lower back arching when youre doing a push-up).

Once you have stable posture and active stabilizer muscles, all the other movements you do, like squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, etc are already cued up with stability and core strength, explains Logan Dube, the Director of Education at Steve Nash Fitness World. Thats why we like using them in warm-up.

Whether your goal is to get a six-pack for the summer, to set a strong core foundation, or to alleviate your lower back pain, pursuing a rock-solid core is something your body will thank you for. We asked Logan to share her five top core and ab exercises to get us there.

Ab exercise/Shutterstock

How To:For a five-step routine to work out all areas of your abs, Logan suggests starting with the Dead Bug exercise.Lay flat on your back and doing reps where you lift each leg and the opposite arm at the same time.

My recommendation, and what we teach students and trainers in our certification programs, is that core muscles are all about stability. If you think of your pelvis, spine and rib cage/shoulders, its really important that the muscles around and attached to those bones can give you stability, Logan explains.

Hip Bridge exercise/Shutterstock

How To: Next up is the Hip Bridge, where you hold your arms on the floor and have your feet planted at an angle while keeping your core elevated.

Theres more to core-strengthening exercises than meets the eye. Logan says, These exercises are crucial because of how the different core muscles are layered and what their specific jobs are. In all five of these exercises, you keep your pelvis, spine and rib cage stacked and braced so movement, if any, happens at the hip joint (like in the Hip Bridge).

Side Plank/Shutterstock

How To: The Side Plank is one of the hardest core exercises, but it definitely pays off. Do this one by balancing on the edges of your feet while keeping your torso off the ground.

Logan also stresses that although having a six-pack is top of peoples mind, strengthening your core is a crucial foundation.

We incorporate core activation exercises into the warm-up of all workouts. You could use similar exercises in a stand-alone workout, especially if you prefer shorter workouts more days per week. Especially for beginners, its important to be able to do these exercises properly before moving onto those six-pack exercises!

Plank/Shutterstock

How To: The Plank involves you lying on the ground, keeping your back straight, and staying elevated on your elbows.

Logan says that each of these workouts activate different layers of the abs. Muscles like the transverse abdominus help set and brace the position of your pelvis and spine ensuring that you dont injure your back.

In the second layer, Logan explains that internal and external obliques help brace but they also create and resist rotation.The third layer is more superficial, and is effectively what gives you a six-pack.

Bird dog exercise/Shutterstock

How To: The Bird Dog exercise has you alternating pressure on your knee and opposite arm, staying balanced while keeping your core strong.

People with low back pain are often weak in one or all of these five movements. And learning to do these and slowly building up endurance really helps reduce and even eliminate back pain, says Logan.

Logan is just one of the experts you may meet atSteve Nash Fitness World and Sports Club, BCs largestfitnessprovider.The gym has over 24 clubs and each year, and through its Success Stories campaign, recognizes a member who (often with the help of a personal trainer) has used exercises like those recommended above to transform their life.

Jason was out of shape from spending long hours at a desk, so his trainer at Steve Nash Fitness World started by coaching foundational movements: squats, lunges, push and pull exercises. Since joining, hes improved his performance in sports and made great progress towards his weight loss goals.

A different client, Karen, was able to make a remarkable recovery after a freak accident that left her with a broken hip. After getting back in the gym within a month of the surgery, her trainer gave her hope that she could get back to her previous state. Karen benefitted from learning appropriate variations of the foundational movements like squats, lunges, deadlifts, and push-ups so that she could train safely and build her confidence. It didnt take too long until she was doing exercises she never imagined being able to do! says her personal trainer, Daniel.

Cant wait to strengthen your core? Find your closest Steve Nash Fitness World and Sports Club location so you can get started today!

Read the original post:
5 best exercises to strengthen your core, according to a personal trainer | Etcetera - Daily Hive

Source: mixetto / Getty

Our spending habits and our weight are very closely related. Many of us dont realize it but there might be a direct link between our financial health and physical health. Studies have found that adolescent women who struggle financially also tend to be overweight. One might see how that can be true. I know that Ive often sought comfort in an entire bottle of wine and double cheeseburger when I felt stressed about money. I know that, when times have been hard, I leaned into being totally financially screwed, and would go out for an expensive and indulgent meal with friends. It was almost my way of giving my situation the middle finger, but it left me with bloat and a $200 dinner bill.

On the flip side of things, when I have wanted to save money on food but havent had the time to cook for myself, Ive picked up fast food, which naturally isnt great for my waistline. Its easy to see how our feelings surrounding money can affect our eating habits, and visa versa. They say the way you do one thing is the way you do everything, and I think if youre a bit irresponsible with money you may also be irresponsible with food, or the other way around. But you can dig yourself out of these habits, and its amazing how just a little jumpstart of better eating and/or spending habits can show results quickly. Those results can motivate you to stay on track, and suddenly youll find that your efforts towards your weight loss goals positively influence your money goals, and the results just grow and grow.

If you are struggling both with your weight and your finances, its time to stop seeing these two as separate and unrelated. They are very much related. Here are spending habits that can lead to weight loss.

Source: Adl Bkefi / Getty

When you dine at happy hour, a couple of good things happen. First of all, the restaurant saves money by making happy hour portions smaller. That may seem cheap of them, but its good for your waistline, while giving you those better prices. Also, there is a cutoff time on those great prices, so you wont just keep ordering all night long.

See the original post:
Spending Habits That Can Lead To Weight Loss - MadameNoire

Did you know that having a big breakfast can prevent risk of obesity and high blood sugar rather than having a large dinner?As per the findings of a recent study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers at the University of Lubeck in Germany have found that the body appears to be better at processing food in the morning.According to the researchers, our body expends energy when we digest food for the absorption, digestion, transport and storage of nutrients.This process, known as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), is a measure of how well our metabolism is working and can differ depending on mealtime.

"Our results show that a meal is eaten for breakfast, regardless of the number of calories it contains, creates twice as high diet-induced thermogenesis as the same meal consumed for dinner," said the study corresponding author, Juliane Richter, from the University of Lbeck in Germany.

"This finding is significant for all people as it underlines the value of eating enough at breakfast," Richter added.

For the results, the researchers conducted a three-day laboratory study of 16 men who consumed a low-calorie breakfast and high-calorie dinner, and vice versa in a second round.

They found identical calorie consumption led to 2.5 times higher DIT in the morning than in the evening after high-calorie and low-calorie meals.

The food-induced increase of blood sugar and insulin concentrations was diminished after breakfast compared with dinner, the study said.

Originally posted here:
Follow this eating pattern to lose weight quickly - Times of India

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanias former beauty Queen Wema Sepetu has reacted to the speculations about her health following her drastic weight loss.

Her fans have been trying to explain the weight loss, with some even suggesting that she could be ailing, something that Wema responded to by taking HIV test live online just to prove that she is okay.

But even with that, many are not yet satisfied.

In a recent press conference during the launch of her latest film, the subject emerged again.

There is no doubt health is everything in life but these days you look slim compared to what people were used to , causing lots of questions. Please tell us the secret, one journalist posed during the event.

A smiling Wema quickly responded: I am fit, I am not suffering from anything. The body that you see today is the one I have always craved for.

She went on to add that her current slim body size is what got her famous when she contested for Miss Tanzania and won in 2006.

People knew me as Miss Tanzania with this kind of body size and shape then I gained weight, then they got used to me and they started saying I am over weight. I think there will come a point when they will get used to it, she said.

Wema insists she is comfortable with her current self, saying he drastic weight loss is as a result of dieting, taking medicine and starving just to attain what she termed as English-figure.

See the original post here:
Wema Sepetu: I have lost weight because I wanted to - The Citizen Daily

SALT LAKE CITY Remember that 10-game win streak the Utah Jazz had in December and January? Remember when the team won 19 of 21 games that included that streak?

Thats not the team that youve seen over the last three games and it certainly isnt the team that played Monday night.

Right now thats not who we are, coach Quin Snyder said after the Jazz lost 131-111 to the Phoenix Suns. Who you are is who you are now, not who youve been, or what youre going to do, or what you can do. Its what you do. What we did tonight wasnt good. Obviously thats an understatement on a lot of levels.

The Utah Jazz had just forced Phoenix into a shot-clock violation midway through the fourth quarter, picked up a couple points off free throws from Rudy Gobert, then chased the Suns around forcing two bad shots from Devin Booker.

It was consecutive, well-played defensive possessions. But it was two of too few during an embarrassing loss at Vivint Arena on Monday night.

Royce ONeale came away with the rebound after Bookers miss and the sequence of events that followed encapsulated the Jazzs night and the way theyve been playing of late.

Unaware of who was around him or how close they were, ONeale was picked off near mid-court as a trailing Ricky Rubio came from behin,d and poked the ball away, not only preventing any sort of Jazz fast break, but taking the possession away from them altogether.

Grid View

Booker, also behind the Jazz, was waiting at his own 3-point line, wide open with no one to impede his shot. He missed the trey, but the Jazz players that were near the basket were completely devoid of any sense of defense as Mikal Bridges flew in for an easy put-back jam.

With that, the Suns were leading by 15 with less than six minutes to play and the crowd slowly started trickling out of the arena as the Jazz lost their third straight game at home.

Its more than a lack of execution, but a lack of commitment to the things you need to do to win, Snyder said. Were going to keep getting the same result if we dont focus and execute on the defensive end.

After losses to San Antonio and Houston on Friday and Saturday the Jazz said that they werent matching the opponents energy level, that they werent focused, that they lacked the intensity level needed to win.

On Monday after a loss to a Suns team that they absolutely should have beaten, the Jazz were out of excuses.

Theres nothing else to say, Donovan Mitchell said. I can give yall a thousand reasons, but weve just got to go out there and do it. Otherwise well be home in May.

Thats where the Jazzs mindset is right now. They do not recognize the team that they are. The defensive identity that once ruled the Jazz locker room has seemingly disappeared and has Jazz players questioning who they are.

If the last three games are an indication of what the Jazz are capable of, the answer is that they are incredibly mediocre. They can hang in with teams but they dont have the defensive answers to pull out wins down the stretch and they tend to fall aspart as the game wears on.

Though Joe Ingles isnt willing to say that the team has lost its identity, he too feels the weight of the losses.

When you play the way weve been playing, theres a lot more bad than good right now, Ingles said. Its draining. ... Its just embarrassing.

Whatever seems to be the reason for the Jazzs defensive lapses and breakdowns seems to be intangible and that is what is most frustrating for the players. They know that theyve been able to beat good and bad teams alike and they know they have the talent and ability, but for an unknown reason things just arent clicking.

The Jazz are now winless since the All-Star break, a time thats usually looked at as a rejuvenating period for teams so that they can come back to the last part of the season with fresh eyes and renewed energy.

Instead the Jazz have come back from the break without energy, and without a commitment to the things that made them a playoff contending team.

And, as Ingles said, night after night of teams coming into Vivint Arena playing freely, getting where they want when they want, and doing it with a smile has drained the life out of the Jazz.

The team has run out of excuses and there are no more breaks to be had. They have to figure out what the problem is and they have to do so quickly.

The opponents wont always be the Phoenix Suns, a young and hungry team who is lucky to get wins against the better teams in the league. On Wednesday the Jazz will host the Boston Celtics, a 39-17 team that is as capable as any team in the league right now.

Read more from the original source:
Utah Jazz lose to Phoenix Suns and lose their defensive identity - Deseret News

In her documentary Miss Americana, music icon Taylor Swift disclosed her history of eating disorders. Her revelation underscores the fact these disorders do not discriminate. According to the advocacy and awareness organization Eating Disorders Coalition, they strike all genders, races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Despite their prevalence the problem is worldwide myths about eating disorders abound. Such as that they are a choice. They are not. Or theyre not a big deal. They are. Or that a person with an eating disorder is always severely underweight. Not always.

As a licensed psychologist and psychology professor, I find its common for my clients and students to say A little food helps me with my anxiety or Im not thin enough to have an eating disorder. Such beliefs often prevent people from recognizing they have a problem. More is involved in an eating disorder than food, or body image. Someone gripped by one is attempting to regulate some very difficult and complicated emotions.

What is an eating disorder?

Eating disorders fall into three basic categories: disorders of restriction, or anorexia; bingeing, known medically as binge eating disorder; and bingeing followed by compensation such as self-induced vomiting which is called bulimia.

Unpacked further: Restriction means limiting calories so much that weight loss is more than expected for a given height and weight. This does not necessarily mean the person will appear emaciated. Someone who was at the 90th percentile for weight, for example, could still be considered anorexic if they reduced their weight to the 70th percentile.

Bingeing is more than simply overeating. Its out-of-control eating, leading to extreme feelings of fullness and guilt, typically within a couple of hours after a meal. By bingeing, a person can check out of life circumstances to focus only on food.

With bulimia, a binge is followed by an action to compensate for the calories consumed. Purging is one of them, but there are others, including exercise, particularly when its taken to an extreme. Although exercise is often overlooked as a form of compensation, a person addicted to it has more than three-and-a-half times the likelihood to be diagnosed with an eating disorder than a person a without one.

It should be emphasized that not all of these disorders always result in weight loss. Those with binge eating disorder and bulimia may be at or above expected weight.

The root of an eating disorder

Eating disorders arent about managing weight. Rather, theyre a way to manage emotions. When my clients describe what its like to restrict themselves from food, they often talk of being empty and feeling numb to the world.

Take someone dealing with a trifecta of guilt, shame and embarrassment. Bingeing is exceedingly effective at burying these emotions. So is compensation, a tool to give the sufferer a break from the emotional turmoil. The relief they receive is a reinforcer, and its extraordinarily powerful. Purging, overeating, compensating it all feels good. Very quickly, the pattern is repeated.

Some answers

Simply changing eating patterns wont work. Instead, sufferers must first identify the feelings theyre experiencing. Then comes a search for better strategies to deal with those feelings. In the interim, nothing feels as good as the eating disorder. But slowly, as healthy behaviors take over, they become more reinforcing than the disorder.

With Feb. 24 marking the beginning of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, theres one thing you need to remember if you know someone with an eating disorder. They are experiencing significant emotional pain; the eating disorder is an attempt to communicate that pain. If food or exercise appears to be running the life of a family member, friend or colleague, you can help by focusing on them and their lived experience and not exclusively on the food.

[Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.]

Michele Patterson Ford, Lecturer in Psychology, Dickinson College

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Image: Reuters

Originally posted here:
Ask Taylor Swift: Eating Disorders Feed On Emotional Pain - The National Interest Online

Warning: some things discussed in this personal essay may be triggering to those with a history of disordered eating.

Like many people, I fell prey to diet culture at a young age. When I was just 7, my pediatrician innocuously asked, "So, what do you normally have for lunch?" I told him that my lunch was pretty standard: a sandwich, an apple, some cookies for dessert. He suggested that I "lay off the cookies" for a bit, because even though I had a strong and muscular body from swimming, he was concerned about how much I weighed. Pictures of me at this time in my life show a young girl who is not overweight in the slightest, but that did not stop me from feeling like something was wrong.

Throughout high school, I dabbled with diets and diet pills, and by my first year of college, I had a full-blown eating disorder. I was obsessive about counting calories. Between that and excessive exercise, I quickly shrunk to a weight that meant I was malnourished and underfed. Looking back, the number of compliments I received was stunning. Meanwhile, I was suffering. I would often cry at restaurants when I didn't think there was anything "healthy" on the menu, and I found myself frequently lying to friends and family to keep this painful secret. When I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression about a year into my eating disorder, one of the first things my psychiatrist addressed was how little I was eating. I started to gain weight back once I was in outpatient therapy.

The thing about disordered eating for me is that it exists in extremes. I use food to manage my emotions, and while at first I relied on starving myself and compulsive exercise, once I was no longer severely restricting my food, I turned to binge eating. This started a dangerous pattern for me. For years, my body would cycle: I would count calories and exercise excessively before swinging back to binge eating. My body was confused, tired, and damaged from years of not knowing what to expect.

Related: Why I Refuse to Diet in a World Obsessed With Dieting

Several years ago, after spending most of my life counting calories and obsessing over the number on the scale, I discovered intuitive eating. It sounded too good to be true: a non-diet that relied on me trusting myself and my body? That didn't seem possible. Still, exhausted by years of consuming obsession, I began to explore the principles, and most of all, learning to trust my body.

It takes work and conscious effort to stop living in this diet mentality where there's a quick plan to help you lose weight, and every food is labeled "good" or "bad."

It was not an easy journey. Years of under-eating followed by periods of binge eating meant that I was deeply out of touch with what it felt like to be hungry and full. Beyond that, I had spent so many years adhering to diet plans that told me how many calories to consume, what foods were "safe," and how much I should be eating each day that I no longer knew what my body actually liked or wanted. I felt unable to feed myself at first. One of the principles of intuitive eating is allowance, which means that you allow yourself to eat the things you want without restriction. The idea is that once food is not forbidden, you no longer feel obsessive.

My process is imperfect. It takes work and conscious effort to stop living in this diet mentality where there's a quick plan to help you lose weight, and every food is labeled "good" or "bad." It can be hard to learn to trust your body, and reject things like counting calories and lists of approved foods. That said, healing is possible. I now know when I'm hungry and full, and I trust my intuition. I no longer spend weekends meal prepping for hours to try to keep myself from eating "bad" foods - I let myself have what I want, I eat when I'm hungry, and I stop when I'm full. I genuinely love to exercise, but I don't force myself to do it for hours on end, or shame myself for skipping a day.

I've gained weight from my lowest weight, but none of the things I feared - that I would constantly overeat or crave only foods I had always deemed "unhealthy" - have come true, and I'm working hard to accept and even love my body. Learning to trust my body is something I will work on every day for the rest of my life, but it's also one of the best things I've ever done for my mental health. Without spending hours counting calories, I have more brain space to write, to create, and to live a life that is not bound to or by food. Intuitive eating has helped me learn to appreciate my body, knowing that it is good and worthy of my love and attention no matter what I'm eating, when or how much I'm moving, and whatever the number says on the scale.

Read more:
After Years of Obsessively Counting Calories, I Finally Learned to Trust My Body - Yahoo Lifestyle

Geordie OG star Marnie Simpson has revealed she lost more than three stone in weight after giving birth to her son Rox.

The 28 year old new mum said she weighs less now than she does before she fell pregnant.

And the reality star's weight loss is down to her cutting out sugar and eating healthily to help treat her chronic UTI.

Marnie, who has been praised for speaking out about the rare condition, opened up in an exclusive chat with OK! online about how her chronic UTI caused her to drop from around 13 stone during pregnancy to around nine and a half stone after labour.

When asked about her weight loss, which she has shown off on her Instagram since giving birth to Rox, Marnie's boyfriend Casey Johnson said: That was the illness, because she couldnt eat anything sugar

To which Marnie clarified: I couldnt eat anything with sugar in, and everythings got sugar in. My doctor was like: Look, youve had no immune and antibiotics arent really the best thing to

Casey added: They kill your immune system. New mum Marnie explained: They get rid of all the good bacteria.

The best thing about fighting this [chronic UTI] is your own immune. So, your immune system needs to be the best it can be.

So she [Marnie's specialist] told me to cut out all sugar, drink loads of water, eat loads of fruit, eat loads of greens which Ive never done in my life.

So, I was in so much pain, that I was treating my diet like medicine. Thats how I was looking at it.

Marnie, who is starring alongside Casey in the new Geordie OG series, continued: I was terrified to eat anything bad and I was constantly eating spinach and asparagus and greens and I wouldnt have anything else.

So I just dropped weight really quickly after the birth but it wasnt even something I meant to do.

Marnie explained how she had mixed emotions about losing the post-baby weight in such a way.

She said: It was just off the diet. Its bitter-sweet really. I tried for years to lose weight when I met Casey. It would take something like this for me to actually stick to a diet!

Im smaller now than before I was pregnant. I was about 10 stone four or five before I was pregnant. And I think Im about nine stone [now].

And it's not just the reality star who has lost weight since the birth of her son Rox, as Casey revealed he has also shed the pounds after eating healthily alongside Marnie to support her.

Casey: But, even Ive lost a stone by eating what shes eating. I was 12 stone and now Im 11.

Marine: Its cos hes eating good as well!

Geordie OGs premieres on Wednesday 26th February at 9pm, on MTV!

Excerpt from:
Marnie Simpson reveals her chronic UTI caused her to lose more than three stone in weight after pregnancy - OK! magazine

Yes, even their ice cream is healthy, and counts as a meal

The smoothie and juice bar, Nutrition First, located in Agawam, Massachusetts has become a true embodiment of what it means to maintain a healthy lifestyle on both a mind, body and soul level. Aligning with the launch of the new decade, many have taken on a new approach when it comes to fitness and flocking to the bar for protein-infused drinks.

The owners of the Nutrition First smoothie and juice bar, Michelle and Todd Fairman, opened the business two years ago. The juice bar marks the couples first storefront. During a phone interview, Mrs. Fairman recalls her and her husband discovering the shakes and teas back in 2015. And because they quickly became so beneficial to their lifestyles they decided to share them within the community. They didnt establish the business with the intention of creating a profit, but rather, due to a recognized need for it in the community.

We wanted to have a healthy alternative in the community, Mrs. Fairman states. For people to get a healthy meal, our smoothies are a meal and healthy energy. Along with positivity in the community. Theres just not enough healthy out there.

An inspirational message to allign with the brands philosophy.

Anyone who has been on a diet or fitness regimen can attest to the fact that most nutrition-based drinks are less than appetizing. What makes Nutrition First different, is the mere fact that the beverages are so unique and delicious that recurring customers cant seem to get enough of them.

Tiffany Cavanaugh, 21, is a West Springfield resident and a frequent customer of Nutrition First. Her favorite drinks of theirs are the birthday cake and chocolate peanut butter shakes, along with the gummy bear tea. Cavanaugh has been on a weight-loss journey throughout this past year, and attributes much of her success to the drinks at Nutrition First.

In February 2019, I joined Weight Watchers. Its been a year now since I joined, and I have lost about 20-22 pounds, Cavanaugh said. I feel that part of the reason why I lost weight was because of Nutrition First. Because I am autistic, I am picky when it comes to certain foods. And when I go to Nutrition First, I dont feel guilty having a shake, tea, or ice cream.

Unlike other smoothie places, Mrs. Fairman explains how they use plant-based protein to make the smoothies. We are very simple. We make our smoothies with water, Herbalife powders and ice. This is essential to the process of keeping the drinks low in fat and sugar. Each of the drinks range from $5 to $7 in price, and 200-225 calories.

The employees use the protein powders to make their specialty milkshakes and teas, which acts as a natural weight-loss and energy-inducing supplement. Upon a customers ordering, all the products are ready to be put together and blended. They are known within the area for their protein-infused ice cream, which contains all the ingredients of their regular shakes; except, they add more ice than water to create the creamy consistency.

Lindsey, one of the employees mixing a shake.

In addition to posting pictures of new and popular drinks on Facebook, that will make anyone start salivating, they post inspirational quotes on a regular basis to boost both customers and employees self-esteem. The store even has a wall dedicated to inspirational quotes. And once a month, they have a raffle where customers can enter to win a drink of their choice.

Nora Ortegas, 20, is a full-time student at Lasell College and has been an employee at Nutrition First since May of 2019. She has worked other customer-service jobs and considers this her best work experience so far, due to the overall friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

The work environment is so laid back and worry-free compared to my previous jobs, Ortegas said. I love explaining what our products do and how they can change your life in such a positive way. Being able to have that connection with customers and seeing them amazed at their drinks and seeing them return is even more rewarding.

Because of the companys overall success, the owners Michelle and Todd Fairman are planning to open another storefront location in downtown Northampton during the first week of March. It will be called NoHo Nutrition.

Their current Agawam location is located on 333 Walnut Street Extension. The juice bar is open 6 A.M. 5 p.m. on the weekdays, Saturday 8 a.m. 2 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. 2 p.m.

The banana split protein ice cream.

You can find them on Facebook at Nutrition First or follow them on Instagram @nutritionfirst333.

Email Joanna at [emailprotected] orfollow her on Twitter @JBuoniconti

See the rest here:
Nutrition First, the up-and-coming juice bar in western MA may just be your next fitness fad - Amherst Wire

Composite image. Background shows red cliffs of Southern Utah. Foreground shows teacher and motivational speaker, Tyler Christensen's weight loss transformation, location and date not specified | Photo from Tyler Christensen website, St. George News

FEATURE Tyler Christensen predicts that 2020 will be epic.

With his second book just out, a new career as a public speaker gaining traction and several side ventures seeing success, Christensen who teaches fifth grade at George Washington Academy has a lot on his plate.

But the bigger story is whats not on that plate anymore: Following a 100-pound weight loss in 2018, Christensen is looking forward to motivating others to transform their lives this year.

At his heaviest, Christensen tipped the scales at 306 pounds. A number of factors had contributed to his physical state. After a move with his wife and four kids from the Midwest to Cedar City, the man whod spent a decade as a professor of educational psychology and technology found it difficult to find work. When George Washington Academy offered him an elementary-level job, Christensen assumed it would be a relatively low-stress gig.

Teaching elementary school is way-harder than teaching college, Christensen said. I had to put in long hours; it was a huge adjustment. But teaching fifth graders is really rewarding, so it ended up being a great move for us.

What wasnt so great was that commuting from Cedar City to St. George meant that Christensen ate most of his meals al desko. He admitted that much of what he consumed consisted of highly processed, sugar-laden snack foods.

I thought protein bars and rice cakes were healthy, so Id munch on those from morning til night, Christensen said ruefully. I didnt know there was such a thing as food addiction; I just felt hungry and ate all the time.

Although Christensen had been a distance runner in his youth and still put in a mile or two when time allowed, his weight continued to balloon. At his heaviest, with 40% body fat, Christensen could barely trudge around the block and struggled to squeeze himself in the door of the family car. Thats when his wife, Natalie, held an intervention.

Natalies never been the type to nag. So when she told me she was worried about my health, she was afraid I could die, and shed end up a single mom with four kids, I paid attention, Christensen said.

Together, the couple made a plan to set Christensen back on the road to health. Over the course of the next six months, he did online research into various weight-loss disciplines and experimented with adding and subtracting certain foods from his diet. His lost a few pounds, gained back a few more. But he remained committed to his quest.

Then, as 2018 dawned, Christensen decided to forego his usual lengthy list of New Years resolutions and focus solely on a goal of shedding 40 pounds.

In May, when he was free from the classroom, he once again laced up his running shoes and headed out, only to discover he couldnt complete a single mile. Undaunted, Christensen resolved to hit the road the following dayand the next. Within two weeks, exercise was an immutable priority, and the weight began to melt away. By the end of the summer, Christensen had already hit his 40 pound target.

I thought, Wow, what if I could lose 50 pounds? In my wildest dreams, maybe I could get down to 220, which would have been 80 pounds off. But I didnt really think that would be possible.

Despite a fall cruise, then Halloween, Thanksgiving and the holidays, Christensens exercise routine expanded, and his waistline shrank. He entered and completed the Sand Hollow Marathon. Then he set his sights on a seemingly impossible goal: running 50K+ in the September 2019 Last One Standing Ultra Race competition.

Staged at Confluence Park in St. George, the annual event sees participants completing as many 6-mile loops (for a possible total of 102 miles) as they can within 12 hours, with 1.5 hours allotted per loop. Failure to complete a loop in that time frame results in elimination from the race, with the last one standing declared the winner.

I figured it would be perfect for me because theres a break after every lap, and theres no shame in dropping out after a few laps because eventually everyone does, Christensen laughed. So over the summer of 2019, I was putting in about 200 miles a month to train. Id wake up at 4:30 a.m. and hit the trail while my family was sleeping.

In all, Christensen completed nearly nine laps totaling 52.4 miles, exactly the distance of two full marathons. He called it an amazing experience intimate and incredibly supportive. He said:

My 14-year-old son, Eli, who absolutely hates running, did the first lap with me to show his support, which was my biggest highlight. Also, we were joined by a guy Id never met before; we talked about his past races, and he gave me all sorts of great tips. Turns out he was the winner, Roberto Piedra, who did all 102 miles! He posed with my family and me after our lap together, which was really special.

Looking ahead to this year, Christensen hopes his latest book, Unlocking the POWER of Transformation: Transitioning from Dreamer to Doer, will inspire others to take action. The release is a personal account of Christensens weight-loss journey and other transformations he has seen in his life.

Hes also launched After the Run, a digital platform offering podcasts, blog posts, videos and other fitness-related content. And in the next few months, Christensen aims to ramp up his new career as a public speaker and change-agent.

Considering all of his future options, Christensens face glows in the afternoon sun.

It really is amazing here in Southern Utah, he said. The people are so fantastic; life is so much better than I ever could have imagined. Natalie and I really believe in this community. The longer were here, we just love it more and more.

For more information about Tyler Christensen, visit his website.

Written by MARIANNE HAMILTON, for St. George Health and Wellness magazine.

This article was first published in St. George Health and Wellness magazine.

Email: news@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

St. George Health and Wellness magazine joins with St. George News to provide feature articles focused on fitness, nutrition, health, mind and body, and family wellness. The St. George Health and Wellness magazine is distributed to hundreds of locations every other month throughout St. George and surrounding areas. Articles are written by local experts and providers - for more information on any of these, visit http://www.saintgeorgewellness.com.

Go here to read the rest:
Still standing: 100-pound weight loss transforms St. George teacher in multiple ways - St George News