We got an email message on our Facebook page the other day after posting an article called “10 reasons not to focus on your weight.” The reader said that we post a lot about not focusing on weight. Could we frame those posts in a more constructive way and speak of what to focus on instead?

That’s a great suggestion since of course we all know that the harder we try not to think of something the more we will think of it. Try it: do not think about a red and orange parrot that says “wanna go to a movie?” Lol. Good luck with that.

We will be posting later this week, as a collective, about our various approaches to new year’s goals and “resolutions.” There you will find a lot of positive suggestions of what motivates us instead of a preoccupation with weight. But I’m here to offer a few of my thoughts on what to focus on instead.

1. Focus on what your body can do. It’s an amazing machine and does lots of cool things. I am impressed with my body all the time, especially when I work out.
2. Performance goals and training goals. When Sam and I did our fittest by fifty challenge (which you can read about in our upcoming book, Fit at Mid-Life, coming out through Greystone Press in April 2018), I was so busy by the end training for an Olympic distance triathlon that I had no time to be preoccupied with weight. Since then I have found the same to be true whenever I have training and performance goals that shape my workout routine.
3. Try something new, like rowing or yoga or west coast swing dancing or skiing or snowshoeing or triathlon or running or spin class or boxing or axe throwing or kayaking or hiking or wall climbing or roller derby or aikido or whatever your friends are doing that you’ve considered but never tried. If you don’t like it, try something else. If you love it, yay! That’s how this works!
4. Imagine a fuller life where you’re motivated by a desire to honor and nurture yourself. Focusing on weight loss almost never feels like that. Instead focus on being kind to yourself and taking care of yourself. As Catherine pointed out the other day, sometimes that could even involve comfort eating! Gasp!
5. Talk about other things with people. Books, the weather, your latest sport obsession, photography, travel, spirituality, this blog 😊, whatever. Things that interest you and draw you in. I pretty much never engage in conversations about weight loss because they are at best boring and at worst harmful. But lucky for me an infinite array of other conversational topics await!

So there you go. A starter list to point you in the direction of a few other things to do instead of pre-occupying yourself with thoughts of weight, weight loss and dieting. Thanks to Yvonne for asking about alternatives.

If you’ve got a personal story or any further suggestions about how not to think of weight in the face of a slew of cultural messaging directing us to focus on just that, please add it in the comments. Thanks!

This is me, finishing a snowy, slow 4K run on Christmas Day, my 217th work out in 2017.

Sam and I have written several times about the “217 in 2017” workout challenge.  We were both part of a facebook group that was aiming to do 217 workouts in 2017.  Throughout the year, we’ve pondered “what counts?”

For me, I count, any episode of moving my body that wouldn’t be a normal part of my everyday life –– a 6 hour 100 km bike ride and a 15 minute, 2.5 km run each count as one episode.  The point, as I explained to my 11 year old niece, is to “go play outside as many days as possible.”  (Well, a good chunk of mine were spinning classes and gym workouts, but playing outside IS a goal).

At the beginning of December, I missed a week of working out because I was sick.  But then I doubled down with a mini running streak (5 days in a row), and one day I doubled up a run and a yoga class (2 episodes).  Like a lot of people in the group, I high tailed it for the finish line, and it was only this goal that got me out into the amazing snowy woods on Christmas Day, when I was full of too much bacon and ham and in charge of the dinner.

I wrote last week about why I like counting things, but right this moment, what feels the best about this is making a commitment in a busy, middle-aged life to put movement into as many days as possible.  Doing this 217 in 2017 thing, I noticed how my sense of accomplishment has changed.  I used to care about my running pace — and now, I care about being unbroken enough at nearly 53 to keep running.

My 217th workout was a short run between turkey bastings on Christmas Day.  I was at a cottage with my family that Susan kindly gave me the use of for a few days.  My brother-in-law, who is an intense mountain biker and does Half Ironmans and still thinks of me as the kind of runner I was 15 years ago, really wanted to run with me.  I laughed and said sure, we can run together, but you are going to be totally annoyed at how slowly I run now — you’re just going to say fuuuuuuuuck over and over when I stop every 600 m and plod up the snowy hills.  I didn’t feel apologetic or competitive — this is just a fact of how I run now.  In the end, we left together, and he lapped me for an extra kilometre.  We were both satisfied.  He conceded the 8 cm of fresh snow and icy roads had slowed him down too.

More than anything, I care about having the drive to integrate movement into my life. The 217 workouts group is a good way to keep myself accountable to that.

Sam hit her 217 on Boxing Day.  I asked her what it felt like for her to finish her goal, especially since she’s been struggling with knee problems that seriously limit her movements.  She said:

“I did it too! Love the group for the simplicity of counting what for you, at a time, counts as a workout. Love the variety of things people count. And I especially love the end of year push to make it. And we did, despite your illness and my knee, we did. See you in 2018!”

The guy who hosts our facebook group, Jason, also hit his 217 on Christmas Day.  I loved how we encouraged each other in the last two weeks to stay active.  I asked him what he did for #217 and how he felt:

Walking the Las Vegas strip might not be the first thing you that pops into your head when you think “working out”. But it was the workout I was most anticipating and most excited to complete in 2017. It’s exactly the kind of activity that the 217 Workouts in 2017 challenge is all about. I was excited because I could exercise with my Mom. We only get to see each other a few times a year and she has a knee replacement. Everyone knows it’s good to move well, move more, and more often. Yet as the owner of Fitness for People in a Hurry, the biggest obstacle I see a lot of people encounter when it comes to exercising is the way we have conceptualized working out. We have really built up workouts to only count if they are herculean feats of strength and endurance. I can’t tell you how many time I have heard someone say “I need to get in better shape before I can work out.” With the challenge, I wanted to deflate our conception of a workout and hopefully get people moving more. I’m really proud of the 217 workouts in 2017 FaceBook group because I think we have done just that. Even if you did half of the workouts in 2017, that’s still 108 times you got your body moving. There are no losers here. I hope that more people join us for 218 workouts in 2018.”

Happy new year everyone!

Lately I’ve been super aware of the way moralizing about foods always involves food-shaming. When some foods are vilified and others are “good,” there is an implicit suggestion that enjoying the “bad” foods is a shameful thing.

I call bullshit on that idea. We here at Fit Is a Feminist Issue are tolerant of lots of things, but food and body shaming are not among them. We know for a fact that food isn’t good or evil.

Yes it’s a good idea to cover your bases with a variety of foods from different nutritional groups like protein, carbs and whole grains. But that’s no reason to demonize sugar or wheat or anything that isn’t organic, or even food with preservatives.

By all means listen to your body and pay attention to what foods might not agree with you. I can’t digest garlic except in small amounts. I don’t think that makes it evil. But it does mean I need to be aware of when it’s in foods and avoid things that are very garlicky. I do get sugar crashes if I eat too many desserts or candies, but again that doesn’t mean sugar is bad. It just means I don’t do well if I make it the main ingredient of every meal! But that’s just conventional wisdom–you know: variety, moderation, balance.

So what are the food trends that are getting under my skin these days because they usually tilt towards fanaticism? The usual suspects: paleo, ketogenic (I don’t know what that is but I did it years ago and dropped a ton of weight that I gained all and more back), low fat, low carb, high fat, gluten free (unless you’re celiac), sugar free, all natural, organic whole foods only, clean eating, anything that claims to be a “detox,” anything based on powdered meal replacements, and anything that says I can’t have bread. Oh, and anything that says I have to put my food in specially portioned different coloured containers. And definitely anything that is based on special products or info that is only available through multi-level marketing.

We are headed into the time of year when these things get offered as magic cures to make our bodies and our lives better! If you have to tie yourself to the mast like Odysseus to avoid the call of these Sirens, do it. They do not serve us well.

So that’s what to avoid. What to do? I know it’s boring but sensible eating means a variety of foods in amounts that satisfy you. Variety, balance, moderation. Throw in regular activity doing things you like to do and adequate sleep and you are on the right track. With all the messaging encouraging extremism it’s tough to do. But developing healthy habits that you can stick with and don’t leave you feeling deprived is a tried and true approach. It may not have the allure of a magical solution. But do we really still believe that the magic solution is out there?

It’s the time of year where almost every occasion involves alcohol. For those of us who don’t drink it, that means finding ways to say “no” without offending or having to explain ourselves. When I first quit drinking almost nine years ago it was a time of stress and anxiety as I attempted to navigate my first holiday season without egg nog or hot cider or, my absolute favourite drink of choice, very good wine.

But now it’s a comfortable and well-practiced habit. I don’t even miss a beat when I say “no” to an offer of some holiday cheer. People who know me are aware and don’t press it. People who don’t know me … I don’t feel compelled to say more than “no thank you” or “not today.” But I realize that some non-drinkers can find it difficult to know how to handle these situations. So I’m here to offer a short list of strategies that may help. Along with some words of encouragement.

1. My favourite answer whenever I’m offered alcohol is “no thank you.” This is polite and clear. Most of the time it works just fine. If the person persists (“Are you sure?” Or “Come on, it’s Christmas!”) I just smile and say, “No thanks, really.” That seals it at least 95% of the time. Maybe even more.

2. With the insisters, heavier artillery is sometimes required. One way is to get more specific about what you will have (this is helpful even with non-insisters). I sometimes say, “no thanks but I would love a half cranberry-half sparkling water with a splash of pineapple juice and a twist of lime on ice please.”

3. If you can get a soft drink in a glass that makes it look like a “hard” drink you’re home free. You can keep one of those in your hand all night long and easily fly under the radar without having to explain anything.

4. If this is your first special occasion or holiday season with no alcohol, know that the majority of people don’t care one way or the other whether you’re drinking alcohol or not. You might be the most conscious of it if anyone in the room.

5. Though opinions vary, personally I don’t usually say “I don’t drink.” I don’t think it’s really necessary for me to tell anyone that I don’t drink. It should be enough to say I don’t desire a drink now (i.e. no thanks). I don’t like being put on the spot to explain why I don’t drink even though I’m not ashamed of or even especially private about it being recovery-related. There is a time and a place to get into that. A Christmas party or holiday function isn’t usually the time or the place.

6. If it’s an intimate gathering with people you know well and who might be surprised that you’re not drinking, you could let them know ahead of time in whatever way feels comfortable. My family and friends know I don’t drink and they don’t insist even though it’s a standard part of our traditional way of celebrating things (and a part that they know I have often…um…enjoyed in the past).

7. Take a non-alcoholic beverage. I never go to a regular party without a bottle or two of sparkling water. If you don’t drink, you can’t rely on others to have good options for you. So go prepared.

It’s easy to enjoy special occasions without drinking. In fact, I enjoy them more now than I used to. We also have a right to choose whether we will or will not drink, and we deserve to have our choice respected. It’s no one else’s business and, as I said, most people don’t really care one way or the other. See this great article by Andre Picard about the many and varied reasons someone may not drink and how to welcome them to the party.

Have fun at the remaining seasonal festivities!

If you’re a non-drinker with a strategy not mentioned here, please add it in the comments!