Learning the 'Wright' Way

Here at Hilton Head Health, I have heard Bob Wright say many times that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise.  As many of you already know, Bob is our resident nutrition expert, an H3 veteran who has experienced and played a huge role in lifestyle changes for over 30 years.  Bob is a wealth of information complete with an ever-growing list of phrases we like to call ‘Bob-isms’.  So, long story short, what Bob says goes.

So, when sitting in his Staying on Track session, I heard him say something that for the first time, I questioned.  You are probably already thinking that I was wrong, and don’t worry, you were right.

Sitting in class, a guest asks ‘When trying to lose weight – what is most important diet or exercise?’  Naturally, I expected his answer to be diet – but boy was I surprised when I heard him say – exercise.  ‘When attempting to make your lifestyle change, it’s very important to remain constant with your exercise.  Because when you are exercising regularly, you are more likely to make healthy food choices.’

Hmmm…how could this be if weight loss is 80 % diet and 20% exercise?  Well, thanks to an injury last week, I was able to experience this concept first-hand.

Personally, when I exercise, it’s not really much about weight loss, but more how I feel during and after – the energy it gives me.  Not being able to exercise – whether in the form of a leisurely walk or a more intense circuit class – I was already doing my morale a disservice.  So when feeling crappy – what did I do?  Eat crappy.

Now fully recovered from my injury, I can get back to regular exercise which (SURPRISE) has helped improve my eating habits.  However, gathering enough motivation to get moving after taking time off is tough.  It’s no fun to feel like you are starting at square one and it can really crush any motivation you might have built up.

To get back on track, my go-to method is to set mini-goals.  Going from no exercise to an hour every day is pretty ambitious.  Instead try setting a goal of 30 minutes, 3 days of the week.  Once you have easily achieved the mini-goal – you have the confidence to move forward to the next mini-goal of 5 days per week.  Before you know it, you’ll be back to your normal routine.

How do you balance eating healthy and exercise so you don’t let both go?