Here comes a rather long blog entry, but I hope you will take the time to read it. I think you may find this entry interesting.
The term "self-efficacy" is not thrown around much in health & fitness circles. It is typically reserved for the world of mental health/psychology. Once I discovered this component of psychology, however, I realized in hindsight that I achieved most of the self-efficacy I have today as a direct result of my experience with fitness. I also thought about the infinite possibilities of repeating that process with children that suffer from low self-esteem.
For background on this subject matter I am including an excerpt that nicely summarizes the topic. Note that this is just a summary. More complete definition and related information can be obtained from the source website.
Summary
Perceived self-efficacy is concerned with people's beliefs in their capabilities to exercise control over their own functioning and over events that affect their lives. Beliefs in personal efficacy affect life choices, level of motivation, quality of functioning, resilience to adversity and vulnerability to stress and depression. People's beliefs in their efficacy are developed by four main sources of influence. They include mastery experiences, seeing people similar to oneself manage task demands successfully, social persuasion that one has the capabilities to succeed in given activities, and inferences from somatic and emotional states indicative of personal strengths and vulnerabilities. Ordinary realities are strewn with impediments, adversities, setbacks, frustrations and inequities. People must, therefore, have a robust sense of efficacy to sustain the perseverant effort needed to succeed. Succeeding periods of life present new types of competency demands requiring further development of personal efficacy for successful functioning. The nature and scope of perceived self-efficacy undergo changes throughout the course of the lifespan.
Source:
Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press. (Reprinted in H. Friedman [Ed.], Encyclopedia of mental health. San Diego: Academic Press, 1998). www.des.emory.edu/mfp/BanEncy
Growing up, I wasn’t part of a "rah-rah" family being raised by "super parents" that seem to be so prevalent in the world today. This is not to criticize my upbringing; it simply was a different time. A time when self-help, self-improvement, coping skills and mental health did not have important emphasis put on them. I can honestly say that I grew up not thinking that the world was my oyster, or that I really could achieve anything I wanted with effort. "Girl power" did not exist… yet.
Stumbling into fitness many years ago, I quickly discovered the challenges associated with it, the graduation from small accomplishments to bigger ones, and ultimately how to parlay that very same process into other areas of my life. What started off as a few reps with the lightest weights, became many more reps with heavier weights. I quickly felt physically and mentally empowered. Next thing I knew, I was teaching the classes. This empowerment manifested itself into a certain mental tenacity and realization that if I just tried hard enough, I really could do anything I put my mind to.
Where am I going with this? Well, without the self-efficacy I have today, for instance, I would have never taken the risk of starting my own business. I owe the very belief that I can take on new challenges with successful outcomes directly to fitness, its repetitive processes, and the many mastery experiences I’ve had with it.
The point I would like to make in this is what an incredible gift this is to give a child or anyone else suffering from low self-esteem. I have worked with many kids professionally, and have cried real tears of joy watching them grow and exceed their own expectations. The incredible thing about doing one-on-one fitness consulting & training with children is that they ONLY compete with themselves. There is no peer pressure, no leering eyes upon them, and no impossible standards to achieve to. They are in the driver seat and decide just how far they want to go. I ask them often to look back and reflect upon where they started and how they’ve grown. So often, they blow the doors off of what I even think is possible for them. The beauty of this is that these kids achieve FOR THEMSELVES. This is key.
As parents, we always tell our children how wonderful they are, but that doesn’t mean they internalize this message and believe it. After all…we are their parents! With self-efficacy attained through exercise, however, they are solely responsible for creating the magic. They earn and internalize the reward. They enjoy and want to repeat the process. It is done by them, for them.
Should you know a person suffering from low self-esteem or depression, please consider encouraging them to start a fitness program. An incredible journey of self-discovery and growth awaits them if they are willing to put forth the effort. Any personal achievements earned are theirs, and can never be taken away from them. The positive belief system they create for themselves makes for happier people and better tomorrows. It changes lives.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
How Do I Lose Weight?
I will try to simplify some of the complexity surrounding weight loss. Here goes:
There are 3500kcal in 1lb. This is the magical number we are working with when we are targeting appropriate weight loss of approximately 1lb/wk. In order to lose 1 lb/wk, you must create a caloric deficit of 3500kcal. Ideally, this is done by a) reducing caloric intake, and b) increasing caloric expenditure via exercise. Please also note one’s caloric burn rate is weight specific and therefore, requires adjustment as one loses weight. In other words, the less you weigh, the slower you burn calories. This is why dieters often plateau with sustained weight loss efforts.
Sounds simple, where do I start?
I suggest keeping a food diary for at least three days to establish a baseline of how many calories you are consuming. Write down everything you consume within a 24-hour period for (2) weekdays and at least (1) Saturday or Sunday. Eating habits can change drastically from weekday to weekend, so this is important. Then, upload your food diary on either The Daily Plate feature on the Livestrong website, or use mypyramid.gov. Both sites are user friendly and will allow you to enter precise or estimated portions consumed. Do not worry about calorie counting in your food diary, the above mentioned websites will do this for you.
Simply write down what you consumed and approximately how much in your food diary. If you are a patterned sort of eater (most of us are), you can use your 3 day intake average to determine approximately how many calories you are consuming in one week. Once you have established a baseline with how much you are consuming, you can start determining ways to reduce calories over the course of a week.
I recommend that the 3500kcal deficit you create be split fairly evenly between diet & exercise. I also strongly recommend that the full 3500kcal/week deficit is not implemented right away. A gradual reduction in caloric intake and gradual increase in exercise is key. A gradual reduction in caloric intake will prevent a "starved" feeling and keep cravings and possible binges at bay. The exercise component ibecomes key because it will prevent loss of lean muscle, and opportunity to build more lean muscle, which will ultimately speed up metabolism further.
Do I have to scrutinize food labels?
The short answer is no, not for basic weight loss. Basic weight loss boils down to input vs. output. When output is more than input, you lose weight. Eating for health is a more refined process where one should scrutinize food labels/nutritional content and ingredients. Where weight loss is concerned initially focus on the calories per serving of what it is you are consuming and your serving sizes. Start making healthier food substitutions and eliminating some of the "no-brainer" items you consume like regular soda or that bedtime snack. Make sure you are hydrated and are not confusing thirst for hunger.
With any weight loss effort keep things simple and start off with small changes. If you create a highly complex plan or create a ridiculous workout schedule that includes two hour workouts, seven days/wk, you are setting yourself up to fail. Make changes small & meaningful and see yourself through to long term success.
There are 3500kcal in 1lb. This is the magical number we are working with when we are targeting appropriate weight loss of approximately 1lb/wk. In order to lose 1 lb/wk, you must create a caloric deficit of 3500kcal. Ideally, this is done by a) reducing caloric intake, and b) increasing caloric expenditure via exercise. Please also note one’s caloric burn rate is weight specific and therefore, requires adjustment as one loses weight. In other words, the less you weigh, the slower you burn calories. This is why dieters often plateau with sustained weight loss efforts.
Sounds simple, where do I start?
I suggest keeping a food diary for at least three days to establish a baseline of how many calories you are consuming. Write down everything you consume within a 24-hour period for (2) weekdays and at least (1) Saturday or Sunday. Eating habits can change drastically from weekday to weekend, so this is important. Then, upload your food diary on either The Daily Plate feature on the Livestrong website, or use mypyramid.gov. Both sites are user friendly and will allow you to enter precise or estimated portions consumed. Do not worry about calorie counting in your food diary, the above mentioned websites will do this for you.
Simply write down what you consumed and approximately how much in your food diary. If you are a patterned sort of eater (most of us are), you can use your 3 day intake average to determine approximately how many calories you are consuming in one week. Once you have established a baseline with how much you are consuming, you can start determining ways to reduce calories over the course of a week.
I recommend that the 3500kcal deficit you create be split fairly evenly between diet & exercise. I also strongly recommend that the full 3500kcal/week deficit is not implemented right away. A gradual reduction in caloric intake and gradual increase in exercise is key. A gradual reduction in caloric intake will prevent a "starved" feeling and keep cravings and possible binges at bay. The exercise component ibecomes key because it will prevent loss of lean muscle, and opportunity to build more lean muscle, which will ultimately speed up metabolism further.
Do I have to scrutinize food labels?
The short answer is no, not for basic weight loss. Basic weight loss boils down to input vs. output. When output is more than input, you lose weight. Eating for health is a more refined process where one should scrutinize food labels/nutritional content and ingredients. Where weight loss is concerned initially focus on the calories per serving of what it is you are consuming and your serving sizes. Start making healthier food substitutions and eliminating some of the "no-brainer" items you consume like regular soda or that bedtime snack. Make sure you are hydrated and are not confusing thirst for hunger.
With any weight loss effort keep things simple and start off with small changes. If you create a highly complex plan or create a ridiculous workout schedule that includes two hour workouts, seven days/wk, you are setting yourself up to fail. Make changes small & meaningful and see yourself through to long term success.
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