“How is your body feeling?”
“Roly Poly.”
In training my clients, I need to assess how they are feeling in order to deliver a productive workout. One client likes to use the term “roly poly” to describe that heavier than usual feeling. With no significant weight change or measurement increase, sometimes we just don’t feel fit. “Chubby”, “bloated”, “fat” – whatever our terms most of us experience this.
I began to notice a trend. A glaring, unwavering trend. “Roly poly” reared it’s ugly head when women had skipped their usual cardio workouts. This is not because missing one or two cardio workouts caused significant weight gain. Or because they lost muscle mass in a matter of a few days. Neither of those scenarios are possible. The act of actually exercising changed how they viewed themselves – slimmer, healthier, fit – antonyms to those negative body image feelings. What an incredible perk! A walk, a 30 minute session on the elliptical, showing up for class when it would be easier to go straight home – not only makes you healthier it can make a difference in how you view and enjoy your body.
So, as you enjoy a much needed break this weekend, don’t forget to do a little cardio and squash that looming “roly poly” feeling like a bug.
