A Bone to Pick with the Lovely Paula Deen

Not really sure what to make of the latest news on Paula Deen. Love her spirit and work ethic.  She once told Oprah that one of the keys to her success was that she "put in the work and God blessed it."  Words to live by. 

However, her recent revelation of her diabetes diagnosis troubles me.  First, she continued her long-term love affair with butter 2-3 years after being diagnosed, which is worrisome.  Then, she became a spokesperson for a company that manufactures diabetes medication, but made no mention of an exercise regimen to help her manage her disease, which just seems irresponsible.  Guess she's found a way to make money off her condition, but I think she missed an opportunity to promote a natural way to tackle diabetes.  Just my two cents.

Woman, Thou Art Strong

A couple of days ago, I had an outburst on my Facebook fan page prompted by an observation at the gym earlier that day.  I just can’t stand seeing women engage in the same, non-strenuous workouts year after year and experience no changes to their physiques.  Even more infuriating for me is that the same women have been working with trainers for as long as I can remember!

First, let me caveat my frustration by stating I have three gym memberships that I have acquired over the course of the past four years.  So, I can honestly say that I have had the opportunity to casually witness the progress of fellow members that I see on a regular basis.  Second, I am not ruling out the possibility that perhaps some of these members have physical ailments that could limit the intensity of their workouts.  Third, I understand that clients often do not adhere to the advice of their trainers. 

That said, I still do not believe that all of the women I am referring to fall into one or all of these categories.  I blame trainers who subscribe to the myth that women are just not strong or do not want to be pushed.  It is true that women in general are not as strong as men, but that doesn’t mean that trainers should not push the boundaries of their respective strength levels to achieve or maintain physical fitness.  The fact is that you have to pick up some weights to start off on the right path.

This is especially true at this time of year when a lot of women are laying the physical groundwork for their bikini or beach bodies.  The reality is a bikini-ready physique is the result of a healthy combination of increasingly challenging weight training routines and various types of cardio (i.e. zumba, kickboxing,  running, etc.).  As the weight comes off, beautiful, shapely muscle—which will help to further burn fat even at rest—will form the basis of head turning curves. 

I therefore implore trainers to take the approach that my husband Peter did when he started training me in 2008.  He flat out told me to, “stop training like a little girl and train like a woman.”  Even though I pushed back at first, looking back at what we have achieved, I wouldn’t have it any other way.