Healthy Living

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The Lies We Tell Ourselves About Staying Healthy in a Bad Economy

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Money's tight for a whole lot of people right now (just look at Kim over at Little Miss Fortune). But that doesn't mean we have to be unhealthy. You can get fit, lose weight and eat a little healthier no matter how much money you make. I'm about to bust two of the biggest lies people are telling themselves about staying fit in this crappy economy:

LIE: "I don't have the money to eat right."
This is total crap. The first trick to eating right is not eating so much--our society has a completely warped view of portion size--and eating less doesn't cost a dime, so start there! But seriously, when it comes to the quality of your foods, be resourceful. We know that a Big Mac is way cheaper than organic veggies from the farmer's market. But you can buy frozen fruits and vegetables very cheaply and they're low-calorie and healthy for you. You can also go in with a friend or two on trips to Costco and split the cost of bulk items like high-fiber cereals, fresh fruits and veggies and other items. And local grocery stores always seem to have specials on things like non-fat yogurts--two for a dollar sound familiar?

Portion Control: How Much Are You Really Eating?

LIE: "I don't have the money to workout."

Also B.S. Working out shouldn't have to cost a dime. You have the best piece of equipment available to you 24/7: Your own body. You can do cardio outdoors 100% free like walking, jogging, biking, swimming and hiking. You can even do cardio in your own home with running up and down stairs, jumping jacks and jogging in place. And you can do all kinds of resistance exercises, too, using only your own body weight: squats, lunges, wall sits, leg lifts, crunches, sit ups, push ups etc. (Get video instructions for moves like these at Body by Glamour.) You can start a walking group at the office and workout on your lunch hour--that won't cost you anything, either. If you have $5, $10 or $20 to spend, there's plenty of fitness tools you can get for that: All you need for the strength workouts in the Body by Glamour program, for example, is a pair of dumbbells--you can get a set for as little as $4 online! You can also invest in a few fitness DVDs that will kick your butt in perpetuity for a low one-time cost of around $15.00. So, don't fool yourself! Anyone can get fit and stay that way, no matter what's in their wallet.

--Jillian Michaels is the author of the new book Master Your Metabolism and the motivation coach for the free Body by Glamour shape-up program. She's helped dozens of people get slim and healthy as a trainer on The Biggest Loser--and has helped thousands of others through her DVDs and books! Look for her unique brand of motivation advice every Thursday right here!

Related: Celebrity Trainers’ All-time Best Workout Advice!

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From the Community…

Comments 11-20 of 20
  • Aj's Avatar
    Posted by Aj Fri May 1, 2009 11:04am PDT

    True True!!

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  • Adoneli's Avatar
    Posted by Adoneli Fri May 1, 2009 11:11am PDT

    What advice would you give a would be trainer about yelling at clients? Wouldn't that cause massive amounts of stress hormone to be secreted? Help me out with that? And wouldn't that hinder weight reduction efforts?

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  • hasan d's Avatar
    Posted by hasan d Fri May 1, 2009 2:27pm PDT

    hi hani

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  • Johnny Manaconda's Avatar
    Posted by Johnny Manaconda Fri May 1, 2009 2:41pm PDT

    Here is a cool nutrition and workout guide, it will help you save money: http://dFL8.me/thetruthaboutabs

    Report Abuse
  • __A_YAHOO_USER__'s Avatar
    Posted by __A_YAHOO_USER__ Sun May 3, 2009 2:05pm PDT

    ya know sometimes ya have to like some one ...but i tried listening to her watching her and follow her on fit tv ..hmmmmmmmi just cant my wife hung in longer than me and she died off cause she found someone elese to follow on fit tv i dont like this woman she reminds me of a man..just CANT STAND HER ..I DONT WATCH THE BIGGEST LOOSER CAUSE OF HER..ARROGANT MANLY HOT s--- ,,,BLAH

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  • ThisRightHere's Avatar
    Posted by ThisRightHere Sun May 3, 2009 8:48pm PDT

    Thank you so much!! you have truly made my day!! I swear the excuses people make, first of all vegetables&fruits are cheaper than any other junk food you can buy. Also try walking around a park, not only do you get fresh air its ,hello, HEALTHY!!! AGAIN, THANK YOU.

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  • None's Avatar
    Posted by None Mon May 4, 2009 12:51pm PDT

    ya sure, not all BODY types are the same, and simply cutting portion size and drinking 6 gallons of water a day is gonna get you somewhere, as I have been watching sometimes the Biggest Loser some of the plp on there are pretty much KILLING themselves working out to lose weight then suddenly they weigh themselves and they only lost one s---ty pound, EVERYONE's body, metabolism, etc is different, so this is stupid advice and eating healthy excuse, me does cost a lot more money or as much as the easy way out, I have been eating this soup it's just brocoli, chicken, spnach, tomato, jalapeno, etc, and it cost $50 for one trip, and not even a weeks worth, some plp are just lucky and some are not, and for those who aren't we have to constantly work out every single day, and most plp dont have time, like in the Biggest Loser, those plp have a personal trainer and are there soley to lose weight, we have to juggle work, kids (my dogs, LOL), and other things, it is very hard, and it sucks and is depressing because one slip for us and we gain weight, I can never eat anything junk food because I will gain, so its soups and gross s--- for the rest of my life. How utterly depressing while my friend is a bag of bones, can eat six plates of something and still, she is a teeny weeny. Why! Why! LOL!!

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  • None's Avatar
    Posted by None Mon May 4, 2009 12:52pm PDT

    FYI, this trainer is horrendously unattractive, LOL!

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  • M's Avatar
    Posted by M Mon May 4, 2009 2:28pm PDT

    To None: maybe it's your bad Karma coming back and biting you in the butt because you're not being a very nice person. Why would you make such a rude comment about someone's looks for no apparently reason?

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  • Joy S's Avatar
    Posted by Joy S Mon May 4, 2009 8:46pm PDT

    I am on a mission to lose 30-40 lbs and have found on my quest to healthier eating that my local WalMart stocks all of my favorite fresh fruits and veggies. Some people won't buy fruit at WalMart, but I bought oranges, cucumbers, strawberries, bananas, and apples today and my grocery bill was actually a little less than what it normally is when I buy processed convenience foods. I have no more excuses now that I know how much things actually are lol.

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