Feeling The BURN...

Jul 20, 2011

I have always hated the phrase, "feel the burn!" My opinion, if exercise hurts, you are either doing it wrong or doing it too hard.  Then it hit me driving back from my daily swim, "I feel heat through my back and up into my shoulders... THAT must be the burn they are talking about, my body continuing to burn calories..."  Yup, when we exercise we burn more calories after finishing, even when we aren't doing anything strenuous.

Here I am, in Seattle Washington, in what has been jokingly referred to as SUMMER.  What I wore over my swimsuit: Reebok Hoodie & jeans, not your usual summer attire, but necessary in the Pacific Northwest.  When I got home I started reading an article of exactly how much summer Seattle has seen this year... Wait for it, drum roll, any guesses???  78 minutes of 80+ temperatures in all of 2011!  July 2nd we had 12 whole minutes of the mercury exceeding 80 degrees, on July 6th - a real scorcher - a whole 66 minutes!  I need to feel the burn, otherwise how will I thaw out?

One of the things I learned at the OH Conference was about plateaus and how to shake them.  Our bodies have a tendency to stick at a weight we have been in our past - like a set point for comfort.  So if you were at a certain weight for any length of time - months/years - your body gets stuck for a few weeks to even a few months.  When you get frustrated that you aren't doing anything different, why aren't you losing weight -- try doing something different - wink wink!  The more weight we lose, our bodies need less calories - which is scary if you are really diligent about keeping your food journal.  If you aren't spending more calories through exercise, the only other option is less calories -- another good reason I am happy to swim five days a week.

I am naturally cold blooded, well, actually a low core temperature, so I NEED to feel the burn!!! 
Brenda : )~

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