Body For Life Program?


Should I try the Body For Life Program as an adjunct to my weight loss program?

Before you start anything, reread the exercise chapter in YLD. Take some time to really understand the science behind the recommendations. They will help you see the ways in which a sugar sensitive body is different from other bodies. Some of these differences are important considerations in sorting out whether Body For Life is right for you. Remember the context for the two programs. Body For Life is designed around a *contest* - how fast can you get into shape, how do you look, how do you compare to others. BFL is very geared to male bodies and YLD to female bodies. Your Last Diet! is designed for healing over a long period of time and enables you to develop a relationship with your body that makes you the expert on what is best for her.

Once you have the context, go back to BFL and see if it will work for you. There are useful and helpful recommendations in the book. Remember though, The Body for Life nutrition recommendations will not work for a sugar sensitive body. But what about the exercise recommendations? Body for Life jumps right into a rigorous exercise program. As written, the program isn't really for beginners. People with young bodies can generally do it without getting hurt.

If you are older, more out of shape, and less resilient, it is not the best way to start. Sugar sensitive people tend to be both impulsive and all or nothing. You may be tempted to blast into the full program and set yourself up for being hurt. A healthy exercise program will mean going slowly and gradually. Work into the program the way you are working into your food program.

Start by getting fit and work up to walking thirty minutes a day. Then switch to a more vigorous aerobic exercise and work up to 30 minutes a day doing that. Finally add the weight training to your routine. The book Strong Women Stay Young offers a nice introduction to weight training for people who are starting out.

When you trust your body to handle a more intense program, revisit the Body For Life plan. Look at the three parts carefully: weight training, cardio and aerobic. Remember that cardio training is designed to build heart health. Having a healthy heart means becing able to exercise more efficiently.

As you are choosing your program, be clear about your goals. I like more variety in my workout than is possible with BFL. I like to do a few spinning classes, the elliptical machines and maybe a water aerobics class now and then.

I also think that it is important to have different kind of cardio workouts. So sometimes I will do some interval work like that in the Body for Life program, but other times I will do more of an endurance workout (long, slow and steady). Other times, all I do is a nice easy workout just to get my body moving. I've found that when I switched to a workout with more variety, my fitness level improved dramatically without any injuries.

I really like the Body For Life weight training exercises. I think they are good and easy to follow in the book. They cover all the body parts and they provide enough different exercises that you can either do you weight lifting at home or at a gym.

You can use the Body for Life program as long as you adapt the exercises to meet the needs of your body, and not strictly adhere to a program by a person who's never met you. Be mindful of your tendency toward addiction and don't get caught in trading your addiction to sugar for an addiction to overly strenuous exercise.

Helen
[Who is currently doing the YLD program and has been a spokesperson for the health club industry for the last 12 years.]