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David Wheeler, TLH blogger 1:10 p.m. ET June 5, 2017

David Wheeler Premier Health & Fitness Center(Photo: Democrat files)Buy Photo

Anyone whos struggled with weight loss knows that weight loss is hardand that maintaining a healthy weight following weight loss can be even harder.

Those who do lose weight and keep it off long-term are a small minority. What if you adjusted your expectations?

Dont focus on weight loss only

There is a growing trend in health promotion to focus on getting as fit and otherwise healthy as you can get, independent of weight. What if you make every reasonable effort to . . .

Get enough exercise and physical activity? Eat good, real food, not too much, mostly plants? Drink mostly water? Get enough sleep? Practice appropriate stress management?

If you can do these things with some degree of consistency and can keep it up long enough to see some results, you will certainly be better off. Youll likely feel better, have more energy, and sleep better. You might see a reduction in blood pressure or cholesterol. You might also lose fat and maintain or even gain muscle. Think of the fat loss as a bonus.

Get as fit and otherwise healthy as you can get, independent of weight loss.(Photo: Special to the Democrat)

Healthy and fat Is that even possible?

There is plenty of controversy about this. Being overweight or obese, especially when most of the fat is abdominal, is an independent risk factor. That means, even if you have healthy blood work, control your blood pressure, and get plenty of exercise,youre still at higher risk for several conditions including heart attack and stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis and some cancers.

The problem is, little is known about the truly overweight-but-otherwise-healthy person. The scientific term is, metabolically healthy obesity. The criteria for this generally include factors such as:

Waist size no more than 40, men; 35, women Normal blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar Normal insulin sensitivity No indicators of systemic inflammation (such as elevated CRP) Physically fit

This combination is rare. Even if it exists today, its unlikely to persist long-term. And if youve been struggling with weight for years, its likely you already have some adverse effects.

You may really need to lose weight

In my eight-plus years in my current position, Ive usually had at least one client for whom losing weight was a necessity. One guy had fatty liver disease. This is serious in itselfbut also put him at risk for liver cancer.

Many people have knees or hips that have the cartilage worn away from carrying so much excess weight. They really need joint replacement surgery, but surgeons want them to lose some of the weight first. In these cases, medical intervention is often appropriate.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCares Metabolic Health Center offers medical care from a board certified bariatrician (a physician specializing in treating overweight persons), as well as nutritional, behavioral and exercise support. If your health and safety demand that you lose weight, do everything you can to make it happen. Treat it like an assignment from your boss. Make yourself a priority.

Nothing succeeds like success

Having a little success in one area can lead to success in others. Starting to exercise can help you sleep better, leading to more energy, which could be motivating for more exercise.

Getting fitter should prompt you to consume more healthful foods and beverages. Making yourself a priority will allow you to schedule time to meditate and get a handle on stress, which often triggers overeating.

Reducing stress can also lower cortisol levels, leading to improved blood sugar levels and loss of belly fat. A little weight loss could be motivation to refuse that piece of pie or get up and go to the gym.

Whatever you do, get as healthy as possible

I would never tell anyone who is seriously overweight or obese that they dont need to lose weight. It bears repeating: Metabolically healthy obesity is rare and unlikely to last. Do your best to lose what you can.

Regardless of weight loss success, do the things that increase your chances of being healthier. Research shows that those who are most successful at improving their long-term health are persistent in their efforts and dont give up after setbacks.

If you missed your workout today, work out tomorrow. If you ate too much last night, get back on track today. Persist toward the goal of being the healthiest you can be.

David Wheeler is wellness coordinator at Premier Health & Fitness Center. He is also an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Health/Fitness Specialist, offering fitness training and health coaching. Hecan be reached at david.wheeler@tmh.org or 850-431-4835.

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Recently, researchers have compared the results from several different weight loss plans and they discovered something interesting they all work! The amount and speed of weight loss and overall success rate is pretty much equivalent among the most popular weight loss programs. The researchers discovered something else too. The most important factor in the success of a weight loss program for a given individual had little to do with the specifics of the program. It turned out to be how closely the person stuck to the program!

With this in mind, I wish to present what in my experience are the top 3 reasons why people fail to lose weight and/or fail to keep the weight off long term, and ways to overcome them.

The first problem is that most people view weight loss as a short-term project rather than a life-long change in the way they live their lives. What happens is they get motivated to lose weight for one reason or another, they set a goal to lose a certain amount of weight in a certain period of time, they choose their weight loss approach, and they begin. Then one of two things happen. They either lose motivation and quit long before they really even get started, or they follow through and they accomplish their weight loss goal (or at least get close). In the best case scenario of someone who successfully accomplished their goal, what happens next? All too often, they discontinue the diet and/or exercise they were doing and begin to gain weight again. Instead of viewing weight loss as a goal to be accomplished, I think it is important to begin with the concept that weight control is a life-long lifestyle choice.

This brings be to the second reason why people fail to lose weight and/or keep it off they lie to themselves. People trying to lose weight often become a bit self-delusional as to how well they are following a weight loss program. In assisting people to lose weight, I often hear people say that theyve followed the program Ive recommended perfectly, but they arent losing any weight. When I look at their food journals or ask them about what theyve been eating, it becomes readily apparent that they havent even come close to following my recommendations.

I typically tell people to cut refined carbohydrates out of their diets completely because insulin release in response to consuming carbs is the strongest fat burning inhibitor that there is. In most cases, people who complain that that they are following my recommendations exactly will almost always have foods like toast, cereal, pasta, and even cookies listed on their diet journals. When I ask them about these foods, theyll usually say something about that just being a one-time exception yet they have a one-time exception on every meal! Keeping and regularly reviewing a diet journal is an excellent way to keep yourself honest. The process of writing down what you eat AND reviewing it each day (my patients who claim they have been perfect on the diet have usually not reviewed their diet journals on their own) will help you keep yourself on track. Hopefully the realization of how many times you are cheating will start to prevent you from doing it.

Finally, probably the biggest reason people fail to lose weight and/or keep it off is that they simply havent found a good enough reason. I believe that part of the reason why there is such a tendency for weight loss to be approached as a short-term project rather than a long-term lifestyle change is that the reason people use to motivate themselves to lose weight is usually a temporary reason. A lot of people have motivation to lose weight that is tied to an event. For example, brides-to-be want to lose weight to look good in their wedding gowns. Some people want to lose weight before summer so theyll look good in a swimsuit. Whatever it may be, the vast majority of the time, people want to lose weight by a set time, and whether or not they are successful, the motivation to control their weight vanishes when that predetermined time has passed.

The other part of people not having found a good enough reason is that they consider losing weight as something that theyd like to do, or would be happy if it happened, but they really dont have any major emotion behind their weight loss goals. Theres a big difference in the emotion and therefore the amount of motivation behind someone saying I want to lose 20 pounds and I am sick of being fat and I am going to lose 20 pounds if it KILLS me!.

The number one key to losing weight and keeping it off is to figure out a highly emotional reason you want to lose weight. If you cant find that, my advice is to forget about trying to lose weight until you do. No matter how easy a weight loss programs advertising hype makes it sound, you are wasting your time and money on it if you are not strongly motivated to lose the weight. The fact of the matter is nearly all reasonable weight loss programs work, but they all require effort on your part to make them work.

Different people are motivated by different things. For some, maybe they are motivated to lose weight because of fear of health problems. Some are motivated because they want to be more attractive to others and losing weight will help them in their social lives. Some may be motivated by job considerations (some studies have shown that more attractive people are often more successful in business). In any event, the more emotion and purpose you can put behind your desire to lose weight, the better your chances of successfully losing weight.

In summary, to have the best chance of losing weight and keeping it off long-term, you must begin thinking of weight control in terms of being a long-term change in lifestyle, rather than as a short-term goal. Second, you need be honest with yourself, and make sure to have a system of accountability to keep yourself on track with your weight loss program. Most importantly, you need strong emotional reasons to motivate you to stick to your weight control plan.

Get diet and exercise recommendations for your particular pattern of weight gain and tips on how lose weight plans can be made more effective by visiting Dr. Bests lose weight help website.

Photo By 4390290 from Pixabay

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The 3 Biggest Reasons People Fail To Lose Weight And What To Do About Them - Good Herald

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A WARNING has been issued for people to be wary of 'fad diets'.

Dieticians at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust are urging anyone seeking to lose weight to get advice from qualified experts.

The plea has been made in conjunction with the British Dietetic Association (BDA) ahead of the fourth annual Dietitians Week, which starts on Monday (June 12).

A BDA survey found that 40 per cent of respondents had tried or considered trying detox, raw food and juice-only diets.

But dietitians say some of the advice given can be harmful to health and they stress that the body can detox itself, without need for expensive products.

Laura Rowe, dietetics professional lead at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Evidence-based nutrition advice is important.

"Following a diet not based on evidence may mean you are deficient in important nutrients that are key to good health.

"If you follow a very restrictive diet with few foods or an unusual combination for a short period of time you may lose weight quickly, but this isn't sustainable and you might experience harmful and unpleasant side effects.

"For the best advice see a dietitian, who will apply science and evidence to your personal circumstances to help you achieve your goals.

"At Airedale Hospital, dieticians help to assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutrition problems.

"We use the most up-to-date public health and scientific research on food, health and disease, and translate all this into practical information to help people to make the right lifestyle and food choices."

The dieticians treat a range of medical conditions and help people of all ages in settings including the hospital, outpatients clinics, GP surgeries, health and community centres and schools.

Tips to help avoid the fad diet cycle include:

Keep a diary and stay aware of habits and problem areas

Have regular meals, starting with breakfast

Choose lower-fat foods, such as lean meat and lower-fat dairy products

Fill up on vegetables and fruit at meals and choose as snacks and for desserts

Watch your portion sizes

Get active aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity daily. If you can manage more than that, even better

Be realistic about weight loss: aim to lose 1-2lbs (0.5-1kg) a week

See your GP before attempting any weight loss programme, especially if you have existing medical conditions

For a fact sheet on fad diets, visit bda.uk.com/foodfacts/faddiets.pdf.

More details of detoxes can be found at bda.uk.com/foodfacts/detoxdiets.pdf.

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'Fad diet' warning - Keighley News

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The Sun Herald

She calls herself a 'walking time bomb,' but this St. Martin woman refuses to live in fear The Sun Herald She had tried many times to lose weight, but began to believe that once she hit her mid-40s, she just couldn't. What used to work didn't work any more, even though she was active and had a gym membership. Added to that was the beginning of heart issues.

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Colon cancer patients who exercised regularly had a lower chance of death, a study found. Photograph: franckreporter/Getty Images

A healthy diet and exercise could reduce colon cancer patients chance of death and simply walking could improve survival rates for breast cancer survivors, studies presented at the worlds largest cancer conference have found.

A study of nearly 1,000 colon cancer patients found that those who exercised regularly, ate more fruits and vegetables and avoided refined grains and meats had a 42% lower chance of death after seven years.

Similarly, a study of more than 300 Australian breast cancer survivors who aimed to exercise for 180 minutes per week most by simply walking had far better rates of survival than those who were not part of an exercise program.

The studies were presented amidst a slew of research on the impact of a healthy lifestyle on cancer, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.

Most of what we know about the importance of exercise post-cancer comes from studying women with breast cancer, said Sandra Hayes, an epidemiologist studying cancer and exercise at Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

Studies conducted on the relationship between exercise and other types of cancer, she said, held up a general set of findings.

Engaging in some activity [or] exercise is better than none, and doing more is generally better than less, Hayes said.

Researchers acknowledged that studies on the effects of exercise and cancer recurrence remain epidemiological, and that causal links are yet to be established. Further, the mechanisms through which exercise may influence cancer survival remain unclear.

In one study, researchers at the University of California San Francisco and colleagues aimed to test whether American Cancer Society (ACS) nutrition and exercise guidelines for cancer survivors could impact survival among colon cancer patients.

In general, the guidelines recommend moderate exercise of 150 minutes per week, eating a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and keeping a healthy body weight. The ACS has detailed guidelines for nutritional and exercise standards for cancer survivors, addressing everything from exercise to eating recommendations forthose who have little appetite.

Researchers found that even colon cancer survivors who drank moderately while following other guidelines had a 42% lower chance of dying than those that did not.

I would recommend that patients build up to exercising for at least 150 minutes per week, said the senior author, Erin Van Blarigan, an epidemiologist at University of California San Francisco. Brisk walking is a great exercise for everyone. I would also recommend that patients aim to eat at least five servings of vegetables every day, not counting potatoes, and choose whole grains over refined grains.

Van Blarigan said she was surprised by the strong correlation between healthy diet, exercise and lowered mortality.

These recommendations can be applied within whatever diet type an individual prefers, she said. The key is finding foods that fit the recommendations that you enjoy, so you can continue this pattern of eating for the long term.

In a smaller study, Hayes and colleagues in Australia randomly assigned more than 300 breast cancer survivors to groups that received exercise counseling or to a control group.

All patients were six weeks out of surgery, and lived in both rural and urban settings. The exercise program lasted eight months. The goal was to exercise 180 minutes per week. Most of the participants, researchers said, chose simply to walk.

After a median follow-up of roughly eight years, researchers found 5.3% of the women who had received exercise counseling had died, versus 11.5% of those who had not received counseling. Similarly, 12.1% of women in the group that received exercise counseling had a recurrence of cancer, versus 17.7% of those who did not.

The researchers said an exercise program after treatment has clear potential to influence survival.

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Simple way to boost cancer survival rates: diet and exercise, studies say - The Guardian

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Psychology Today (blog)

Clinical Trial Finds Diet Works for Depression Psychology Today (blog) This groundbreaking research demonstrates for the first time that people with moderate to severe depression can improve their mood by eating a healthier diet. You may be surprised to hear that this kind of study has never been done before, probably ...

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EDWARDSVILLE - Blue Wave Martial Arts and Fitness in Edwardsville along with instructor Donna Bartley are offering an innovative, new kids yoga class this summer.

The yoga classes are designed for kids ages 5-10 at Blue Wave Martial Arts and Fitness. The class runs six weeks with dates of June 17, June 24, July 8, July 15, July 22 and July 29.

The cost is $75 per child for all the classes, and the parents are allowed to participate as well. The classes run 45 minutes and begin at 11 a.m. on the scheduled Saturdays. If the class is successful, Blue Wave Martial Arts and Fitness will continue to offer them. Bartley feels that yoga at this young age is beneficial especially for kids with anxiety, ADHD, and those on the autism spectrum.

We want to introduce the kids to yoga at a young age, Bartley said. Yoga at a young age teaches the kids so much more than yoga. It teaches them about breathing and we work on other principles such as sharing and being compassionate. It will be a fun class and we will have a lot of fun doing it.

Bartley said she learns from the children when she teaches them and they are like little sponges.

It is not the typical yoga class, it is a little more active with some singing and games and different ways to teach them yoga techniques, she said.

Bartley said she loves teaching yoga at Blue Wave Martial Arts and Fitness and the atmosphere there. She said she works with all kinds of people in her yoga classes. She also instructs free yoga classes on Saturdays at LeClaire Park during the summer until Labor Day weekend.

Bartley has taken several hours of training and completed a course for the process.

I went through the teacher training process for a year to get certified, she said, and adds that spaces are limited, so it is recommended to sign up soon.

For more information, call (618) 692-5223, or check out http://bluewavestrong.com/

If you have a news, human interest or sports idea, e-mail Danbrannan@riverbender.com or call or text 618-623-5930. Follow Dan Brannan on Facebookandon Twitter.

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BUFFALO - Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier, gifted centers who are expected to be the first two picks in the NHL draft, were fairly even during Saturday's fitness testing at the scouting combine.

In other words, if New Jersey was looking for a reason to make one of the players the No. 1 overall pick based on the fitness results, well, it didn't happen.

The Devils will select No. 1 in the first round June 23 in Chicago, while the Flyers will pick No. 2. The Flyers had a little over a 2 percent chance to get as high as they did in the draft lottery.

It is still considered a coin flip as to which player goes No. 1.

"They're this close," said Craig Button, the draft expert from TSN in Canada, as he held his thumb and index finger an inch apart.

Dan Marr, director of the NHL's Central Scouting, said Patrick and Hischier won't be generational players like Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews.

"But they'll be solid franchise players for their clubs once they get established," he said at the combine.

On the ice, Patrick and Hischier are head and shoulders above the other draft prospects, scouts say. But they tested in the middle of the pack in several of the fitness events.

Patrick (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) was stronger than the 6-1, 178-pound Hischier in the bench-press (12 reps to 7), but Hischier had the edge in the standing long jump (105.75 inches to 99.75 inches), showing he has explosive legs - a key to a player's success.

"I was really happy about my testing," said Hischier, who, like Patrick, will attend the Stanley Cup Final on Monday in Nashville. "I don't have to prove anything here, but I just did what I can and I'm happy with it."

Patrick said he didn't view the combine, which had 103 players in the fitness portion, as a competition between himself and Hischier. But he did admit to looking at the scoreboard before one event.

"It's tough when you're about to do chin-ups and you see he's atop the leader board, and I [said], 'I've got to put some up here,' "he said. "But you know, I'm not competing against him. He's a great guy and I see he did good in the testing and I'm happy for him."

Hischier, who said Pavel Datsyuk is his role model, did 13 chin-ups, two more than Patrick.

The most grueling part of the fitness testing occurs at the end of the circuit, when the prospects ride a stationary grade-spin bike. They pedal at low resistance for two minutes. To start the test, the athlete pedals at a progressively quicker cadence so that by the time the designated workload has been reached, he is pedaling at his maximum capacity.

The athlete pedals at maximum capacity against the designated workload for 30 seconds.

"I was terrible. I was pretty zonked after that and my breakfast didn't stay down," Patrick said after competing in something called the Wingate cycle ergometer test, which measures a player's explosiveness. "So it was a tough one for sure. . . . It was tough for everyone. No matter how hard you train for that, everybody was gassed and leaving it all out there."

Patrick said he had no ill effects from a sports hernia, which caused him to miss time this season in the Western Hockey League. He doesn't believe he needs more surgery.

Next week, Patrick said, he will travel to Philadelphia and Newark to be examined by the Flyers and Devils doctors. "They just want to make sure I'm healthy," said Patrick, who has been in contact recently with Ivan Provorov and Brayden Schenn, two of his friends who play for the Flyers.

As for the combine testing, scouts say it tells only a small portion of a player's ability. Two years ago, Jack Eichel outscored McDavid in most of the fitness categories.

McDavid, of course, went No. 1 in the draft to Edmonton and has blossomed into a young superstar.

Some have referred to Hischier as the "Swiss Connor McDavid."

"I think it's too much," Hischier said with a smile. "I don't think you can compare [me] to Connor McDavid; he's on another level. He's better than any other player, and it's really like high expectations. I don't like when they call me that."

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull

http://www.philly.com/flyersblog

Flyers hoping to strike gold in draft beyond first round, too Jun 2 - 5:23 PM

Hischier or Patrick? Flyers hope to feast on 'leftover' Jun 3 - 3:13 PM

Vegas GM is high on Flyers' goalie Michal Neuvirth Jun 3 - 5:55 PM

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Published: June 3, 2017 3:01 AM EDT | Updated: June 3, 2017 4:22 PM EDT

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Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons and Ruth Bader Ginsburg?

The 84-year-old Supreme Court justice is about to join the ranks of workout superstars with a book about her exercise routine. "The RBG Workout: How She Stays Strong ... and You Can Too!" is scheduled to be released Oct. 3, which happens to be the first week the court is in session after its summer break.

While Ginsburg stars in the book, she isn't its author. Instead, it's co-authored by illustrator Patrick Welsh and longtime Ginsburg trainer Bryant Johnson, who now also trains Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan.

The 112-page book will feature illustrations of Ginsburg doing each exercise in her routine. She'll be pictured in her judicial robes, with purple leggings and "her trusty sneakers," according to publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The liberal justice's health has been a topic of interest following the election of President Donald Trump, with liberals hoping she'll outlast his presidency so Trump won't get to nominate a conservative justice to fill her seat.

Mentioning her age at an appearance earlier this year Ginsburg noted: "A very important part of my life is my personal trainer."

Johnson, an Army reservist whose day job is as a court clerk in Washington, has been training Ginsburg since 1999 following her treatment for colorectal cancer. Ginsburg has said husband told her she looked "like a survivor of a concentration camp" and needed to do something to rebuild her strength.

These days she trains with Johnson twice a week for an hour each time, doing exercises including push-ups and the core-strengthening plank. She does two sets of 10 push-ups, and not the easier ones where the knees touch the ground.

Ginsburg disclosed the book deal at an invitation-only appearance in Maryland on May 24. Asked to share the secrets of her stamina, Ginsburg said it "won't be a secret for long" because Johnson had been commissioned to write a book about her workout.

Details of Ginsburg's workout were previously published in the 2015 book "Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg." Politico Magazine also wrote about the workout earlier this year. A book of Ginsburg's own writing published in 2016 includes a picture of her working out on the elliptical machine wearing a sweatshirt that says "Super Diva."

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WILTON By the end of 2016, Devon Frechette had hit a wall. She was working 14-hour days six days a week at her familys snowmobile dealership, sometimes more. During the day she juggled looking after her toddler, one-and-a-half-year-old Paisley, and running a business with only one full-time employee besides Frechette and her husband, Scott. After work shed go home, cook, clean and try to be there for her two teenage stepdaughters.

When it got to the point that Frechette, 25, dreaded waking up each morning and spent her days counting down the hours until she could get back to bed, she knew something had to change.

I wanted to hit pause on my crazy life, and I didnt have that avenue. I didnt have that outlet, Frechette recalled in an interview Friday. When you own your own business, there is no clocking out or clocking in. Its 24/7. Even when you get home at night, its not really like you get to relax. Its whats always on your mind.

So Frechette turned to a longtime love and source of comfort: exercise and fitness. An avid athlete most of her life, Frechette had played field hockey, basketball and softball in school and went on to coach high school basketball and softball. After graduating from college and getting married, however, sports fell by the wayside. So did the gymnasium.

So in November, Frechette decided to start a group on Facebook called 17 by 2017 and invite 10 or so friends to form their own health and fitness goals for the last 34 days of 2016. The group would be a place of support and accountability. It would be a short-term source of inspiration for Frechette as she worked to regain control over her own health.

But then something unexpected happened. The group took off. Within 72 hours it ballooned from a handful of members to 150. Today the group, now known as Maine Made Wellness, has over 1,800 members.

Despite its growing size and stature, Maine Made Wellness still feels like an intimate group of girlfriends cheering one another on and picking each other up when they stumble. Members write in with post-workout selfies and meal plan victories. They trade product recommendations and reviews, workout regimens and inspirational mantras. When group members post about the guilt they feel for falling off the fitness wagon, others chime in with messages of compassion, empathy and support.

Initially, Frechette said, she had no intention of keeping the group going past the end of the year; but after suffering a back injury that landed her in the hospital only two weeks into her 17 to 2017 challenge, she noticed something remarkable happen. She had been forced off social media during her days in the hospital and was facing weeks of inactivity as she recovered. When she returned to the group, she found it had become a self-sustaining entity with women turning to one another for help and support as they worked toward better, healthier lives.

Even though I was absent, those girls that were in that group were still utilizing it, Frechette said. They were still feeding off each other. They were still encouraging each other, and thats when I realized this group cant end in 2017.

Frechette thinks in reaching out for support in her own life she tapped into a larger need. Like her, other women were struggling with their attempts to create more balanced lives. Like her, they looked at social media images of seemingly perfect female bodies, models and athletes in bathing suits and wondered, Why dont I look like them?

It was only after trying to train for a fitness bikini contest that Frechette realized the images she had been seeing on social media werent real. They were altered, filtered, shot by professionals and often featured athletes who underwent grueling training regimens every day to achieve that moment of peak physical fitness. It was a standard that simply didnt make sense for a young mother with life responsibilities pulling her in a million directions.

It was a realization that resonated with many of the women in the Maine Made Wellness group. Chelsea McGraw, 24, of Auburn, said she also got discouraged with the imagery she saw online. A three-season athlete in high school, McGraw said she stopped playing sports in college. With six classes and two jobs to balance, she stopped paying as much attention to her health. Two years later, she was struggling with the person she saw in the mirror when she found Frechette and the group. What she saw made her feel that she wasnt alone.

In todays day and age there are so many filters and tricks, and you can really make yourself look like you have this perfect life and youre happy all the time, McGraw said. It sounds terrible, but its nice to see other people are struggling with the same things that I am.

Two months after joining the group, McGraw said she and her fiance have undergone a transformation. They have a well-established routine now, coming home and hitting the gymnasium five nights a week. Theyve cleared their shelves of cookies and started meal planning. Most importantly, shes gained a lot more confidence.

McGraw credits Frechette and the group with teaching her a healthier approach to fitness. Its not just about losing weight, but feeling better.

Its just become so easy for me now because of all the resources that we have, McGraw said. Ive always been a super-self-conscious person, and seeing women coming together and instead of attacking each other encouraging each other all the time, its just an overwhelming and amazing feeling.

The Maine Made Wellness group is governed by only a few rules: keep posts positive, private and judgment-free. It is a safe space where people can share their wellness goals, concerns, progress and setbacks. Even though the group is set to private, Frechette said its open to all comers. Those who wish to can simply request to join and Frechette will give them access.

The group now boasts members around the country with some hailing from Louisiana, Indiana, Texas and Ohio. It has even gone international, making its way north to Canada. Some gentlemen have joined the ranks as well, posting their own progress photos and garnering cheers and words of encouragement from other members.

Frechette encourages those just starting their own fitness journeys to start by reflecting on where they feel they need help. Whether they wish to learn about nutrition and meal planning or exercise routines, Frechette said, she wants people to see the group as a resource as they set about educating themselves on their best paths to healthier living.

Dont be afraid to ask questions, Frechette said. None of us are professionals. Weve all learned from experience, but together we can learn together and grow and share what weve learned from one another.

Kate McCormick 861-9218

[emailprotected]

Twitter: @KateRMcCormick

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Wilton-based fitness group explodes online as people join together in journeys to better health - Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel

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