Q & A

Today, I’m going to answer a few reader questions.

One very inquisitive commenter asked me this:

Erika, on a day-to-day basis even weekly basis—how has your life changed in terms of being more healthy? How many times a week do you exercise? What exercises do you do? What do you like? What do you feel has benefitted you most—the change in eating or the exercise or both? Is it mentally exhausting to train your brainto think healthier manner? Are you happier on the inside?

All good questions. Let’s start from the beginning.

On a day-to-day basis—or even weekly basis—how has your life changed in terms of being more healthy?

I used to spend most of my day thinking about food. What was I going to eat later? What did I eat earlier? How could I hide my latest binge? What if I ate a salad now…could I eat five tacos from Taco Bell tonight?

I don’t do that anymore. Sure, sometimes around 11 a.m. I get totally excited about lunch. Or maybe I know I’m going out to dinner and I might start anticipating that. But it doesn’t consume me like it used to.

The other thing is that having some of this weight off me makes it a lot easier to get around. I am more willing to walk across the Office Park for a meeting than drive. A friend asked me to go hiking with her and I immediately said yes. Things like that were not a part of my life this time last year.

There are silly things—I have changed my Facebook profile photo three times in the last few months. I had the same one (taken at an excellent angle, of course) for years. I guess I'm a little more comfortable getting my picture taken. I also can tell the difference in my skin. I look healthier. Because I am healthier. But it’s nice to see it reflected in more than just weight loss.

How many times a week do you exercise? What exercises do you do? What do you like?

I try to exercise at least five days a week. I have personal training with Jessica on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I do Zumba on Tuesday nights here at Children’s (and sometimes Mondays at my gym) and Cardio Fusion on Thursdays.

I'll be honest. I still don’t love to exercise. But I like it a lot more. I am still struggling to up my cardio. I’m working on that. But I love the feeling strength training has given me. It’s something I had never done before, and though it’s hard, it’s so rewarding. One day when I met Jess for training, she asked me what I wanted to do. “Upper,” I immediately answered. “Haven’t we done upper like the last 75 times we worked out?” she asked me. And then she proceeded to work my lower body like a mad woman. So, there’s your answer about what I like. I am much better with my upper body than my lower. But I’ve gotten better with the lower body exercises. And Jessica has stopped listening to me when she asks me what I want to do.

What do you feel has benefitted you most—the change in eating or the exercise or both?

Both. When I was doing martial arts, I worked out constantly. And that kept my weight at bay. But I was still binging and overeating. If I hadn’t been, I would have lost a lot more weight during that time. That’s why when I stopped doing it, I ballooned pretty quickly. So for me, this combination is working. It’s the first time  I’ve had both going at the same time. I also think the strength training is a major part of it. I can definitely tell the difference it’s making.

Is it mentally exhausting to train your brain think healthier?

It used to be. But I’ve been at this since January. It’s actually becoming second nature to me. Of course, as I’ve shared with you many times, I still struggle. Sometimes I just want to go crazy and eat as much as I can cram into my mouth. Sometimes I want to skip the gym. I’m human. But I’m a healthier human.

Are you happier on the inside?

Definitely. Now all I need is to get to my goal weight and find a husband.

I’m kidding. Sort of.

Thanks for all your questions! I’m always glad to get questions from y’all. Don’t hesitate to ask me anything—comment here or send me an e-mail. Thanks also to all of you who posted recipes last week in the comments section. Make sure to check them out if you haven't already.

Hope you're all having a healthy week!