Hello fabulous mamas! I am about to uncover the secrets of weight loss without exercise. Join me as I spill the tea on shedding pounds over a delightful but challenging weight loss season— The Christmas Holidays! Read on for surprising insights that revolutionized my approach to health, all without hitting the gym.
1. Weight Loss Magic without Workouts:
If you have been following this blog for any stretch of time, you may have picked up that I am an avid exerciser. I not only love it, but to me, exercise is crucial for keeping me slim and elevating my mood.
That was all about to change.
A few days before Christmas 2022, Hubby, 3yr old, 8 month old and I took off on the road, our car packed to the gunnels, for our Summer Holiday. We went for 18 days, total. Of the 18 days, 4 were spent in the car, driving from Auckland to Wellington, to Picton and to Christchurch, and all the way back again.
Exercise, my friends, was impossible. For those driving days, at least.
Beforehand, I tried to think of a way to fit it in. Before the drive? No way! I wasn’t prepared to get up at 3 am in the morning! During? No, sir. One can only do so much, seated. Then I said to myself: Stephanie, get a grip. It is not the end of the world if you cannot exercise for 4 days. And, as I am an all or nothing kind of girl, I decided that for the WHOLE HOLIDAY I would close the door on exercise.
Friends, this is unheard of. To put things in perspective, I have been exercising for about 50 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for YEARS. I cannot remember the last time I took 1 week off, let alone 3!
What I did not realise was that I would change my exercising journey, perhaps forever. Because what I discovered during this exercise siesta was pretty revolutionary!
Friends, when I came back home from this workout hiatus, I discovered that I had actually LOST WEIGHT. And during this article, I am going to get down and dirty about how I believed that happened.
2. Exercise Hiatus: A Breakthrough You Need:
So why did I decide so uncharacteristically to take an Exercise Hiatus? Well, I needed a break, that’s for sure.
I also know that your body adjusts as you get fitter, so the more exercise you do, the more you have to do to keep fit. I wanted to reset this.
The main thing that made me pull the plug, though, was quality time. 3 whole weeks with hubby, friends and family is a once-a-year kind of thing, and I didn’t want to waste a moment of it exercising or stressing about exercise. I wanted to enjoy the time with the people in my life, and surrender my time so that I was always available, with energy to play, talk, help out and laugh.
I knew that if I got up early to exercise, I would miss out on precious morning snuggles or that to an extent, our days would revolve around Mama needing to get her workout in. Which is a bit lame for everyone concerned.
An friends, this was the true breakthrough: I readjusted my priorities. I chose my family over fitness, and it was rewarded. I did not gain weight, and my mental health was vastly improved over this hiatus. If your story is similar to mine, let me encourage you: exercise does not need to be long to be effective, and nothing can take the place of time with your loved ones. Choose them!
3. No Exercise, No Problem:
I admit that I found it a little bit challenging at first to not get anxious about not exercising over Christmas time. This is a period that comes with lots of treats and indulgent food. I did not want to gain weight, but I didn’t want to miss out either.
When exercise is so rigidly part of your routine, it is easy to think that without doing it, you will not be able to metabolise food as effectively. Mama, I discovered this to be a lie, because your body was built to use food. Exercise is simply supplementary to that.
As the days and weeks wore by, I relaxed, lost my anxiety and revelled in using my energy for other things: going for walks, playing with my boys, and simply holidaying.
And I discovered the most surprising thing!
I did not gain ANY weight! In fact, I lost about 1 kg! Which is not bad when I didn’t deny myself any “bad” food AND avoided intensive exercise. I’ve been wracking my brains, trying to think how that 1 kg disappeared. Let’s get into that.
4. Weight Loss Secrets Unveiled – No Exercise Needed:
So what did I do to enjoy the treats of the season and STILL lose weight without an exercise session? Well, I did not completely let myself go. While I did not deny myself any foods, I was careful not to overeat or mindlessly snack.
Friends, the art of eating without gaining weight is to embrace mindful eating, focus on portion control and natural hunger cues.
Here’s how I did that:
- I filled up at every meal, but not to excess. Because Christmas foods are rich and so it is easy to stop at a small amount, I probably ate less overall than I usually do. My usual eating style is to fill my plate, but with all these rich foods, I had smaller amounts.
- I made sure that I could feel pangs of hunger before tucking into the next meal. When you are eating rich food, it takes a long time for you to feel those hunger pangs. Sometimes I would go for 4, 5 or even 6 hours between meals.
- I ate for balance: If I knew I would be having a big meal later on, I would have a plain breakfast of oats and honey.
- I snacked less because each meal was so filling, and we were with people all the time (I find that I snack more when I am bored, which did not happen over the holiday period!)
5. Active Living sans Formal Exercise:
Although I did no formal workout, I kept fairly active. We did lots of walking and playing and I did do press ups here and there (not very much at all), just to accelerate my heart rate.
Having an active lifestyle is super important. Think about it: if you do an intense 1 hour workout, but sit down for the rest of the day, is that going to be better for your body than if you were up and down for 4, 5 or even 6 hours? Staying active constantly makes you burn calories, and the best thing is, it doesn’t feel like working out.
While intense workouts have their place, I now believe it is important to strike a balance between spontaneous activities and structured workouts for a healthier lifestyle.
6. Lessons from the Exercise Siesta:
3 weeks is a long time to not do any exercise. They say that habits can be formed in as little as 21 days, so it really is a significant period to not be doing anything.
It was a revolutionary time for that very reason.
Lesson #1: intensive, lengthy workouts are not the only route to a healthy body.
- Because I lost weight, I now see that exercise (and especially not 50 minutes a day, 5 days a week) is not crucial to maintaining a healthy figure. Eating habits are far more effective in that area. I have heard that for weightloss, 80% is about diet adjustment, and only 20% is attributed to exercise. I found that to be completely true over this holiday period.
- There is no need for intensive exercise, especially for long periods of time. Long workouts waste time, because energy lags towards the end, so you are not getting as much from it.
- Exercising affects your energy levels for the rest of the day, and steals from your ability to play with your kids or do a job that requires a bit of physicality. At the end of the day, isn’t the point of exercising to enable you to do these things, rather than deflect them?
Lesson #2: Portion sizes and timing play a crucial role in preventing overeating
- It is possible to eat carbs and sugar and still not gain any weight. I am not saying that you should eat these things, but they are not the enemy. Eating them occasionally is not going to hurt your health.
- Portion sizes and hunger cues are key, as overeating is what leads to weight gain. Your body will tell you how much you can handle. Listen to it. You can eat all food ground with sensible portion sizes and fasting windows.
- Just because it is the noon or dinner hour does not mean you need to eat a full-sized meal, especially if you just had a large meal. Wait an hour or two, and maybe just have a snack-sized meal.
9. Mama, It’s Time to Embrace Weight Loss Goals without Exercise
Mama, I am here to encourage you to bid farewell to rigid workout routines and embrace a more flexible, enjoyable approach. I do not want you to be chained to the grueling 1 hour-a-day, 5-day-a-week workout schedule, like I was. With young kids vying for your attention, and other things that need to be done, it’s something that can be released without impacting your health and fitness.
If you are wanting to prioritise health and fitness, without sacrificing time with your children or adding more stress to your day, your weight loss goals can be focused on shorter, effective workouts, active play, and overall well-being.
I am here, 365 days later, to tell you that I am still fit, still healthy, with no weight gain. I’m less stressed, and I don’t snap at my boys any more (half an hour is a better time frame for them – they become much more attention-seeking after that!).
Conclusion:
Here’s to a fantastic New Year filled with effortless weight loss, health, and happiness. Let’s ditch the workout stress and focus on a lifestyle that’s both enjoyable and sustainable. Cheers to a wonderful 2024—where weight loss meets joy effortlessly! 🌟💪
Steph @ SimplyHomeAndHealth
