By Peggy Pollard , www.PeggyDance.weebly.com
I’m feeling it. Are you? The annual downward migration I call ABFOF: AUTUMNAL BELLY FAT OVER FLOW Don’t worry, it’s a normal process -- our annual human winterizing of our bodies. Just as we winterize our homes, shuttering windows, wrapping water pipes, hauling winter clothes down from the attic, our bodies too, need an annual powering-down time. We humans, like most mammals, need to hunker down into winter hibernation mode, both physical and emotional low energy phase. This week I really felt it. Right at its usual time. It does not feel great. Our summer of cool fog at last dissipated into our golden annual October bliss. The balmy air felt so glorious. Until, last Wednesday, it didn’t. The temperature dropped into that joy-killing chill. Even the sun couldn’t summon up enough enthusiasm to arc so high above the clouds. The trees lacking sufficient moisture into their roots this drought year, failed to push their sap up, up, way up into those high branches. So their leaves glowed a last glorious blaze of yellow orange, crimson red, before withering into crumpled flakes. Along with the leaves and daylight, down, down falls all my physical energy too. I felt it drop wayyyyy down into my gut. Then with a dastardly turn, balloons out into overflowing belly fat. ABFOF strikes again! I feel the extra weight in front of me at all times, I try jiggling it, massaging it, squeezing the bulges into spandex. But no good. The extra fat remains. I’ve just learned from Howard LeWine, M.D. Editor in Chief, of Harvard Men's Health Watch that ABFOF has another name: “Visceral Fat.” That does not make me feel any better about it. But identifying any problem is 50% of solving it, I believe. And he does motivate me, since Dr. LeWine warns that that it’s important to get rid of it because “excess belly fat creates serious health risks, even if you are only mildly overweight.” Plus I’m encouraged that his advised solution works great with social dancing. LeWine recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity stress-reducing aerobic exercise, five days per week. Perfect for social dancing! Because, right about now, end of October, just as the sunlight and thermometer drops lower, so does our energy for physical activity. Thus, our schedule, even our DANCE schedule needs to be winterized. I’ve seen the pattern every year. A burst of September ambition. A new school year! A new dance class! But oh how quickly it becomes too much. My usually very manageable schedule suddenly feels overwhelming, requiring far more effort than I now can muster. What reports can I now avoid? Will anyone notice if I ghost that meeting, skip doing that project? So, what is our wise thing to do, in this predictable slowing down time of year? We have three choices in this annual battle of seasonal energy change: 1. SURRENDER to your depression -- a shocking number of people choose this… and stop exercising completely, soooo easy to do, but at a big cost to your health-- not very rewarding. 2. MAINTAIN an unrealistic schedule -- force yourself to keep up your high-energy summertime pace, and feel like a failure when you, most likely can’t keep doing all the things that only a month ago felt so easy. Thus feeling like a failure if you don’t live up to your normal goals. OR 3. ADJUST -- your exercise routine to a gentler standard, acknowledge that your “Winterized” energy now, but not give up entirely. Instead set SMALLER SURVIVAL GOALS to get through the minimizing months of Autumn, Holidays and then winter. Be gentle with yourself. Don’t stress about maintaining a constant high performance level year round. Don’t drive yourself to exhaustion. Annual resting is important too. Adjust your expectation of “success” in exercising. Aiming for a survival maintenance schedule is OK. I Give You PERMISSION! Perhaps instead of daily, every other day, or every other week is OK. A half hour of dancing instead of a full hour is still highly beneficial. In fact the key secret to successful health is . . . -- Lower Your Expectations -- Appreciate what you already have; respect your limits. How do we Winterize our Dancing? In little bits, that’s how. Keep dancing but do it in little bits. And you will feel good about it. Over Flow Bellyfat beGONE! To everything, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn, and a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to plan, and a time to uproot, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Winterize your social dancing with us in Santa Cruz Waltz & Swing ====================================
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FOOT Notes from Teacher PeggyAuthorPeggy Pollard has been teaching social/ballroom dance in Santa Cruz since 2010. Archives
September 2022
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