American and International Info Resources

If you are trying to lose weight, the holidays literally are the
heaviest time of the year.

So how do you eat, drink and be merry while you’re counting
every single calorie? By getting a buddy who will help you make
the right choices bite by bite.

Scientific studies have shown that people who diet with partners
are much more likely to lose weight and to keep it off. And
there’s no more crucial time to have a buddy on your side than
from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.

“During the holidays, you can use all the help you can get,”
says Alan Gettis, a nutritionist and clinical psychologist in
River Edge, N.J. “I urge my clients to get a full-time
year-round a buddy, it could be a husband or a wife, a neighbor
or a friend. I But don’t wait for the first feast to find a
buddy, says Susan Holmberg, a nutritionist and behavioral
therapist in Oradell, N.J. “Once you start overeating, you don’t
want a “Buddy,” she says.

Buddies give you moral support and help you identify bad eating
habits and patterns because they have been there, too, she says.
“You may want to have more than one buddy,” she says. “You can
have one on the phone and one who exercises with you and goes to
parties with you. You can make deals with your buddy where you
both go to the party but only one of you goes through the buffet
line or where you agree to split one meal.”

Buddies also are like therapists and coaches, who listen to you
and keep you on the right path. “Your buddy should be a person
you can share your feelings with and rely on in a pinch without
fear that your feelings will be used as ammunition against you,”
Gettis says.

Holmberg says that using a “Buddy” is particularly helpful to
people who may be reluctant to change because those who sign on
can choose a either real-life buddy, someone in their
geographical area they can meet and exercise with, or select
someone to work with solely online or via the phone. “Sometimes
anonymity is good,” she says. “You are much more likely to try
it if you don’t have to meet the person.”

Gettis points out that with a “Buddy”, “you can find someone
with similar goals, and both of you can support each other.”

Buddies also take on active roles, getting you to stop a bad
habit and replace it with a healthy one. Gettis likens the
process to a marathon, where the runners are tempted to give up
before the 26th mile because it is so difficult to stay the
course. “The 18- to 19-mile mark is the crucial one,” he says.
“During a marathon I was once in, I came upon two guys running -
one was hurting, and the other was encouraging him to keep
running. I followed them for two to three miles, and the one
kept saying, ‘Leave me.’ The other kept saying, ‘I’m not going
to.’ And I thought, ‘What great friends!’ Then I heard the one
hurting say, ‘What’s your name?’”

Perhaps the most important role that buddies play is helping
plan strategies and then making sure that you make them work.
“They can teach you to take baby steps and to change your
environment,” Holmberg says. “For instance, they may suggest
that you keep sneakers in your trunk or put on your gym clothes
as you leave the office so you don’t have an excuse not to
exercise. They can call ahead to the party to check on the menu
and give you a low-cal recipe to bring so there’s at least one
thing that you can eat.”

Holmberg says that some of the changes are so simple that people
overlook them. A buddy may, for instance, suggest that you get
at the end of the buffet line so there is less food available or
help the host wash dishes because if your hands are wet, you are
less likely to nibble on the last remaining crumbs from the
serving dishes. “If you are asked to bring dessert, your buddy
may remind you not to make chocolate chip cookies because the
last time you ate a dozen cookies before you brought them to the
party and nibbled the chips while baking and suggest that
instead you make something like a pie that can’t be nibbled
because it is cut only when served.”

Buddies also can help you practice being assertive, not
aggressive to make significant changes in your diet and your
lifestyle. “By being assertive, you attack the task,” Gettis
says. “By being aggressive, you attack the person. You need to
stand your ground and in a firm but angry voice say: ‘I really
would appreciate it if you would not bring home anything
fattening. You may have had good intentions, but I’d feel better
if you didn’t do it again.’”

So don’t wait until you’re boxed in by back-to-back parties and
surrounded by wall-to-wall goodies to find a buddy. Make an
early New Year’s resolution to do it now, long before the
marathon feasts begin, Gettis says. “You have to be realistic,
so don’t count on losing 10 to 12 pounds during the holidays.
Don’t say you’ll lose 10 pounds during the holidays, and don’t
gain 10 either. And get someone to be your buddy for all 12
months of the year. You have nothing to lose - but weight.”

Copyright Weight Loss Buddy Press 2005

It was a humbling moment, indeed.

At the time, I felt like I was higher than a mountain. I was
running five miles every morning, laboring through a hard day of
strenuous work every day, then hitting the gym every night. I
could rip out pushups in three-digit sets, grind through a set
of 60 dips without cracking a single sweat gland.

Meanwhile, my strength remained in tact. I was benching,
curling, pressing, pulling, and squatting more than ever before.
The higher my gains had soared, the lower my body fat percentage
would drop. Yes, I was in the best shape of my life.

I bounced off my 15-minute warm-up session on the stepper and
was ready to take over this new gym by storm. I had never worked
out at this particular facility before but it didn’t matter. At
the time, I felt invincible.

On my way over to the Smith machine, I noticed a small gathering
in the far corner of the gym. All eyes were focused on the wall
where something new, something intriguing had to be whirling up
this fuss.

I strutted over to check this out for myself just as a
middle-aged man came crashing to the floor, his face purple with
exhaustion, his breath caught deep in his gut. He looked like a
soldier returning from battle, as he was instantly consoled by
his awaiting love.

I peered up at the enemy. Hovering above was the most bizarre
piece of fitness equipment I’d ever seen. It was big, it was
strange, it was awkward, it was ugly.

It was awesome.

One look at it and I knew exactly what it was. It was a
rock-climbing machine. It rested on the floor and nearly
extended to the height of the ceiling, a large conveyor belt
that rotated on a metal frame. Along the belt was a series of
synthetic rocks and grooves, designed to simulate an actual
cliff. Along the side was a lever that regulated the speed in
which the belt would rotate.

It was aptly named “The Rock.”

Nobody else made a move to tackle this endeavor. Nobody dared.
Nobody except me.

The movie “Cliffhanger”, the Sylvester Stallone flick that
brought the action genre to new heights, was buzzing across
everyone’s lips at the time and no doubt had inspired the gym to
purchase such a workout device.

I was feeling a little bit like “Rocky” myself so I emerged from
the crowd like the heavyweight champ and bolstered myself atop
this machine.

What happened next, I’d rather not divulge.

Let’s just say that three minutes later, the ego, the self
esteem, the soaring confidence, it all came crashing down off
the wall with me. I sat on the gym in a heap of defeat, my arms
and legs completely shot, my heart racing like a Nissan. “The
Rock” had knocked me out.

The morale of the story (besides keeping your ego in check) is
that rock climbing is one of the most physically challenging
exercises you could possible take on. After all, there has to be
a reason why professional rock climbers are so lean and healthy.

Rock climbing is an exercise that not only strengthens your legs
and upper torso, but it may also be the best method for
improving range of motion.

As imposing as my three-minute bout with “The Rock” may sound,
the apparatus is actually the ideal way to begin this activity.
The resistance of the machine can be set at a very low level for
beginners to accustom themselves to the form and motion needed
in rock climbing.

You can eventually work your way up to a faster pace, which
provides for a sensational workout. I remember feeling a
resounding pump throughout my entire body after just a few
fast-paced minutes on the machine.

Your battles don’t necessarily end after you’ve conquered the
“Rock.” Hundreds of rock climbing gyms have been cropping up
across the country and offer the most challenging of programs.