René goes to the gym four or five days a week and walks daily. She also squeezes in weight training ev- ery few days, sometimes for as little as 10 minutes. “But my favorite is my trampo- line,” she said. She keeps a small trampoline at her office and at home. “I sit so much when I’m working, and when I realize I’ve been sitting for at least an hour, I get up and jump for 10 minutes,” René said. “It’s fun, especially for my mental health. There’s something physiological hap- pening too – you get your blood flow - ing through your whole body and it helps your brain, too.” She compared the process to reno- vating a home. “In real estate, we call it a full gut, when you bring the home down to the studs, especially if the place has ‘good bones,’” she said. “I like to think I did a full remodel on my life, and I do have good bones.” >> An ongoing effort René tracks daily progress on a pa- per spreadsheet, including what she ate, her weight, her exercise and oth- er activities. She also sets daily and weekly goals. “If I do everything I’m supposed to do, I call it a 100% day,” she said. “There are usually three to four 100% days each week. Some weeks there are more like two, and there’s never been seven.” This accountability is where some weight-loss efforts fail: people may become intimidated by the scale or too busy to record their daily num- bers. They may forget a day, then a week, then a month. Then it be- comes easy to stop or write down in- complete data. René said the world of real estate is always full of temptations, from
Michelle had tried various diets over the years but never was able to put in the discipline for long-term results.
podcasts, read countless articles, and watched videos. “What I found is that so many conflict,” she said. “Do I eat eggs or not eat eggs? Do I eat more meat or no meat? Should I eat more or less dairy? Should I only eat vegetables and fruit?” Ultimately, René learned enough to put a health and diet plan togeth- er. She cut out sugar and dairy. She eats mostly plant-based foods, but may sneak in some meat and fish, as well as the occasional drink. “It’s all about being mindful,” she said.
spontaneous effort. The previous year, a divorce, concerns about family health, and gradual weight gain all motivated her. “Over the years, it seemed like I was always gaining a few pounds here and there, and it started to add up,” she said. “It’s not like I hadn’t tried this before —usually I lost 5 pounds and put it right back on — I just could never crack the code.” This time, she “put the blinders on” and looked at all aspects of her life, including diet and physical activity. She researched modern weight loss methods, listened to nutrition
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