Secret Five: Get Objective Feedback

You may know what a good workout feels like - you have that endorphin “high” after exercise, or you have energy to spare all day long. But do you know what an effective workout feels like? It is hard to know how effective your workout is every day without waiting for weeks or months to see results. What if you could see day after day how many calories you burned, or what your heart rate was each workout? Using a heart rate monitor can tell you if you are working too hard or not hard enough. What about calories? An accelerometer can tell you all day long how many calories you are burning and keep you motivated to move! When you look for ways to add activity to your day it becomes a fun game and you can instantly see results.

Secret Six: Avoid “All or Nothing” Mentality

Have you had plans to exercise five times one week and first day something happened and you didn’t exercise? When this happens, many people give up on rest of week This is known as All or Nothing Mentality. Keep away from this – it doesn’t work. If you approach your exercise and nutrition program in that manner, you set yourself up for failure. Allow for flexibility in your exercise plans and know one missed day is not a setback.

Secret Seven: Be Accountable!

About 95% of all participants in an exercise program will stop exercising. Why? No support. Research has shown that exercisers with some kind of support system have a better chance of continuing exercise. You need someone who will also hold you accountable for your exercise. Working with someone like a personal trainer, a coach or a mentor will give you support you need and you can work together to identify barriers to keeping your commitment and develop strategies to overcome these obstacles. Most people need far more support, follow up and accountability than they think to start and maintain an exercise program.

In interest of avoiding all or nothing mentality, don’t try to implement all these secrets at once. Pick one or two and when you have those working, add another secret. Just like results from exercise, building motivation and consistency will take time. Fitness is not just about reaching a destination, it is a journey where you will learn much about yourself and grow from your experiences. Keep your short term goals in mind, and enjoy journey to reaching your ultimate goals.

Fiber, water and yoga

Pam, who struggles with constipation, has developed a combination of things which work for her: “I drink Metamucil (psyllium fibre) every day and try to relax, pray or meditate, even do a little yoga. The more I make myself relax and take time to de-stress better I can manage my problem. I know time for yourself is very hard to come by sometimes but I have to if I'm going to manage this. I try to drink at least three bottles of water a day. This is also hard sometimes but I have to take care of me best I can. I also take a mild anti-depressant. This has helped a bunch in my stress department and in turn has helped my IBS.”

Stress and IBS

Daniel believes that his symptoms are related to his emotions and stress: “I thought that when I was stuck on toilet, experiencing most severe cramps, thinking I was about to pass out from pain, feeling like I was about to throw up, I was only one. I'm still trying to work it out but I believe it has a lot to do with my psychological state. I say this because although I don't get too stressed out at any one moment, I do have general worries about money and life. I tend to find when I'm not worrying about these things I don't get pain as much, if at all. It's easier said than done of course, I can't just stop worrying about money or my future, but being aware of these things seems to help - being optimistic and knowing that everything is only temporary. I have been taking Colpermin (peppermint capsules) as a preventative which often helps and for a while I took painkillers which I think helped.”

Soluble versus insoluble fiber

Some nutritionists believe that IBS sufferers’ intestines react differently to soluble and insoluble fiber, and this has been Stu’s experience: “After trying all kinds of drugs and healthy eating, my pains were still there. I found by accident that it wasn't so much what I ate but whether I ate it on a full stomach or not. My failsafe is pasta on an empty stomach, I get no reaction - it is soluble fibre that settles colon apparently. I quickly searched on internet for recipes high in soluble fibre and I have improved. Most significantly though I am on no medication and this puts me in control of IBS, not other way around. I think this is important as stress certainly can trigger symptoms off. I don't avoid insoluble fibre as it is essential for body, but I recommend that you eat it on a full stomach.”

A final word

Lastly, please do make sure that you have been officially diagnosed with IBS and had your symptoms fully investigated before trying any self-help methods. As Joe found out, bowel symptoms can be due something other than IBS: “I was diagnosed with IBS, but I went to get a second opinion. They did an ultrasound followed by a barium follow-through which showed major inflammation and blockage of my small intestine. The final diagnosis is Crohn's disease. It's a pity they didn't catch it before I was seriously ill, instead of fobbing me off with excuses of ‘It's IBS, there's no cure so live with it!’”