I asked many of you on Facebook what your New Year’s Resolution was and the vast majority of you said to loose weight and get in shape. This is typically most people’s resolution that they make year after year with no avail. Well this year is different! I am here to help all of you to push yourselves to loose the weight you want and be a healthier, more fit and happier YOU! So how are we going to do this, what makes this year different from the rest? We are going to be a community. Think of me as your personal trainer, chef and workout buddy. All of you always have access to me via my email on this site and I am here to answer all of your questions, as long as you are comfortable with me posting them on my site (without your last name of course). Many of you have the same problems and questions so lets be a community and help one another out this year so that all of you can reach your goals!
I use to be a group exercise teacher in college, and at the start of the New Year, my classes would have a wait list that’s how packed they were. People were gung-ho about loosing weight but slowly though week after week the numbers died down and people fell back into their normal routines. Why is this? This happens because of a few reasons, people may workout hard but they do not eat right and many times lie even to themselves about how healthy they eat. I am not here to criticize, we all do it, but I am here to help you overcome this. The other reason people quit is because they become discouraged without seeing results as quickly as they would like. Television has helped to amplify this with shows like the Biggest Loser. People that are severely obese loose a large number of pounds very quickly. A few reasons for this is because generally they have been living an almost completely sedentary lifestyle binging on junk food and also when they workout everything they do burns more calories simply because they have to move their body weight. I am very proud of these individuals and their results are dramatic, life changing and great. However, these people loose 100-300 pounds and the number gets stuck in people’s heads. Women wonder why they can’t loose a messily 30 pounds in comparison. The final reason people stray is because life gets in the way. Things come up and people rationalize that they possibly could not have a single minute in their day to workout. They tell themselves they will get back on track Monday and everyday they push it aside they get further and further away from their goals. Well no more 2012 is different we are in this together! Let’s get started!
First, I would like all of you to set a list of goals. Here is a good generic list of five goals that you can modify:
- To loose ____ of pounds
- To eat/drink more ____
- To eat/drink less ____
- To feel comfortable wearing ___ out in public
- To be able to do ____ reps/miles of ____
These five goals should be put somewhere where you can see them everyday so you know what you are working towards. Try the front the refrigerator, your dresser mirror, wherever you will see them daily.
Next, get a journal to create a food diary. An example of one can be found at the bottom of this article. The purpose of this is to know exactly how much you are eating. Half of the battle with loosing weight is eating the other part is exercise. A food diary makes you aware of what and how much you are eating a day. Its not suppose to make you feel bad and you shouldn’t cheat it. It is a great way to see what is missing in your diet, stressors or time of day you are likely to stray from your plans and so on. You should never use your diary to feel bad about anything! So you splurged and had a piece of cake, do NOT beat yourself up over it! The trick to dieting is all about moderation. A huge mistake I see people make is they say, “ I am not eating anymore junk food whatsoever.” This last a week, they go crazy and the diet goes out the window! Do not set yourself up for failure just try to eat bad food in moderation and seriously soon you will crave healthier items or very small portions of not healthy things. You can Google how many calories for your body weight you need to eat a day but to be honest I think lots of people are different. How much activity you have in your daily routine may change this along with your overall metabolism. I like a food journal to simply show you what you are eating not necessarily the exact calories and fat intake but its really up to you what you would like to do. You may be surprised how much you write down. I am the type of person that grazes all day instead of eating three solid meals (we will discuss meal number and size in another article) so my list was pretty long. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. One huge thing to avoid is under eating. Some people think that this is the best way to drop pounds but it is not healthy and likely you wont stick with it long. Instead you are better off to eat sensible meals and workout which we will discuss in depth in later blogs.
The last thing is to be proud of yourself and have fun on your journey. You are entering a new phase in your life for a healthier you! Push your limits and try new things. You may join new workout classes and make new friends, bond with a friend over new activities such as hiking or have fun with a spouse by getting fit together by trying something like a dance class! Enjoy it and embrace it! I will constantly be blogging workouts, recipes and tips so check back often and please remember if you have any questions that you want to ask and share do not hesitate or be embarrassed we are going to be a community and help one another reach their goals!
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