It's that time of year. Resolutions are made and broken. We set goals, we dream big...but do we put those thoughts into action??? Let's think realistically about whether what we are doing today is going to get us where we want to go. If you are looking to make huge changes, minor changes, or just to maintain your current situation, this blog is written from ME to YOU!
If you are looking to re-vamp your lifestyle or have set new goals you need to consider 3 things: a fitness program, nutrition, and your lifestyle. Getting in to shape is great, but staying there is just as much work and a life-time commitment. (It's kind of like brushing your teeth--doing it once makes them clean for a day, but it doesn't last a lifetime! You MUST repeat healthy habits every day in order to see long term results!) I suggest you start by setting goals. Set short term (1 month), mid term (6 months) and long term (a year). The key here is to make sure each set of goals addresses each of the the 3 areas of health: fitness, nutrition and lifestyle.
Things to consider when it comes to fitness: do you prefer to work out at home or at a gym? What exercise do you love, and what do you hate? (There is a soul mate workout for EVERYONE out there!) If you prefer to work out at home, what equipment might you need for your new fitness program? Will you be working out alone or with a friend? Are there any injuries you need to be aware of?
Things to consider when it comes to nutrition: Nutrition is 85% of loosing and maintaining your weight, so it IS crucial. Take your goal weight and multiply by 10 to see how many calories you should take in in a day. (ex: goal weight is 140; total intake should be 1400) On days you exercise add HALF of the calories you burned during your workout to your daily intake total. (Say you burn 600 calories, add 300 to your 1400 total = 1700 total daily calories). Fruits and vegetables ARE important--how are you going to include them? COMPLEX carbs should make up 50% of your diet--use WHOLE GRAIN in place of white everywhere you can. PROTEIN is not optional--you need about half of your weight in grams of protein per day (ex. if you weigh 140 pounds, you need 70g of protein/day--at LEAST!) . Lean muscle burns fat 6x faster than fat--so including weights is crucial! And NO, you will not get bulky; in fact, one pound of lean muscle takes up 18% less space than one pound of fat.
Lifestyle changes: Choose one bad habit to let go of each week and one good habit to include. Think about how to change any fast food habits you have. Think about how to replace cokes with water or tea. Think about how you are going to incorporate eating 5-6 small meals/day instead of 2 or 3 large ones. These changes won't happen over night--choose one per week and MAKE IT HABIT! Probably the most important factor regarding lifestyle is: find someone to hold you accountable for your actions!!! Surround yourself with people who TRULY want to see you succeed and be okay letting go of anyone who will hold you down. Most importantly, after thinking these things through, WRITE DOWN YOUR PLAN! Putting it in writing solidifies it, invites it in, and forces you to think it through thoroughly!
This may sound like a lot...it might sound overwhelming. But what is the ultimate goal here? You are talking about your HEALTH; this is not a given, this is something you have to work on. And how you FEEL (your health) is the ONE THING that affects EVERY other aspect of your life: how you feel when you wake up every morning, how well you do your job, your MOOD, your relationship with your significant other, the lives of your children (they mimic what they SEE--telling them to eat healthy doesn't cut it--they need to SEE you do it!)...your HEALTH is critical to every facet of your life. The good news is that YOU are the only one in control of your health and you have everything you need to be healthy. All you need to do is make the decision to get healthy, commit to getting it done, and enjoy the success that comes with that! This is a starting point for anyone looking to improve their health. Should you want 'specific' suggestions in any of those 3 areas, I am more than happy to work with you one on one. Start thinking about how serious this is and think about what will work for you, then email me to tell me how I can help.
Decide, Commit, Succeed.
