“Sustainable weight loss is a complete lifestyle change, not a 12 week eating plan.”
Reaching your goals will take TIME and DEDICATION! You can not expect to see great results if you not dedicate the time to eating right and spend time in the gym! You have to work hard to get the results you want!
“Most of us think we don’t have enough time to exercise. What a distorted paradigm! We don’t have time not to. We’re talking about three to six hours a week – or a minimum of thirty minutes a day, every other day. That hardly seems an inordinate amount of time considering the tremendous benefits in terms of the impact on the other 162 – 165 hours of the week.”
~ Stephen Covey ~
Over the past few post, I have provided more than enough material to help someone who wants to start to be active again. Besides getting up and starting your healthy lifestyle, the only other thing that you need to do is set a goal! It makes it easier when you have a goal you would like to reach so you know how long and how hard you should work.
To weight your self…or not to weight yourself…that is the question!…
Some people like to know their starting off right. This is a good idea. Although it may be disheartening to find out how much weight you have gained, it is on a temporary number! With hard work and dedication that number will steadily decrease over time. You can purchase your own scale (which may be good to help you keep track of you weight loss over time) or you can use a scale at a gym, doctors office, or any other place that will allow you to do so.
How much weight you should expect to lose over time…
On average, with the right exercise routine and a good balanced diet, you should be losing about 2 pounds a week. If you are losing more than 7 pounds a week then you might want to evaluate what you are doing (because its normal to lose between 2-5 pounds a week). Accurately losing weight is done by balancing how many calories you burn with how many calories you are consuming. Naturally, if you are burning off more calories that you consume this will lead to weight loss. These results will not be seen overnight! It takes time and patience and a regular routine of exercise and a good balanced diet.
what is a realistic length of time to set a goal?…
Lets say that your goal is to lose 20 pounds. To be honest, the length of time it will take you to lose 20 pounds may be different from someone else. It all depends on how often you exercise and if you decrease your calorie intake to help you burn fat. Like stated above you should be losing about 2 pounds for week (but some weeks it will be more than that and other weeks it will be less than that. It is completely normal for that to happen!). So if you calculate 2 pounds per week this will take approximately 20 weeks (or about 5 months). Like I said before The length of time it will take someone to lose weight will be different from someone else! If are losing about 4 pounds a week it will take you about 5 weeks to lose 20 pounds. It just all depends on how hard you work and how many pounds you lose from week to week. Do not let the length of time discourage you! These things take time, patients, and dedication. And in the end the hard work will show.
What happens if I do not lose weight one week?…
It is OK if there is a week that you do not lose any weight or you lose one pound. Try not to worry or stress out too much if this happens! Just try to push yourself a little harder the next week to help you get back on track to reaching your goal!
What to eat during this time…
Setting a menu is just as important as setting a work out schedule. What I have personally found to be helpful is that each time I go to the grocery store, I plan my menu’s (at least for the next week to two weeks). It helps because I can budget the things that I need to get, and I can also cook some items I need during the weekend so that it can be stored to be used later in the week. Each month I set a monthly budget for how much I can spend at the grocery store and how much money I can spend going out to eat. A few years ago I stopped eating fast food all together, so my “out to eat” budget is for the weekly dinners I plan at restaurants with my friends (and I always save half of that meal to be eaten the next day for lunch or dinner! so I get two meals out of going out to eat) It also allows me to look at the local stores newspaper adds so I can try to get the best price for the fruits and veggies I buy and eat on a regular basis.
What happens if I do not reach my goal in the time that I set for myself?…
If you do not reach your goal in the time you set it is OK!! Just extend your goal time. Allow yourself a few more weeks to work hard and reach the initial goal you have set for yourself. What I have suggested to some clients is to possible keep a fitness/health journal. This can help you keep track of your workouts, if you happen to splurge during one meal (which is OK but try not to make it a habit), or any other things that go on during the time you are trying to reach your goal. It will not only allow you to keep track of these things, but it can also serve as an outlet of positive and negative things that happen. You can write it down, or blog about it (there are several sites that will allow you to keep your blog private or let you choose who can/cant see it). This can also help by letting people see thins and encourage you to keep pushing towards your goals. I also love this idea because if I am out and I hear of something I want to try or randomly find a recipe I would like to try, I have my journal near by to jot it down!
I hope that these tools will help you create your goals and start your own fitness and health journeys.
“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” ~ Buddha
Do you know exactly what you are putting into your body? Do you even know how much food you are consuming each day? It is said that most people consume as little as TWICE as many calories than they actually need each day.
One of the most important things you need to do to help you reach your goals is to figure out what you are eating and how much you are eating!! There are DOZENS of applications you can download onto your smart devices and they are also accessible on your computer.
You can find an easily accessible and FREE calorie counter site at: http://www.nutracheck.co.uk/
Once you get singed up with these programs feel free to play around with it!! You need to get use to how the program works so you will become efficient as being able to navigate and use the program properly.
Using these types of programs will allow you the change to closely monitor HOW much food you are eating and what kind of foods you are eating.
I suggest a few things:
- when you decide you want to make a healthier change, sign up for one of these programs and track what types of food you eat for a FULL week
- when the week is over go back and look at what you eat a lot of and what you need to eat more of. You will be surprised to see that you consume too much salt, sugar, or another type of food. You will also be able to see that you do not eat enough veggies, fruits, or protein. This will allow you the change to actually see what areas you need to improve on.
- next find some healthy recipes and go shopping! You have to find recipes that will be fitting to your needs! Usually breakfast will be around 300-400 calories snacks will be around 200-300 calories, and lunch and dinner should also be around 300-400 calories! The goal is to spread your meals out throughout the day so you do not feel like you are going hungry! YOU DO NOT WANT TO SKIP MEALS!! THIS CAN HINDER YOUR WEIGHT LOSS! You want to try to stick to a regular eating schedule. I would suggest eating about every 2-3 hours. have breakfast, and then a small snack, lunch, another snack, dinner, and if you are still hungry in the evening have another SMALL snack. You want to try to stop eating about 2-3 hours BEFORE you go to bed. But you do not want to go hungry and you should try NOT to skip any meals
-keep track of what you eat in these applications. They will let you decide if you have the right serving size or more than the suggested serving size. If you stick to the proper serving sizes, a steady workout routine, and drink water you should start to see results in about a month!
Reaching your goals will take TIME! You will have to be patient! You can not eat healthy for a week and expect 15-30 pounds to just vanish! Yes that would be nice but it is not realistic. You have to stay consistent with eating right AND working out. Eating right is the MAIN priority. If you are not feeding your body the right foods it will hinder the results you want to see!! You can spend all the time you want in the gym, but if you eat junk food all of that hard work will go to waste. So this is why it is SO important to get your diet under control so you are able to reach the results you want.
And there you have it! I just gave you the tools you need to help you jump-start your new health and fitness journey!
Any day is a great day to start living healthier…why not start today!?
Only YOU can stand up and make a lifestyle change!
You have to commit to the workouts…commit to eating healthy…commit to building a better YOU!
Yes it will be hard…and yes it will take some time…
BUT YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Five fool-proof strategies to help you stick to a fitness regime
Today I have another great guest post for you from a great freelance blogger. Her name is Bella and she is here to talk to you about ways to help you stick to your health and fitness plans!
If you want to change your appearance, you can do it simply or subtly by changing your wardrobe or getting a haircut. But before you start thinking about opting for a cosmetic procedure, one of the healthiest and most effective ways of looking as well as feeling better is to start a new exercise regime.
Regular exercise has a whole heap of benefits, from making you slimmer, stronger and more flexible to boosting your mood, improving your skin and possibly even making you live longer. Getting started on a new fitness regime can be hard work, however, requiring plenty of willpower and motivation. If you want to stick to it and see the results, try these 5 fool-proof tips and strategies for staying motivated and on target:
1. Set yourself realistic short-term and long-term goals. The sense of achievement when you reach a goal can help you to stick with your new lifestyle, but it’s important to be realistic. Be too ambitious at the start and you’ll quit right away, so set yourself achievable short-term goals, cross them off the list and then progress to longer range goals.
2. Make exercise part of your daily routine. To stick to your regime, you need to take exercise seriously and schedule workouts in your day just as you would any other activity. It’s important not to make excuses – simply to make physical activity part of your life.
3. Do activities you enjoy. If you hate an activity, you won’t stick to your new fitness regime. If you find something that you enjoy, such as a competitive sport like badminton or a fun activity like salsa dancing, you are more likely to want to do it each week. You might even discover a new athletic talent. You should never force yourself to do an activity that is painful or uncomfortable because you’ll only start dreading it.
4. Write down your goals, plans and achievements. Seeing your goals, your workout schedule and your progress written down on paper can really help you to see the benefits of what you’re doing and stay motivated.
5. Get a friend or family member involved. If you know someone who also wants to get fitter or lose weight, why not join forces to achieve your goals? Having someone else to motivate and support you, as well as joining in fun activities that you wouldn’t want to do alone, can really help you stay on track.
These are all some GREAT tips to help you stay on track with your health and fitness goals! You have to work hard if you want to reach your goals! Stay focused, stay dedicated, and be patient! The results will NOT come over night. But, when you do start to see the results you will appreciate all the hard work you did to get those results!
STOP making excuses.
Why not start today!?
Still have junk food in the house? Donate it to the local food pantry!
There are SO many reasons why you SHOULD start living a healthier lifestyle.
For more energy, to feel better, and to look the way YOU want too.
START TODAY!
Wake up and start with a nice quick morning walk.
Then have a nice and simple healthy breakfast
Followed by a healthy lunch and dinner.
If you have time in the evening go out for another brisk walk!
YES IT IS THAT SIMPLE!
Want to get back on track but you just don’t know how to start?
Starting is the HARDEST part!
First you have to pick a day. Pick a day that you want to start living and eating healthier.
On this day start first thing in the morning when you wake up.
The best thing to do is to start fresh at the beginning of the week (like Sunday or Monday).
Here are some day-by-day things you can do to help you get on track:
Day One:
Today try to drink at least 1.5 liters or water. Try to substitute your favorite afternoon sugar drink with a glass of water. Or have your favorite drink BUT also have the extra glass of water. The key is to start incorporating more water into your diet
Day Two:
Make a healthy snack choice. Instead of having chips with your sandwich at lunch try some veggies or a piece of fruit. You want to start making healthier food choices for your meals and snacks
Day Three:
Go for a brisk walk. You want to walk at a pace that is faster than a casual walk and you want to keep up that faster pace for about 30 minutes. You want to get your heart rate up but you also do not want to push yourself too hard starting out.
Day Four:
Regulate your meal choices. You want to try to eat several small meals throughout the day. You want your first meal to be within two hours of you first waking up. Once you have breakfast try to have more small meals (around 400 calories each) every 2-3 hours. This will help kick-start your metabolism and allow you to fuel your body as you are going through the day.
Day Five:
Create your own stretching routine. This routine should be done before AND after you workout. It does not have to be a long drawn out routine, just something that will stretch your major muscle groups and allow you to stretch your muscles.
Day Six:
Try to drink 2 liters of water! If it helps try to get a large water bottle or container that you can monitor how much you are consuming to help you keep track.
Day Seven:
Go through your cabinet and collect all of your unhealthy foods. If you still have some food that is unopened donate it to a local food pantry or other type of food service. You will not be as tempted to eat bad foods if you do not buy them or have them at home.
Day Eight:
Go for another brisk walk. This time make sure to stretch BEFORE and AFTER your walk. Do not forget to keep up the fast brisk pace for at least 30 minutes. You want to keep your heart rate up to help you start to burn those extra calories.
Day Nine:
Go one full day without eating anything “unhealthy”. This means cutting out carbonated beverages, candy bars, greasy foods, chips, or anything else that you know is unhealthy. If you even have a doubt if it is unhealthy or not, do not eat it! Stick to simple things like chicken, fish, beef, turkey, veggies, fruit, whole wheat pasta or bread, etc. This will allow you to dedicate one full day to fueling your body with healthy low processed foods.
Day Ten:
Today try to do more physical activities. These following exercises do them for a minute and record how many you can do. A month from now do them all again and see how many more you were able to do in that minute. That should help show you how much you are progressing! Try these exercises: jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, lunges, air squats, and mountain climbers (if you do not know what these exercises are you can type them into Google or YouTube and see how to do them!)
Day Eleven:
Today try to combine several of the things listed above. Try drinking the 2 liters or water and eating healthy for a full day. Or try the brisk walk and drinking 2 liters of water. Whatever you choose, try to do at least two of the items listed above.
Day Twelve:
Start a health and fitness journal! Write down what you have been doing and how you feel. You can write down how much you weigh now and also keep track of the exercises you have been doing. There are some great online fitness journals (like myfitnesspal.com) or you can buy a regular journal to write in. Writing down what you do will help you to keep track of what you are doing and will hopefully hold you accountable for the healthy choices that you should/want to make each day.
Day Thirteen:
Today you should drink 2 liters of water, walk briskly for thirty minutes (and do not forget to stretch!!), and lastly you should also have a regulated day of eating every few hours.
Day Fourteen:
By this day you should have already started some healthy habits! Today will be the toughest day! Today you should make sure to drink 2 liters of water, eat healthy ALL day, have regulated eating (every 2-3 hours), go for a brisk walk (with your stretching), and keep track of all of this in your fitness journal.
This is just a sample of some things that you can do to get you stated on living healthier. Most people ask me “where do I start” or “what are some good things to start doing”. These are all some great things that allow you to make your own wise choices. The key is to not completely jump into things head first. You want to gradually start to make positive habits so the will become a good habit and you will stick with them. Try this for fourteen days and then see how ready you are to start living healthier!
