I don’t know what could be more motivating! It's a brand new year. Time for new beginnings, new journeys along the path of life. What better time to dig in and get serious about fitness, nutrition, and health. But how many times have you started the year with great intentions for getting fit and by the first of February you’re already falling short of your resolution?
It’s really hard to make lasting changes in our patterns of behavior. And, yes! They have everything to do with our success or failure in our efforts to get fit and stay fit. If you’re still thinking in terms of short term dieting you’re bound to fail in the long term. Dieting is exactly that: Short Term. To get the results you want and keep them, you really need to make lasting, life long changes in your daily life.
Don’t let that scare you. It can sound impossible, but small changes add up and over time, if you continue to add to them, you will evolve into a new way of life. One that not only feels better from the inside out, but has you looking better on the outside, too. So, start with a few things. It’s OK to stretch yourself, just be sure your goals are attainable. Then, as these new practices become routine, add a few more changes. Before you know it, you’ll have a fit and healthy lifestyle and dieting won’t be part of it.
I recently read an article by Paul Wilson titled, “Fourteen Reasons Why Dieting Is Bad For Your Health.” You can read the article on the Free Weight Loss Zone website. Here a few of my favorites:
· Dieting makes your body believe it is starving so it starts to save fat, as this is its best way to store energy.
· Severe dieting causes muscle loss and if you are unlucky the loss may be from your heart with severe consequences.
· Dieting lowers the base metabolic rate which means you can live on less food, so when you return to your normal food intake which was already too high, you put on weight even faster than before and will probably end up heavier than before the diet.
· Dieting does nothing to teach you to eat healthily. Healthy eating does not mean going hungry.
Here a few suggestions that might help you stay with your New Year’s resolution and reach your goals this year:
1) Write your goals down. It’s almost like they really don’t count if you can’t see them in black and white. Post them on your bathroom mirror, on your fridge, scroll them across your computer for your screen saver, “Lose 10 pounds!” or “Exercise 5 times a week!”
2) Make a plan. I can’t emphasize this enough. It’s like heading out to drive across the country without a roadmap. Just following the car in front of you and hoping you get there could take you clear to Mexico when you’re trying to reach Wyoming.
3) Think about your plan. Does it include long-term changes for better health? Or is it the 5 week starvation diet that will leave you worse off than when you started? It’s a proven fact: Diets don’t work!
So, stop dieting! Don’t even think the word diet. Think about eating healthy, nutritious, whole foods. Stay away from packages, processes, cans, and boxes whenever possible. Go visit John Berardi’s site and pick up his cookbook, Gourmet Nutrition. It’s worth the money!
4) Make physical activity a priority. If you are short on time, trim your workout to 30 minutes instead of an hour. Cut out something else. Don’t let the weather, the kids, or your friends make you deviate from your plan.
Here’s how: if you were going to run for 45 minutes but it starts to rain go to the gym and use a treadmill or a bike. If you don’t belong to a gym (I don’t!) pop in an aerobics DVD at home or maybe a yoga DVD.
Make sure you have alternatives. If you get home and the kids are hungry and cranky give them a snack and invite them to join you. They can ride bikes, scooters, trikkes, or just skate while you jog. They can run agility ladders, jump hurdles, throw medicine balls, run wind sprints and they’ll make sure you get a great workout in a field, at the park, or on the football field at the school.
Tell your girlfriends you can shop another day, or better yet, invite them to join you working out!
5) Track your progress. Every good project manager knows you have to track your progress. You won’t meet your goals unless you know where you started, where you are along the way, and when you are going to hit the target.
Start with a set of pictures right now. Put them away for 6 to 8 weeks. Take measurements. Measure your thighs, your waist, and your arms. Weigh yourself. But don’t weigh yourself everyday. It’s not only unnecessary, but it can be downright de-motivating! Weigh weekly at most.
Check your progress at three weeks, at 6 weeks, and so on. After 6 to 8 weeks look at those before photos. If you have stayed with your plan you’ll be amazed with your results.
Now, let’s get started and Have a happy New Year!
Melanie Totcky
Tampa Trikke Club