Get Ready, Get Set, Go!
Getting started is the hardest part of beginning a healthy lifestyle. You have taken an important step towards living the rest of your life full of more energy and vigor. CONGRATULATIONS!
Get Ready!
Getting healthy starts with a healthy mind. If you haven’t wrapped your brain around committing to the process of getting healthy, you will not have long-term success. Anyone can change how he or she eats and can start exercising. However, people who are willing to accept that the process involves making permanent changes to how they view food, exercise, and more importantly, themselves will achieve long-lasting results.
Food
How many people do you know that have gone through the painful cycle of losing weight, only to eventually gain it back? Perhaps, this describes your own experience. When people go on “diets”, their frame of mind is that it is a “temporary” way of eating. It is this short-term approach that has resulted in the high incidence of the “yo-yo diet syndrome.” Instead, your “diet” should be defined as what you consume – period. Rather than a short-term fix to what you consume to lose weight, focus on a permanent solution that will help you lose the weight AND keep it off.
Exercise
With exercise, you get out of it what you put into it. Starting out, you have to build up your endurance. But this does not mean that it should be easy. For effective weight loss, you need to get your heart rate to about 80 – 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Of course, you don’t stay at that rate for the duration of your workout. Your goal is to reach 80 – 85 percent of your maximum in order to keep your body in a constant fat-burning zone. That means you will be breathing hard and sweating! It is not easy, but there is a big pay-off!
Looking in the mirror
Even if you are not a vain person, how you view yourself through this process can be difficult at times. Even if you have never had issues with body image, you may discover as you lose weight you uncover things about yourself or discover unexpected emotions. Forget fighting the “Battle with the Bulge” – winning the “Battle Within” is key to staying motivated and on track.
Find something from the outset to keep you focused and motivated:
- Your primary motivation should be yourself!
- Identify your “triggers” that sabotage your diet and exercise routine and confront them.
- Ask for help or talk it out!
- Celebrate your success!
- Don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day!
- If a bad day turns into two, three, or more don’t give up, GET HELP!
Get Set!
Clean out your fridge and pantry!
- Get rid of anything that resembles a bad habit.
- Dump the “trans-fat” and items that are high in saturated fats.
Clean up your carbs!
- Stock up on complex carbs like legumes, dark green and leafy veggies.
- Opt in whole grain varieties of breads, cereal, and oatmeal.
- Opt for natural sweeteners like Stevia or other sugar substitutes.
Go lean with your protein!
- Stick with lean cuts of poultry, beef, and pork.
- Fish and seafood have virtually ZERO fat and lots of beneficial nutrients.
- Try low- and non-fat diary items (milk, cheese, yogurt)
Clear your mind!
- Stay focused on the things that will help you achieve your goals.
GO!
You CAN DO it! Prove it to yourself!