Staying Motivated

Staying motivated is one of the toughest things when you embark on a journey to live a healthy lifestyle.  Most people start off with a good plan.  They’re in the right frame of mind, have lots of energy, and goals to achieve.  Think about a common New Year’s resolution for many people: Lose weight.  They buy a gym membership and everything goes well for the first week or two.  Then what happens?

Most of us tend to lose sight of the end goal and our workouts become few and far between.  We start to make excuses why we can’t make it to the gym or why we don’t feel like cooking tonight.  Believe me – it happens to the best of us.  Staying motivated is a constant struggle, but I’m going to give you some ideas to help you continue on the right path towards healthy living.

One thing you can do is to incorporate variety into your exercise and meals.  One of the main reasons why people lose motivation is they get bored eating the same meals constantly and doing the same few exercises.  Look online for new and healthy recipes.  I recommend Skinnytaste.  This site offers a great variety of healthy food and easy to follow recipes.  Now that the weather is getting nicer outside, your exercise possibilities are endless.  Even mowing the lawn or washing your car can give you a good workout!

Another idea for staying motivated is to always keep your end goals in mind.  Think of why you began this journey in the first place.  If it helps you, write your goals down and put them somewhere (or in a couple places) where you will see them.  For example, hang up a picture of yourself, possibly when you weighed less.  Use this picture as the motivating factor of where you’ve been before and where you’d like to get to again.  Hey, even put a picture on the fridge if that helps deter you from unnecessary snacking.  Also, try posting motivation quotes around your house or at work.  Sometimes all it takes is a couple words or simple phrases to push you back in the right direction.

For other great ideas, watch this short video for 10 Ways to Motivate Yourself.    

Take a look at these weight loss success stories for some additional inspiration!


Reference:

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Working with a Personal Trainer

Working out with a personal trainer can be a great experience.  A personal trainer can motivate you to reach your fitness goals and will develop a plan specific to your fitness level.  It doesn’t matter if you already know how to use all the machines at the gym or have never set foot in a gym.  A trainer will assess your starting fitness level and go from there.  If you’re already a fitness guru, a trainer can provide different exercises that you may not have thought of.  It’s important to change your exercise routines periodically so that your body doesn’t get used to it.  If this happens, you won’t get the results you want.

Personal trainers can not only help you with cardio and strength training, but many of them can also help guide you with your diet.  After all, a healthy diet goes hand in hand with exercise.  You might be doing everything right at the gym, but if you eat unhealthy foods, you may just be wasting your time and money.

Hiring a personal trainer isn’t cheap.  However, you might only need a couple sessions to get a plan in place.   Or, maybe you can get a couple friends together and split the cost.  Some trainers will do small group sessions and this can make it more affordable.

So, let’s say you decide that you’d like to start working out with a personal trainer.  What steps do you need to take?  Your local gym probably has trainers that you can work with.  If you don’t belong to a gym, some personal trainers will actually come to your house for personal training sessions – how convenient!

Watch this short video to see if you should hire a personal trainer.

This interactive quiz will also help you decide if you need a personal trainer.  

Reference:

recreation.ncsu.edu

Starting an Exercise Program

Starting an exercise program can be intimidating.  You often wonder – where do I start?  What types of exercises should I do?  When should I start? Well, you definitely want to start exercising sooner than later.  The benefits of exercising just 30 minutes a day can do wonders for your overall health.

The main thing to remember is to start slowly.  You don’t have to be a body builder or a fitness buff to start an exercise regimen.   Also, it doesn’t matter what exercises you do – any type of movement is good for your mind, body and soul.  It is a proven fact that exercise releases endorphins in the brain that can improve your mood. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that you definitely want to incorporate both cardio exercises (i.e. treadmill, elliptical, bike) and strength training (i.e. various machines at the gym, free weights, push-ups).   Strength training helps build muscle (don’t think huge bulky muscles!), which burns fat and therefore you become more fit.  Cardio exercises elevate your heart rate, which not only helps you maintain a healthy heart, but also can lead to weight loss.  Use this Target Heart Rate Calculator to see what range you should keep your heart rate between when exercising to get the most out of your workout.

Also, why not ask a friend or family member to join you?  You can keep each other on track and encourage one another to keep going.  It’s a win-win! 

Here are 35 easy ways to incorporate exercise into your life.  You may be surprised to see that some of your everyday activities are actually helping you improve your fitness.

This YouTube video shares some tips for starting a workout program.  

Before you know it, you will be looking great and feeling healthy!

Reference:

karmajello.com

How Stress Impacts Weight Loss

Most people don’t realize how much stress can impact a person’s weight loss plan.  You could be doing everything right (i.e. eating healthy meals and exercising regularly), but if stress is a major component of your daily life, it could be sabotaging all your fitness goals.

Let’s face it – in today’s world, we all have some type of stress – whether it is from work, school, relationship problems, or a combination of many things.  If you’re like most people, when you encounter stress, you will likely go on an eating binge and feel unmotivated to exercise. 

Another facet to losing weight is making sure you get an adequate amount of sleep each night (7-8 hours).  When you’re stressed out, your sleeping patterns can become erratic which can inhibit losing weight.  When you have a lot on your mind, you tend to wake up throughout the night and have trouble falling back asleep.  This certainly doesn’t help your energy level the next day.  To gain energy from lack of sleep, most of us refuel with food (probably not the healthiest foods either).

Despite the stress we all experience in life, there are positive ways to deal with it.  Rather than turning to food, why not go for a walk, join a yoga class, listen to calm music, read a book or watch your favorite movie.   What ways do you de-stress at the end of a long day?

For more insight on your personal stress level, take this short 20-question quiz to find out how stressed you are.

Reference:

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Why Fad Diets Don't Work

When it comes to dieting, most people want a quick fix.  For instance, maybe it’s a daily weight loss pill that promises you’ll lose X amount of pounds with little or no effort on your part.  Or it could be you have to cut out a certain food group (i.e. carbs) and only eat another food group (i.e. protein).  Let’s face it though – our bodies are not made to limit our bodies in such a way that we deprive ourselves of necessary nutrients.  When it comes right down to it – fad diets don’t work!

There are so many fad diets out there – I’m sure you’ve heard of at least one of them: The Atkins Diet, The South Beach Diet, Slim Fast, etc.  One of the reasons why fad diets don’t work is that you cannot sustain this type of eating plan for the rest of your life.  Imagine if you drank Slim Fast shakes for the rest of your life.  First of all, that would get boring.  More importantly, however, is that once you stop following a fad diet, you are more likely to put the weight back on (and unfortunately more quickly than it came off).

It is possible to see quick results with fad diets.  The drawback is that those results are not likely to last.  As soon as you go back to your old eating habits, the progress you made will soon fade away.  The most effective way to lose weight is to ditch the diet pills and focus on eating the right foods in sensible portions and exercise frequently. 

So, what fad diets have you tried in the past?  Have they been effective at helping you keep the weight off long-term?  Leave a comment below about your fad diet experience.

Watch this short YouTube video for more about Why Fad Diets Don't Work.     

This slide show depicts 10 Famous Fad Diets.  Which ones have you heard of?

Reference:

www.sixpacksmackdown.com

The Basics of Shopping for Healthy Foods

Ok, so you’ve made up your mind that you are going to live a healthier lifestyle.  In doing so, you realize that the food you have in your refrigerator and cupboards right now is not exactly the healthiest!  We’ve all been there. 

The first thing to do is to toss out all of the unhealthy foods.  By getting it out of the house, you won’t be tempted.  Next, make a list of healthy foods you like. Keep in mind that you need to incorporate fruits, veggies, protein, fiber, as well as healthy fats like nuts and extra virgin olive oil.  By having a grocery list in hand when you go to the store, you are less likely to be swayed by items you shouldn’t be buying.

Another key component to shopping for the right foods is paying attention to food labels.  Reading food labels takes practice but there are a few areas you want to look at.  The ingredients list is one of them.  The items with the highest content are listed first.  If sugar or high fructose corn syrup is listed first or second, it probably shouldn’t go on your shopping list.  Also, stay away from (partially) hydrogenated oils as they have been known to cause serious health risks, including cancer and heart disease.

 

The serving size is also important.  A certain food might only show 3 grams of fat per serving, but there may be 10 servings in the whole package/box.  By not looking at the serving size, you may end up consuming way more than you intended to.

Some people think eating healthy is expensive, which is true in some regards.  However, it doesn’t have to be.  Buying fruits that are in season will help you save some money.  When you find a food that is on sale, stock up if you can (provided it isn’t a perishable item).  Keep in mind that you can also freeze many foods and save them for later.  When you think about your health, can you really afford not to eat healthy?  

Take a look at this photo. 

Let’s say you only have $20 to spend for lunch this week.  You could go to the local fast food restaurant and get enough for one or two unhealthy meals or you could go to the grocery store and buy enough healthy food for the entire week.  What would you pick?









For more healthy shopping tips, watch as Dr. Oz explains what to look for in the grocery store   

Test your knowledge on food labels and take this interactive quiz: Food Label Quiz

References:

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The Importance and Benefits of Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Most people don’t realize how important it is to live a healthy lifestyle.  I’ll admit that I was one of those people.  But now, I know that the choices I make now could impact my life in more ways than one down the road.

A healthy lifestyle isn’t just about eating the right foods.  Exercising is also an essential part of a healthy body.  I will be the first to tell you that doing either one consistently is not easy.  You have to make a conscious choice every day to be healthy.  No one can do it for you, unfortunately!

Regardless of what your motivation is, making a change today (even a small change) can make a big difference.  When I say “small change”, I mean small.  You don’t have to completely flip your life around overnight by working out for 2 hours a day and completely giving up your favorite food.  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “everything in moderation”.  That is completely true when it comes to lifestyle changes.  If you make too many changes all at once, you will be less likely to stick with it.

Also, keep in mind that the results of making healthy changes in your life will not be apparent right away.  Don’t let that discourage you.  Be patient with yourself.  Set small goals and appreciate any progress that you make.  And most importantly, don’t give up!

To see what your BMI (Body Mass Index) is, use this BMI Calculator.  It will tell you if you need to make some changes to reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

For more information on the Benefits of Living a Healthy Lifestyle, consider watching this video.

  

References:

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