If you resolved to lose weight and have not, this blog is for you. Get back to your goals and let's start changing the fitness level of this Nation. You made the resolution for a reason, let's get to it.
Since writing for the Huffington Post, the dream for One Fit City has taken a huge step forward. My New Year's resolution was to get a tweet from @TheEllenShow to support my dream of making the nation healthy, One Fit City at a time. I'm moving towards it, thanks to these blogs!
Weight loss is the number one New Year's resolution. By three weeks into the New Year, most people have forgotten their resolution. If you resolved to lose weight this year and have not even started yet, don't worry you are not alone.
If you were a business you would be going into your quarterly check up. At this point, you would be looking at your goals, results to date, and seeing where you are at. My question is did you make a New Year's resolution to be healthier, are you on your way to that, or do you need a change of direction?
Here are the steps to get back on track and make 2014 the first year in a long time you don't resolve to lose weight.
Step 1: Begin to journal and write down your weight loss goals and progress towards them.
Old food plans (or lack of a plan) come back into place fast and the gym membership will collect dust if you don't start to write down what you are doing. If you don't set goals and work towards reaching them, you won't get any where fast. If the scale hasn't moved in two or three weeks, you need to sit down with a professional and identify why.
Without any documentation, all you have is your memory to go on. Your memory won't recall the half chocolate bar you ate, but stopped because you felt bad. It won't recall the gym sessions you missed because your dog was sick at home. In your mind, you are a rockstar, perfectly on point with your plan. The reality when written down and reviewed is something else entirely.
If the scale isn't moving, something is stopping it. Start writing down your workouts, the day you did them and how hard you worked (did you sweat?). If you are going for daily walks to get fit, that's awesome. Write down the days you do that and how far you go. As for meal planning, how are you eating? Are you letting treats sneak in too often? Write down absolutely everything you eat. It's amazing how calories add up.
Also, start weighing your food and measuring it out. Serving size is one of the most misunderstood concepts in health and nutrition. Start having smart snacks around you and make better choices when you get hungry.
Step 2: Commit to a program but continuously try new things.
Start walking, jogging, swimming, get a gym membership, try kickboxing pr do absolutely anything you want to be active as many days as possible. Commit to something, bring along friends and get into a groove. Then start adding more to that base. If you are new to the fitness world, get something started that gets you off the couch. Then add in to that something more high intensity. I like Rush Fit, P90X, Insanity, and Jillian Micheals workouts. They all up the intensity and really get results.
The other part of this coin is to commit to changes in what you eat. You don't have to be perfect day one, and you don't have to change everything day one. It's different for everyone. For every person that can change their diet by quitting every thing cold turkey there are others who need time to implement change and feel the difference eating "clean" can make.
It's easier to just break away from every bad habit, but that's not always easy to do. For people that struggle in this area, my suggestion is to commit Monday, Wednesday and Friday to healthy eating and higher level of exercise.
The combination will get the body and the metabolism revving. You will feel your best those days. Then try adding another clean eating day, then another. Don't look at it as taking things away from your diet and daily life. Look at it as adding energy and longevity to your life. Make your days simple, have your food ready to be eaten.
Step 3: Find your incentive
If you follow my career you know that I was diagnosed with Leukemia when I was young. Having it totally clear up was the biggest blessing in my life. I now do things with an appreciation for health. For many, health is not a motivation until it's too late. It also seems that being "toned and sexy" isn't a motivating factor for most. So what is?
Celebrity dieting tricks have become a solid source for healthy living tips. They focus on healthy meal plans and solid scientific workouts. The trend of meal replacements has become something that I found clients use with great success. I'm not looking for people to stop eating and just drink their calories. I am looking for people to have a shake or powder easily accessible when they forget their food or when they are busy and running from work to grab the kids then off to another function. Don't skip meals, be prepared.
What does this have to do with incentive?
Simply put, the product you use is not as important as the commitment to always having protein, fiber and nutrients at the ready. So when companies like Visalus offer incentive programs for their customers to receive percentages of the more than $630 billion in sales they have done, it gets people interested.
Imagine what you would do if you were able to use your commitment to health, and inspiration from achieving weight loss success to make some money on the side. Would that motivate you to stay on track? I am not looking for people to read this and stop eating real, organic, locally grown food. My goal for bringing up the option is to let you know that there are motivating options out there.
If you want to reach your goals and are not moving the scale at all, or moving towards a healthy lifestyle, you need to rethink the process. My goal is hospital avoidance. I wake up and make a smoothie, and plan my meals to make sure I stay at a healthy weight and ensure my heart health. If that doesn't motivate you, maybe a commission check will. Others use their family and newborn children. What ever it is, find your motivation. Get an incentive that works for you.
Take the next three weeks and start to take steps towards your health and weight loss goals. Remember why you made your New Year's resolution and get working towards it again. Keep yourself honest and motivated. If you need more incentive, contact me directly. I love to answer questions. One Fit City is also giving away a trip for those who get back int he groove. Find your motivation, and get back to healthy.
