Have you went through thoroughly enjoying your holiday food to now, hardcore dieting and exercise? Do you feel pessimistic because you’re sore and hungry? A few days later the New Year’s Resolution you were so fired up about has become extremely hard. Do not worry, this is normal. It absolutely happened to me and I have witnessed this same issue with my friends as well. The question is; are you going to give up? You have made this resolution for a reason. I am going to give you 5 tips on how to keep I kept my resolution to myself so you can keep yours too. Always remember, when starting something new or make a significant change to your life, at first it will be hard, but as you adjust and keep pushing yourself you it will come easier.
This is extremely important and I cannot write and say it enough! Do not change your eating and exercise 100% when you are first starting. When I was overweight and determined I was going to lose weight I burned myself out very quickly. I went 100% on changing everything. The lesson is to not change everything 100% at first, but to always GIVE 100% in your change!
I worked out like I had been exercising for years and I ate like I had been eating healthy for years. Some can do this but most cannot. You set yourself up to fail, which I had did at first. However, you have to find a median and your journey work.
I think of weight loss and getting healthy like running a marathon. If you start off your race sprinting as hard as you can you will burn yourself out before you’re even half way through the race. This in turn causes yourself to take longer than you would expect. However, if you run your pace at a slower but steady speed not only do you get there faster but you enjoy the run more.
Gradually work your way to your ideal finish line and enjoy the process. If you have started your new eating and fitness regimen this week think about what you are doing and slow down if you feel exhausted. You can start by making small changes then as you get into a new routine make more.
Easy ideas are to start by replacing sodas with water. An average serving of soda is over 100 calories. If water is substituted for every meal instead of a serving of soda (not the average 20 oz size of soda which contains two servings) that is over 300 calories you are already saving in your diet. Other things I recommend and I did to help get me on the right track to sticking to my journey is allowing yourself 1 “cheat” meal every 2-3 days when first starting your regimen. This enables you to still derive pleasure from your food and gives you something to look forward too – just do not “cheat” before then. What I have discovered is knowing that in 3 more days I can have that slice of pizza and scoop of ice-cream, I can push myself and not “cheat” before then. I will work hard and stay dedicated so I can enjoy the food that I still want in my life but need to stop eating so much. This makes it easier to diet and exercise those days because you have something to look forward too.
By doing your nutrition this way, you are eating healthy 90% of the time. I ate my 2 or 3 cheat meals a week and got myself back in track. The reward from all of it is I found that I had a great balance with my healthy eating and still having food I enjoy. I started to see results by only cheating a couple times a week. Seeing the results by the healthy eating the less and less I wanted to eat my cheat meals so I stayed even more on track. I weaned myself into changing my nutrition, the term “crawling before I you walk” really comes into play.
The same idea is incorporated into exercise. If you do not regularly run do not get on the tredmill and expect to run 5 miles. Try out the different cardio and weight machines, play with the resistance levels and crossramps and find a place where you can consistently exercise for the good amount of time BUT at the same time challenging yourself.
For example, I ran track in high school. I love to run. However, for a year or so once I graduated high school I did not run regularly like I used too. When I started my weight loss journey I went to the gym and the first thing I did was get on the tredmill and run. Consequently, after 2 or 3 minutes I was already tired and it hurt. I was so discouraged, and honestly right then I felt like giving up. I didn’t. Instead, I started a fast pace walk for 2-3 minutes, jogged for a minute, went back to the fast paced walk, and then jogged again. Gradually over time I started to build my strength back up and jogged longer than I walked.
This tip does not have to be for everyone nor is mandatory in the success of your journey. However, this can help give a boost of motivation and drive to help you work towards your accomplishments. Set you a goal for yourself; this can be anything! A cruise you have in 6 months, a trip to the beach this summer, a big shopping trip for spring clothes, a reunion, a marathon you want to run or cycle, anything! Anything in your life that you are excited about or upcoming can set as your goal to help you reach it. The key in doing this is once the goal is met, you will be adjusted enough to your new lifestyle so you can keep maintaining it even after the goal is finished.
This is also extremely important in your journey and this has helped me a LOT! I love to do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. What I do not like is getting out of bed and picking out gym clothes, finding my IPod, and then finally going to do cardio. What helped me get going when I first decided to do this was lay out my gym clothes at night before bed and put my IPod right beside them so everything was together. I even added my hair brush and hair tie so as soon as I got up, it took just a few seconds to get dressed and throw my hair up, and I was out the door! This same example goes for your nutrition and regular work outs. Pack your gym bag at night with all the proper equipment you need for your work out the next day so you’re all ready to go. On the nutrition side, do the same with your meals. I would cook a pack of chicken breast, potatoes, and vegetables and whatever else I wanted and put everything in containers. That way it easy to just heat up my meals when I am hungry! This gives the term “fast food” a whole new meaning! Take 1 or 2 mornings, afternoons, or evenings (whichever is more convenient for you), and prepare your food for the upcoming days. Taking an hour or two once or twice a week will save more time then preparing a different meal every night. Not to mention the money you save too but no picking up dinner or lunch every day.
Find ways to enjoy what you are doing. What helped me were cute new gym clothes. I am a girly-girl and I enjoy fashion so if I felt fierce in my gym clothes it coincidently helped my work out’s. The same can go for new songs on your IPod or MP3 player – adding very upbeat songs or a new song you heard on the radio that you like can really help add energy to your work out. Other things can be a new water bottle that has a design you like or having your spouse, best friend, or family member embrace your journey with you. You know what you like so find ways to add them in to your journey of losing weight and getting healthy.
Every day that you stick to your journey, praise yourself, and be very proud! A journey of one thousand miles begins with one step. Every step you take is an accomplishment and something to be proud of. You are the gasoline to your car. Keep a journal and everyday write one good thing you have accomplished, that you love about yourself, or different goals you want to reach. I also like to read motivational quotes and write them down so I can look back over them. More possibilities can be; a desk calendar with motivational quotes on it or putting pictures of your favorite celebrity or athlete on your refrigerator and or care to remind you of where you want to be.
I hope that these tips will help push you on your journey. It is hard, especially the first week. But, look! Almost another day is accomplished!
“Our greatest glory consist not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” -Oliver Goldsmith
“Go back to Leap a little further” -John Clarke
“Failure teaches success.” –Japanese Saying
“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.” -Francis Bacon
“Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than before.” –Polybius
“Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.” –Seneca
“Don't bunt. Aim out of the ballpark.” -David Ogilvy
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one. -Elbert Hubbard
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