Its not going to be fast, but it is going to be easy and its going to be effective! Follow these five little adjustments for a healthier lifestyle and watch the pounds drop (over time). Everyone is busy, everyone wants a quick fix, especially leading into the holidays, but I also believe everyone is smart enough to recognize a load of crap when one is presented to you. Every magazine, blog and fitness “expert” holds the top secret golden ticket to get you to your ideal weight, and sadly, a lot of people believe it. Time and time again. Understand this: There is no quick fix! There is no miracle food, no miracle powder, no miracle workout! But there is a way to make slight changes to the way you already operate to make sure you are going in the right direction. Without cutting out food groups and without investing your life savings into the effort.
- Don’t eliminate foods from your diet. Instead, focus on adding fruits and vegetables IN to your diet. When you take away foods from your diet, you end up missing them and after a certain period of time, they creep back in. Instead, if you focus on increasing the high fiber, low sugar, natural foods into your meals, you will make some positive permanent changes. Here is the key- portion sizes should not change! That means squeezing out a lot of that pasta with a heartier sauce loaded with veggies, reducing the size of that burger to make room for a larger salad, that kind of mentality.
- Don’t pressure yourself to workout more. Instead, find the activities that make you feel best while you are doing them, not just when they are done. I am the first to tell you that the best part of my workout is the end, but I will also tell you that I love walking the track around my son’s lax practice field, knowing its time I have to myself, enjoying being outside and getting a bonus little bit of cardio when I could be just sitting on the bleachers. I will also tell you I love taking Zumba even though I never gave it credence as a viable fitness tool in the past. It’s a super work out, but the truth is that is just so much damn fun- I love it! Find your thing that you love, and do that. Don’t stress about adding five or six running miles to your week if you hate running! Don’t stress about making time to drive to a specialty studio across town! Don’t fret about making time to lift weights if you find it boring and too difficult to master. You will never stick with something that doesn’t make sense. Find your fitness passion- everyone has one. If you are really stuck on this one, ask your closest friends if you can tag along on the one thing they love best. At the very least, you might discover that what you love is hanging out with your buddies, regardless of the exercise, which is just fine. Working out with friends builds an instant support network and adds an accountability aspect.
- You can do it. Set your watch to beep every 45 minutes. Get up and walk around. Doesn’t matter where you work, you can walk around for at least five minutes without raising eyebrows. Bathroom breaks are not outlawed yet, are they? Take a walk up and down the stairs, around the building, or to the corner and back. It all adds up. The benefits of this are mental, too- you will return to work or the task at hand both refreshed and de-stressed. In just five minutes. That is a promise.
- Hydrate, with water. Don’t wait until you are thirsty, keep a bottle of water close by at all times. Notice how it can keep hunger at bay. Notice how you don’t feel like taking a little trip to the vending machine for a soda at 3pm. Notice how much nicer your breath is when you only drink water! Add a squirt of lime or a slice of cucumber, a sprig of mint or rosemary. Go nuts with the possibilities!
- Learn to share. Whenever possible, share your meals with your friends. Restaurant portions are huge. If there is less on your plate, there will be less on your waist later. Sharing is fun, too- that means you can get a little taste of many things instead of overdoing it with just one dish. This idea of sharing goes deeper than just food… consider sharing the cost of a personal trainer, that way its not only a better value proposition, but also a lot more fun. Learn to share your fitness goals and achievements toward those goals. There are many trackers and apps to help you record your progress- let the world know how well you are doing! Making note of your progress will keep you motivated to keep going on the right path and find support from those around you.
If you have any trouble understanding how to adopt any of these simple changes, please do yourself a favor and talk to me: info@fifntess.com. There is no reason these five tips cannot be worked into your day. I dare you to make a liar out of me! #easywaytofitness #yesyoucan #fitnesscanbeeasy #fitnesscanbefun