Getting Back to Your New Year's Resolution
Finally Reaching Your Health and Fitness Goals
Dec 29, 2008 Andrea Chrysanthou
So how can you beat the odds? In one word: moderation.
After spending the holidays eating and drinking, most new exercisers hit the gym like gangbusters, spending hours sweating away. Others begin strict diets. The problem with these methods is that no one can sustain those habits long-term.
Instead, fitness professionals agree that the key to reaching your goals is to make small, sustainable changes that will eventually become part of a permanent healthy lifestyle.
These changes won’t produce the instant results people look for, but they will be long-lasting, and in the end, isn’t it more important to have dropped 5 pounds in a month than to drop 5 pounds in a week only to regain 10 the next week?
Here are some 5 very basic tips to get you started on your fittest year ever!
- Start with 20 minutes of cardio 3-4 times per week. Doctors say this is the minimum amount of time you need your heart-rate elevated to see positive changes in your cardiovascular health. That is not to say that you shouldn’t try to fit in exercise elsewhere. Even when you have a 10 minute break, you can do jumping jacks or skip rope. These 10 minute bouts still burn calories, but if you are able to fit in 20 minute workouts as well, your waistline and your heart will thank you.
- Incorporate resistance-training. Yes, that means women too. Resistance training not only builds muscles but helps strengthen bones and burn fat. If you’re new to strength-training or are not supplementing with steroids, you should not be afraid of gaining too much muscle in the short-term. Most bodies can only build about 1 pound of muscle a month, but your body will be more toned and healthy if you add weight-training to your routine 2-3 times per week.
- Eat nutritious meals 80% of the time. Strict diets don't work because people feel deprived and look for ways to sneak in extra snacks. Instead of depriving your body of the foods it loves, eat them in moderation. Don't feel bad about eating a small scoop of ice cream or a thin piece of cake once a week, as long as you know that for most of the rest of that week, you will be choosing low calorie, low fat foods.
- Keep a journal. Most people drastically underestimate the amount of calories they take in every day. Then they wonder why they are not losing weight. By keeping a diary of everything you’re eating and how much exercise you are doing, you will be able to adjust your habits to see the results you want.
- Surround yourself with others who share your fitness goals. People have been shown to work out more and eat more healthy foods when the those around them are doing the same. You can form a support group at work or check out the many online health forums where you can meet others in your shoes.
These are of course very generic tips. But once these lifestyle changes have become second-nature, you can move on to adding more exercise time to your week and your goals will finally be within reach.
Remember, you didn't gain those extra pounds in a month. It's not realistic that you will lose them in a month. Accepting that is half the battle. The other half is getting off the couch and getting going!
Have a Healthy New Year!
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Health & Wellness
Latest Articles