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In order to stick with your routine, it's important to do things you LIKE. For instance, I like being outside, don't really like running (though I do go), so I treat myself with a run on a rugged trail one day, and an urban area the next. Then I switch it up with a bike ride, or a spoga class. I LOVE living in Portland, Or for this reason.
Top 5:
*Change it up. Do fun exercises. Do yoga too!
*Keep moving forward--baby steps are amazing! (on this note, don't overdo it when just starting to find your routine)
*Don't get discouraged if results aren't immediate
*Don't do fad diets. It's all about hard work and eating balanced meals. If you're an eater (like me) use the theory of Volumetics--eat lots of something healthy (like green beans) first, then have a normal portion of your balanced meal. Fill up on the healthy stuff.
*Find someone to work out with you. Even if not going to the gym together, find someone who's driven like you and hold each other accountable. Support is an amazing thing, and it's much harder to tell someone else that you didn't work out than it is to say it to yourself (especially if the other person did work out that day).
It's funny to me to know people with these incredible 1 hour workout plans who basically live as slugs in every other aspect of their lives - they walk nowhere, they watch tv as a rule, they hire gardeners & maids for minor stuff, etc. And they cannot figure out why their weight/health doesn't change.
Is that store a 1-minute drive or a 10-minute walk away? Do the walking! Seems like an inconvenience, but it feels terrific, and if you make a habit of it, you will lose weight if you change nothing else.
Do you just walk your dog to the planting strip? Take him on a 15-minute trot around the neighborhood - every time. . Raining? Put a coat on.
Get a bike. Ride it to the gym. Ride it to your friends'. Put a kid seat on it if you have kids... or a kid trailer.
Take the stairs. Walking 2 flights of stairs 4x a day vs the elevator adds up quickly - but more importantly, it will get you in the habit of looking for the supposedly 'inconvenient' way of moving that oftentimes is much faster.
Continue your workout. But pay attention - are you one of those folks who spends more time talking between sets than actually doing sets? Try 'supersets'. Complementary exercises done with NO break between them - e.g. squats to hamstring curls to squats to hamstring curls. It's a sensational workout AND it will get your heart rate soaring. Don't be the guy/girl reading the book sitting on the weight bench.
Lots of good advice re: food here. Bottom line - if you have it in your cupboards/fridge, you're gonna eat it. So don't buy it unless it's good for you.
I have been athletic all my life but in my later 20s and 30s my excercise and activity level declined and became more intermittent. I'm 37 and have some decent weight to lose in the mid-section. Since the Holidays, Dec 27 exactly, I began a significant exercise and nutrition program. I have lost approximately 20 lbs and have definetely traded fat for muscle as well. Here is what I think can help motivate others:
1) You have to be mentally prepared and READY to commit to a proper nutrition and excercise program - this is the most important.
2) Focus on short-term achievable goals as well as have ultimate long-term goals, for example: a short-term goal such as weight train 3x/wk and cardio 3x/wk or walk your neighborhood 4x/wk; also you could drink 8 - 8oz glasses of water a day.
3) Nutrition (Try SparkPeople.com, join and let them know that JayG1170 sent you) - you need to determine your nutrition requirements. Find out how many calories you need each day for weight loss but also have the correct amounts of carbs, fats, and proteins. Don't make the mistake of cutting calories, your body does best by eating correctly to increase your metabolism to burn fat.
4) Excercise - do excercises or simply increase your activity level by doing the things you like to do. If you hate being a hamster on the machines at the gym then don't do it because it won't last. If you like swimming, long walks, biking, karate, hiking, skiing or whatever then do those activities more often - just as long as you put down the potato chips and remote control and get moving - this is what I did and I'm seeing results fast in only 7 weeks.
5) Don't get discouraged, it is easy to do - allow yourself one eating cheat day a week. Don't get on the scale every day and don't worry if your weight doesn't change over a couple of weeks during your journey because you could be adding muscle which weighs more than fat. And for women, it is normal for you natural weight to change during the month due to water retention. GET ENCOURAGED, when you begin to see results you will get psyched and work harder at it or be more strict about eating but don't burn out. Pants that I have not worn in two/three years are starting to fit and my belts can be worn on notches further in.
I began a rigorous routine of good nutrition eating six meals a day instead of three big meals (or I should say two really). I focus on eating good protein and carbs and correct intake of fats. I also lift weights at least 4x/wk and do cardio at least 3x/wk including jogging or spinning classes.
I hope this helps you and give you some motivation. I big help has really been using SparkPeople.com to help with logging in my foods to know how many calories I'm taking in. There are numerous support systems, articles, and many more to help you. I think the biggest help is my wife who is just as committed to her goals as well as helping me achieve my goals.
It's funny to me to know people with these incredible 1 hour workout plans who basically live as slugs in every other aspect of their lives - they walk nowhere, they watch tv as a rule, they hire gardeners & maids for minor stuff, etc. And they cannot figure out why their weight/health doesn't change.
Is that store a 1-minute drive or a 10-minute walk away? Do the walking! Seems like an inconvenience, but it feels terrific, and if you make a habit of it, you will lose weight if you change nothing else.
Do you just walk your dog to the planting strip? Take him on a 15-minute trot around the neighborhood - every time. . Raining? Put a coat on.
Get a bike. Ride it to the gym. Ride it to your friends'. Put a kid seat on it if you have kids... or a kid trailer.
Take the stairs. Walking 2 flights of stairs 4x a day vs the elevator adds up quickly - but more importantly, it will get you in the habit of looking for the supposedly 'inconvenient' way of moving that oftentimes is much faster.
Continue your workout. But pay attention - are you one of those folks who spends more time talking between sets than actually doing sets? Try 'supersets'. Complementary exercises done with NO break between them - e.g. squats to hamstring curls to squats to hamstring curls. It's a sensational workout AND it will get your heart rate soaring. Don't be the guy/girl reading the book sitting on the weight bench.
Lots of good advice re: food here. Bottom line - if you have it in your cupboards/fridge, you're gonna eat it. So don't buy it unless it's good for you.
Excellent post. I have to admit, I am guilty of of some of the "bad stuff" you mentioned. I hired a gardner, a pool guy and a housecleaner to do the "grunt" work around the house. I also work about 1.8 miles from home but still drive everyday. I think its the "Los Angeles Lifestyle" that makes me drive. I walk my dog but its more for fun - this is NOT exercise (at least for someone like me who is used to real exercise) but for someone who is obese, walking the dog is better than nothing. I have a neighbor who has two German Short Haired Pointers and she RUNS with her dogs every day for miles. Now THAT you can call exercise. Taking your dog on a good hike is also great.
Some other things I do:
Always take the stairs instead of the elevator/excalator.
Park as far away in the parking lot as possible then walk.
Last edited by LaoTzuMindFu; 02-14-2008 at 10:39 AM..
Oh, I forgot to mention, another "little" thing that keeps me motivated is to wear form fitting clothes so that I can see what I look like. I like my CW/X tights, compression shirts and similar form fitting clothes. When I see my results (or lack of results) it motivates me to workout even hard and more often. Even when I see others at my gym or in the neighborhood running who are fit (men or women) I get motivated. So no more baggy clothes for me.
The LA/Suburb lifestyle is, in my opinion, a significant factor in how we've gotten so overweight as a society.
There are so many seemingly convenient shortcuts when you live in a subdivision or sprawling area that you lose massive amounts of calorie expenditures just by not walking, gardening, etc.
It's always interesting to go to New York, where there is great mass transit but people still have to do a lot of walking. The obesity rates are much lower there than in Atlanta, LA, Houston et al.
And it's cheap to hire a gardener/housecleaner, and no doubt there are times when it makes a huge difference to have them.
I guess the point is that you have to really make an effort to burn those calories whether you're going to the gym or just living your life, and we've built an infrastructure that makes it too easy to avoid the effort.
the only thing I can add is take one day a week where you aren't so strict on yourself
IMO this tricks your metabolism because it gets use to the same thing each & everyday
Plus it's good for your mental being
I get a lot of exercise working in my yard and gardens there is a lot more stretching and bending that you would think.
Saltydawg made some good points. The goal eventually really should be an overall lifestyle change, not simply a workout session a few days a week, though that's a good place to start.
Don't get annoyed about lugging those groceries into the house, really make it count... put effort into scrubbing that bathtub (and switch hands), take the stairs, go outside and toss that ball around for fun when the sun's out...
I've really felt great this week, because the weather's been good (high 20s and 30s is decent for Wyoming...) I get in my early morning aerobics every day no matter the weather. But when I can be out... just felt great that my son and I could walk to school, then I came back and shoveled snow (lots of snow lately), then took my dog for a walk at the park (so true about it not being the ideal exercise to rely upon though, he has to sniff everything... saw some deer close by yesterday, so cool), then came home and put in Chris Daughtry or some other good music and tidied things up (and danced a bit when no one's looking ). Just like to move.
Plus I might be trying to avoid studying (PRAXIS exam - to earn my teaching license - coming up in less than a month...), but I'm getting it done...
Today I took a break from being active though, because my honey took the day off for Valentine's Day so we could spend the day together, sweet guy. Eating a bit too much chocolate and dessert today I must admit, but it's my birthday too, gotta splurge a bit every now and then...
I thought of a 6th point the other day...
6. Don't forget to stretch... Feels really good after a great workout. Man, I love to stretch. And it helps us stay flexible and be able to move well in so many situations.
1. When possible, eat locally produced, organic, non processed food.
2. Drink plenty of filtered water out of stainless steel or glass. Limit plastics.
3. Limit drinking to one glass of wine/night or just on weekends.
4. Find an exercise you like and don't forget to stretch. Try different ones. Try to be active.
5. Sleep as much as you can. Oh, and smile more.
One that worked for me that I didn't see posted: chew sugar-free gum when the hunger pangs hit!
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just MOVE!
