The question: Jay Thompson (@phoenixreguy) says this: New Year’s resolutions suck, but mine – that I WILL keep – is to get in better shape and lose more pounds.
#wwgwd
The most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and get in shape in the New Year and it is probably one of the toughest. So, if you are like many other Americans, here are my tips to help you get in shape. I will be implementing the fitness strategies right along with you!
- Make a plan – Most successful business people have a business plan. Use this concept to make a plan for your health and fitness goals. Write both short and long term goals and evaluate them to make sure they are realistic.
- Make a journal – Start a journal and write EVERYTHING you eat that day down. When I was trying to lose weight, I developed an excel spreadsheet (because I am that geeky) to write down my everything I ate, how much water I drank, when I exercised including length and time,exactly what exercises I did, and how much I weighed each week. If I wasn’t progressing towards my fitness goals, I could go back and evaluate what wasn’t working. If I had a particularly great week, I could also go back and see what I did that worked. Whether you track it online, in a paper journal, or on your iphone, tracking it is the key to making progress towards your weight loss goals. Send me Direct Message with your email address if you would like a sample excel spreadsheet to track your progress.
- Find a buddy - a strong support network is key. Find a buddy or a group of friends to hold each other accountable. Share your progress with them on a weekly basis.
- Plan out your meals and snacks- By planning in advance, you will make smarter food choices. Planning also makes it easier to compensate for big events where you know you might splurge. Store up your calories and save them for that special event.
- Bring healthy snacks with you- I like to carry small snacks with me during the day. When I don’t, I often end up gorging on a box of Junior Mints. Planning is essential to healthy eating. Some healthy snack ideas include a sliced up apple, skim-milk mozzarella cheese stick, small portion of almonds.
- Find an exercise routine that you like or even love!- You are much more likely to do the exercise if you like what you are doing! I LOVE to dance, so I have created a dance routine that I do. It is more like play than exercise.
- Develop a routine- Exercise at the same time every day.
- Give yourself a break- Take one day off of exercising each week to give your body a chance to recover.
- Don’t over do it- if you go crazy by working out three times a day, you may injure yourself or burn out quickly.
- Don’t beat yourself up- if you “fail” by eating too much or skipping the gym one day, do better the next day. The only failure is when you give up.
Ginger Knows is my personal blog. The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not that of my company, my employees or my kids :)
