Here a few fitness tips to help you get on track and stay on track:
1. Ask yourself “why do I want to get in shape?” What
is your reason for getting in shape? What or who is your inspiration and
motivation? Make a vision board of photos, motivational statements, vacation
destinations, loved ones, a new outfit, etc., to help you stay focused on
reaching your goals.
2. Create goals that are simple, measurable &
realistic. Start with small goals first
rather than jumping right in with both feet. For example, pick one thing you
can cut out (sugar, pop, processed foods, cigarettes, alcohol, fried foods,
etc.) and pick one thing you can add in (vegetables, water, whole grains, etc.)
to your diet each week or once a month. Or, commit to going to the gym, or
doing a yoga video 3 times a week at home if you can’t get out of the house.
For some, it might not be realistic to cut out all bad food choices at once, or
commit to going to the gym everyday, so start small. Be realistic, choose
something you know you can and will do.
3. Find a good plan that you would enjoy & that
fits your schedule. It’s probably not a good
idea to join a gym to attend their 5am cycling class if you are not a morning
person and just can’t get up. You are wasting money and remember what I said in
point 2 about goals being realistic? Find something that is going to work for
you. Maybe you have a gym at your place of employment and you can use 30
minutes of your 1-hour lunch to workout. Maybe you enjoy jogging and you have a
neighbor that likes to jog too, commit to jogging together either in the
morning or in the evening which ever fits into your schedules.
4. Partner up for accountability.
Having
someone to work out with makes a big difference. You will have times that it
gets difficult to stay on track, but having someone to keep you accountable
will help you keep going. If you don’t have a partner, or the means to work
with a personal trainer you can always check out my “Get Fit with Ris” page on
Facebook, I am always posting stuff there about exercise, good nutrition, and
lots of great motivational pictures and videos to keep you motivated. Check it
out even if you do have a partner, the more you have to keep you motivated the
more successful you will be!
5. Make fitness fun.
There are many
different ways to get in shape. Find one that you enjoy and you will have a
better chance of making this a lifestyle change. Fitness doesn’t have to happen
in a gym. Look around your neighborhood, or your home. As you walk through your
local park a bench makes a great place to do step ups or box jumps, push ups,
tricep dips, and sit ups. You can change up an ordinary walk or jog by
incorporating bursts of sprints, or walking lunges, burpees or jumping jacks. Head
over to your local school and run the bleachers at the track. You do not need
much, you just need to get started and stay committed.
6. Schedule your workouts. Your workouts should be just as important as
anything else you do during the day such as going to work, attending a meeting,
or going to school. Make time during your day to get in at least 20 minutes of
heart pumping activity.
7. Walk before you run.
Take
this process one step at a time. You want to set attainable goals so you stay
motivated as you go and don’t get discouraged. Maybe you will start by taking
the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking further away from the door. It’s
never a bad idea to check with your doctor before beginning any type of exercise
program, especially if you are new to it.
9. Have a balance of Cardio, Strength, &
Flexibility. You need 20 minutes of
cycling, jump roping, rowing, or running to increase your heart rate. I’m not
talking 20 minutes while you have a conversation (you shouldn’t be able to have
a conversation) you should be “breathless”. You will want to include some
strength training exercises which are very important for building lean muscle
mass and aids in burning more calories when your body is at rest (yep, you read
that right). Make sure you include yoga or some regular stretching during the
week to increase and maintain your flexibility.
10. Keep a Journal. Journaling is proven to help individuals stay on track. Writing down
your meals, beverages, snacks and workouts is a great way to identify patterns,
both good and bad. Make sure to write down the time, the quantity, the
meal/snack, and what you were doing at the time. Here is what an entry may look
like: 7:00am - ¼ cup cooked steel cut
oatmeal with ½ cup skim milk, ½ banana, 2 eggs scrambled with 1 cup baby
spinach and ½ cup mushrooms,1 cup black coffee. Reading the newspaper. The
reason we look for the “activity” is to determine if you have a habit of eating
while watching tv (people tend to eat more, especially during action movies), sometimes
you will recognize eating patterns that result simply from boredom, etc. These
are habits you will want to address, or replace with healthier options such as
cut up vegetables instead of potato chips, for example.
11. Eat often and don’t skip meals. Forget the breakfast, lunch and dinner mentality.
You should strive to eat 5-6 or 6-7 small meals a day about 3 hours apart. My
favorite is to think “meal-salad-meal-salad-meal-salad”. Staying within your
portion sizes is important too. It is not necessary to “supersize” anything.
12. Don’t weigh yourself. Everyone is concerned about quick weight-loss,
weight-loss diets, and what the scale says. What we should be paying attention
to is a reduction of body fat. The bathroom scale is only going to show you the
earth’s gravitational pull. It will not tell you how much lean muscle mass you
have and how much body fat you have. Pay attention to how your clothes fit, did
you go down a belt loop or pant size? If you are working out and building
muscle, remember that muscle weighs more than fat and you will not see that
improvement reflected in the scale with a lower weight. So don’t be discouraged
what the scale says and pay attention to how you feel and how your clothes fit.
To reduce unnecessary body fat it is necessary to burn (through exercise) more
calories than you consume.
Here are some other links you might find useful:
Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!
