The Holidays are history…can you believe it?? Now it’s time to say goodbye to the comfort food, Italian cookies (my favorite) eggnog, gingerbread houses and the entire array of feel-good-now-but-pay-for-it-later foods!
So what’s next? Well, gyms are crowded and folks are walking and running. This month is big in my profession. I’ll take it, but what went on the rest of the year?
It’s not too early to be thinking about fitting into your bikini. I know its months away, but basically you’re training now for your body and appearance for summer!
So all together now, let’s get our butts back on track, healthy, fit and get energized for the New Year! If you want 2011 to be the year you take control of your health, make your body beautiful, strong and get your energy back, NOW is the time to do it. Temptation is gone. No more excuses!
I’m with some of you. My workouts were great, but food wasn’t. I know folks might say both their workouts and food weren’t up to par. So let’s get back to basics, so here are ten helpful tips to get you back on the fitness track:
1. Let’s start with the easy one. Water, drink your water! This is the one that makes me crazy. When a client tells me they don’t have enough time to get water in, I want to scream. Yes, you go to the bathroom more, deal with it. Drink a lot of it because you probably drank more eggnog, wine, soda and beer more than you normally do these past few weeks, so now it’s time for a detox. Water will restore the balance in your body and get you back in health mode.
2. Get the meals in. Make sure you’re eating every 3-4 hours. 3 meals and 2 snacks are ideal. Increase your veggie intake; they are water-dense foods. Fruits and veggies boost your fiber intake, since it’s probably been insufficient this past month. These foods will get you off the fat-and-sugar track and on the fat-burning one in no time.
3. Throw away! My mother-in-law hates this one. She’s from the generation that forced us to finish our huge portions. Those poor kids in wherever are starving, so “finish what you have on your plate”. errrrrrrrr---So, watch your portion size at meals and its okay to, yes throw away or use as leftovers. Re-stock your shelves with GOOD food. The junk should be gone. Sorry, if you didn’t finish the sugar cookies, they must go, far, far away!
4. If you’ve taken time off from your training, don’t go all out. Start with a lighter workout that’ll remind you how it feels to work out and get your body back in the groove. I see too many people push way too hard too fast out of guilt for eating a lot and “not having time to work out.” And end up getting hurt or just quit. That first week is for getting back on track, not kill you!
5. Get your resistance training workouts in. Please don’t follow the cardio-crowd workout. You’ll notice the treadmills and elliptical machines are packed. If you’re a beginner or senior, no problem, start out with these machines. If you’re experienced and your goal is FAT-LOSS, you must lift weights combined WITH that cardio. But weights are #1 for body transformation and losing body fat. One of the keys to this is finding an activity you enjoy. If you do you’ll stick with it!
6. SLEEP! The last month for most of us has been hectic and stressful. Remember not enough sleep is stress on your body. Not good for fat-loss. So get back to a normal sleep schedule 7-8 hours a night.
7. Plan. Have a plan going forward. This could mean workouts and your food plan. Don’t take chances, it’s too important. Don’t just go to a gym and decide you’ll do this or that. A good workout program is crucial for your success. Remember “if you fail to plan”, “you plan to fail”.
8. Goal Setting. Once you have a plan in place set a goal. This gives you a way to measure your progress, and provides a real boost when you realize that a goal which seemed out of reach last year, is easy this year. Set small goals for yourself that are somewhat challenging, but not so difficult that they are unattainable. Once you’ve achieved each goal, set your sights slightly higher and begin again. This is the only way to keep progressing.
9. Don’t let a bad day or week derail your schedule. Keep this in mind. Exercise shouldn’t be torture; every workout doesn’t have to be a “last chance workout”. But prepare yourself. Some days are going to be real challenging, especially if you’re a beginner, or just coming back. Remember we all have struggles. That’s okay. If you start to feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath and look at the big picture. A missed day here or there isn’t going to mess you up that much. If you find yourself starting to fall off your exercise plan, just pick up where you left off, and keep trying. Don’t be too hard on yourself; everyone has days when they don’t feel like exercising, just keep plugging away as best you can. It does get easier with time.
10. Stay positive. For some of us this is all brand new. For all of us it’s a New Year, a time to renew our optimism, strength of mind and body. It’s a process. Think of yourself as someone who’s going to be much healthier and is willing to leave bad habits behind. We don’t know what’s ahead of us; expect new challenges to overcome as you make positive changes to your mind and body. Think that this is the year. With hard work you’ll reach those fitness goals and there’s no looking back.
The New Year often brings resolutions that turn into broken promises, but this year DECIDE to make it stick. If you do, besides not having this same resolution next year you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you have accomplished something very important. That will go a long way!
Let’s do it!
Looking forward to a great year!
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