When the New Year approaches, many people want to make a fresh start and set new goals for themselves. Two of the most common ones are to lose weight and get into better shape. Unfortunately, despite good intentions, most people don’t end up achieving these goals. Instead, they return to their old eating habits and their comfy place on the couch next to the television set while reassuring themselves that there’s always next year.
Has this happened to you?
Have your daily workouts begun to slip? Has your food intake gotten way out of hand again? Maybe the problem is with those New Year's resolutions you made a little over a month ago. If you've already blown them, they probably weren't realistic to begin with. Don't throw in the towel. Think about what went wrong and then work on ways you can fix it. Chances are you need to break your big resolutions — like lose 40 pounds — down into several smaller goals with milestones.
Here are some tips to get you back on track:
Set Realistic Fitness GoalsMake monthly short term goals instead of yearly goals. Having expectations that are too lofty is a recipe for failure. You may ultimately want to run a marathon, but aspiring to do so in three months when you’ve never run before is unrealistic and likely to lead to frustration and failure. Instead, set a more achievable goal of training for a 5K instead. Once you’ve reached that goal, you can always set a loftier one. It feels good to achieve small goals, and small goals ultimately add up to larger ones.
Make Them SpecificYou’re more likely to reach your fitness goals if you make them specific and measurable. It’s not good enough to say you want to lose weight. Set a more concrete, measurable goal of losing 6 pounds a month instead. Having a specific goal keeps you on course and gives you something measurable to strive for. It’s too easy to lose your motivation when you set vague goals that don’t have a defined endpoint. Give yourself a timeline for achieving a specific goal to stay motivated, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t reach it. Simply refocus and redefine your goal rather than quitting in frustration.
Make Sure Your Goals Are Consistent with Your LifestyleLook at the bigger picture, but make it something you can execute on a day-to-day basis. If you’re working a full-time job and caring for a family, trying to work out 2 hours a day isn’t realistic. Instead, set aside 30- 50 minutes each day to exercise. If you kick your workout up a notch you can get a kick-butt workout in 30 - 50 minutes doing high-intensity interval training one day and strength-training the next. If time is an issue, you can also set your alarm 30 minutes earlier, and exercise first thing in the morning. Take your lifestyle into account when planning your fitness goals.
Don’t Make Perfection Your GoalSome people approach their New Year’s fitness resolutions with gusto, at least at first. They get up every morning before dawn and work up a sweat. Then something happens that keeps them from working out for a few days. In frustration they give up because they got off track. Setbacks are a part of life, and it’s important to plan for them. If you have to miss a few days of exercise, don’t beat yourself up and then give up entirely. Pick up where you left off. Expect setbacks such as family issues, illness or injuries and have a plan for getting back on course when the setbacks occur.
Make Your Fitness Goals FlexibleOne reason people don’t stick with their New Year’s fitness resolutions long term is because they aren’t flexible enough to adapt. If you accept a job assignment that takes up time you would normally spend at the gym, find a different workout time or modify your routine so you’re getting more done in less time. Flexibility is key to long-term fitness success. Find a way to adapt your workout when life throws you a few curves. Approach your goals with some flexibility. If circumstances make it so you can’t meet you a goal, change it to one you can achieve. Be flexible enough to adjust your goals so you won’t give up if you can’t achieve them during the time period you’ve set.
The Bottom LineChoose realistic, specific, measurable fitness goals for the New Year and you’re more likely be successful. Add in a dose of flexibility so you won’t give up entirely when life throws you a curve ball, and think positively.
Don't let yourself get stuck before you barely even start. Trust me — there is a light at the end of every tunnel (no matter how dark or how long), and the quicker you start moving, the faster you'll reach it. You won't regret it when the pounds come off and the results of your hard work pay off.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Organic Home Based Business Opportunity
Please feel free to forward this blog post to anyone interested in creating an organic home income.
If you've ever wanted to create a home based income by supporting people to live sustainably and in greater health... then now is the time to start. To celebrate our 9th Birthday, Miessence is offering free organic superfoods worth over $200 to people who sign up as Representatives and order a Fast Start or Super Fast Start pack, during February 2012 only.
If you're interested, please feel free to contact me at:
Rebecca@e-FitSolutions.com
and visit: http://www.TryMiessenceOrganics.com for more info on Miessence Organics.
I am confident I can help you find out more and should you wish to proceed, assist you in growing your own organic home business with the highest return on investment possible.
Yours,In Good Health!
Rebecca Attanasio, CPT
Owner/Founder, eFitSolutions
www.eFitSolutions.com
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
How To Lose Those Last 10 Pounds
Have you have been exercising and leading a fairly healthy lifestyle but you are still looking at the scale and thinking “How can I lose these last 10-15 pounds”? Does this situation sound familiar to you? It might sound surprising, but sometimes losing 10-15 pounds is the most difficult weight loss goal.
You know what I like to call those last 10 or 15 pounds that won't come off no matter what? Vanity pounds.
The term describes our desire to lose weight that, as far as our bodies are concerned, actually feels healthy. Today's society pressures us to want to look a certain way, or for aesthetic reasons we try to be thinner than our bodies want us to be. Personally, I have gained and lost the same 8 vanity pounds more times than I care to admit.
Losing your first 50 pounds might have been tough, but believe me, dropping those final few stubborn pounds is a whole different challenge. The body struggles to hold on to that last bit of fat for survival purposes.
There are a number of reasons why it is so difficult to get rid of those last stubborn pounds:
1. Weight loss plateau. If you’ve already lost a lot of weight then you have reached a plateau. Your metabolism is slower than it used to be (for every pound you lose your metabolism slows down by 20 calories a day) and your body is used to your current exercise routine and diet.
2. You need to change things up. When you eat and exercise the same way every day your body becomes accustomed to your diet and exercise routine, so you will need to change things up to reach your target weight.
3. Not enough emotional support. People who have to lose 30+ pounds usually have a lot of emotional support from friends, relatives and medical personnel. If a person is overweight then losing weight is the essential strategy that will help them resolve a lot of health problems.
4. “Anti-support.” When you want to lose pounds just to reach your ideal weight then you might hear these types of comments from people around you “Why do you need to lose weight? You already look great”.
5. Procrastination. You think that you can lose those last pounds at any time, which is why you indulge in special treats, skip workouts and eat out way too often. Your mind (laziness) tells you that losing those pounds is not critical for your well-being and that is why you always come up with a reason for why now is not the best time to do it.
Now, don't get me wrong — you can lose the weight if you want to, but it will require you to muster a tremendous amount of restraint and willpower. If you're really up for it, do the following for 30 days:
Plan of Action:
1. Now IS the time. Make a firm decision that you are going to lose the last pounds right now. Ready, set, go! Tell as many people as you can so you can be held accountable.
2. Eat more and eat right. If you only eat around 1200 calories a day and you are fairly active then your body does not get enough calories (1200 calorie diet is for people with a sedentary lifestyle). Your body is in shock and it starts saving fat and using muscles to get extra energy. You lose muscle mass, your metabolism slows down, you store more fat, so you don’t lose weight and you feel constantly hungry.
The most important step is to know what to eat. Follow these tips:
• Eat foods rich in water (vegetables and fruit)
• Eat a lot of lean protein (legumes, tofu, fish and seafood and lean poultry) and healthy fats (try walnut oil for sautéing vegetables, grape seed oil for high-temp cooking and olive oil in salads, rice and pasta.)
• Eliminate as much sugar as possible from your diet
• Cut your sodium to 1,000 mg a day.
• Drink at least 80 ounces of water daily.
• Cut out processed foods.
• Abstain from alcohol.
• Get your carbs from whole grain products rich in fiber.
3. Start interval training. Interval training burns more calories than any flat rate physical activity. Interval training is really simple: you add a short burst of high intensity activity (run as fast as you can, cycle as fast as you can, jump etc.) and follow it with a longer period of moderate or low-intensity activity. The best starting ratio is 1:3 meaning that you run as fast as possible for 1 minute and then you run at a slower rate for 3 minutes (you can change time to suit your current fitness level). Try to do this 5 days per week for 30 minutes per day and move up from there.
4. Stay active all day long. Being active throughout the day is more beneficial to you then just going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week. It won’t only burn more calories but it will make you busy so that you don’t have time to snack or overeat. If you buy a pedometer and use it to set daily goals (your goal is around 10,000 steps but you can start with just 2000 to get yourself going) then you will be more likely to stay active throughout the day.
5. Keep a food diary. A food diary is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. Losing weight is nothing but a mathematical equation and if you can figure out when and why you are eating more calories (or too few calories) than you should, then you will be able to make the right changes to your diet.
6. Change things up. Another way to try and accelerate your weight loss is by changing your workout routine altogether. For example, if you normally run to exercise, try doing some aerobics instead. Your body will have to adapt to the change and may start to burn calories at a faster rate. If your main exercise is running, you can either increase the intensity of your workout by running faster or by running farther. You may want to experiment with both methods, to see how your body reacts to the change in your routine.
I am sure that if you follow these tips then you will be able to get that scale moving in the right direction. You can do a lot in 30 days — in fact, I can pretty much guarantee you will lose at least 5 pounds.
You know what I like to call those last 10 or 15 pounds that won't come off no matter what? Vanity pounds.
The term describes our desire to lose weight that, as far as our bodies are concerned, actually feels healthy. Today's society pressures us to want to look a certain way, or for aesthetic reasons we try to be thinner than our bodies want us to be. Personally, I have gained and lost the same 8 vanity pounds more times than I care to admit.
Losing your first 50 pounds might have been tough, but believe me, dropping those final few stubborn pounds is a whole different challenge. The body struggles to hold on to that last bit of fat for survival purposes.
There are a number of reasons why it is so difficult to get rid of those last stubborn pounds:
1. Weight loss plateau. If you’ve already lost a lot of weight then you have reached a plateau. Your metabolism is slower than it used to be (for every pound you lose your metabolism slows down by 20 calories a day) and your body is used to your current exercise routine and diet.
2. You need to change things up. When you eat and exercise the same way every day your body becomes accustomed to your diet and exercise routine, so you will need to change things up to reach your target weight.
3. Not enough emotional support. People who have to lose 30+ pounds usually have a lot of emotional support from friends, relatives and medical personnel. If a person is overweight then losing weight is the essential strategy that will help them resolve a lot of health problems.
4. “Anti-support.” When you want to lose pounds just to reach your ideal weight then you might hear these types of comments from people around you “Why do you need to lose weight? You already look great”.
5. Procrastination. You think that you can lose those last pounds at any time, which is why you indulge in special treats, skip workouts and eat out way too often. Your mind (laziness) tells you that losing those pounds is not critical for your well-being and that is why you always come up with a reason for why now is not the best time to do it.
Now, don't get me wrong — you can lose the weight if you want to, but it will require you to muster a tremendous amount of restraint and willpower. If you're really up for it, do the following for 30 days:
Plan of Action:
1. Now IS the time. Make a firm decision that you are going to lose the last pounds right now. Ready, set, go! Tell as many people as you can so you can be held accountable.
2. Eat more and eat right. If you only eat around 1200 calories a day and you are fairly active then your body does not get enough calories (1200 calorie diet is for people with a sedentary lifestyle). Your body is in shock and it starts saving fat and using muscles to get extra energy. You lose muscle mass, your metabolism slows down, you store more fat, so you don’t lose weight and you feel constantly hungry.
The most important step is to know what to eat. Follow these tips:
• Eat foods rich in water (vegetables and fruit)
• Eat a lot of lean protein (legumes, tofu, fish and seafood and lean poultry) and healthy fats (try walnut oil for sautéing vegetables, grape seed oil for high-temp cooking and olive oil in salads, rice and pasta.)
• Eliminate as much sugar as possible from your diet
• Cut your sodium to 1,000 mg a day.
• Drink at least 80 ounces of water daily.
• Cut out processed foods.
• Abstain from alcohol.
• Get your carbs from whole grain products rich in fiber.
3. Start interval training. Interval training burns more calories than any flat rate physical activity. Interval training is really simple: you add a short burst of high intensity activity (run as fast as you can, cycle as fast as you can, jump etc.) and follow it with a longer period of moderate or low-intensity activity. The best starting ratio is 1:3 meaning that you run as fast as possible for 1 minute and then you run at a slower rate for 3 minutes (you can change time to suit your current fitness level). Try to do this 5 days per week for 30 minutes per day and move up from there.
4. Stay active all day long. Being active throughout the day is more beneficial to you then just going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week. It won’t only burn more calories but it will make you busy so that you don’t have time to snack or overeat. If you buy a pedometer and use it to set daily goals (your goal is around 10,000 steps but you can start with just 2000 to get yourself going) then you will be more likely to stay active throughout the day.
5. Keep a food diary. A food diary is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. Losing weight is nothing but a mathematical equation and if you can figure out when and why you are eating more calories (or too few calories) than you should, then you will be able to make the right changes to your diet.
6. Change things up. Another way to try and accelerate your weight loss is by changing your workout routine altogether. For example, if you normally run to exercise, try doing some aerobics instead. Your body will have to adapt to the change and may start to burn calories at a faster rate. If your main exercise is running, you can either increase the intensity of your workout by running faster or by running farther. You may want to experiment with both methods, to see how your body reacts to the change in your routine.
I am sure that if you follow these tips then you will be able to get that scale moving in the right direction. You can do a lot in 30 days — in fact, I can pretty much guarantee you will lose at least 5 pounds.
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