I know it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry, the holidays got me. I had family fly in from out of state. I hosted a Christmas dinner. We spent the day in Chicago. Work, work, and more work happened. Then, the actual holiday got here. It's been a bit crazy.
With the new year approaching, I am sure that a lot of you are making amazing resolutions. You're going to lose a bunch of weight. You're going to give up all sweets, eat only healthy foods. I'm sure that you made all of these same resolutions last year. And by the middle of January, you had given up on all of them. Only about 8% of people actually follow through with their resolutions each year. Don't beat yourself up.
This is probably how it usually goes for you:
1) Set the ultimate end goal. Example: I will lose 20 pounds this year.
-Awesome!!! I've got this. It's going to be so awesome! I am going to look and feel great!!!
2) The first week, you eat only healthy food and exercise, a lot, every day!!!
-Oh, I feel so great!!! This isn't so bad. I can do this.
3) Week 2: Well, I've been working out everyday, I guess if I miss today, it won't matter.
-Large amounts of guilt start to seep in.
-Ugh, I can't believe that I didn't work out today! I'm such a fatty! What's wrong with me?
-You feel bad about yourself. But keep eating right.
4) Week 3: You managed to work out 3 or 4 times during week 2. You feel bad when you miss a workout. You're still avoiding eating any "bad" food. But, your friends are going to dinner.
-I guess it won't hurt if I eat these appetizers. I'll just work out harder tomorrow.
-Tomorrow comes and you way overdid it and you feel bloated and gross. So, you miss your workout.
-Then you miss the next workout.
5) By week 5 or six, you've missed a lot of workouts and are pretty much eating like you did before. You realize this and give up completely. After all, there's always next week/month/year.
You're setting yourself up for failure. You are setting up such lofty goals, but you are forgetting to set up the stepping stones that will help you achieve these goals. They're not impossible goals, their just difficult. It is important that after you set these goals, you figure out how you're going to get there.
1) Set the ultimate end goal. Example: I will lose 20 pounds this year.
-Awesome!!! I've got this!!!
2) How do I go about losing 20 lbs?
-I need to exercise and eat right.
3) Set a small workout/diet goal.
-I'm going to work out for 30 minutes a day, 4 or 5 days a week.
-I am going to start eating right.
4) Track your diet and workouts.
-You can do this either with an app on your phone, or with pen and paper.
-I track my diet and workouts both on paper and in my phone. Double accountability.
5) Don't beat yourself up if you slip up. It happens. Make up for it.
6) Don't make a list of foods that are "forbidden".
-Making a list of foods that you can never eat again will make you focus on those foods and want them more!
-Try and eat only whole, natural foods. Cook real food. Not boxed processed foods. If you spend the time and money on your foods, you'll take more pleasure in them. Another benefit? If you make foods from all natural fresh fruits and vegetables, well balanced homemade meals you will feel more satisfied when you eat them. These foods are full of vitamins and minerals that your body needs. This will satisfy you. You're body needs a balance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Don't cut any of these items. Just make good choices. For some extra help, check out the Choose My Plate website!
If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message.
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