“Train insane or remain the same.” Committing yourself to becoming healthy and having your dream body will take a lot out of you physically and mentally. Don’t give up because changes that will feel like sacrifices now will be a part of your normal routine. It’s a new year and finally time for a new you!
1. Think about why you want to lose weight and write your goals down.
The best diet is to not diet. The actual key to losing weight is to become healthy. This is a lifestyle change, not a quick extreme weight lost scheme. This will take a lot of work and writing your goals down will help clarify where you.
2. Be willing to try everything.
For more than twelve years I hated and would not eat bananas or peanut butter. While going through my weight loss journey I went on a search for healthy snacks. I decided to give a slice of whole grain bread with peanut butter and banana and I haven’t looked back.
3. Eat balanced meals.
The best way to eat a balanced meal is to eat clean. Losing weight is said to be about eighty percent what you eat and twenty percent how active you are. Drink water and it will be helpful to change your eating habits. Drinking water an hour before you eat a meal will indicate when you are not actually hungry and when you are full.
4. Reduce salt.
The easiest way to start changing the way you eat is to reduce salt. This means cooking with less salt and replacing processed foods with fresh food. Also drink a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated.
5. Find the exercises that work for you.
If you know that you hate to run, don’t commit yourself to running. Exercise is meant to be difficult but not mentally painful. If you find that you are motivated surrounded by other people participate in group classes. If you prefer going solo, there are plenty of routines that are available online.
6. Make it fun and interesting.
If you are a beginner you may have doubts about what you are doing as you get used to this new routine. Compete with yourself. Beating your set mini-goals will also serve as motivation. Create a fun playlist that match the pace of your routines.
7. Create a clear schedule that you will follow through.
If you decide to exercise on your busiest days, the likelihood that you will follow through is lower than if you work out on days that you have actual time.
8. Do not weigh yourself too often.
The scale will reveal everything from your successes to your struggles. Allow it to motivate you even when it may not seem like a positive achievement. Instead of focusing on the neighbors think about how you feel and compare it to before you started your lifestyle change. You will feel less out of breath the more you do cardio. You will finish through all the sets of crunches. You will go from doing the easier pushups to regular pushups.
9. Learn as you go and adjust.
There will be things that work and others that won’t, no matter how hard you try. Weight is something personal and losing weight is the same. From being willing to try everything, you will learn about your body and figure out what works best for you.
10. Treat yourself.
Being healthy does not necessarily mean that you only eat salads and fruits; you can still have your occasional cupcake or French fries. Finding alternatives to unhealthy foods that you loved can be another way to treat yourself. When you factor what you like into the mix but balance it with your healthy choices it will help you rather than hurt you.