How’s Your Will Power
Most people think that people are overweight or out of shape because they lack will power. That’s not necessarily true. While losing weight can be a struggle, often people fail not because they simply are lazy or lack will power, but have no idea on the right way to do it. Instead of eating healthy, they go on a starvation diet. You can’t maintain a starvation diet very long and remain healthy. The body also rebels when the calories are super low. It’s created to survive, so it lowers the basal metabolism to ensure there are enough calories for the most important organs, like your heart and brain. That makes it even harder to lose weight.
The only will power you need is in the beginning.
Changing your lifestyle isn’t something you do overnight. It takes commitment for several weeks until the behavior becomes a habit. Luckily, in the initial weeks of working out and eating healthy, you may still possess that driving force that got you started in the first place. Having a personal trainer or workout buddy that holds you accountable is another way to keep the motivation going. Keep a regular schedule for working out, planning meals and sleeping. (Getting adequate sleep no only helps you stick with the program, it helps you lose weight, too.)
Lack of knowledge is often a problem.
It’s not how much you eat, but what you eat that makes a difference in how much you weigh and how healthy you are. It’s next to impossible to eat too many calories in fresh fruits and vegetables, so focusing on those during your learning period is important. Eliminate processed foods, sugar, white flour and starchy veggies from your diet. Stick with steamed, roasted, baked, broiled and grilled meat and avoid fried foods like they’re the plague…because for people who want to eat healthy, they are!
Remember it’s all about consistency.
While you might feel great after working out once, it’s a start, but certainly won’t magically make you fitter. Just like eating an apple and not a bag of chips is good, you have to do it more than once to get benefits. On those days when you don’t feel like working out, go anyway, even if you decide you’re only going to stay for a few exercises and then leave. You’ll find you’ll probably get through your entire workout once you get started.
- Give yourself a mental pat on the back when you skip a sugary treat in favor of fresh fruit. Make it easier to do by having healthy snacks available.
- Don’t forget to drink plenty of water. What you drink is as important as what you eat when it comes to losing weight. Just one can of a soft drink a day can put on an extra pound in a month. Studies show that diet colas and soft drinks also add inches to your middle, regardless of low calorie counts.
- Make sure you put your workout in your schedule, so you keep your appointment with the gym as you would any other appointment.
- Make sure you have a goal and a way to measure your success along the way. If your goal is big, break it down to smaller ones that give you more feedback and reward. Those accomplishments keep your motivated and boost your will power.
Getting fit and healthy isn’t always easy or convenient. There’s no microwavable healthy fitness magic that comes in a box. That’s why I ask clients in Louisville, KY, what their inspiration to get healthy is and to focus on that motivation when the going gets rough. It can help at those times when doing one more lift seems impossible or that cake looks like it needs an avid fan to eat it. It also helps to keep priorities in line. If your family is your motivation, yet you’re not using your new found energy to do fun and active things with them, it’s time to make changes there, too.
Arm flab is often called bat wings because they give your upper arms a winged appearance. While working out is one way to get rid of arm flab, sometimes it takes more than that. They come from either too much fat and too little muscle or losing weight rapidly and having excess loose skin. The younger you are and the shorter time period you were overweight will determine how fast your skin shrinks back to fit your new body. Whether arm flab comes from too much fat, too little muscle or weight loss, there are ways to get those upper arms looking good again.
One of the most important goals you should have for you and your family is staying healthy this summer. One of the first things you need to remember is to stay hydrated! Instead of loading up on soft drinks, make your hydration water. It’s healthy and no calorie, making it a far better choice for anyone, whether trying to lose weight or not. Not only is cola unhealthy, it doesn’t quench your thirst. It contains two ingredients that makes certain it doesn’t, salt and caffeine. Sugar masks the salt, which makes you thirstier and the caffeine acts as a diuretic, also making you thirstier.
Like most moms, good nutrition for your kids is important. It’s not always that easy to do, but certainly can be done by following a few steps. The first and most important is to have healthy foods in the house and ready to snack on and eat at meals. If you don’t have junk available, all your kids will know is healthy food. If you’re making a switch from junk food to healthier eating, it’s more of a challenge, but still can be done.
One of the benefits of eating whole foods is that they’re often the easiest to make. I have clients in Louisville, KY that love eating simple and reap the benefits from that whole food diet. Eating simple doesn’t mean eating boring. In fact, you’ll be amazed at just how flavorful the food can be. It doesn’t mean that you can’t use herbs and spices, either. It simply means that you don’t eat complex foods created in the lab by food manufacturers.
One of the reasons I became a personal trainer in Louisville, KY was to help people stay healthier using natural methods, including exercise. Lately, there’s been a lot of promotion on food as medicine and rethinking about serious conditions like Alzheimer’s. Several studies are now considering Alzheimer’s as Type 3 diabetes. While most studies are in their infancy, there are links to insulin use in the brain and Alzheimer’s disease. It all starts with genetics in this particular case and shows that serious conditions occur from a variety of causes, not just one. It reminds us that we all are different and have different needs.
There’s a lot of ways to improve your energy level that help maintain a high level. While some people automatically reach for a sugary treat, it may help for a short time, but it won’t take long and you’ll be right back to dragging around, trying to stay awake. Instead of grabbing a sugary treat, try a bottle of water to give yourself a boost. Sometimes, even mild dehydration can drain you of energy, which is often why coffee doesn’t do the trick—it dehydrates you. Water also can be helpful if you think you’re hungry. Often the body confuses the messages and sends a signal of hunger when you’re really thirsty. At those times, you’ll often find yourself craving watermelon, sodas or other foods that are filled with fluid.
Taking time out of a busy schedule is commendable, but finding ways to boost your exercise benefits is just plain smart. Exercising isn’t normally part of every American’s day. Most people have jobs that are sedentary, so getting adequate exercise means scheduling it into their day. Those with more physical jobs often don’t get a complete workout. They may have strength style movements or endurance ones, but seldom flexibility movements. That leads to injury unless they also schedule a workout time. Here are a few ways to maximize that time and give you better results.