Weight loss success is not inherited by a secret society of Personal Trainers. It is available for everyone to take advantage of. Obesity is an overwhelming phenomenon over the past 2 decades that has very real consequences to our quality of life, our loved ones, and our health system.
Challenges with weight loss are a passion driven subject that I have been researching, living, learning and confronted by for over 20 years now. By reading this article now, you may be wondering if there is one secret that you are missing out on that would make a difference to the shape you are in.
Now is the best time to build your best physical condition and design your ideal healthy life. To gain success over your weight, you must be able to see the opportunity that lies beneath the FAT that is your life.
So, if you are ready to get started on a healthier you, then I have prepared 11 strategies and insights into how you can apply them into your life right now. Even if you just pick up one useful tactic, you will be on your way to better managing a healthier life for yourself.
1. There are 3 pivotal questions to ask yourself if you truly want to succeed. Unless you respond to them with a big YES, you will not achieve anything. They are 1. Do you deserve to succeed? 2. Do you believe you can succeed? 3. Do you honestly want to succeed?
2. Take a minute to sum up what your personal definition is of Weight loss success. You will find it hard to succeed if you are not clear on what you are aiming for. It is no good to want the fitness and discipline of an ironman, Olympian or a TV celebrity, because we all have our own needs and values and our own definitions of success. It is not about comparing yourself to other people. It is about what you can do.
3. Your old habits are deeply entrenched inside you because of the time you’ve spent repeating them. The best way to get rid of old habits is to replace them with new ones. Negative beliefs, low expectations, fears, and doubts are what stop you from believing what you want is possible.
4. Most people put the weight back on after losing it because they were on a diet and not transforming their lifestyle. When they have reached their goal, they stop training for it.
5. Life happens, in your exercise and daily nourishment there will always be challenges to the status quo: Parties with friends and family, office get-togethers, holidays, changes to personal life and career etc. Just keep your spotlight on what you can control and avoid using energy on what issues that you cannot. Focus on health and daily exercise and eat for nourishment and not for stress or boredom. The only time food will solve a problem in your life is when you are genuinely hungry.
6. You can create a healthy lifestyle in just 3 seconds. That’s the time it takes for you to make a decision that you will have a healthier life. Everything else is just execution.
7. Good time management is a key component to weight loss success, and poor time management is one of the major reasons for failure. Most people have the incentive, opportunities, and ability, but they just waste too much time on things that are immaterial.
8. Most people could write down 100 things that they want to get done every day. Rather than write a ‘To Do ‘list. Decide what are YOUR 5 most important things that must get done that day that will bring the most significant impact and progress to living a life that is powerful and living a life you love, and do them first.
9. Don’t blame others or your situation or for you not being in action. This is your personal battle and unless you are responsible for it, you will not succeed.
10. We all know that crash diets don’t work, so stop lying to yourself and get honest about taking control of your weight and your life. Don’t get tied to the numbers on the scale. I bet if the scale said 200 kgs and you still fir into those skinny jeans, you would not care.
11. Your ultimate health has 3 major objectives. It is a vehicle for you to learn about yourself, it allows you to make a contribution to yourself and your life and it provides you with the resources to have an interesting and full life.
It’s your wellbeing, it’s your reality, and it’s your choice. You have the strength to do what you want, when you want it.
Showing posts with label reasons you can't lose weight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reasons you can't lose weight. Show all posts
Monday, February 1, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
7 reasons to work out even when you don’t feel like it
At the start of each year most gyms are full of people with impressive ambitions to exercise regularly in order to look and feel healthier than they do now, only to find that life gets in the way come February - March and their ambitions fizzle away until next year.
Maintaining the momentum over the course of the year will have obstacles that get in the way. Obstacles such as bad habits, occupation, stress, and partners are barriers to use as an excuse not to stick to your program.
Wouldn’t it better to maintain the motivation of a daily routine that has you being happier, healthier and more productive on a daily basis, rather than going from one extreme to another?
Below are my top 7 secrets to maintaining and enjoying exercise all year round, even when it is cold and dark outside.
1. Measure results – Choose your benchmark to which you wish to measure your progress towards that goal. If it is fat loss, then measure your waistline rather than looking at the scales. If it is to look leaner, then buy some scales that measure fat-loss percentage to see change in body composition. If it is getting fitter, then measure what you are capable of doing now (distance, time, intensity level).
2. Boost your metabolism - Regular exercise will build your lean muscle mass and increase your metabolism. The higher your metabolism...the more body-fat you burn and the easier it is to keep the weight off. A routine that includes as little as 30 minutes of strength training will elevate the metabolism for up to 48 hours after your workout.
3. Schedule your workout – Arrange your work-outs like you do your occupation. At the start of every week schedule your exercise at a time that will work. If you can exercise at the same time every day you will build a familiar routine and increase your likelihood of sticking to it.
4. Your Daily detox – Detox (short for detoxification) is our body’s natural ongoing process for elimination and neutralizing toxins from the body that can be potentially harmful to us. Every day we are surrounded by substances that will make our bodies sluggish like pollution, pesticides and chemicals in our food and water, coffee, cigarette smoke, alcohol, household cleaners, medications, and heavy metals like lead (which can enter our body when we ingest or inhale them). Exercise assists you to sweat them out to keep your body working efficiently so you feel healthier and energetic.
5. Increase your self esteem – Low self esteem stems from a poor self image. Regular work-outs will make you feel good about yourself and feel important to the community and other people. Everyone can benefit from a higher self esteem. Self esteem is crucial for a positive attitude towards living. If you have a higher self esteem you will be confident, happy and highly motivated to succeed.
6. Perk up your thinking power – There is an abundance of research that shows that exercise unlocks different areas of the brain to help you come up with fresh ideas to be more creative and problem solve as well as being more productive.
7. Just start - Difficult days are part of your program. Some days are going to be harder than others to get going. It is all too easy to stay in bed when it is cold and dark outside, so just put on an extra jumper and get out there and embrace your critics, do your best and don’t think.
Author Chris Bakens is head Performance Coach with Healthy Executives, a leading Brisbane corporate health company. They work with senior executives to implement healthy initiatives in the workplace. Her experience spans more than 2 decades in the fitness industry, working as a Personal Trainer, PT manager, Group exercise instructor and co-ordinator in some of Australia’s large gym chains. She also established a highly successful Personal Training studio in Brisbane and personally coaches Personal Training studios with strategies and tips to dramatically transform and master their trainers.
Maintaining the momentum over the course of the year will have obstacles that get in the way. Obstacles such as bad habits, occupation, stress, and partners are barriers to use as an excuse not to stick to your program.
Wouldn’t it better to maintain the motivation of a daily routine that has you being happier, healthier and more productive on a daily basis, rather than going from one extreme to another?
Below are my top 7 secrets to maintaining and enjoying exercise all year round, even when it is cold and dark outside.
1. Measure results – Choose your benchmark to which you wish to measure your progress towards that goal. If it is fat loss, then measure your waistline rather than looking at the scales. If it is to look leaner, then buy some scales that measure fat-loss percentage to see change in body composition. If it is getting fitter, then measure what you are capable of doing now (distance, time, intensity level).
2. Boost your metabolism - Regular exercise will build your lean muscle mass and increase your metabolism. The higher your metabolism...the more body-fat you burn and the easier it is to keep the weight off. A routine that includes as little as 30 minutes of strength training will elevate the metabolism for up to 48 hours after your workout.
3. Schedule your workout – Arrange your work-outs like you do your occupation. At the start of every week schedule your exercise at a time that will work. If you can exercise at the same time every day you will build a familiar routine and increase your likelihood of sticking to it.
4. Your Daily detox – Detox (short for detoxification) is our body’s natural ongoing process for elimination and neutralizing toxins from the body that can be potentially harmful to us. Every day we are surrounded by substances that will make our bodies sluggish like pollution, pesticides and chemicals in our food and water, coffee, cigarette smoke, alcohol, household cleaners, medications, and heavy metals like lead (which can enter our body when we ingest or inhale them). Exercise assists you to sweat them out to keep your body working efficiently so you feel healthier and energetic.
5. Increase your self esteem – Low self esteem stems from a poor self image. Regular work-outs will make you feel good about yourself and feel important to the community and other people. Everyone can benefit from a higher self esteem. Self esteem is crucial for a positive attitude towards living. If you have a higher self esteem you will be confident, happy and highly motivated to succeed.
6. Perk up your thinking power – There is an abundance of research that shows that exercise unlocks different areas of the brain to help you come up with fresh ideas to be more creative and problem solve as well as being more productive.
7. Just start - Difficult days are part of your program. Some days are going to be harder than others to get going. It is all too easy to stay in bed when it is cold and dark outside, so just put on an extra jumper and get out there and embrace your critics, do your best and don’t think.
Author Chris Bakens is head Performance Coach with Healthy Executives, a leading Brisbane corporate health company. They work with senior executives to implement healthy initiatives in the workplace. Her experience spans more than 2 decades in the fitness industry, working as a Personal Trainer, PT manager, Group exercise instructor and co-ordinator in some of Australia’s large gym chains. She also established a highly successful Personal Training studio in Brisbane and personally coaches Personal Training studios with strategies and tips to dramatically transform and master their trainers.
Monday, July 6, 2009
5 Reasons you can't lose weight
1. You skip breakfast. - Kick-start your day with a low GI breakfast. A good breakfast will prevent the hunger pangs around 10am; boost your performance and mood for the day. If time is an issue, then prepare the night before and have on the run or when you first get to work. Try ½ cup rolled oats with some skim milk, chopped apple, nuts and cinnamon. Place in the fridge overnight and heat up and enjoy.
2. You don’t realize what kilojoules you are drinking. - Smoothies, energy drinks and soft drinks may give you a quick energy boost but are all loaded with a tonne of excess kilojoules. A typical caffeine drink (like V or red bull) may seem like a good solution to enhance your mood, but it is equivalent to a medium size fries from McDonalds. Even when you think you are buying healthy with a low fat option you can be buying a tonne of kilojoules from the sugar content. A 650ml banana buzz low fat smoothie from Boost Juice is 1995kjs. That is equivalent to over 4 Tim Tams. Cut down on excess kilojoules by watering down your juice or nectar with sparkling water.
3. You don’t know what a serving size is – Most people do not know what an average serving size is. Australian health educator and dietician Allan Borushek says “Food portion size is critical to controlling calorie intake for weight control. Super-sized food servings have become more common when eating out and in the home. This can mean a day’s worth of calories being consumed in one meal, or a snack being equivalent to a full meal.” It may not always be possible to have scales or measuring cups on hand each time you eat. Serving sizes of your protein or carbohydrate foods are no bigger than the size of the palm of your hand. Protein foods (meat, dairy, eggs etc ) Carbohydrate foods (breads, cereals, sweets etc)
4. You put food or drink into your mouth without thinking - Do you constantly nibble while you are cooking, working at your desk or reading a book or magazine? A good rule to use is to only eat from a plate to avoid over-indulging. If the average nibble is 105 kjs (25calories), then the consumption of 4 extra nibbles can mean 420kjs.
5. You blame others or make excuses why you cannot lose weight – List the excuses you have used in the past for not losing weight. Is it procrastination, your health, the weather, your job, your kids or maybe even your friends? Be honest with yourself and look for solutions to any of your excuses. Find the support in the people around you by sharing your goals with them.
©Healthy Executives 2009
2. You don’t realize what kilojoules you are drinking. - Smoothies, energy drinks and soft drinks may give you a quick energy boost but are all loaded with a tonne of excess kilojoules. A typical caffeine drink (like V or red bull) may seem like a good solution to enhance your mood, but it is equivalent to a medium size fries from McDonalds. Even when you think you are buying healthy with a low fat option you can be buying a tonne of kilojoules from the sugar content. A 650ml banana buzz low fat smoothie from Boost Juice is 1995kjs. That is equivalent to over 4 Tim Tams. Cut down on excess kilojoules by watering down your juice or nectar with sparkling water.
3. You don’t know what a serving size is – Most people do not know what an average serving size is. Australian health educator and dietician Allan Borushek says “Food portion size is critical to controlling calorie intake for weight control. Super-sized food servings have become more common when eating out and in the home. This can mean a day’s worth of calories being consumed in one meal, or a snack being equivalent to a full meal.” It may not always be possible to have scales or measuring cups on hand each time you eat. Serving sizes of your protein or carbohydrate foods are no bigger than the size of the palm of your hand. Protein foods (meat, dairy, eggs etc ) Carbohydrate foods (breads, cereals, sweets etc)
4. You put food or drink into your mouth without thinking - Do you constantly nibble while you are cooking, working at your desk or reading a book or magazine? A good rule to use is to only eat from a plate to avoid over-indulging. If the average nibble is 105 kjs (25calories), then the consumption of 4 extra nibbles can mean 420kjs.
5. You blame others or make excuses why you cannot lose weight – List the excuses you have used in the past for not losing weight. Is it procrastination, your health, the weather, your job, your kids or maybe even your friends? Be honest with yourself and look for solutions to any of your excuses. Find the support in the people around you by sharing your goals with them.
©Healthy Executives 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
