I can’t believe we’re already coasting through January! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and your 2018 is starting off well! We’ve all heard it. New Years comes with a ton of promise. January is full of resolutions—people wanting to do better, feel better, get better, etc. The number one New Year’s resolution? You guessed it—losing weight! Here are my top tips on how you can get your year started on the right track to make some major changes and lose those last few pounds for good!
1.) Awareness. The first step in making changes in diet and fitness is being AWARE of what you’re eating. It means paying attention to portions, labels, skipping meals, behavior patterns, etc. The first thing I typically make new clients do is keep a food log or journal for EVERYTHING they ate and drank for at least 7 days, including times and amounts. Most people don’t really pay attention to what they’re eating, and that’s where problems start. If you don’t know where you start point is, then it’s really hard to figure out a gameplan. Pay attention to emotional eating, alcohol intake, eating out, even those little handfuls of snacks here and there at the office and at home add up, sometimes even to hundreds of extra calories a day.
2.) Activity. Not every gym rat came out of the womb a gym rat. It sometimes takes years to develop behavior patterns that result in spending multiple hours a day in the gym. What I always tell my clients is to find a form of activity that you ENJOY and ultimately you will be more motivated to do it! It’s NOT going to be easy, especially when you’re first starting out or have a lot of weight to lose, but every bit of activity is a step in the right direction. Maybe it’s just a walk around your neighborhood, or a yoga class at the Y, or just parking a few spaces futher out at the mall. Aim to be active as much as you can every day. Make a list of active things that you enjoy— I promise you that you will look forward to doing those activities! It doesn’t even have to be the gym (although obviously that’s what I recommend the most!!), it can be hiking, the zoo, running, bicycling, dance lessons—you name it, there’s a TON of ways all around you that will give you an opportunity to be active and burn calories! You can even go with a friend and it will make it that much more enjoyable! Just get out there and get moving!!
3.) Consistency. There’s a saying that it takes 4 weeks for YOU to see your body changing, it takes 8 weeks for your close friends and family to see, and 12 weeks for the world to see your changes. Rome wasn’t built in a day! True weightloss and transformation comes from being CONSISTENT with nutrition and exercise day after day for several weeks. Can you have pizza or a cheeseburger every now and then, OF COURSE! But at the end of the day, it comes down to making healthy choices on a daily basis. You can’t expect to see major changes in just a couple of weeks. In fact, most doctors and nutritionists advise against losing any more than 1-2 pounds per week! If you have 20-30 pounds to lose (which is most people just starting out) then do the math!
4.) It’s a LIFESTYLE. Newsflash: There’s not a pill, a 21 day fix, a pink drink, a wrap, or a shortcut that will help you have true, lasting, successful weight loss. It may work in the short term, but unless you truly begin to understand what it means to have a healthy lifestyle, I guarantee you’ll succumb to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. THOSE THINGS DON’T WORK!!! You can’t expect to do the “whole 30” for thirty days, or eat clean for 21 days, or drink a pink drink or Shakeology when you remember to, and go right back to your old habits and not gain the weight back. You have to make true changes in how you approach choices in what you’re eating and the activity that you’re doing.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m here to help! I love working with people to educate them on how to be healthy and fit! We all start somewhere. I’m taking clients on a part-time basis right now and would be honored to work with you and help you start your fitness journey. Feel free to email me at meredithlynchfitness@gmail.com, or message me for more information.
Thanks for spending a few minutes with me reading this post today. Cheers to a wonderful 2018!!
Till next time,
-Mere