New Years Fitness Resolutions
by Amy Lynn Grover @amylynngrover
Every year people gain a ton of weight over the holidays, which in my opinion is the catalyst of weight gain for the entire year, it’s no wonder that the top New Year’s Resolution is “TO LOSE WEIGHT”. This year make your New Years resolutions specific, measurable, action oriented and timed so that they can be attainable. People are often set up to fail from the get go when they say they want to ”lose weight”, “quit smoking”, “save money” etc., because it’s an idea, instead of a thought out plan of action and well because they haven’t got the slightest clue on how they are going to actually carry out the plan.
I believe things (physically) come together when you are truly happy. You need to believe in yourself and think positive thoughts instead of negative ones like “I’m fat”. If you say something enough it manifests and you may actually start believing it. Set yourself up for success with positive mantras: stuff like “I can… I will… I am…”
Here are a few tips on how to get started and not quit or fail after a week or two, since I really do want you to succeed at this.
Be prepared and organized. Schedule your workouts into your life like you would a job interview by first starting with a measurable goal, how many times a week do you plan on exercising, i.e. 3-7x per week in relation to your personal goals (become healthier, stronger, run a marathon, etc).
If you are not a morning person, avoid 6am gym sessions!
Get detailed by choosing a plan of what you will do in relation to your personal goals and what you have access to. You may choose to do classes (yoga, spin, zumba, pilates, kettle bells, body pump/sculpting, cross fit, ballet) or you may prefer the traditional cardio machines, jogging, skipping, or you may be into full body weight training or specific muscle target training.
What ever you do, pick what you enjoy doing and mix it up from week to week so that your body is never at the point of plateauing.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t put the stress on yourself or your body or mind to shed all your gained weight in a week. Shedding more than 2lbs per week isn’t physically sustainable.
Exercise. Over exertion in the gym can result in unusual pain feeling (build up of lactic acid from muscle use) or more serious pains/strains that can result in injury causing a permanent vacation from exercise.
Diet. Starvation diets typically shed a lot of muscle weight, muscle burns fat which keeps the metabolism burning. When the diet is over, the metabolism is shot too (which makes it hard on the body to handle the newfound intake of food). Starvation diets wreak havoc on both the body and the mind (No one likes to fail). Slowly decrease the not so good dietary choices (sugar, processed, high sodium foods, starchy white carbohydrates, alcohol ect.) and increase healthier options (vegetables and leafy greens, lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats).
Don’t make your diet unexciting or completely miserable because you won’t stick to it. Find a healthy balance, think 90% healthy, and 10% treats.
**Your body weight fluxuates mostly due to water weight (1 glass of water equates to ½ pound) and when you are trying to shed pounds, it is imperative to keep hydrated to flush your body out.
Amy Lynn Grover
I used to be nuts over how much I weighed and I would count every single last calorie I consumed and if I ate too much, I would beat myself up mentally and then pound it out on my body in the gym, causing way too much stress on myself in every direction. It was a horrible way of life and I was miserable.
I needed a positive approach, not because I was overweight, but because I was doing too much and my constant weight fluxuation was mentally draining, because nothing felt like it was working.
I’ve learned my combination, what works for me and what doesn’t. I’m in way better shape mentally and physically things have all come together. I’m mindful and moderate when it comes to diet and exercise. I don’t count calories in or out, I don’t beat myself up. I believe in myself and I believe in you too. Now G.O.!
