Fit In 2011

New Year’s Resolution – Get Fit!

Many people make New Year’s Resolutions, and most people wish to become more healthy and physically fit. Unfortunately many people fail to lose weight or become more healthy, year after year. NOT YOU. This is your year to make a positive change that will last a lifetime!

All these four goals are actually intrinsically linked to one another. The lose weight, you must start to exercise more and start to eat healthier, more nutritious foods to provide you with the energy required to be more active, without putting on additional unwanted weight. It is worth reminding you that to lose weight may actually require you to eat more (of the correct foods) in the long term, assuming you do not exercise now. Stress can be caused by many factors, but generally people that feel that they are in greater control of their personal lives find it easier to control stress in their working lives. So being more confident as a result of being fitter and healthier can lead to a major reduction in stress. So, how do you stick to your game plan?

Let’s break the resolutions down, and look at each one individually:

Weight Loss
OK, as already mentioned, to lose weight we merely need to increase physical activity and eat a healthier, more balanced diet. The best way to do this is to set yourself goals. If you know that your diet is not ideal, but are not sure exactly where you are going wrong, then you must keep a food diary for a couple of weeks at the start of the New Year. This will quickly highlight where you are going wrong. Make sure that you write down everything that you eat and drink during these two weeks. It is best to keep a note of when you eat too, so that at the end of the two weeks you will have a picture of your eating habits in the morning, afternoon and evening. Many people eat too much in the evening after a busy and stressful day. This is most likely going to be the area you need to concentrate on!

Get Fit
Getting fit is a life long goal for many people. So how do you stick to a New Year resolution to get fit? The best way is to set goals, write an exercise schedule (and stick to it) and keep a training diary.

Setting Goals
Goals can be based on endurance (exercising for longer periods each session), strength (lifting heavier weights, or lifting more repetitions of the same weight), frequency (exercising more often, such as 3 times a week, twice a day). When setting goals, always set goals that are attainable. If you have not exercised for 5 years, then setting a goal of running 5 miles a day by the end of January, or running in the London Marathon in the Spring, will be very difficult to achieve. And failing your own goals does you no good regarding self esteem and motivation. So keep the goals simple. My personal goals generally include the following:

1. Exercising more each week – see your Long Beach Personal Trainer up to five times per week or find an effective workout routine

2. Lifting heavier weights for effective resistance training – when weight training it is impossible to achieve this goal without a lot of hard work, so again I do not specify how much heavier the weights should be, but simply be happy if they are heavier after a month of weight training.

3. Performing more repetitions of an exercise for fat burning. This is very important when doing circuit training in the gym with a personal trainer or at home. For example, you could aim to do one more repetition each day you exercise. This seems like a very small increase, but if you exercise 3 to four times per week, with just push ups, sit ups, star jumps and squat thrusts, and you start by performing 10 exercises of each in one session, then by the end of January you will be performing 22 or more of each. By the end of February it will have increased to over 35 of each, and by the time spring comes you will be performing maybe over 50 repetitions of each exercise 3 or 4 times a week. Small incremental increases are to way to make steady, attainable progress one day at a time.

4. Exercising for longer. This can again apply to circuit training at home, such as exercising for an extra 5 to 7 minutes each session each week or if you exercise with a personal trainer you may be limited to 1 hour personal training sessions but your trainer will increase the intensity each week. So start by exercising for 15 minutes, and by the spring you will be exercising for 1 hour and 20 minutes each session, which could be 3 times a week! You will soon get fit, if you stick to the plan!. If you prefer to cycle, run, walk or swim, play volleyball, surf, etc for fitness, then the same applies. Spend a little more time each week, and the improvements will definitely keep coming, especially when you mix many types of workouts – this creates Muscle Confusion, which keeps your body guessing.

Eat Healthier
This is usually the hardest thing to do well for most people. Many people are well aware of what food is good for them, and what is not. If you are unsure check out our diet pages. The problem is sticking to the plan, without over eating. Keeping the food diary mentioned earlier will be extremely helpful. Stick a note on your fridge to remind yourself of what you should and should not be eating. Simple rules may include:

* Eat 5 pieces of fruit and vegetables a day
* Consume no carbs after 4pm, regardless of what food is available to eat
* Eat at least 3 portions of fish per week
* Use olive oil rather than the usual salad dressings
* Eat less cakes, junk food, biscuits, sweets etc except for a sweet treat on your cheat day

Keeping the food diary always helps to create a sense of accountability. Keep you diary posted to the fridge too, or a pin board, or even maintain a personal blog which can also be used to mark progress. This will allow others to point out your mistakes! Also go over the diary at the end of each day and highlight or circle each item you have consumed that goes against the common sense healthy diet plan. After a few weeks go by there will be much fewer highlighted items on your weight loss diary. But do not deprive yourself completely of your favourite foods, always give yourself a treat, just be careful not to over indulge, and make a note in the diary! Even special treats for working hard need to be included in your food journal. This is your cheat day which you have earned by eating sensibly 95% of the time.

Reduce Stress
Hopefully the healthier lifestyle, increased physical activity and better diet will help to reduce stress levels. If you are still struggling, then consider joining a class aim at relaxation, such as yoga, pilates or tai chi, or any other exercise class where you get to meet other people who share common goals. Aerobics, martial arts, surfing, football, golf – these all can help to reduce stress. Make sure you have time to yourself, away from work, away from family, at least once a week. Make a special time for yourself when you can relax, read a book, sit quietly in a chair and contemplate life, alone, without any interruptions.

Your New Years Resolution to lose weight, get fit and be stress free will be easier than you thought:

1. Keep a food diary, take control of you daily eating habits, shop for healthier foods.
2. Exercise more than you do now, aim for at least 3 times a week, and increase each week. Consider how your eating habits interact with your exercise regimes.
3. Take time out to relax by yourself, and appreciate the good work that you are doing.

Want workout support?  Join the Beachbody Fitness Club and connect with hundreds or even thousands of people in your area!