Keep Those Resolutions!

Once again the year is drawing to a close and everyone is beginning to think about their resolutions for 2012. Sometimes it seems as if everyone has a resolution related to health or fitness. The gym is packed in January with all the “resolutionistas” but by March it’s back to the regulars who stay consistent all year long.

So, how do you take those resolutions and make them a habit? Just follow some simple tips.

1. Keep It Realistic - No one is going to be able to create a habit from a resolution that can’t possibly fit with his or her current lifestyle. If you have two kids, work full-time and go to night school, working out six days a week is probably just not going to happen. Start off with aiming for two or three days a week. Once you’re successful maintaining that schedule then try to add a day. Biting off more than you can chew is just going to leave you feeling frustrated and defeated…not to mention back to swearing you’re going to get healthy for 2013.

2. Make It Measurable - “I’m going to get healthier…lose weight…eat right…fill in the blank here.” Those are great but how do you know when you’ve achieved it. Resolutions are just goals and you need to make a goal that you can measure. Instead of “get healthier” how about “lower my blood pressure to 120/80”. Instead of “eat right” how about “get five servings of vegetables every day.” When you have something you can measure, you’re more likely to reach the goal and when you do…

3. Celebrate Success - It’s human nature to enjoy recognition. Give yourself a pat on the back when you’ve achieved your goals. Get a manicure. Go see your favorite sport team play. Buy yourself that new pair of pants, CD or whatever little non-food reward that will gives you a little boost. It’s not always easy to form new and healthier habits. Don’t be afraid to congratulate yourself when you do…you deserve it!

This can be a hectic and stressful time of year but it doesn’t have to be. It’s also a time for new beginnings which can be exciting and energizing. Hold on to that thought and get read for a great 2013. If you want some help, coming up with and achieving your 2013 resolution make an appointment with any of the coaches here. That’s what your monthly coaching session is for and we’re happy to help you.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Coach Rachel

Get Motivated!

Motivation is key to getting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, it’s so difficult to find sometimes. Sometimes, it’s just near impossible to find the motivation to set foot through those gym doors. You’ve found every reason possible to not get a workout in but you know deep down that those are all just flimsy excuses and you still feel a little guilty in the end.

When you are starting to feel like you just can’t bring yourself to get a workout in, here are some strategies that might help get you over the hump.

*Follow the 10 minute rule – Make a deal with yourself that you’ll workout for 10 minutes and if after 10 minutes you’re still…insert excuse here…, then go home. Nine times out of ten, you’ll stay and finish the workout because you’ll start to feel better. That one time that you don’t make it through…well…you probably wouldn’t have a good workout anyway because there’s probably something bigger going with your body like an illness or injury.

*Make a list – Lists are great motivators. Make a list of all the positives that come from working out regularly. You feel better about yourself. You have more energy. You have less pain…etc. Then post that list somewhere prominent in your home. When you start to give yourself all the reasons why you can’t go to the gym today, take a look at your list. Those reasons will trump any excuse you have to not go and you’ll find yourself lacing up the sneakers.

*Set a goal - Humans need to be working toward something. Set a goal for a set number of times a week you can realistically get into the gym. Three times a week is a good start for most people. Now, establish a reward for yourself if you achieve your goal (NOT food). Maybe for the ladies it’s a manicure or guys, how about 9 holes at the end of the week. Track your progress on a calendar and celebrate with your reward when you achieve it. Keep pushing yourself to go further. If you did it for one week, now, don’t reward yourself until you do it two or three weeks in a row. Before you know it, you’ve formed a habit that you don’t want to break.

We all have our struggles with forming and keeping healthy habits. The key is to have a plan in place before you hit the potholes. That way you’re prepared to deal with them and overcome them successfully.

Former Fat Girl

Since I've lost my fat and kept it off, there's one question that keeps coming up from other people who've either had the same journey or are just beginning. "Do you ever feel like you're still fat?"

The simple answer is "yes". Once you've been there, it's difficult to get that way of thinking out of your head. I can't tell you how many times I look in the mirror and see the woman in the before picture rather than the one in the after. When I speak with others who have been through the same journey, they all tell me that they have those moments, as well.

Like many American women, my issues with weight began at a young age. I didn't have an eating disorder but in high school I had what is called now "disordered eating" (basically just teetering on the edge of an eating disorder). I became more comfortable with myself in college and started to gain weight and look healthy.

Then "real life" hit. I lived across the street from an ice cream parlor and above a bakery my first summer on my own. I ate more for convenience than for fuel. Business lunches made me feel more like an adult. That's when the pendulum swung to the opposite side from where it was in high school. I kept piling on the fat. I took it off only to pile it on again.

I looked at my family and thought I needed to just accept being fat. Most of the women in my family tended to gain weight as they approached their 30s and keep it on. However, I was unhappy, feeling pain and beginning to show risk factors for diabetes. That's when I decided I didn't need to accept anything and I got on the ball.

I started working out and eating right. The fat started to melt away and the clothes began to fall off my body but when I looked in the mirror, I still saw the fat girl. It wasn't until I saw the before and after pictures side by side that I began to accept this new me.

I still see that obese girl in the mirror. I struggle with having "fat" days. I'm sure I always will. Once you've gone through the physical and emotional pain of being obese it's difficult to forget about it. However, I use those feelings and memories to fuel my passion for remaining fit.

I never want to feel that pain again. I keep my old pictures on my refrigerator to remind me how far I've come. When I'm working out, I try to remember how some of the exercises I couldn't even do when I started (squat thrusts were a struggle and last week I just did 60 burpies). I set new goals for myself so that I don't get complacent and stop growing and pushing myself.

The best thing I ever did to keep me going and get me out of the "fat girl" slump is to become a personal fitness coach. Helping my client's achieve their fitness goals is extremely rewarding and helps spur me on. They are such a great motivating force. I learn just as much (if not more) from them as they do from me. They aren't alone in this journey and we can support each other.

So, when others ask me if I ever still feel fat, I'm not afraid to admit that I do. It's that feeling that keeps me fit now. Feeling that way has helped me to accept a healthy body image. I'm proud of where I came from and where I'm at now and I can't wait to help others experience the journey.

Tricks to Keeping the Fat Off

There’s a lot of buzz in the media about weight loss (I prefer the term fat-loss. I'll explain why in a later post). American culture has an ever-expanding waist line that it’s trying to reduce. However, I haven’t seen many articles, news reports or blog posts about what happens after you lose the fat. That’s a shame because once a person reaches his or her fat-loss goal the work isn’t done. Case in point, look at the number of “Biggest Loser” contestants (including winners) who have gained the weight back. With all the focus on losing fat, we’re forgetting about what it takes to keep it off.

I’ve been there. I lost fat once and gained it all back plus a great deal more. The second time around, I was determined not to find myself in that position again. I knew that meant I had to stay just as focused on my maintenance as I did on the fat-loss. Here are a few things that can help you actually keep the fat off once you reach your goal.

1. Get rid of the “fat clothes” – Those too big clothes are just a crutch and if you keep them around you’re most likely going to grow right back into them. GET RID OF THEM! When you don’t have a larger size waiting for you, you’re more motivated to keep your clothes fitting right. Oh yeah, and it’s a tax write off when you donate all those clothes to a non-profit.

2. Set a new goal – Just because the weight is gone doesn’t mean you’re done developing. Set yourself a new fitness related goal to keep you motivated. Think about doing something with your new body that you couldn’t do with your old. Maybe it’s learning to play hockey or becoming a tri-athlete. It could be as simple as going across the monkey bars without stopping. Whatever it is just make it something active and DO IT.

3. Be accountable – It’s very easy to become complacent once you reach your goal and to start making exceptions to your healthy lifestyle. Before you know it, the weight has crept back on and you’re back to square one. Make your workouts an appointment on your schedule. Have a workout buddy. Get a personal fitness coach. When you know you have someone that’s checking in on you regularly, you’re more likely to keep those good habits going.

These suggestions aren’t things I just pulled out of thin air. They’re exactly what I used to keep the fat off for these past three years and I continue to use. They were simple to do and have kept the fat from creeping back on (as we all know it can so easily do). Remember, it takes just as much work to stay healthy as it does to get healthy. However, the rewards make it all worth it.