Are You Ready for Fitness?

August 27, 2010 in Motivational by Taylor | No comments

Getting fit is a big deal, and you have to be psyched up to do it right.  If you don’t begin with the right attitude, you’ll end up doing a LOT of work and then gaining all the weight back.  Getting fit is too hard to keep repeating it over and over. So before you get started, be sure you’re ready.

Here are some ways to know you’re NOT ready to start a forever fitness program.

You’re not ready to start a fitness program if you don’t have a PLAN.  You wouldn’t build a computer without a plan. You wouldn’t take a cross country car trip without first deciding what route you were going to take. 

Big projects take big plans, and getting fit is BIG because it will change your life totally. For a life-changing project, you’ll need a serious plan to do it right. Create a plan you can stick with for the rest of your life. 

My plan is called the Ultimate Fitness Game—UFG—and I’ve been playing it for three years. I hardly think about it anymore. It’s just a part of who I am. But in the beginning, it took some major planning.   

So, don’t start without a plan. And don’t even think about starting a fitness program if you want to lose weight OVERNIGHT.

I know, I know. Once you get psyched up, you don’t want to hear “Slow down.” But we’re not talking about a sprint here. We’re talking about a marathon.   

Don’t use all your energy the first week. Don’t make such drastic diet and exercise changes that you’re hungry and tired all the time.  That’s not something you can stick to forever. You may lose a little weight for a little while, but extreme changes are temporary. 

A year from now, you’ll look back and think, “Wow, I did all that work for nothing. I lost the weight but I gained it back.” 

If you take your time, a year from now you’ll be celebrating all your hard work with the body you deserve.

Until next time, here’s something to think about:

Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.—Alan Lakein

Live positively,

Taylor

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Changing Genes

August 17, 2010 in Motivational, exercise by Taylor | No comments

To change your jeans to a smaller size, you may have to change your genes–or at least trick them.

If you–like me–inherited the fat gene, that’s no excuse for giving up and accepting a life of extra pounds. You can be stronger than your DNA. You may metabolize food more slowly than some of your friends, but you can counteract your natural tendencies in several ways.  The best is exercise. Exercise speeds up metabolism.

You can cut calories and see a quick difference, but exercise results come more slowly. I think that’s one reason people tend to give up on exercise programs.  But exercise is a major key to long-term fitness.  Trying to maintain a fitness lifestyle without exercise is like adding air to your car’s tires and not putting the valve cover back on. Your weight loss will be temporary.

So get out there and exercise. It can change your jeans and trick your genes.

Until next time, here’s something to think about:

Exercise is one of the best ways of preventing the rapid growth of obesity in America.—Lee Haney

Live positively,

Taylor

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STRESSED Anyone?

August 9, 2010 in Diet, Informational, Motivational, exercise, stress by Taylor | No comments

 Most of us don’t eat because we’re hungry. We eat because we’re lonely, bored, stressed, or worried.  That’s one reason it’s difficult to make fitness a lifestyle.

We work hard. We resist the temptation to overeat or to eat unhealthy foods. We start seeing a difference. Our clothes get looser and we’re thinking it’s about time to shop for a smaller size. Friends say we’re looking great. Life is good!

Then we argue with a friend. A parent gets on us about the condition of our room. A teacher criticizes our report. Just as we’re getting ready to invite that special person of the opposite sex to a movie, we hear that they’re going with someone else.  We lose the afterschool job we were depending on to pay our car insurance. Our great grandpa dies. We break our leg. We call all our friends and no one wants to hang out, and we’re bored.

To different degrees, all these things spell stress. A lot of us deal with stress by eating too much of the wrong foods. I know, because for years I was the king of stress eating.

But I found a much more effective way to deal with stress. It’s not only calorie-free, it actually burns calories. It makes your body stronger, and it makes you feel great. When we overeat, we feel miserable afterward, but this method actual creates a natural high by releasing endorphins. It’s the best way imaginable to combat stress.

Have you guessed the best way to fight stress? Get out there and start moving. Run, don’t walk. Participate in sports. Play active games. Exercise, exercise, exercise. You’ll feel your stress melting away!  

 Until next time, here’s something to think about:

STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS.

Live positively,

Taylor

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Staying Fit While Away from Home

August 1, 2010 in Diet, Motivational, exercise by Taylor | No comments

Recently, a friend in another country emailed and asked for some fitness advice before her family left for a two-week vacation in Europe. It made me stop and think of some of the little things I do to stay healthy when I’m not able to maintain my regular fitness plan.

It’s easy to get off schedule when you’re away from home, and it doesn’t take long for new bad habits to replace established good ones.

When you’re away from home, do your best to find a place to exercise. Order wisely from restaurant menus and eat only actual servings—take the rest in a to-go box.

And here are a few extra tips I gave my friend. They’re small, but they can make the difference when you hop on the scale when you return home.

  • Remember that you may not be able to lose while out-of-town, but your minimum goal should be to avoid gaining.
  • ANY exercise is good. I’d suggest putting things in your motel or B&B far away from where you use them instead of where they’re convenient. Make yourself get up and move around to pick up a book or magazine. Don’t use a remote on your television—get up to change the channel. 
  • Walk or bicycle instead of driving whenever possible.
  • (My friend was going to the beach, so I told her) Take a walk along the beach because it’s hard to walk on sand, so you burn more calories.

I hope these ideas help my friend, and I hope they help you.  Don’t let a short trip wreck what you’ve been working on for weeks, months, or years!  Travel is always fun, but don’t take a vacation from fitness! Temporary bad habits can quickly become permanent lifestyle changes.

Until next time, here’s something to think about:

How soon “not now” becomes “never.”—Martin Luther

Live positively,

Taylor

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