Incremental Changes create monumental movements

This is your year: 2011. Pop open the bottle of champagne or sparkling cider, it is time to celebrate your accomplishments of the past year and look forward to the infinite possibilities of the New Year. As you raise your glass to toast with your family and friends take a few moments to reflect back on how the year unfolded. Consider what you are the most proud of and what you would like to improve upon or effectively change. Allow these to stir the course and influence the resolutions that you will ring in the New Year with.
Health and fitness will undoubtedly top most resolution lists. As the demands of work, family, and social responsibilities increase and at times become overwhelming, unfortunately for most it is health and fitness that will lose priority and be put on the back burner when schedules become full with the things we have to do today. Taking care of ourselves physically and mentally will get pushed off to the sidelines giving way to the demands of the office, the spouse, the children, and our friends. However, without our health prosperity in other areas of our lives will fall short. Our confidence will waiver. We will find ourselves fatigued, malnourished, and unmotivated. Commitment to a daily exercise regimen and sensible nutrition plan will lose its fervor and take out and missed workouts will replace the healthy lifestyle changes we promised to keep for the New Year. Before long we will find ourselves at the beginning of another new year, writing a list of resolutions, vowing that THIS year will surely be the year to get in the best shape of our lives.
Incremental changes create monumental movements, and in the area of exercise and nutrition small, realistic changes become essential to achieving an optimal fitness level. Rome was not built in a day, therefore losing weight or dropping a pant size or finishing a half marathon will not happen with just a snap of the finger. Shedding those unwanted pounds that sit on your hips and thighs or getting into exceptional cardiovascular shape requires a steady climb to the top. As you put one foot in front of the other, allow 2011 to be the year of your fitness revival. Start from the beginning and embrace the process of adaptation and change with these easy to follow steps.

1.Commit to a consistent exercise plan. Change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency. Consistent action produces long term results. This year commit to moving your body at least four times a week for 45 – 60 minutes. Find a type of workout that you look forward to. Maybe you are a gym person; or you prefer outdoor boot camps; or running groups keep you on track; or you have been wanting to adventure into a dance or yoga class. If you enjoy an activity the chances are greater that you will remain consistent and committed to an exercise program.

2.Set short term goals. Knowing exactly what you are working for will keep you motivated during the times you feel like skipping out on exercise or having a second piece of pie. As a personal trainer I ask clients to set weekly, monthly, and 12 week goals. This enables clients to focus on the immediate future, keeping each goal small and obtainable. Without a goal commitment to an exercise game plan will most likely waiver when the demands of work and family are pulling you in all different directions.

3.Improve your nutrition one day at a time: Nutrition is 80% of the fitness equation. One can be consistent with their exercise plan; however if you are eating hamburgers after a sweaty workout progress will continue to negate you. Focus on consuming 5 small meals a day consisting of a lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fat. Clean out your kitchen pantry closet. Become a label reader and begin to look at the food products that you consume daily. Limit processed food items and those that are high in sugar, sodium, enriched and bleached flour, saturated and trans fat, and contain more than 10 ingredients.

4.Perform a closet audit. Though they are cute and may come back in style one day, those jeans from high school or college do not fit and may never fit again. You will lose the weight; however the shape of your body is different from a few years ago (or a decade) and keeping clothes that you wish you could fit into will only discourage rather than encourage. Weight loss is equally mental as well as physical. A closet full of clothing that does not fit will most likely frustrate rather than motivate.

5.Rest and recover. Lack of sleep can result in weight gain. If you are skipping out on your Zzzzs you could be contributing to the size of your waist line. When you are tired you will be more prone to passing up a workout and saying yes to that dish of food that may be comforting, but surely not healthy. Aim for at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep each evening.