Last year on my birthday, I hired myself a personal trainer. I worked out consistently, made changes in my eating habits and gradually became stronger and healthier.
That was last year and staying on track isn’t easy, I shared about this before. For the last two months, I have completely fallen out of routine and given up on eating healthy. Earlier this year I met Amy Parham from NBC’s The Biggest Loser and brought home a signed book 10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl. Since I was doing so well on my own, I didn’t take the time to really read the book … until now. It’s time to get back on track.
My first step was making a trip to a local food store and stocking up on healthy prepared meals. If I have healthy food in the fridge, I will eat healthy food. (unfortunately, same goes for soda) The next step is physical. I actually like to workout, I just lost my mojo for doing it.
I found some great tips from Parham’s book and I wanted to share them with you.
10 Tips to Help You Stay on the Plan
1. Follow an effective exercise routine.
- Strength training. Even 20 minutes a day twice a week will help tone the entire body.
- Interval training. “In its most basic form, interval training might involve walking for two minutes, running for two, and alternating this pattern through-out the duration of a workout,” says Cedric Bryant, PhD, FACSM, chief science officer for ACE.
- Increased cardio/aerobic exercise. Bryant suggests accumulating 60 minutes or more a day of low- to moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking, running, or dancing.
2. Set goals you can reach. Make attainable short-term goals. As you master them, gradually set longer-term goals that require more effort.
3. Take a friend with you. Having a friend to work out with provides an accountability factor and makes exercise more fun.
4. Consistency counts. Exercising consistently is as important as what exercises you do.
5. Do activities you look forward to. If you do something you love, you are more likely to continue doing it,
6. Watch your energy levels. If you are a morning person, try to work out in the mornings. If you have more energy in the afternoons, work out in the afternoon.
7. Make your plan fit your life. You will never stick to an exercise plan long term if it doesn’t fit into your life.
8. Build a team. Everyone need coaches and cheerleaders.
9. Get inspired. Inspiration can come from listening to certain songs or watching stories of people who triumphed over adversity.
10. Be patient. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit and one thing that is necessary to reach any goal in life.
Are you looking to get fit? What keeps you moving and motivated?
If you are on Twitter, join my conversation on fitness. I will use the hashtag #getfit when talking about fitness related topics. Many others use the hashtag and it’s great to see what they are up to as well! I’m @mendezgonzales on Twitter.
