It’s A Marathon Not A Sprint

The temptation at the beginning of every year is to try and change all of your habits at once. That’s a recipe for failure. Take it easy, make just a few healthy changes, like drinking more water and getting up and moving at least 10 minutes a day. Even 10 minutes can seem like a long time when you haven’t been doing anything. That’s the first step, and every step adds up.

TODAY: CUT BACK ON HOW MUCH YOU EAT AND GET MOVING.

Get Half The Diet Support You Need

This wraps up Half Week. I hope you have seen a difference from cutting down on portions. If nothing else you may no understand that you can be “full” when you eat less. That’s half of our goal! To lose weight you need only to eat less and exercise more. Just because our dedicated Half Week has ended doesn’t mean you stop. Keep eating half portions. That may take some help. Because people around you can unknowingly undermine your efforts by enticing you to eat more, or have a tasty snack. “You’ve been so good, it won’t hurt.” Yes it will. That’s a step backward.

Let those around you know that you are dieting. Have them understand that they can help you with encouragement and by not leading you into temptation. (Sounds familiar.) Without them on your side as well, you don’t have a prayer.

TODAY: ASK THOSE CLOSE TO YOU TO HELP KEEP YOU ON A DIET AND EXERCISE PLAN. YOU CAN EVEN INVITE THEM TO PARTICIPATE AS WELL. TO START, ENCOURAGE THEM TO SIGN UP FOR THE DIET NAG or

TOO.

Get Active The Easy Way

I once visited a brand new huge health club that had two floors. The biggest surprise was that up on the second floor they had their stepper machines right at the top of the escalator that people rode to get there! That’s when I noticed that most of the spaces in the parking lot that were close to the building were the fullest.

Look for ways to add activity to your day. Park as far from the store as you can rather than looking for the closest space. Carry your grocery bags instead of using a cart. Use the stairs, not the escalator. You get the idea. It’s the easy way to burn more calories and get exercise.

TODAY: PARK WAY OUT IN THE PARKING LOT.

Take A hike

It’s Sunday. Relax and clear your head while burning calories and strengthening your body by taking a good long walk. A study I just read today also says that we should be doing different new things regularly to stimulate our brains. So take the weekend and go someplace completely new or where you haven’t visited in a long while and walk there. The exploration will benefit you in many ways.

TODAY: WALK SOMEPLACE NEW.

So What’s Anaerobic Exercise?

I told you about aerobic exercise the other day. You also hear about anaerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise might actually be a goal for your health if you are so inclined or physically fit.

Anaerobic exercise is exercise at a more difficult pace. You’re going all-out. Races are a good example, but it can also include weight lifting, jumping rope, and sports. All the things that would leave you really winded when you finish. If you get really fit it can be a real reward. You get that “runners high”. But if you’re not fit you get aches, pains and maybe worse. Don’t do it without a doctor saying you can. I’m just nagging you to exercise for general health and fitness and to burn calories to reach your goal, not to go for the gold.

Here’s a quick way to tell if you’re doing too much, too fast. You should be able to talk when you’re exercising. Just don’t talk about eating.

TODAY: TAKE A GOOD LONG AEROBIC WALK.

Today Is A Day In The Park

I’ve told you about setting small goals. It starts you on your way to success and feeds your self esteem without feeding your belly. With the weekend here, take an hour today and go to the park. Any park will do, but maybe try one you haven’t been to in a long time… or ever. It will be good exercise and good for your brain as well. Explore, exercise and enjoy. It’s good for you in more ways than one.

TODAY: GO TO A PARK AND WALK.

Exercise Like You Shampoo

You’ve read it hundreds of times. Rinse, wash, repeat. Though the secret is that the directions originated from the marketing department at one of the shampoo companies. They realized that they could sell twice as much shampoo if they just told us to wash twice at a time! Well, if you approach your exercise program the same way you’ll quickly double your calorie consumption.

TODAY: EXERCISE, RELAX, REPEAT.