| June 10, 2009 |
5 Steps for Solving Your Fitness Problems
Not happy with your weight loss progress? Feel like you have absolutely no idea what works for you and what doesn’t anymore? You’re not alone! At least twice a day I hear clients say things like “I don’t know what happened over the weekend, I just lost motivation,” or “I was eating SO good until...,” and “I can’t lose weight the same way I did 10 years ago.” I know you think it’s just you who feels as though someone deflated the air out of your health-bound wheels, but it’s not. However, I can tell you this: The person who’s slashing those tires is YOU! And you can make that evil dark side disappear with a little push from Brain Boot Camp!
Here are 5 steps to help you uncover what it is exactly that’s keeping you from achieving your goals, whether it be your psychotic obsession with Red Vines (don’t ask!) or that you need to start relying on others for motivation. Take a few minutes to go through these, figure out what action plan is right for you to obtain a healthier life, and fire up those engines!
1. Weight = An Underlying Problem
If you see your weight as an actual problem, you’re probably hindering yourself right then and there. So many people say “I’m too fat,” or “I’m so out of shape” that they’re missing the real issue, that excess weight is just a symptom of a root problem. So if you’re not seeing the results you want, you’re not addressing the real road-block, which could be bad habits or just poor health education, stress, a difficult time in your life, a lack of action, or just misguided action. To find the solution that works best for you, be sure to address the underlying problem, not just the symptom.
2. Weight Loss Begins in Your Brain
The way you think and your belief system are the biggest part of losing weight, if you ask me. For example, without the firm belief that you can lose weight and be healthy, it’ll be impossible to achieve your health goals; that’s just the cold, hard truth. If your belief is that you are, and always will be, an overweight or out of shape person, you are struggling against yourself to be successful. Ask yourself how you really feel about health, what your ideal weight is and whether it’s realistic for you and your body type, and if you are ready to do what it takes to achieve it. See if your answers line up where you thought they did.
3. Create a Custom Action Plan
The same health plan doesn’t work for all people, and you need to find what works for you. Not for your neighbor who just dropped 30 pounds in one month because she only drank wheat grass! If your plan includes actions that don’t work well with your life and schedule, you’re definitely doomed from the start. It takes some tweaking, but find the best times to exercise and types of exercise that will encourage you to stick with your goal. Do you work out better alone or with a group? What types of exercise do you enjoy and which do you hate? What time meshes best with your schedule? Are there foods that are better for you than the ones you are currently eating? Can you create a well-balanced eating plan that includes foods you like so you don’t feel deprived? Ask, ask, ask these questions until you feel honest about the answers!
4. A Support System is Your Secret Weapon
You can’t do this alone, you just can’t (and I hate the word can’t, so I’m only using it here where it’s appropriate!). Having a solid support system behind you makes all the difference in the world when it comes to staying on track with a healthy lifestyle. Surround yourself with people who will cheer you on and are like-minded about health. Also, have people you can turn to on those days when you’re feeling lackadaisical and unmotivated to work out – they should be personalities that will encourage you to press on and tell you they know you can do it, because you CAN! The #1 reason people hire personal trainers? Accountability. If you create that accountability for yourself with a support system, you’ll be on your way to success!
5. Pay Attention to Your Body
Remember that feedback, whether it’s internal or external, is your best friend. It won’t kill you, it just gives you a clear view of what’s working for you and what’s not. If you gain 5 pounds, don’t look at it as failure, that’s just feedback. That means you need to change something. So change it, and get right back on track the following day. Feeling sluggish and gross because you ate a double cheeseburger and the guilt is killing your efforts? Remind yourself of how you’re feeling, vow not to eat a double cheeseburger again, and get back on the health train! There’s lots of rewards waiting for you!
Favorite Fit Finds!Here you have it: Another long-overdue installment of my favorite healthy items! Below is an updated list of the food I’m currently infatuated with and must have in my possession, or at least in my kitchen, at ALL times! These are delicious, good-for-you, and great choices to turn to for fueling your body when you have no idea what to give it! For more ideas and updates, you can check out my blog at http://poisehealthandfitness.wordpress.com/ 1. Light Life Smart Tortilla Wraps 2. Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt 3. FRS Healthy Energy 4. Ezekiel 4:9 Bread 5. Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patties Bonus Favorite Fit Find: Dreyer’s Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Flavors |
Meet the Trainer
Crystal is a certified personal trainer through the National Sports and Conditioning Association (NSCA). She has a passion for helping others live a healthy lifestyle and coaching them to push their limits beyond what they think they are capable of.
