So this holiday has been a deadly time when it comes to sweets and sugar and well any insulgencies for that matter. The new year has come and motivation is highly driving our desire to get in shape… Right? Well that’s what we had planned on and hoped - buuut. Still struggling? - I know I am. With all the left over holiday goodies still lerking around at home it’s difficult not to sneak a little cheat in once in a while and after it you regret it and promise yourself not to do it again… Time to draw the line and make some progress, okay?
Soooo how can you and I both get started…. for real this time…?
Here are 15 key things I’ve come up with to help us kick start our success - we are in this together!
1. Get rid of the temptations. Stop keeping it around and just throw it all out. Putting all your tempting sweets and savoury treats in one spot and promising yourself that you won’t touch them won’t cut it.. Soo just toss them and refrain from purchasing them again!
2. Pre-portion your snacks. You may not think this works but it does, especially when it come to those high cal tastey snacks that tempt you to reach your hand back into the bag once, twice or five times more after you said you would stop - aka nuts!
3. Avoid letting temptation break ya. Cake… Chocolate… Icecream… Chips…. Once you have had one mouthful the ones that follow just seem to, well, happen.. and then before you know it you find yourself with an empty bag or a left over wrapper. If you can stop yourself and just resist the temptation you will thank yourself. An important thing I should touch on is being realistic. When I say to resist temptation that doesn’t mean never have a sweet again because that’s a little rediculous. It’s okay to cheat once in a blue moon (say, having a slice of cake at a birthday party or going out with some friends for drinks) just don’t make a habit of it.
4. Reward yourself. Maybe once you loose your first 5-10 pounds or go down a size you buy yourself something you have been dying to have - something new, something you’ve wanted!
5. Friendly competition (well fairly friendly) is something worth considering. Put something on the line… Say $50 or better yet $100 dollars and throw it into a pot with a friend or maybe even a few and set a goal. This will be sure to motivate you especially when $100 of your hard earned money is at stake. Set a goal - for example the one who logs the most hours at the gym in a month (or two) - gets the WHOLE pot. You’ll find yourself running to the gym left, right and center and racking up your hours! (Don’t go too crazy though haha)
6. Stop eating out. Sadly as yummy as it is… Eating out is cheating in disguise. Even if you ask for your dressing on the side what’s to stop you from tasting it and then using it all. You don’t know what was used to make the food you order so that’s why you’re better off just making your own food because you can actually choose how much oil or salt is put into your food or if you even want to put it in for that matter. Don’t find yourself saying - well I can’t help it, the food was made the way it was and I guess I’ll just have to suck it up (Ohhh what a pain… Well it actually is because you’re the one who’s going to regret it afterwards).
7. Log what you eat. Keeping track of what you eat is tedious, but when you know what your putting into your body and how much of it, you begin to notice those pesky cheats and when you probably should’ve drawn the line.
8. Balance food and working out. Don’t kill yourself at the gym and use that as a way to justify a snacking because well you worked hard. That’s just simply throwing all that hard work down the drain. It’s true when they say the kitchen with a healthy side of the gym (or something like that). No matter how hard you work at the gym, in the end if you keep eating poorly… You aren’t going to see the results you were hoping to see after all the long hours spent at the gym.
9. Sleep! That is all. Make sure you get enough of it. You’re body needs it and deserves it- so make sure to get your 7 to 8 hours a night (every night). You don’t want to not get enough sleep but at the same time you don’t want to over sleep. Going to bed at a half decent hour and getting up early is a great habit to get into- I swear to ya!
10. 3 X 3 X 3 Snacking IS good - it keeps your metabolism running on high burn. Feeding your body ever 3 hours is recommended - 3 meals and 3 snacks a day!
11. Don’t try to justify cheating. Similar to what was mentioned above… (Just in a bit more depth): Don’t let your mind (temptation) be what justifies you cheating. What I mean by this is… say you’ve had a hard week because you didn’t meet the goal you had set for yourself.. Don’t let that failure be what brings on more failure…. You don’t want to find yourself standing infront of the fridge or better yet your ‘deadly not so hidden junk food section of your pantry.’ Use that frustration to drive you! Bottle up that anger and put it to good use- sweat it out and tighten up on your restraints.
12. Do it for yourself and only yourself. I think my biggest problem - and many people’s problem for that matter - is the lack of confidence. I find myself trying to get in shape for other people because of the fear of being judged. Thinking about it now… It is just plain old stupid. You should want to work out to make yourself happy, so you can feel good on the beach in your bikini or in your fav pair of skinnies!
13. DRINK WATER! Water - some people like, some people love it… And then there are people like me, who don’t like it at all. It is so tough to bring yourself to drink your minimum 8 large glasses of water a day - but I promise you it is so so so good for you. No matter if you drink it over the span of a day or all at night - try your very best to do it. Your skin and body will thank you! I’m no doctor, heck I didn’t even study anything remotely related to health in school but I do know that staying hydrated is very important! Also, try not to put any sucrouse/aspertain filled sweetners into your water… Research what they do to you and you’ll be sure to stop right now. Sure they’re tempting but so not worth it when comes to your health! Try squeezing some lemon or anything citrusy into your drink orrr mix together 1 cup of 100% fruit juice (say cranberry juice with nooo added sugar) with 3 cups of water to make it more interesting. Fun fact for ya… I didn’t know this but when I found it out I found myself drinking lots more water: you pee our your calories haha!
14. Peace out sugaaa…. And salt. No sugar, (unless it’s natural- aka fruit) it’s as simple as that! No if’s or but’s. Too much salt isn’t good for you, it makes you retain water and who likes water weight… no one… so be sure to consume it in moderation.
15. Start now, not tomorrow. Even if it’s 11:30 at night and your tempted to just cheat once more - stop yourself!!! Get in the mind set, turn off your lights, get your seven hours, wake up early, eat a tastey and healthy breakfast and throw in a quick (but sweaty) 30 minute run at the gymnasium and you’re set!
Best of luck ya superstars - you got this!
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