Many people in Fort Lee, NJ, find it a task to maintain their fitness. You have to say no to delicious treats that are unhealthy and yes to exercise. Since time began, many have struggled to make physical tasks easier. It’s almost against the nature of man to add physical work that doesn’t build a shelter or end by accomplishing a task. What most people don’t realize is that it is productive. It’s sculpting your body and keeping you healthy. Changing your perspective on exercise helps.
Start with realistic expectations.
If you were building something and never had any training, would you start with a 30-story office building or shelves for storage? Realistic people wouldn’t expect to build a 30-story by themselves because they don’t have the skills to do it. The storage shelves are more realistic. Use the same realism to set fitness goals. You can set a big goal, like losing 50 pounds, but break it down into more easily achievable goals, such as losing two pounds weekly for twenty-five weeks. You can achieve each weekly goal. That success can help you stick with your long-term goals.
Be consistent.
Start planning meals. Schedule your exercise session as an appointment that’s as important as any doctor’s appointment. Put it on your schedule at the same time every day. It becomes a daily habit and makes it easier to maintain. If you’re eating junk, you won’t get the success you want. Meal planning can help. It keeps you on the road to healthy eating. You plan the meal on one day and create a grocery list. You shop another day. When you have a whole day off, you cook all the meals for the week at once. During the week, all you have to do is heat and eat.
Find a workout buddy to hold you accountable.
Accountability is vital for success. Some people can hold themselves accountable, but not everyone does. That group is relatively small. Studies show that people are more consistent when they answer to someone. One study found that people exercised more consistently when someone called them once a week to check progress. Just imagine how effective it can be when it’s a workout partner. It’s one reason personal trainers are so effective. They hold you accountable for showing up and doing your best.
- Winners keep score. Track your workouts or food intake. Always track your successes and failures, whether it’s weight or inches lost, energy gained, or health indicator numbers improving. Turn it into a game.
- Increase your activity level beyond the gym. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk more, and plan active pastimes.
- Eat slower. Eat mindfully and chew each bite until it’s a liquid. The longer you take, the more time it gives your stomach to message the brain that you’re full so you eat less. It also aids with digestion.
- Get more sleep. When you lack sleep, you don’t feel like exercising. You also eat more. That’s because the body makes more ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and less leptin, the satiety hormone.
For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center