So you've come to the realization that your health isn't exactly where you want it to be. Maybe your doctor told you you're a bit above your ideal weight. Maybe you tried on a pair of pants that can't seem to squeeze into. Or maybe you're tired of feeling uncomfortable in your body. Whatever your reason, I congratulate you on taking the time to read this blog post. My goal for writing articles each week is to help people achieve seemingly unattainable goals.
Almost everyone has tried at some point to improve their diet or start an exercise program. Unfortunately most people either don't get results, or they get results at the beginning but soon fall back to their old ways. It's not for lack of trying. It's the ever popular 80/20 rule at play. I'm sure you're familiar with the 80/20 rule but for those that my have forgotten, its a rule that states 80% of the results come from 20% of the activities you do. Said another way, people spend 80% of their time doing things that don't get results. It's no wonder people get tired and give up.
What if you could identify those magic 20% items and focus most of your efforts on those? Do you think you'd get better results? YES!
Do you think you'd stick with the program longer? YES!
Would you be able to get results with less effort? YES!
Here are a few tips to help you shift your focus away from the things that don't get you results, and toward the things that will help you achieve your goals.
1. Build Muscle - each pound of muscle burns 50 calories per day at rest. So the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn even while you're not exercising. The best way to add muscle is to do full body resistance training exercises that challenge you.
2. Eat frequent small meals to avoid letting your body fall into "fat storage" mode. I'll write another blog post with more details on this one - for now just know that your metabolism stays faster if you don't space your meals too far apart. So eat more times throughout the day, but make sure the meals are smaller.
3. Eat protein and veggies at every meal. Your body has to speed up it's metabolism to break down and digest protein. Protein will also leave you feeling full longer. Veggies help bring your body's ph level (acid/alkaline) into optimal balance (I'll write more about acid/alkaline in a future post)
4. Don't spend long amounts of time on the treadmill. Instead do short, fast sprints. 10 minutes of intense sprints is more effective for weight loss than a 30 minute jog. A "sprint" can be a fast run, or any exercise that you can do intensely that quickly raises your heart rate.
5. Record everything you eat - several studies have found that people who write down what they eat each day get twice the results of people who skip this step. I recommend tracking the following: What you eat, how much you eat (serving size), what time you ate it, and why you ate it (was it an impulse buy? Feeling bored? Stress? Meal time? etc.). This will help you get some insight into the situations that trigger you to slip up and make unhealthy choices.
These are just a few of the strategies I use to get results with my clients. If you have any questions please feel free to submit them on my website source
If you'd like to learn about all the benefits a Professional Certified Life Coach can bring to your life, contact me today and I'll give you a complimentary session. source
