Beginners Tips ~ How I Got Through the First Month

I would LOVE to be able to tell you that I woke up one day and decided that I needed to make a change in my life and that I have popped up every day, run into the gym for a fabulous workout, eaten all the right foods and never strayed... never went off track not once.  But, since I am a human that is simply not the case!  I have had very difficult days, some days where the very last thing that I wanted to do was get out of bed and go to the gym.  Other days that I would have rather eaten an entire chocolate cake probably rather than a pack of tuna and a salad. 

YOU have to make the decision that it is time for a change in your life and that you are ready to commit to make these changes.  It isn't always going to be easy, I can promise you that but trust me when I say it is worth it. You have to set yourself up to succeed, not set yourself up for failure! 

Here are some of the things that I did to help me through the rough patches:

• Shop Smart - Don't buy any snacks for your house.  Not for you, not for other family members.  It isn't necessary for anyone in your family but it will be especially hard for you to stay on track if there are snacks, chips, sodas and sweets in the house!  Make sure you talk to your family and let them know that you have goals, whatever they are, so that you have support from the entire family and try to get them involved.  The family that works out together stays together!
• Move Your Alarm - If you decide to work out in the morning and you have a habit of hitting the snooze alarm relentlessly then move the alarm to the other side of the room.  That way you have to get up and walk across the room to shut it off, once you are out of bed it will be easier to keep moving.
• Keep Pictures Close by - This was particularly helpful for me!  I found pictures of women that looked the way that I wanted to look and put them on my phone.  When I woke up in the morning and wasn't feeling like working out, I pulled up a picture and reminded myself that the only way I was going to look like that was getting my butt out of the bed!  Also, I put pictures up on the fridge and pantry so when I went for a snack, there was a fitness model staring me down... reminding me to get a water and shut the door!
• Drink Water - Drink TONS of water.  I cannot stress this enough.  Frequently when you think that you are hungry it is actually that you are dehydrated!  The benefits of water are endless - google it and see for yourself!  I drink water all day, ice cold water as a matter of fact, because drinking ice cold water increases your metabolism so you actually burn more calories.  Another rule I implemented is that I had to drink at least two 20 ounce bottles of water less than 30 minutes before each meal or snack!
• Find Support - Inevitably we all know someone that wants to lose weight and get into shape.  So, reach out to these people!  Work out with them, share recipes with them, get advice, discuss what tricks and tips they have for any progress they made!  We can never be too informed or have too much support!
• WRITE DOWN YOUR FOOD INTAKE - This is key!  I got a journal and wrote down the food I ate all day, every day.  No matter what it was, good or bad, I wrote it down.  This is a HUGE benefit because you really have no idea how many calories and how much fat you are taking in until you write it down!  Go to the restaurant websites and get the nutritional information and keep a log of your meals.  Then, at the end of each day, calculate your totals.  I started doing this right away and I swear by it!  I still do it!  I have about 5 journals sitting around my house!  I have become proficient with writing everything down and can rattle off nutritional information for Chick-Fil-A, Kashi cereal, egg whites, etc! 

Just remember that it doesn't matter if you accidentally "slip up" or if you eat out a few times or if you don't make it to the gym as frequently as you had hoped.  This doesn't have to consume your life, it just has to be a PART of your life. 

Start off slow. 

If you sit down and tell yourself that you are going to stop eating all junk food, eat 100% healthy and go to the gym every day, you are setting yourself up for failure!  Instead, tell yourself that this week you are going to drink more water or that you are going to go to the gym at least 3 days or that you are going to buy more produce at the grocery store.  Then, after you can cross that off your "goal list" then put another goal down.  Take baby steps! 

It took you however many years it did to build the habits that you have now and the body that you have now.  Don't expect to change 20, 30, 40 or 50 years of bad eating habits in one week!

Set yourself up for SUCCESS!!!  What is your goal for this week?