Basic Steps To A New You!!

When a person decides that they are going to get healthy they can become so overwhelmed by everything that they just give up. Here is how to get started so that you can ease your way into a routine and change your lifestyle for the better without getting frustrated and giving up.

Did you know that in order to lose weight it takes about 85% Nutrition and 15% Exercise?? What you put into your body is an essential part of losing the pounds/inches. However, exercise is extremely important as well to achieve optimal results and health.  

Do not commit yourself to any of the fad diets out there. They simply do not work and even if you do get results from them, they don’t last. I’m sure we all know this from experience. So forget the fad diets and focus on living a healthier lifestyle. Many of us need to create baby steps to achieve this goal because if you try to do it all at once you are more likely to fail.

Start out with cutting back on the sweet sugary food. Everyone has a sweet tooth but sometimes this craving can mean that your body doesn’t have enough Vitamin C. Having an orange instead of ice cream can be just as satisfying. Soda is probably the worst thing you can drink because it is all sugar.  Instead of soda drink more water. Your body is made up of approximately 75% water. If you don’t drink it then how else is your body going to get enough to function properly and stay hydrated? If water is too plain for you here is what you can do to add some flavor. Cut up some lemon wedges and put them in your water. It is a natural way to add flavor and it is also a good way to detox. I went and bought a huge glass container with a spout on the side. I fill it with filtered water, add lemon slices, and let it sit in the refrigerator to “marinate.” This way you have lemon water whenever you want it without the process of cutting up lemons all the time. When the water is gone filter more water and cut up more lemons.  You can experiment with all sorts of fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, oranges, raspberries, ginger, etc. No matter what you use you are making your own vitamin water and it is way healthier than the other drinks you can buy from the store, especially soda.

Make sure you eat plenty of raw fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain fiber which will naturally decrease cholesterol. You have to drink plenty of water as well for the fiber to work properly through your intestines. You can even make smoothies with them for breakfast or snack.

Supplements can also be added to your diet to make sure you have enough nutrients daily. They have to be good pharmaceutical grade vitamins though, not the ones you can buy off the shelves. Most of these vitamins that you can buy at the local market don’t have the nutrients it says it does. They have a lot of fillers to make it look like it does and therefore you are not getting the boost you think you are.

   

Eat all day long. You want to have about 6 meals a day. Now this does like mean plates heaping with food. A meal can consist of a banana and some almonds as a mid-morning snack. Constantly eating healthy food increases your metabolism allowing you to lose weight faster.

Do not eliminate Carbohydrates from your diet. Carbs are what give you energy. It you cut them out completely you will feel drained and may even convert muscle for energy which is something you do not want to do. Eat Carbs in moderation. However, the Carbs you eat you do need to burn or they will be stored as fat. Do not over eat them. It takes about 30 minutes of exercise to burn all your stored Carbs. After this amount of time you will burn fat which is what you want to do. Stay within your target heart rate for maximum benefit. If you go over your maximum heart rate you will begin to burn muscle which can be detrimental. To find your target heart rate use this formula: 220-age, this is the maximum that your heart rate can get without complications. You want to say away from this number.  Multiply that number by 60% and 80% and this will give you a range to stay in working 60-80% of your target heart rate.  This is where you will get your maximum benefit. For example: I am 29 so this is what my target heart rate is:

220-29 = 191

191 x .6 = 115

191 x .8 =  153

So, I should keep my heart rate within the range of 115-153 for maximum benefit.

While you are getting your nutrition shifted towards healthy, go out and get yourself a gym membership. If you have to pay for it then you will more likely go. Start out with cardio. Try to do 45 minutes each time. Go to the gym at least 3 times a week to start and just do cardio. Then you can work yourself up to more days. Once you got cardio down try to incorporate body weight exercises into the mix. You can alternate days. So on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday do 45 minutes of cardio. On Tuesday and Thursday perform a body weight exercise routine. Don’t know any body weight routines? Well I have the solution for you. There is a facebook page that has a 90 day challenge for you to try. It is called the Bikini Body Mommy Challenge. Briana, who created this challenge, is a personal trainer and a nutritionist. She came up with this routine after she had a baby. She has had 4 children since and has done this routine post baby every time and got significant results.  I am currently doing this challenge and it is amazing. It is really challenging but you go at your own pace. It is all body weight exercises to start and then she adds a few dumbbell exercises in the mix. But you are the one who has to push yourself. Keep a journal with all these workouts because you are supposed to time yourself for how long it takes you to perform the task at hand and write down how many reps you perform on certain exercises. Don’t get discouraged if you do not know what the exercises are, she has YouTube videos of her performing the exercises and how to do them. You can even do these in the comfort of your own home if you have the room. She also has a meal plan that you can buy where she sends you a shopping list weekly for the weeks meals ahead. She is such an inspirational woman and you should definitely look into her website and share with your friends. After the body weight exercises you can always move to free weights to gain strength and maintain your new figure.

The main thing with exercise is to make it part of your daily routine. Whether it be before you go to work or after. Make arrangements so that you can perform your exercise routine daily. Consistency is what is going to get you the results you want. Keep with it and do not get frustrated. It will take about 1 month before you notice results and 2-3 months before anyone else does. Grab a workout partner so you can complement and motivate each other. Also remember you are doing this for YOU, not anybody else. You are the only one who can make this change in your life. So get out there and do it! You will not regret it!!!