You can turn on the TV and it won’t take more than a few minutes before you see a health-related commercial. There are so many options out there, it can make your head spin. They all promise to get your in shape quickly, easily and that they have the “difference that you need” to finally get healthy.
These promises are funny to me because they are appealing to someone that has not been on track and wants to not only get on track, but to see results instantly. There is something to be said for results and getting them quickly. I can’t blame anyone for wanting this, but there is a fatal flaw in this thinking.
When you start a new workout plan or change your diet, you are doing more than burning more calories and taking in fewer calories. You are creating new habits. As you create those habits, you are making the new behaviors part of your routine. As the routine becomes more normal for you, it gets easier.
The only way to make it easy is to do it for a long time. Practice makes perfect is a saying that comes to mind. You can’t just jump out and start doing something and expect to lose weight instantly and have no difficulty. It doesn’t work that way.
It never has and it never will.
The promises that you see on TV are always going to be there. These companies are trying to sell a product. They need you to try their product and they are competing with other products that are offering quick and easy results. That is the gimmick that has been working on people for decades.
Think about it:
These companies continue to find new twists on the same workouts and new machines to offer you new ways to do the same workouts that you’ve done in the past. The biggest problem is not the convenience of these movements. It is not the new trainer on the video you just bought. It’s not even the fact that you were trying to do things the hard way.
The problem is not that you didn’t have this new video or machine in your life. The problem is that you never stuck with the last thing you tried. News flash: If you don’t stick with this one, it won’t work either.
The marketing for new exercise products is funny to me because they are promising something that is completely true. If you do an exercise program, any exercise program consistently over a period of time, you will see results. If you work really hard for a really long time, you will see great results. The marketing is funny to me because they can promise that all day and never give you what you actually need to make it all work.
The motivation and planning to execute your routine over an extended period of time is what you need to make exercise work. You already know what to do. You already know how to do it. If exercise “hasn’t worked in the past” for you, it is because you stopped doing it. It is not because you were doing it wrong. It is not because you didn’t have the right technology. It wasn’t because you had yet to see some revolutionary system that would be “the end of your struggle”.
I’ll say it again. If a routine, any routine hasn’t worked for you, it is not because it wasn’t the right routine. It didn’t work because you stopped doing it. Any routine that you do regularly is going to yield good results. Any product that you use will work if you actually use it.
What is the real secret? The secret to success in health lies in one word. There are many ways to be healthy. There are many ways to lose weight, many ways to get in shape. If you want to be healthy than your routine has to work for you. If you want it to work, the one word that has to be part of your plan is: steady.
The more you do something, the more it works. This is true in health and in every other area of life. If you buy the best workout DVD’s, have the most knowledgeable trainer in the world, it won’t matter if you can’t do it consistently. You have to be steady and do something regularly if you want it to do anything for you.
“Slow and steady wins the race”. It’s true. If you do something regularly, even if it is simple and modest, you will see better results over the long-term than if you try a few flashy things sporadically every few years. We’ve all seen the before and after pictures of the people that got on track with the latest craze. The will show you what someone was able to accomplish in 30 days or 90 days. What they won’t show you is that same person 90 days after they took that picture. They won’t show you what that person looks like 6 months or a year later.
Why won’t they show you the person after that after picture? They won’t show you that because they don’t promise you that. They can promise you (with a disclaimer) that you will get results in 30 days, but they won’t promise you that you can stick with it long enough to make it part of your routine. They can’t promise you that.
Only you can do that. You are the only one that can change your routine. It doesn’t matter what you do. If you do it and are steady with it, you will see results.
It’s actually quite simple. Don’t let marketing or technology make you feel like you don’t understand it. Health is the same as it always was. Just because there are new ways to workout doesn’t mean that you are out of the loop. It just means that someone found new way to do the same thing and packaged it differently.
The key is not the next best thing. The key is to be steady and consistent. If your routine is steady, you will be healthy.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Weight Loss through Good Nutrition
Losing weight is important. Maintaining a healthy weight is more important. There are many plans out there that can help you lose weight. The main key to losing weight and keeping it off is creating a calorie deficit. This can be accomplished by eating fewer calories or burning more calories. In an ideal situation, you are able to do both. This will give you the greatest health benefit.
Health is also an important factor that often gets overlooked when it comes to weight loss. It’s strange, considering weight loss is usually driven, at least in part by health. Health needs to be considered for weight loss to be effective and sustainable.
Exercise can improve health while you lose weight and so can nutrition. You don't need to kill yourself in the gym or put on hundreds of miles on the trail to lose weight. In fact, many of the tools you have to lose weight are already in front of you. In some cases, leaving them alone is the key, but in others, simply including healthy choices can mean the difference between healthy and unhealthy.
Nutrition is more important than many people realize. The foods we eat (and don't eat) are making a significant impact on our health. It is easy to think only weight loss. It is easy to restrict ourselves and lose sight of a healthy body in favor of a thin body. But it is very important to live healthy in order to lose weight and keep weight where you want it. The best things you can do for nutritionally healthy weight loss:
Drink More Water
We always hear about how soda and other beverages are causing such problems. Drinking has become an issue. For many, the first step to losing weight is to drink less of the sugary drinks. The next step is to drink more. More water that is! Hydration keeps the body functioning properly, keeps energy up and allows you to do everything you need to support yourself.
Eat More
Yes, it sounds counter-intuitive, but eating more can actually help you. If you eat more good foods, you will be better off. Fruits, veggies, protein and whole grain are all good items to make sure you get more of. Healthy snacks can ward off cravings and keep your metabolism burning.
Eat Real Food
Sit down to good meals of foods that you enjoy so you can stick with it. Portion control is the most important factor is weight loss. Eating real foods that taste good and satisfy you will keep you going strong. If you can reduce the amount, you will still get enough to take you to the next meal, but also trim some calories out of your day.
These techniques can help you lose weight while improving your health and making it possible to sustain the routine for a long time. Here are the benefits to good nutrition to help your weight loss:
Energy
If you starve yourself, you won’t be able to function on a day to day basis. Keeping your energy up will not only give you better function and help you to take on more tasks, but it will also keep your body burning more and make weight loss and maintenance easier over time.
Health
Obviously, the healthier you are, the better life will be. You can lose weight for whatever reason you want, but the bottom line is that health is improved with weight loss…if it is done the right way.
Success
The longer you can do something, the better the results will be. The more you learn about how to live a normal life while practicing healthy habits, the more likely you are to stick with those healthy habits. Living healthy is more important than losing weight. Weight loss is simply a result of living healthy.
Set realistic goals around your eating and you will have more energy, see health improvements and as you progress, you will see more success. Losing weight with good nutrition leads to weight loss and good health.
Health is also an important factor that often gets overlooked when it comes to weight loss. It’s strange, considering weight loss is usually driven, at least in part by health. Health needs to be considered for weight loss to be effective and sustainable.
Exercise can improve health while you lose weight and so can nutrition. You don't need to kill yourself in the gym or put on hundreds of miles on the trail to lose weight. In fact, many of the tools you have to lose weight are already in front of you. In some cases, leaving them alone is the key, but in others, simply including healthy choices can mean the difference between healthy and unhealthy.
Nutrition is more important than many people realize. The foods we eat (and don't eat) are making a significant impact on our health. It is easy to think only weight loss. It is easy to restrict ourselves and lose sight of a healthy body in favor of a thin body. But it is very important to live healthy in order to lose weight and keep weight where you want it. The best things you can do for nutritionally healthy weight loss:
Drink More Water
We always hear about how soda and other beverages are causing such problems. Drinking has become an issue. For many, the first step to losing weight is to drink less of the sugary drinks. The next step is to drink more. More water that is! Hydration keeps the body functioning properly, keeps energy up and allows you to do everything you need to support yourself.
Eat More
Yes, it sounds counter-intuitive, but eating more can actually help you. If you eat more good foods, you will be better off. Fruits, veggies, protein and whole grain are all good items to make sure you get more of. Healthy snacks can ward off cravings and keep your metabolism burning.
Eat Real Food
Sit down to good meals of foods that you enjoy so you can stick with it. Portion control is the most important factor is weight loss. Eating real foods that taste good and satisfy you will keep you going strong. If you can reduce the amount, you will still get enough to take you to the next meal, but also trim some calories out of your day.
These techniques can help you lose weight while improving your health and making it possible to sustain the routine for a long time. Here are the benefits to good nutrition to help your weight loss:
Energy
If you starve yourself, you won’t be able to function on a day to day basis. Keeping your energy up will not only give you better function and help you to take on more tasks, but it will also keep your body burning more and make weight loss and maintenance easier over time.
Health
Obviously, the healthier you are, the better life will be. You can lose weight for whatever reason you want, but the bottom line is that health is improved with weight loss…if it is done the right way.
Success
The longer you can do something, the better the results will be. The more you learn about how to live a normal life while practicing healthy habits, the more likely you are to stick with those healthy habits. Living healthy is more important than losing weight. Weight loss is simply a result of living healthy.
Set realistic goals around your eating and you will have more energy, see health improvements and as you progress, you will see more success. Losing weight with good nutrition leads to weight loss and good health.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Benefits of Weight Loss
Losing weight is something we hear about daily. When you turn on the TV, you see commercials. When you listen to the radio, you hear ads and testimonials. When you open up the newspaper, you see articles about how important weight loss is. But, why is weight loss so important? We all want to look and feel good, but is there more to it than how we look and feel? Actually, there is much more. There are many health benefits to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. Here are the most significant benefits:
Heart Health- Lower your risk for heart attack, stroke and other long-term complications from an unhealthy heart. Just a 5-10% reduction in body weight can mean the difference between healthy and unhealthy as you lower blood pressure, cholesterol and reverse the signs and symptoms of diabetes.
Joint Health- Help your joints feel better and avoid pain by lowering your weight. Again, that same 5-10% loss will relieve pressure, pain and improve function of all of your joints. For every 1 pound of excess body weight you carry, your knees and back have an extra 5-7 pounds of stress to handle. The body is designed to support itself, so the more weight you carry the more stress you put on the structure, leading to injuries and chronic pain.
Financial Health- your bank account will thank you when you are spending less money on medication, surgery and other care required to account for your poor health. Studies have shown that the average obese individual spends over $2,000-$4,000 more per year than a person at a normal weight.
By maintaining a healthy weight, you can avoid these problems altogether. According to recent studies, 90% of all diabetes, 80% of heart disease, and 60% of cancers are preventable with healthier lifestyles and normal body weights.Health is a good thing.
So is saving money and feeling good. Not to mention, living a long and happy life and enjoying the company of family and friends. Kids and grandkids are a great reason to get healthy, but you have to make the changes in order to be around for them.
The benefits above are clear. The path to reach them may be a bit cloudy, but if you take one step forward, you will be able to form a new habit. Keep taking steps and you will keep seeing results.
Heart Health- Lower your risk for heart attack, stroke and other long-term complications from an unhealthy heart. Just a 5-10% reduction in body weight can mean the difference between healthy and unhealthy as you lower blood pressure, cholesterol and reverse the signs and symptoms of diabetes.
Joint Health- Help your joints feel better and avoid pain by lowering your weight. Again, that same 5-10% loss will relieve pressure, pain and improve function of all of your joints. For every 1 pound of excess body weight you carry, your knees and back have an extra 5-7 pounds of stress to handle. The body is designed to support itself, so the more weight you carry the more stress you put on the structure, leading to injuries and chronic pain.
Financial Health- your bank account will thank you when you are spending less money on medication, surgery and other care required to account for your poor health. Studies have shown that the average obese individual spends over $2,000-$4,000 more per year than a person at a normal weight.
By maintaining a healthy weight, you can avoid these problems altogether. According to recent studies, 90% of all diabetes, 80% of heart disease, and 60% of cancers are preventable with healthier lifestyles and normal body weights.Health is a good thing.
So is saving money and feeling good. Not to mention, living a long and happy life and enjoying the company of family and friends. Kids and grandkids are a great reason to get healthy, but you have to make the changes in order to be around for them.
The benefits above are clear. The path to reach them may be a bit cloudy, but if you take one step forward, you will be able to form a new habit. Keep taking steps and you will keep seeing results.
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