Summer season is here…are you ready for to wear your swim suit with confidence?
Everyone seems to want to the annual 5-10 pounds before their summer vacation. They weigh themselves every day or week and wonder why the scale doesn’t change in a positive way! IF you want to change your body, have more energy and be more confident then YOU have to make the changes and put in the effort. Weight loss takes a personal commitment. Sneaking extra calories only hurts your success. YOU have to be motivated to change your food and exercise habits if you want to be a new you.
Most people want to lose weight but they don’t really try to make any changes in their live to result in a negative energy balance which turns into weight loss. A healthy weekly weight loss is around one to two pounds. One pound of weight is equivalent to 3500 calories so to lose one pound a week, one needs to eat 500 less calories a day and/or burn off 500 calories a day through exercise. How do you lose weight without dieting? Make lifestyle changes and create new healthy long term habits!
At my Fitness Forward Studios, I started a quarterly “Waist Watchers” 30 day weight loss challenge for clients. You can create your own weight loss support group with your friends and family to more accountable and have more weight loss success.
Here are a few simple guidelines to get you started on living healthy active lifestyle which will result in weight loss without being obsessed. Allow one day a week to be an “off” day as life happens but eat in moderation. In time you will discover that healthy clean eating tastes better than process prepared foods so you don’t feel like you are missing your old “treats”. It takes around 21 days to make a new habit so try sticking to these tips for thirty days…
Waist Watcher’s 30 Day Challenge Guidelines: commit to following these “rules” for thirty days.
- Get your starting measurements (mid upper arm, mid thigh, waist, hips and chest)
- Weigh in once a week in the morning.
- Be active every day for 30 minutes or more.
- Do something different every day for your exercise. Try yoga, Pilates, strength training, TRX suspension training, interval training.
- Keep a daily food/exercise log book of your choice. Record time you are eating, hunger scale (1-10), location, serving size. Email to a friend or me!
- Don’t eat after 8 p.m.. The kitchen is “CLOSED” after 8 p.m..
- Clean out your fridge and re-stock with fresh whole foods, fresh local fruits and vegetables.
- Need to snack? Cut up cucumber, celery and crunchy tomatoes. Raw almonds. Edaname.
- Order your SPUDs fresh delivery each week for the best organic fruits and vegetables.
- Eat all meals and snacks with balance! Healthy high fiber whole grains, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and lean proteins.
- Replace “white” carbs for whole grain carbs: white rice – brown rice, pasta – whole grain pasta, white bread – whole grain high fiber bread.
- Plan your exercise schedule for the week. When, where and what are you doing. How long? Meet a friend.
- Purpose to eat workout. Wear a heart rate monitor. One or two days a week try interval training (5-10 times 30 seconds).
- Plan your meals if traveling or not at home all day. Be prepared for the day.
- Eat when hungry. Eat mini-meals every 3-4 hours to keep metabolism running but eat when you are hungry!
- Do not eat white flour products, processed foods, refined sugars, soda, sugary drinks.
- Share your ideas for healthy snacks and meals.
- Follow me (Debbie Potts) on Twitter (FitForward) or Facebook for tips (Fitness Forward).
Debbie Smith-Potts owns her own fitness studio in downtown Bellevue, WA. Debbie opened a new group TRX Suspension circuit training studio in February, 2010 to share the amazing 50 minute “All in one” workout on the TRX Suspension circuit training program she created the past year. Fitness Forward Studio also offers semi-private personal training, yoga and STOTT Pilates mat training with free childcare for clients. Debbie has been in the fitness industry for over 15 years in many roles and has been a competitive age group athlete (marathoner and Ironman Triathlete) for over ten years. Debbie is trained in yoga, Pilates Mat and USAT certified coach. Come experience the TRX Suspension circuit training and discover how strong your core can become! Change the way you train and feel!
