The Fitness Maven

You’re dreading getting off of the couch and getting started with your fitness routine. But you know that it’s the right thing to do with your body and for yourself. Here are a few tips to help you to get started.

1. Hydration – Make sure that you stay hydrated during the day, and particularly during and after your workout. You should be drinking somewhere between six and eight cups of water a day (although you’ll see a huge range if you look for advice online about this topic).
2. Swimming: Consider swimming as a workout. It’s one of the most gentle ways to workout as it works your entire body but doesn’t put pressure on your legs, hips, back, etc.
3. Invest in Great Shoes: Before you start to exercise consistently, make sure that you’ve got the right shoes. Go to a good sporting good store and have them fit you for the right shoes for your size and for the type of activity you plan to do.
4. You don’t have to invest in a gym membership or in fancy equipment to get started. Use these tips to start exercising at home.

There is so much noise out there about fitness and diet that it’s hard to muddle your way through it all. One day an article can convince you that you should eat a lot of protein and low fat, and the next day an article can convince you to do the opposite. The bottom line is really that you need to find what works for you – and stick to it. A low fat and high protein diet might work for one person and not another. It’s more important to find something that works for you, and to stick with it, then it is to find the “perfect” diet out there.

Of course, it’s important to follow a plan that is researched based and that makes sense. If you aren’t sure where to start, you can ask your physician for advice. You can also look at programs that are well known like Weight Watchers, the South Beach Diet and the Dash diet. Once you decide on a plan for yourself, ignore the noise around you and the chatter from friends, colleagues and the news. This is your path and it’s time to get going!

Consider your own personal needs and then get started!

It’s easy to get caught up in comparisons and to see yourself as falling short when you look to other people. In order to avoid this behavior, here are three ways to remain inspired to your own achievements and progress.

1. Don’t follow other people’s progress on Facebook or other social media platforms. We all want to look good and it’s misleading to assume that everything that people put on these platforms is true. If you’re having trouble with comparisons – it’s best to stay away from these locations.
2. Chart your own progress. Following another person’s weight loss or weigh lifting goals doesn’t help you. Following your own does. Keep track of your progress so that you can be inspired by how you’re doing and how you’re improving each week.
3. Set realistic goals for yourself. If you are too hard on yourself or you overreach your goals by too much, you probably won’t achieve them. If you are realistic, you’ll be able to see real progress.

Many people get intimidated by the idea of exercise because they assume that they have to put on tight clothing, sign up for a gym and go and jump around. This is not, however, the case. Exercise just means moving, and every little bit counts. Here are some creative ways to move more and to get your body going.

1. Take the stairs. All the time. If you work on the fourth floor, imagine how much you will get your body moving if you take the stairs every time you come into and leave the building. The same is true for errands, at your home, etc.
2. Park far away from your destination. If you’re going to the mall, try to find the farthest parking spot, rather than the closest. First of all, this will allow you to feel less tense as you maneuver around the crowds and it will get you moving.
3. Take more steps today than you did yesterday. The step counters that are available today are great for getting people to track their everyday movements. Try to walk more steps today than  you did yesterday. Everyday!

Many people who have struggled with their weight and their eating, and have finally gotten them under control, say the same thing. The way that they started to improve their lives and their health was by doing more today than they did yesterday. This is a very gentle way to ease into change. What does it mean? Yesterday you didn’t exercise at all. Today, you can commit to walking one flight of stairs. Yesterday, you ate two candy bars. Today, you only ate one. Whatever it is that you did that wasn’t as healthy as it could be yesterday – you can change today. But you don’t have to completely overhaul your entire life and make yourself uncomfortable (and hungry). You can simply add one thing (or detract one thing) that will make a difference in your life.

And people who have followed this plan can attest to the dramatic changes that can occur over time. Maybe they go from walking one block a day to running a 5K. Maybe they go from eating 3000 calories a day to eating 2000. These are the changes that can really make a difference and they can be done slowly. But the point is to start and to do one little thing today that will help to improve your life.

Many people use the new year as a time to reflect upon last year and to make resolutions. And if they keep those resolutions, then it’s a great opportunity to wipe the slate clean and to begin again. But if they don’t keep them, then it just becomes a cycle of trying to commit to making a change and then not making it. The majority of people, unfortunately, find themselves back to where they started by February 1 or soon thereafter. So, how can you make your New Year’s resolutions stick? Here are some suggestions to keep you on the right track.

1. Don’t make radical resolutions. You got the way that you are overtime – so you can’t expect to change everything overnight. Keep your resolutions realistic.
2. Don’t consider that you’re making resolutions. Rather, try to think of one thing that you think you can truly change in your life and stick with. Think of it as a new way of being, not as a resolution you hope to keep for a bit.
3. Make a plan. Simply saying that you want to lose ten pounds this year isn’t going to get you there. You need a plan of action. What do you plan to take out of your diet? How much exercise will you put in? What are some small goals you can create for yourself?
4. Give yourself smaller timelines. Rather than saying that you play to do x or y in 2017, give yourself a smaller timeline. Set monthly goals and see if you can stick to those.

Many people assume that juice is nutritious and good for the diet. What people don’t realize, however, is that there is a lot of sugar in most fruit juices. And, if you think about eating one orange versus drinking a cup of orange juice (which often has the juice of three or four oranges) you’ll realize which is healthier. When you eat an orange, it takes you awhile to chew the pieces and to digest the orange. You fill your stomach and you bring the sugar into your blood stream slowly. When you drink orange juice, you don’t feel particularly full from the experience and you typically drink more calories than you would have had eating the orange. You also introduce more sugar into your blood stream much more quickly.

Many nutritionists and doctors will tell you that it’s far better practice to eat your fruit and vegetables rather than drinking them. Think about it.

We all know that water is good for us – but it’s really good for us. It’s important to drink at least 6 cups of water a day, but it’s probably better to drink between 8 and 10. Water can clear your face of pimples and other issues; it can keep you more full so that you’ll eat less and it’s incredibly nourishing for the body. Here are a few of many articles about water and its many benefits. Drink up!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/clark2.htm

http://www.everydayhealth.com/water-health/water-body-health.aspx

http://www.nestle-waters.com/healthy-hydration/water-fonctions-in-human-body

When you’re ready to start a new exercise routine, you may not realize it, but picking a buddy can make all the difference. Research has found that people who are held accountable for their exercise (and diet) and find someone with whom to exercise will do much better. This makes sense because we all want to please other people and do well by them. If you find someone with whom to walk, you’re less likely to put off your plans or to say “I’ll just do this another day.” If you have someone calling you and saying, “Let’s go!” then you’ll be much more likely to get off the couch and take that walk that you wanted to commit to. Try it out for a week and see if it makes a difference. By the way – having a dog can have a similar influence on you. If the dog needs a walk, you can’t really say no to him!

Yes, we’ve all heard that it’s a good idea to get an exercise buddy. But now the research is backing up this idea. It’s not just about companionship, they are finding, but about rivalry.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recruited 800 graduate and professional students to be part of an 11 week exercise program. The program included weekly exercise classes, fitness mentoring and nutrition advice.

Those who attended the most classes were given prizes. What the participants didn’t know, however, was that the researchers had actually split the group into four. They were being tested on individual competition, team competition, team support and a control.

What motivated this group this most? Competition. The attendance rates were 90% higher in this group than they were in the control group. As co-author Damon Centola explained, “Supportive groups can backfire because they draw attention to members who are less active, which can create a downward spiral of participation. Competitive groups frame relationships in terms of goal-setting by the most active members. These relationships help to motivate exercise because they give people higher expectations for their own levels of performance.”

The results were published in the journal Preventative Medicine Reports.