Thursday, January 01, 2015

A New Year, A New You in 2015

Two weeks ago, we talked about how to start the New Year off right, if your goal was to lose weight and get in shape. The first part was using a phone app to help you track your calories. If you don't know how much you're eating, you're just guessing, and guessing makes you fat. 

Controlling your intake is really important, possibly even more than the exercise. After all, you can undo an entire exercise session in just a few bites. You can't out-exercise stupid.

Before you get mad at me, know that I'm preaching to myself and my inner Cookie Monster too. If you want to trip me up, just give me a plate of cookies. You'll find me lying in a hallway somewhere with a trail of broken crumbs and a "Will Work for Cookies"sign. 

The other half of your "A New Year, A New You" program, is increasing the amount of exercise you get each day. It's really hard to lose weight on diet alone. 

If you haven't been active, just getting started will make a big difference. It can be as simple as adding a 20-30 minute walk to your schedule every day. If you have more time, stretch it to 45 minutes or an hour. 

For better results, add some weight training three days a week, say on M, W, F. Start with a full body machine circuit one time through, with a light weight you can lift 10-15 times. When you can do it 15 times easily, add a little more weight. 

At some point, you'll want to transition to using dumbbells and exercise balls. They'll give you a better workout because you'll have to use more of your core and accessory muscles. Start with light dumbbells that you can move easily. Get some instruction to make sure you're doing things correctly. 

If you need a little push, try a boot camp class. Don't be afraid; you can always modify things to your own fitness level. You'll likely do more than you would have done on your own. There's a lot of power in suffering with others! 

Finally, for even better results, increase it to two workouts a day, by adding an easy one first thing in the morning to get you going. The people that do this always seem to lose more weight. 

Every Morning:
20 minutes of light Cardio (walk)

Afternoons or Evenings:
M, W, F -- Weights
T, TH, SA -- Cardio

Stay within your limits, but keep trying to push those limits a little bit. You can usually do more than you think you can do. 

Stay with it, and don't quit. Make a commitment to yourself and stick to it. Murphy will try to mess you up, but don't let him. This is your year to turn things around and win. 

Watch what you eat, and get moving, and you'll make "A New Year, A New You" come true. Happy New Year!

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