Stop Coveting

Your first step to weight loss is to compare yourself to yourself and yourself only. We all compare ourselves to the 5 foot 8 inch girl we know who weighs 120 pounds and eats BLT’s everyday. Competing with others will only hinder us of reaching out own goals. Love Yourself!

Have a Plan

Make a plan and stick to it. Plan your meals and workout to make it easier to accomplish your goals. Realize your faults and plan around them. If you always skip breakfast, make something in advanced that you just have to heat up (our egg muffins are prefect for busy mornings) or buy some low sugar protein bars to have on-the-go.

Plan Cheat Meals 

If you really want to lose weight you need to eat clean and accept that a cookie everyday and cheese with every meal is out of the picture. But for your sanity you should plan on having one cheat meal a week. Indulge in our favorite food. Try having just one to avoid overeating.

Eat Slowly 

Eat slowly, chew your food, and enjoy every bite. Eating slowly allows your body to pick up cues or whether you are full or still hungry. This is really important during your cheat meals. If you only allow yourself one a week, eat slowly and enjoy every bite of it. Check out The Slow Down Diet.

Don’t Eat After Nine 

This will vary depending on what time you go to bed at night. Studies suggest that limiting the times you eat aids in weight loss. At first try limiting your eating to 12 hours. If you have your first meal at 8a.m. make your last at 8 p.m.

Eat 5-6 Meals a Day

Eating 5-6 small meals a day keeps you satisfied so that you never over indulge. It also keeps your blood sugar levels stable insuring you have lasting energy.

Drink Water

Water is critical to all functions of your body but for weight loss it fills you up making you feel fuller longer. Try drinking one glass before each meal to help fill your stomach. Aim to have .5-1 ounces of water per pound of body weight. Check out our 40 fruit water recipes to help you drink up.

Move & Groove 

Regular workouts improve your overall health, confidence, and calorie burning. The more lean muscle, the more calories burned resting. Try 3 sessions a week.

Sleep

Getting the right amount of shut eye is critical. Sleep regenerates your hormones. Without enough, your body can’t properly function. Aim for 7-8 hours a night.

I spent this past weekend and earlier this week in Portland, Oregon visiting friends in family. Four days spent in beautiful weather was just the thing I needed to recharge my batteries. Although, fun and exciting vacations can also be difficult and exhausting. During a vacation, it is hard to stick to your diet and workout routine and if you are anything like me, you love routine. Normally, I stress about keeping my diet strict and finding time for long workouts.

I decided to approach this trip a little differently. To let loose, enjoy the trip, and get back in routine when vacation was over. I enjoyed every bit of vegan chocolate and every bite of a black bean burger I put into my mouth (it was Oregon). I didn’t forsake all workouts either. I attended group fitness classes and went bouldering. Bouldering is a form of rock climbing without the use of ropes and harnesses. I spent a couple of hours in the gym and boy was I sore in the morning. Read more about bouldering in this book Bouldering: Movement, Tactics, and Problem Solving. Just some of the benefits of bouldering include:

1. Improves Cardiovascular Health
2. Improves Balance and Coordination
3. Improves Strength
4. Tones underused muscles

My forearms almost fell off the next day and I felt pain in places I didn’t know were there. Trying a new workout challenges your body and muscles, beats boredom, and can help conquer a plateau. I was able to enjoy my vacation to the fullest, spend time with friends, and get in great workouts. Taking a break from my normal routine was just the kickstart my body needed and trying something new was equally as challenging to my body and mind. I am ready to get back to my training and clean eating to accomplish my goals. Don’t wait until your next vacation to try something new and reap the benefits.

Stay tune for vacation-ready workout. Little to no equipment required.

Image curtsey of The Circuit: Bouldering Gym in Portland, Oregon.

Or maybe 30 minutes fits your schedule. This fat blasting, tone-up circuit fits in any schedule. One round is exactly ten minutes and will get your heart moving, tone your muscles  and blast 100 calories. If you have more time, do the circuit multiple times and watch your fat cry! Do each exercise for one minute followed directly by the next exercise. Ten moves completes one circuit. If you are doing multiple circuits, rest one minute in-between. Use a Gymboss Interval Timer and Stopwatch to help keep track of time.

**Calories based on a 150 pound women.

Another way to track how many calories you’ve burned or how high your heart rate has gotten during a workout, or how long you’ve worked out is by using a heart rate monitor watch. There are many varieties out there. Some way more expensive than others. With the cheaper ones you might not be able to trust the accuracy. Here are a couple options that I recommend. Click the image to find it in Amazon.

Polar Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch – currently about $102 on Amazon with free shipping!

Oregon Scientific Se331 Gaiam Zone Trainer – currently $29.95 on Amazon.

Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker – currently $49.95 on Amazon. Measures every step you take during the day.

New Balance Life Trainer Calorie Monitor – currently $47.19 plus free shipping on Amazon.

There is a beginner or a more advanced option to choose from in this challenge. In the beginner challenge, you will start at 3 pushups and work your way to 20 consecutive. The second option you will start at 8 Push-Ups and move up to 40. To improve your strength even further try do multiple sets two days a week. For example on Mondays and Fridays, do 2-3 sets of pushups. Remember, keep your body tight and move through the movements slowly.

Cardio can be one of the most boring and tedious parts of a fitness routine if you make it that way. Follow these tips to trade in your boring routine for something that will keep you going and wondering where the time went.

Mix it Up

Four 60 minute sessions weekly on the elliptical aren’t going to inspire anyone to head to the gym. Try not repeating the same session in a week. It will keep things interesting and maybe you might start to look forward it.

Try a Class 

Participating in a class will keep you motivated through the entire workout. Try zumba, kickboxing, or cycle for some mega calorie burning. Or if you feel shy or uncomfortable taking a class, try watching workout videos at home like the Zumba® Weight Loss Program DVD. You’ll get the same results if you work just as hard in your living room as you would in the gym. If Zumba’s not your thing, try something like the P90X DVD Workout.

Include Intervals 

Performing high intensity interval training burns more calories in a shorter time than steady state cardio. Meaning you can get the same results in half the time. Try interval sprints on a treadmill. After a warm up, alternate between one minute sprints and one minute of jogging. You might need an interval timer, try the Gymboss HOT PINK Interval Timer.

Figure out What you Love 

And what you hate. There is nothing that I loathe more then the treadmill. If I want to run I go outside and avoid the treadmill. I choose stairs, hiking, cycling, and zumba for my cardio.

Break it Up

Instead of doing 60 minutes on the treadmill, try breaking up the routine. Do 20 minutes on the treadmill, 20 on the elliptical, and 20 on the bike to keep it fun. Or 15 minutes incline walking on the treadmill, 15 minutes of running, and 15 minutes stairs.

By photostock, published on 18 March 2011
Stock Photo – image ID: 10035252

This motivational quote is so true. First you have to have the motivation to get off your butt and get exercise. Then you can focus on forming the healthy fitness habits. I’ve read online that it takes about 66 days (roughly 2 months) to form a good solid habit. I think thats doable. Nothing is instantaneous! As much as we wish it could be, its not. You have to work at it. Just like you have to work at getting the body you want, or the health you desire, you must work at forming the habits to do so.

So, go on, start today. Get on your workout gear, put your headphones on your head with your upbeat playlist and walk out the door towards whatever exercise you can do. You can do it! I’m going to right now! You should too! Lets go!