10 Ways to Get Psyched for Weight
Loss
1.
Commit. "The
first step is making a commitment to yourself," says Anne Wolf, RD, a
registered dietitian and researcher at the University of Virginia School of
Medicine. "Make a commitment and then share that commitment with somebody
else." This will make you more accountable to your diet, exercise plan,
and weight-loss goals.
2.
Make a plan. "Think
about you as a person, as a whole being, and come up with a plan that's going
to be best for you," says Wolf. It should be a program that will help you
lose weight, but also be easy to stick to. This goes for both diet and
exercise.
3. Don't wait for
the "right time." At
one time or another, everyone has determined what they think is the perfect
time to start a diet — after the holidays, after vacation, after tomorrow.
"I think it's important to recognize that there's never a perfect time to
start," says Martin Binks, PhD, director of behavioral health research at
the Duke Diet and Fitness Center and assistant professor at the Duke University
Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
4. Get in the right
mindset. Don't
fall into an "all-or-nothing" way of thinking, stresses Binks. You
don't have to give up all decadent foods or exercise strenuously every day of
the week. It's about small changes in your lifestyle that you can stick with
and that will brings results overtime.
5. Be realistic. "Think about how your life is right now, and what
you can realistically achieve in terms of an exercise and eating plan,"
says Binks. That means considering all aspects of your life, including work and
family responsibilities. "If you will be traveling for business over the
next two months, you probably need to think of a plan to eat
healthily in restaurants instead
of a stringent plan you would always need to modify," says Binks.
6. Make time for
exercise. Fitness
is a key component of losing and keeping off weight. It's important to create
an exercise
plan that's realistic
according to your schedule. "Think about how much time you're going to
have for exercise. Anything that gets you moving in the right direction is a
good start," says Binks. Decide to make physical activity part of every
day. All those extra steps add up to pounds lost, and it's even easier when they're
steps that you don't really consider exercise — like a walk during lunch hour
or hiking in a state park on the weekend.
7. Figure out what
motivates you. Ask
yourself questions to figure out what will help you meet your weight-loss
goals, advises Wolf. For example, "Do you need a workout buddy? A reward at
certain goals? How can you incorporate healthy foods that you enjoy? What types
of activity don't feel like work to you?" These answers will help you
formulate a plan that you can stick with.
8. Don't think diet,
think life change. Preparing
to lose weight isn't about starting a diet, it's about "starting to make
healthy adjustments that you're going to fit into your life," says Binks.
Being "on a diet" implies that it will end. To maintain a healthy
weight, the diet and exercise changes you make in your life should be
permanent.
9. Create a network
for weight loss. "There's
a social network that begins to develop as you start to attend fitness
classes," says Wolf. Taking a yoga, aerobics, spinning, or kickboxing
class gives you support. Make friends at the gym, or visit online community
groups to find individuals with similar weight-loss goals. Not only will losing
weight be more fun, but it will also be more effective.
10. Use outside
resources. "If
you have a difficult time with meals, there are companies like Jenny Craig that
prepare your meals for you, if you have the money for them," says Wolf.
She also suggests considering what sort of gyms, classes, and parks you have
nearby — facilities that help you achieve your weight-loss goals.
It's not about preparing for a diet, but changing your
life so that you don't need to diet. Eventually making healthy food choices and
getting regular exercise will become a part of your day you don't even have to
think about!
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