Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Where do I start?

You've reached a point in your life where you know that you need to make a change.  You're tired of the same thing, you think you're not good enough, you're too fat, it's hard to walk up stairs, you're always tired....the list goes on.  It's time to do something different.  It's time to become something that you've always wanted to be.

If you're anything like I used to be, chicken wings and beer is your staple.  I would go to that delicious, mouth watering meal at a moments notice.  It was a lot easier than going to the grocery store, cooking a meal, and eating something that wasn't fried.  Not to mention, I would have to do something physically active at some point to make eating healthy tasteless food worth it.

It turns out physical activity isn't hard, it's challenging.  And a challenge, by human nature, is what we strive for.  Everybody enjoys getting better at something, and physically improving yourself will always give you the ability to strive for something.  Something that you've always wanted anyway.  So why don't you get started?

Jumping headfirst into anything new is a bad idea.  It's difficult to make changes, and if you shock yourself too much, you will find yourself in more of a struggle than you can imagine.  And the journey you are about to partake on is a struggle as it is.  Slowly change your diet.  Start adding healthy choices a little at a time.  If you mainly drink soda throughout the day, replace half of your beverages with water, and ween yourself off a little at a time.  Begin to introduce healthy food choices as well.  Replace cookies as a snack with a handful of almonds and some carrots.  Eventually you'll notice your lunchbox is full of fresh fruits and vegetables, and grilled meats.  It's amazing how you feel after you change your diet.  The amount of energy you have will double or triple.

Before we get too far into anything else the biggest thing you need to do is set a goal for yourself.  If you weigh 200 lbs, and you want to drop 20 lbs, come up with a time frame.  For example, if you give yourself 3 months total to lose that weight, you would have to lose less than 2 lbs a week to reach your goal!  That's easy!  At this point in the planning process come up with smaller, more manageable goals that are easy to attain.  Check yourself at intervals throughout the process to make sure you stay on track!  Before you know it you will reach your goal, which loomed over you menacingly when you began your journey.  And once you get started there is a good chance that you will develop more goals as well.  Maybe you will start a new sport, or possibly be in a position to help other people that are in the same position that you used to be in.

We've talked about changing our diet and setting goals for ourselves.  The next subject to discuss would be your physical fitness.  I don't care if you used to be an athlete, or if you've been a couch potato your whole life.  Maybe you had an injury, and you got lazy, and now you are in a position to make a change.  If you try to make changes too quickly, it's very possible that you will feel overwhelmed.  Same as the diet.  Make sure you make small changes, and introduce new things a bit at a time.  If you've never ran a mile before, maybe you shouldn't start with that.  If you start with running a little, and walking a little, building up to that mile, or even a marathon is in your future.  I would get some basic fitness down before I went to join my local CrossFit gym.

The most difficult part with this journey will be making the decision to make a change, and then taking that first step in the right direction.  If you set and reach manageable goals, sticking with the program should be easier.

On a final note, everybody has a bad day.  Everybody!!!  Maybe you slipped and had a cookie or a soda.  Maybe you had a bad workout day, or skipped it entirely.  Relax, and don't worry about it.  It's not the end of the world.  Don't beat yourself up, get right back on it.  It's not like you're starting over.  Keep up the hard work.  Success is definitely in your future.

No comments:

Post a Comment