It is January and what is heard around the world is talk of ‘losing weight’ and ‘going to work out again’. Many of these goal setters will quit after a few short weeks or never make it to the gym or to their basement in an effort to reach their goals.

There are many reasons why they will fail. Ridiculous advertisements promising unrealistic results is at the top of the list as well as an old philosophy that one has to workout 2 hours a day and eat less to reach their goals.

Tip #1 – Do NOT set unrealistic goals

The majority of goal setters have never worked our or have not worked out for quite some time and when they set their New Years Resolution goals of ‘losing weight’ and ‘getting in shape’ they set their goals to high.

Setting a goal of ‘working out 5 days a week’ or ‘going to lose 20 pounds by February’ are not realistic, especially for someone who has not worked out in years. When we set goals like this from the start we are only setting ourselves up for failure.

Start slow and work your way up to four or five days. I suggest getting to the gym 3 days a week for 20 minutes a day. Doesn’t that sound realistic? Isn’t that much more than what the goal setters were doing previously?

Tip #2 – Do NOT just ‘hit the weights’

Although I am a firm believer in resistance training for everyone I highly recommend that you do not head to the gym and do a typical body builders workout routine. Meaning, chest and back on Monday, legs on Tuesday, shoulders Wednesday etc.

This is not only boring, but also the the kind of workout that you will not look forward to. Total Body workouts are the most effective workouts that take less of your precious time and are very enjoyable.

In an effort to have fun while you workout, at any age, I highly suggest you participate in classes at your local gym. Look for the following types of classes: ‘basic training’, ‘total body workout’, ‘boot camp’ and yoga or pilates. If you do not have the time available to attend the classes then I suggest finding a ’20-30 minute’ total body workout DVD that you can do at home or in the gym.

Rest is good as well. Monday, Wednesday and Friday is a good way to start if that fits your lifestyle. When you get to 4-5 days per week I suggest the following: Workout days are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Rest days are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

You can do some form of ‘active rest’ on Saturday and or Sunday. This is in the form of hiking, walking, tennis, golf etc

Tip #3 – Do NOT diet

This is a biggie and one that makes you go, ‘hmmmm?’ First, the word ‘diet’ is one we associate with eating less to lose weight. The real and more simplistic way to describe diet is that is is ‘nutrition intake’ which more simplistically means, eating.

There are way too many diet books out there with all kinds of tricks and gadgets to lose weight. Your body is the most sophisticated machine on this planet and it does not like to be tricked. Treat it right and it will treat you right. Provide it the foods and fuels it needs and you will be very happy with your results.

Here are a few recommendations to help you on your way to achieving goals and creating tons of energy throughout your day:

Eat your carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are you number one source of energy. Now that you are working out your body needs that fuel to get you through your day and your workout. The goal would be to eliminate ‘white carbohydrates’. White rice, white breads, white pastas etc. Replace with the ‘browns’. Brown rice, whole grain/whole wheat bread, whole wheat pastas, yams, oats etc.
Please take note in the above: ‘replace’ not ‘eliminate’

You will see a drastic change in energy by simply replacing, NOT eliminating these foods.

Eat less protein.

Unfortunately, we all grow up hearing that we need to eat more protein. Where has that taken us? To a country with the highest obesity rate on the planet.

Plain and simple:

The more active you are the LESS protein you need, the less active you are the MORE protein you need. This all goes back to the carbohydrates. If you have too much protein and not enough carbohydrates your body will use protein as an energy source. This is not what you want. You need protein to serve its main purpose: repair and build muscle in turn increasing your metabolism so that you can burn fat and calories at rest.

The goal: Raise your metabolism

Drink plenty of water throughout your day.

Eliminate the sugary drinks and replace with good old H2o. One reason to eliminate sugary foods is that sugar creates hunger. If you are drinking sugary drinks throughout the day you will eventually have a starvation feeling. When this happens you will look for the junk foods which include more sugary foods.

Here are a few more reasons to crank up your water intake:

Water serves as a lubricant, forms the base for saliva, forms the fluids that surround our joints and regulates our body temperature as the cooling and heating is distributed through perspiration.
Water also helps to alleviate constipation by moving food through the intestinal tract and thereby eliminating waste- the best detox agent. Water also regulates metabolism

There you have it. Follow these 3 simple steps and you will be on the right path to success. Remember you are not eliminating anything, just replacing.

Set realistic goals, have fun with your workouts and DO NOT ‘diet’.

‘Your Body is a Temple, please be sure to treat it like one’