While you can lose weight just working on a single aspect of yourself, that is not the way to make the change lasting. Sure, you can shed a good few pounds by shaving your meals in half or hitting the bike trail every morning, but gaining fitness for life takes more than altering one aspect of your behavior.
Based on what we’ve written here the last few days, here’s my blueprint for real weight loss and sustained physical fitness:
Most of the time, it’s just bad habits that are keeping people overweight. Learned behaviors like skipping breakfast, unhealthy snacks and a sedentary home life are just some of the things that can see you put on unwanted pounds over many years. Bad habits can either be dropped (difficult) or replaced with healthier ones. Take note of those things you do as part of your every day life that are contributing to your lack of fitness and work to correct them one by one.
2. Keep A Sensible And Sustainable Diet
I’m not a big fan of fad diets for a reason: they’re a fad. A fad is a passing trend, a phase that you go through and grow away from. That’s exactly what fad diets are. In its place, I’d rather people take more sensible meals with sufficient recommended daily calories derived from healthy sources like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eating less than what makes you full just trains you to spend your day a little hungry – I don’t support it one bit.
Ditch the 5-minute home shopping exercise gadgets and set aside 3 to 6 hours a week for real exercise. Whether you want to do it in the form of gym exercises, morning runs or competitive sports, make sure you take part in activities that get you sweating and working those muscles out at least three times a week. Ingenious exercise routines pimped across TV and magazine ads are often nothing but ingenious marketing ploys – stop buying fitness and start earning it.
Reframe the idea of “weight loss” into “fitness gain”. Stop trying to lose weight and start working towards gaining fitness. That simple reframe has helped many look at weight loss in a different way, shifting their focus from getting rid of something unwanted to inviting something wonderful into their lives. It’s both a healthier way to treat the issue and a better way to live.