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Keeping the Fitness Resolution alive in '09! It is said that within 20 days of starting a New Year's Resolution, you will quit, postpone it or create a new one because you are not on target for that quest in your new fitness resolution. Well, tips on how to keep it together... Latest Posts Keeping the Nutrition and Fitness Resolution in '09 As the days come near to where you feel that you are not on target and you are about to give up at the gym because, because, because... No Excuses! The gym is a place that has the workout equipment but it is imperative to know that things you do at home are more important. Starting with your food, clean out everything that is staring at you from New Year's and Christmas. Make sure that all white sugar items go. There is no need for those items. Pastries are the number one that keep that unwanted weight on. Make an inventory of fresh foods you like and add spinach, or one thing you don't like to the mix and look up recipes that will place them in tastefully. Create an excel spreadsheet of those foods, in order from produce, canned, baked, canned, frozen, dairy, and meats. At the bottom put in how much you can spend at the store. Cut out coupons, and look at store ads. Circle the ones that pertain to you. Smart way to buy produce, because those sometimes are the most expensive- go to a Farmer's market like Sprouts and gather the things on sale. Like this week its berries, blackberries. Berries are essential for brain power. Purchase the other listed items that are not on sale at the other store(s) from your ads. Print out coupons at coupons.com.Go to the store on a Friday night, or Monday night when no one else goes. Less crowds, store employees are more available to help and you can concentrate. Because the first time with this new attitude you will need to read labels. Labels on products should read, for example, peanut butter: peanuts, salt. Honestly, the fresh ground peanut butter doesn't cost much more if any than the already canned. Get foods where the label reads easily: aka words you recognize. Your new foods should not contain words like High Fructose Corn Syrup or Partially Hydrogenated- cheap ways of making foods; why they cost so inexpensively. If you can't afford the frozen and canned is the way you purchase then before you use the canned item, rinse in a colander then use it. At least it will wash away the some unwanted salts/preservatives; not all because the foods have absorbed a lot already. Place foods in a clean refrigerator and pantry that way you know what you have. Your receipt will be entered into the excel spreadsheet that you created earlier, that way you know what things cost before you go again. Next, when you eat: eat smaller portions. Meats: the size of your fist, pasta: the palm of your hand. The cool thing is you get to eat more this way instead of loading your body all at once, then wondering why you are fatigued after you eat. When you eat too much your body takes a lot of energy to break it down. Eating before you exercise, consume some carb, some protein and little fat (that's always). Carbs are needed for cell energy so that you can do the exercise and perform daily tasks. The protein is necessary for the muscle because as you workout that high intensity exercise you will tear muscle and you want to maintain or build muscle when you do workout. Fat will supplies the cells of the brain, so you don’t have the, “I can’t think syndrome.”. A great solution: protein shake that has berries! The 40/30/30 ratio of carb/protein/fat. Just FYI, women- whenever it’s stated you will build muscle don't think of bulk, interval training will help with that. Interval training is used to tone and burn fat. An example of interval training would be to start out on a cardio machine or walking the block briskly to get your heart rate up then going to the weights to legs then to the elliptical that moves both your arms and your legs. Then to the arm machine to work arms. Then to the bike. After the bike work your abs. You can do everything in a hour and you will burn. Basically, raising and lowering the heart rate slightly- get the burn you want. The Home workout will consist of walk briskly or biking. Also, interval training can be used with running: one minute on, one minute off and so one building mileage with running. Then go home and use your flat band or weights to do leg work, walk again and come back for pushups then weight work for the arms in between the weight work do pushups. Finally, abs: planks to pushups to the bike are great cardio for abs. If you don’t like floor crunches do standing crunches or salsa dancing. Remember Interval Training is Key. It spices the workout up and you never will be bored.Using your brain while you perform exercises or sport activities where you have to think requires more energy- So, you will burn 40% or more in the calories than if you just do a mundane weight workout or stay on the elliptical for an hour. After the workout, choose a protein that will supply the cells the essential product needed to keep it from "tearing" so that you are not super sore. FYI, sometimes soreness is not the way to go but the burn and the slight burn you feel the next day is awesome. But remember the importance of water during your workout and the importance of fueling the body afterwards. Within 20 minutes of your workout you need protein. Within 20 minutes you need carbs to help with the protein and fat to help with the process of the protein. So again: 40/30/30; therefore, a protein shake afterwards would be great. Then the rest of the day, choose 3-4 servings of veggies, fruits. Metabolism boosters: peppers and grapefruit are some good examples. Listen to your body- if you need to stop - stop. Take a breathe and begin again. Don’t just sit there like a lump on a log to rest. For instance, after 2 sets of a workout and you are doing arms- do some calf raises in between so that you are resting the arm muscle group while you still burn calories and such with a different muscle group- not so strenuously. Keeping a journal of workouts can be hard to do but essential if you are wondering if you are progressing. Besides, its a great way of staying on track with the Resolution. Also, measure yourself with a pair of jeans or a shirt- are you losing in one area and gaining in another or are you losing all over. Weighing yourself can be detrimental if you can water, blood, urine, sweat, muscle. Refer yourself back to the yogurt commercial, she never weighed herself, she always looked at the bathing suit and felt she can do it! New Year's Resolution can go past the two week mark if you just stay focused! Posted by Core Runner on Jan 10, 2009 6:21 AM Comments(1) Report as objectionable Why is this objectionable? (please leave contact info if not a registered user) Submit Please wait... Community Interest Slug Submit E-mail this