Active Sitting
I love a new year. It almost seems like we can start all over, finally become that wonderful, productive, healthy, happy person we've always wanted to be. The trouble is, the enthusiasm to make changes, especially with exercise and diet, tends to fade once we realize we can't change everything overnight. If you want to make lasting changes, there are three things you can do to make your resolutions work all year long: Adjust your attitude, change your lifestyle and come up with a plan for success.
Adjust Your Attitude
If you have the wrong attitude about fitness, you're already setting yourself up for failure. Most people look at exercise as:
- Punishment for bad eating
- An obligation
- Painful
- Time consuming
- Impossible to sustain over a long period of time
- Boring
If any of these sound familiar, how long do you think you'll stick with your program? Nobody wants to do something painful, boring or obligatory. Before you throw yourself into weight loss, find out your attitudes about exercise and figure out whether these attitudes are true or just lies you've been telling yourself for years. Then, try a different perspective and look at exercise as:
- A break from a stressful workday
- A way to boost energy and mood
- The only time you'll have to yourself all day
- A chance to get totally physical and let your mind rest
- A chance to reward your body for working so hard
- A way to improve your quality of life immediately
Adjust Your Lifestyle
Getting results from your fitness is all about having fun.
New Years resolutions are no different.
You are far more likely to stick with an exercise program if you are having fun.
By mixing up the method of workout (an aerobic dance class instead of walking, for example) or taking the action to the great outdoors can help alleviate some of the tedium, according to the Mayo Clinic.
New things are fun. Start a new form of physical activity or eat a different type of food to spice up your active lifestyle and nutrition.
Adding more green vegetables to your diet will fill you up so you are less likely to be eating added calories throughout the day.
If you start to get enough servings of green vegetables every day you will be pleasantly surprised. Like most people looking to tone up and lose weight for the New Years the simple addition of more green vegetables may be enough by itself to shed pounds without really even trying or eliminating the foods you enjoy.
The numbers are staggering when it comes to the people who do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. Green vegetables are the best vegetable sources because of their low sugar content. Green vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber and most importantly for most, the bulk to fill you up.
The key is focus. Prioritize the most important change you should be making and forget everything else and accomplish all of your physical fitness, nutrition and lifestyle goals for 2014 one by one.
