One of the many questions I've received from students and instructors over the years is how do best manage my weight? At some time or another, we're all prone to adding those few extra pounds. Here are 5 basic things you can do to shed that unwanted weight in a matter of 8 weeks or less, without using dangerous stimulants, readying yourself for that special occasion.
1. Drink plenty of water each day.
2. Get cardio exercise EVERY day. 30 minutes will do.
3. Eat fresh, raw fruits and vegetables daily.
4. Limit 'no-calorie' carbs: white flour, white potatoes, white cereal, white anything.
5. Identify the biggest obstacles you constantly face, stymying your weight loss, overcoming those thoughts, then ridding yourself of heaviness, banishing it forever!
Sounds too hard? Seems impossible?
These 5 tips are really nothing more than a recipe for healthy living. You aren't food-recombinant impaired. If that sounds like a DNA disorder, I apologize in advance. You aren't willpower deficient. Your weight is, in most cases, a direct result of what you are consuming and how much you probably aren't moving.
Let me tell you a story about one of my students. She wanted to lose 50 pounds so she could compete in a martial arts tournament without feeling winded. I obliged happily, adding permanent weight loss was a secondary benefit to her learning, if she did things right.
I didn't prescribe a strict eating plan for her nor did I alter everything in her life. Instead, I asked her Q's and A's about how she lived, focusing on elements of her daily life, asking her how she thought her lifestyle might have contributed to her weight gain, verifying she wanted more immediate and long-term benefits.
She told me she enjoys showing her dog in competition but she gets winded and can't do the routines with the animal. Sparring class was tougher for this gal. She wanted to improve her cardio conditioning, attending more shows with her pet, performing everything better. That seemed like a realistic, obtainable goal.
She said she worked around the house all day, eating on the run, choosing fast foods on the go, pulling overly-processed frozen meals from her freezer, finishing her day with bedtime relaxation by watching TV or by reading.
There were a few minor changes we could address. For one Q, how often was she eating fast food? What was she grabbing from home? Candy bars, 6 of them each day, also eating frozen lunches high in fat and sodium.
How busy or "active" was she on any typical day? She wasn't really clear on that answer but rest assured, this is a common problem for many Americans. I suggested that she should keep a precise food journal for one week, telling me not only what she consumed but how many total calories were included in her foods.
I also instructed her to get a pedometer (www.walk4Life.com plus get a FREE walking CD with it!) so that she would know exactly how active she is on a busy day. It turns out that she was only walking about 900 steps a day -- and even more shocking -- she consumed over 5,000 calories.
My advice for her was to start drinking water (at least 64-plus ounces of it a day), snack on fruits or veggies rather than candy bars, switching her frozen meals to smaller, healthier
portions, increasing her steps by 50 paces/week.
4 Weeks Later:
She was consuming 84 ounces of water a day; snacking on fruit, walking with friends in the neighborhood. She used to eat her candy bars alone, eating lunch at home as before, choosing a different type of frozen meal.
She was amazed to realize "what kind of shape she was in" after she did her additional 30-minute walk and 50 paces/week with each passing week. That effort improved her cardiovascular conditioning, allowing her to compete in wpmen's blue belt division, all without
losing her breath. She was able to move through a form of 45 moves plus spar 3 women in three
2-min. rounds each, placing 2nd.
Use the 5 easy, quick-to-implement changes, leading you towards your weight loss dreams in a few months!
Celebrating Your Success,
Barbara Brinkmeyer
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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