It can be very overwhelming starting a new lifestyle. All the different foods to eat, when to eat them, how much to eat, how to eat them,what to buy, how to prepare, spices, fats, sauces, should I buy fat free, should I buy this brand?, How do I make this? What do I eat at this time? How do I fit workouts into my schedule? When will I find the time? I don’t have time to prepare all this food. What supplements to take and when? And then you just say FORGET IT, I CAN’T DO IT! Oh YES you can!
These are all normal questions, concerns and FEARS which will often times get the best of you and you will feel too overwhelmed and it may prohibit you from starting all together. Or it may make you quit quickly after starting because there are too many changes to think about at once.
For some people diving right into a new lifestyle head first is the best way to go but for most people it is daunting to take on so much all at once. If you find yourself intimidated by all the changes necessary to reach your goals, break them down and make changes one at a time.
Break your goals up over a month period. You have to first understand that you did not gain the weight in a month or become unfit in a month so to take 4 weeks to change your life completely is not very much time at all but is enough time to change your life without causing stress or anxiety to you and those that have to deal with you being so frustrated. By the time you are ready to make the next change, the last one won’t seem overwhelming at all. You will already be in a routine with the first few changes. Making changes this way will also allow you to focus on perfecting every aspect of that particular change until you feel comfortable you know what you are doing. For example when starting to change breakfast you may not understand what to eat and what combination so it will give you the whole week to ask the right questions, try a few different things and do whatever research is necessary to make sure you are doing the right thing for you and your goals.
For the first week change JUST your breakfast and add a healthy snack before lunch. Drink 2 small water bottles that week and commit to doing 10 minutes of exercise a day. A brisk walk around your neighborhood first thing in the morning for those of you who do no activity at all is a good way to get started.
For the second week change your lunch and add another healthy snack a few hours after lunch and before dinner and add a bottle of water to your daily intake and start with a good multi vitamin geared to your needs. You will also start to get used to packing this for yourself daily if you take lunch to work or travel around for work. As for the vitamins, if you are a women take a Women’s daily multi vitamin because women have different nutritional needs than a man. If your a man take one specifically for men etc. If you are unsure of brands, you can ask anyone in the supplement section of Whole Foods or Publix Greenwise. They are knowledgeable and there to help you. This week you will also add another 10 minutes to your exercise and some sit ups or crunches to begin strengthening the most important part of your body, the core.
In the third week you will change dinner, add a cup of green tea to your daily nutrition intake and 1,200 mg of fish oil daily to your supplements. This week you will focus on making the exercise a bigger part of your new lifestyle. You can look into local gyms and try a class if you are unsure what to do on your own. You can buy an exercise DVD for beginners if you feel more comfortable doing it at home. Whatever your current exercise routine is, this is the week you will kick it up and add some intensity, time and focus on new parts of your body.
Week four is the most crucial of all! By now you have a new routine going and hopefully you are not feeling overwhelmed. If you have introduced new things slowly the changes won’t seem overwhelming at all. This is the week you analyze what changes you have made and what is working for you and what is not. This is the week you can tweak the things you are not enjoying. It has been enough time by now for you to have a good understanding of what is working for your lifestyle and what is not. This is also a good time to focus on your outlook, attitude and spiritual approach. The one ingredient that will make all the difference to your success that will NEVER change and NEVER be a fad is your POSITIVE ATTITUDE!!!
Of course everyone’s goals are different and there are many more components that go into changing your lifestyle to meet your goals. This is just a guideline and example. Anything is possible when you break up your goals and make them realistic to reach! Many people fail at reaching their goals, not just in health, fitness and diet but in life because they try to make too many changes at once or they take on too much at once or set unrealistic goals with and unrealistic time frame. Patience, calculation, planning and a positive attitude are the best ingredients. Enjoy the learning experience that comes with each change, be grateful for the small changes you see in yourself, and most importantly STAY POSITIVE and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!!!!
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