Getting fit and eating healthier are usually top of the list. Many people will be grinding food into smoothies and taking out gym memberships full of good positive intentions.
Whoop!whoop! A good start, positive steps are good.😁👍🏾
Most often after a few weeks down the line we are off course skipping the gym and munching cheese and chocolate before bed and feeling bad about ourself. Nothing positive in that.😟👎🏾
So here are a few tips.
- Don’t be afraid. 😬When you take up a new event . No one is looking at you or judging. Everyone else is just as self obsessed and self absorbed as you are. Even if they do notice your efforts, the size of your bum or whatever. Smart people will applaud you and no one cares what the stupid people think.
- Do not rely on others. 🧐You don’t need a mate to go to a class or a studio or for a workout in the park. The place is full of potential new mates who have already made the decision to be there.
- If you don’t like the gym don’t go.🤪 Don’t punish yourself trying to do some thing that doesn’t give you pleasure. If you enjoy team games find a local team and join in. If you like to dance do that. If you are more solitary you can climb or run or walk a dog.( there is a website called borrow my doggy that helps if you don’t have a canine of your own.) If you like to be different then do something different. I am involved with an adult parkour class it’s great fun and there is an aerial class on at the same time that has lots of laughter. The world is full of weird activities. You don’t need skills, you don’t need special gear and you don’t need an age range or particularl body shape. Our class has 16 to 70 year olds and we applaud them all.👏🏼
- Be honest.😇 How much time can you afford to give this without getting to the point where you have to miss out due to other commitments? If you have one hour a week do that and enjoy it. You will be happy that you have achieved your goal. If you have 5 minutes a day then do a 5 minute good body workout. (I’ll be blogging about some excellent start up moves throughout 2018, that are just a few minutes a day and make a huge difference.) If you promise to hit the gym every morning at 6 and you hate getting out of bed then don’t! You are going to feel terrible if and when you fail. Instead run up the stairs daily and go climbing at the weekend. And enjoy it.
- Don’t dump on others. 🤨If your new health regime takes away from family time, you may piss off a partner or kids. So find a family thing to do. Hillwalking, swimming, frisbee. I work from a gym and parents sit and drink coffee while their kids are at judo lessons. There is a rowing machine right there! Access Parkour has family classes in Edinburgh you can get fitter whilst playing with your children as they too develop movement skills, win, win!
- Get the order right. 👉🏽 If you want to give up eating the bad stuff first learn how to prepare the good stuff. You need a replacement because you can’t stop eating. Learn how to prepare healthy food quickly. E.g. Roast veg. It is easy to put chunks of veg into oil and seasoning and put them into a hot oven. Some cook faster than others, you’ll soon learn to cut the slow cookers into smaller chunks. Eat them straight from the roasting tin with sauce or meat. Make some into a salad with fresh leaves nuts and fruit for lunch and the rest are for soup. 3 great meals from one pan. There are so many simple healthy options! You can learn to prepare one a week or one a month. Substitute these for your poorer choices
- One change at a time. 🤗We are creatures of habit. It will be uncomfortable to try to make many changes. We crave the comfort of the familiar. In fact the body will demand the familiar. So make one change and once adapted choose another. Better that you manage just one positive change than failing many.
- Substitution. 🤜🏽If you eat chocolate every day at 4pm your body is going to demand it every day at 4. If you offer a couple of satsumas instead you will soon find that your body is craving satsumas at 4pm. Once you have cracked that bad habit move on to the next substitution.
- Employ tricks. 🤫 eg If you want to reduce your alcohol intake, try a glass of water before the first glass of wine. You are less likely to guzzle it if you are not thirsty. Drink a pint of water before and then between every pint of beer. It will slow your intake and do your body some good. When you fancy a late night snack have a nice shower or a bath and go to bed, you may well be craving calories because you are tired.
- Don’t buy it.😉 Don’t buy stuff you don’t want to consume. Because you will consume it and then you’ll feel bad.
