Let me guess – 2012 is the year to get the best bod you’ve ever had! Can I take another guess… did 2011 start off with the same resolution? Well if it did, it’s likely that this is once again the year of your best bod because last years’ attack didn’t work. Being in the fitness industry, I see too many New Year’s Resolutions start strong, and then die by March, or earlier. Let’s make the resolution actually happen this year, so that next year, you can make a NEW resolution – because let’s face it, we have more goals in life then just having a stellar body.
So, how are you going to do this you ask? First, you’re need to realize your failed attempts are a result of taking the wrong approach over and over again, and we all know that if you try to do the same thing over and over again with expectations of getting a different result, well, you’re going to drive yourself insane. I feel that one of the big reasons these attempted “diets” fail is because too many women focus on numbers. The number on the scale, the number on their pant tag, and the number of calories they have in their not so exciting 100 calorie snack. If you want a stellar body, you need to refocus here people. A stellar body comes from having a killer metabolism, and you get a killer metabolism by eating enough of the right kinds of food, and building lean muscle. A stellar metabolism doesn’t come by watching your calories so closely that you eat like a bird and then binge like a cow, or spending extensive hours doing cardio at the gym so you burn all your muscle away. Being successful this year is going to take more than a couple attempts at yo-yo dieting, and a few “going hard” periods at the gym that go on and off like a light switch. If you’re going to make it happen this year, and you want to make it permanent, well, you’re going to have to eat like a real person and train hard for a stellar metabolism, because if you don’t, you’re never going to get that stellar body. Here are some habits to make your metabolism run like an efficient lean mean fighting machine:
- Eat every couple hours. On average I eat every 2-4 hours. I don’t care if you’re busy, just make it happen and don’t find excuses. It takes two seconds to throw a couple of almonds into your mouth, and that’s all it will take to make your metabolism run faster. When your body is working to break down food, you’re not only feeding your muscles, you’re burning calories while doing so! Hello people – that’s a bonus!! Nothing drives me more nuts than a girl saying, “I haven’t eaten all day, I’m sooooo hungry”. Ugh. Sorry ladies, but your metabolism will catch up with you one day, and you’ll have an insanely hard time staying slim just drinking lattes and eating a salad for lunch. If we all just ate a little more, our bodies would love us, our energy would increase, our appetite would be under control, you’d rarely get sick, and you’d finally notice all the hard workouts you’ve been doing. Our bodies will adjust to anything we place on them, so if you’re not hungry at breakfast, just have a couple spoonfuls of yogurt. Soon enough, you’ll be hungry every morning when you wake up.
- Get some muscle. I used to spend hours in the gym doing cardio on all different machines, and I’m telling you from firsthand experience, it doesn’t work. Yes, it made me lose some weight, but mostly, it just gave me sore knees, a tender lower back, and I became a smaller softer shell of my former self. It also made my hunger pangs go through the roof for the rest of the day. I couldn’t tell you the last time I went for a run! All I do now is resistance training in a way that acts like cardio. I’m sweating my balls off and burning calories, but I’m also building lean muscle which makes my metabolism run faster. All you need is 30 minutes to get the job done people.
- Get rid of the foods that wreck havoc on your metabolism. You all know that refined sugars, like white breads and goodies are bad for you. Well, more importantly, the things that do serious damage to your metabolism and waist line are things found in common food like High Fructose Corn Syrup, Monosodium Glutamate, and other questionable additives to preserve it. These ingredients not only make you crave more food, and do damage to your metabolism, but now the food lacks any nutritional value, so your body doesn’t know whether it’s getting real food or not. The sad thing is that these two ingredients, HFCS and MSG, are found in common foods like salad dressing, crackers, canned soups, yogurts, coffee creamers…and yup, the list goes on. The best thing you could do for yourself is to look at labels and become familiar with foods that you eat, and then decide whether it is a sound decision to put it in your body. My best advice, for the things listed above is not suck it up and get organic. Expensive or not, this is your health people, and hey, when you’re healthy, you get a stellar bod too!
- No more Scale! Tomorrow when you wake-up, don’t step on your scale. If you can’t resist the urge, then throw it out! It honestly doesn’t matter what the scale says, but women obsess over it. I have! What matters most is how you feel about yourself, and how you’re fitting into your favourite jeans. If you want to watch the success of your New Year’s Resolution, then take your measurements, or check yourself out naked in the mirror. Those are telltale ways to see if your body is moving in the right direction, even if the scale isn’t. Also, take notice of how you’re feeling. You’re eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes. You’re getting your ass up and working it hard 3-4 times per week. You’re smiling more. You’re energy is up. What more do you need for a barometer of success? That’s enough in my opinion.
- Have fun! When people go so hardcore in their “health routine” that it is a complete change to their lifestyle, and you’re obsessing over the fact you had pizza last night, you’re never going to be happy and successful while in the pursuit of your goals. It’s about balance when it comes to success. Eat clean every couple hours, workout hard only a couple times per week, and go out and enjoy some delicious meal. If you try something that you can’t do for the rest of your life, then it’s not going to last. Be realistic when picking a plan that works for you. Don’t spend hours upon hours in the gym, eat only saltine crackers with tuna, and beat yourself up when you fall of the wagon…it happens you’re human. Instead, workout hard for 30-60 minutes only a couple times per week, eat clean and balanced meals that aren’t void of essential nutrients like carbohydrates, and enjoy that glass of wine on Friday evening after work. When you’re happy and don’t feel deprived, your body will respond, and your metabolism will be moving like a stellar machine.
Showing you the difference between liking and loving your body,
ashley dale grant
