Progression Not Perfection
So that was
Christmas and its side-kick the New Year. You did the normal thing and gave
yourself some time off. You indulged (although my indulgent behavior being 3 or
4 Roses, a biscuit and a glass of Port might be laughable). You went for a few
walks but other than that not a lot more. Does it really need to be broken down
much more than that? Can we not move on and get back to the way we were before,
as in last year? In a word; No!
Although, as
I say a lot, that depends on you. If the way you were before was active,
healthful, and holistic in your lifestyle then yes you just need to get back to
it. For the majority of people though getting back to it as you did last year
just isn't going to cut it because last year wasn't good either.
I’m of
course speaking generally, I’m not picking on you but as the studies
demonstrate and as is also quite objectively obvious the general population is
on the slippery slope towards the film ‘Wall-e’ type scenario where everybody
is transported around on floating platforms due to being too lazy and
overweight to walk.
The festive
season and other holiday periods are by and large responsible for the health
epidemic sweeping the globe (1) and indeed your fat cells, generally speaking
of course. So if you have a vision of yourself in the future as you are now,
even perhaps more as you were in your younger years then the time is now to do
something about it. Do something before your body adapts to the way you are and
really rather likes the extra supply of energy ready for a starvation event
that is unlikely to ever arrive.
We’re
getting pretty savvy about how to lose weight in the New Year. Mostly people
answer their own questions when they ask me “what’s the best way to lose weight
and tone up” followed immediately with “I suppose I should just eat less and do
more”. A pretty simplistic way of putting it but essentially correct. Just add
a few more personal details in there and you have a recipe for success.
My thing is
to add in the few extra details for you. Main thing is that you should keep it
simple, fun and above all keep it going. Consistency is key to everything in
health and fitness.
Here are a
few pointers to get you going in January:
- You've eaten a lot of sugar – Cut right back on everything that contains the stuff.
- You've eaten loads of bad fats – Stop, now put loads of good fats in. Think nuts, seeds, olive, coconut, fish, avocado and quality reared animal fats in moderation.
- Protein probably wasn't a problem over Christmas but might not have been high quality so keep up the good meats of fish, chicken, turkey and beef and cut the porkers. Hams, sausages and bacon galore isn't clever for a lean toned bod.
- Quit convenience foods now, really, quit it. If you make your own food at home there’ll be less of everything nasty and more of the good stuff so go easy on the added salt and sugars. Rid your cupboards of almost everything with an ingredients list with more than 3 things on it.
- You’re probably keen to stop boozing for at least a couple of months. Good idea all round. Drink more water, teas and pressed juices to give your body some nutrients and a break from stimulants and sugars.
- No doubt you've had a wheaty time with breads, pastries and wheat flour added to almost everything. Now is a good time to see how you react when you don’t have wheat. Try it, you might like it, what have you got to lose?
- Dairy. Hmmm. Some good and some bad. Quit that too for several weeks and see what happens.
- Move more in work and at home. Don’t slouch on the couch or at the desk or anywhere for that matter and expect your body to look lean and toned. Your body adapts to whatever you throw at it. Want to be a better couch potato, be my guest.
- Do a good variety of physical exercise and make sure it’s progressive. I thing the Physiotherapists and other ‘fix me’ professionals do well out of you all this time of year. Alternatively get someone who knows about Biomechanics to ‘prehab’ you before you go from sofa sloth to gym bunny. You've got to earn the right to display athleticism or you will probably do yourself some damage. Yep, done that before.
- Sleep, stretch, massage and meditate more. Stare at screens less too. Smile at every opportunity. Live life to enjoy the rice variety of people and experiences not rich food and the variety of television shows.
Any questions? As I love nothing more than helping people feel better about themselves you can apply for a free no
obligation consultation to 'fill in the details' towards your healthy vision by
calling me today on 07850219927.
Alternatively you can visit the website at www.smilefit.co.uk,
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