2013! Where to Begin? One step at a time!

If it’s activity that you want to start adding into your daily regime and you currently don’t include any activity in your day’s routine, it is best for you to start with one or two days.  Aiming to get to the gym or community centre 5-7 days a week when you do not currently run on that type of schedule will probably make it a little more difficult in achieving that goal of keeping daily physical activity as a part of your long term fitness plan.  If you enjoy outdoor recreational sports and being active with the motivation from a team, personal training or self-disciplined “jogging on the treadmill” may not be your ticket to succeeding.  Choose something that will get you excited about including activity in your day.  If you need that personal attention and focus from one individual who will develop a plan based on your current abilities and the goals you would like to achieve, then personal training may be your ticket to success.  If you start with group exercise classes and it feels challenging or slightly awkward at first, try it out a few times before you re-visit your plan of action.  Nothing should feel easy at first, and if it feels a little awkward, those are your muscles just getting used to a new way of working out and the challenge that you’re giving them.  When I have new people (or veterans for that fact) lock into a workout for an hour or so and not really know what they’re getting themselves into, it is my goal to keep them in the zone, pushing them and showing them that they are capable of achieving success no matter what level they are working out at, AND more importantly, for however long they are able to push themselves for, mentally and physically.  When they approach me afterwards, or I chat with them, a common feeling I get from them is, “that was tough!”.  No doubt it was tough!! I ask them what they would think of the class is it was “easy”, and whether they would have anything to work towards!  So, take the challenge, whatever it may be!  First thing to line up is making the choice of something that you will enjoy getting up and out for, so that you look forward to the activity, and more importantly, you make the effort to include it as part of your day.  Start small and only work from there.  If an hour seems like Mount Everest in the beginning, start with 30 minutes and move forward from there.  Ask questions.  Tell people your goals, but most importantly, do it for YOU!

It is important that when we make any type of goal or resolution that they are achievable, and to help you make an achievable goal, you must factor in your lifestyle, the people around you, what you currently are doing, and how you will achieve your goal. Losing weight will not happen overnight, and a large weight loss won’t happen in a short period of time, if you want to maintain that weight loss for a long period of time.  Weight loss is a combination of healthy nutrition and physical activity.  Yes, the more calories you expend (energy burned) compared to the calories you eat results in a calorie deficit, equaling weight loss, however, if you cut out too many calories, and you are not fueling your body with the right amount of calories it needs to fulfill a day’s work (and activity level), your metabolism will slow right down, holding on to each and every calorie you do consume and storing it (often as fat) to be burned off as slowly as possible.  This is a slower metabolism, and that is not what we ultimately want to achieve!

So, how do we conquer this from a nutrition stand point?  First, you need to know what you are currently eating.  Be honest with yourself.  Write down everything you eat for a few days.  Make a little log sheet, track it in your phone, fill in the blanks either after each meal and/or snack or at the end of your day, and then move forward from there.  Did you maybe have both a store bought muffin and a chocolate bar on one day? Were there vegetables with lunch and dinner somewhere?  Did you skip 2 meals and consume all of your calories at dinner time?  There are a number of slips that I have seen over my career, however, there are solutions to fixing these, and making them better, healthy habits.  For instance, if you know you like chocolate or something sweet in your day, try not to take this out of your diet.  Instead, allow yourself to have that sweet treat during the earlier part of your day, and just make a smaller portion of it.  Dark chocolate has become one of my favourite treats, and a little square each day goes a long way.  Once you have taken a very close, honest look at your food diary, ask yourself what you know is important to include in your daily diet.  Are there fruits and vegetables throughout? Do you have enough grains, of which the majority are whole grains?  Are your protein choices mixed up to include non-meat and meat sources, or a variety of non-meat sources if you are vegetarian?  Do you have dairy products throughout your day?  I often like to include dairy products as part of my snacks throughout the day.  Most importantly, what are the portions of the meals and snacks you are consuming?  Are you listening to the cues that your brain gives your body while you eat? Do you eat fast without even putting your fork down in between bites?  Do you go long periods without food and then simply over-consume everything in sight?  These are all little questions we need to truly be accountable to and ask ourselves. 

Canada’s Food Guide and all of the resources available online (including throughout this website) can help you understand what a healthy food choice is (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php).   Additionally, Registered Dietitians can be found in so many places these days, from community health centres, out-patient hospital centres, private practice, and even right in the grocery stores.  If you need the assistance of someone to help you make these changes, reach for them (http://www.dietitians.ca/Find-a-Dietitian.aspx).

Most importantly, as mentioned throughout, ask yourself what YOU need in order to start making healthier choices.  Family support goes a long way when trying to implement healthy eating choices.  Make your goals achievable.  Make yourself accountable to reaching a small goal you set, and then move forward from there.  Write them down, tell someone about them and just keep trying.  IF you fall down, get yourself back up, look back at what made you fall, learn from it and continue to push forward.  If you just continue to push forward you will find the way that will help you get to the end without falling again, and better yet, ending up on top!

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”  Maya Angelou