By Paula Jager CSCS as published in Natural Muscle magazine January 2013
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Millions of people the world over make resolutions at the turn of the New Year. The #1 resolution is to lose weight and become more physically fit thus improving their overall quality of life. Getting started is easy but how many people actually stick it out over the long haul? Not many. Statistics show that about 75% go strong through the first two weeks while the number dwindles to less than 45% at the 6 month mark and fewer than 20% at the two year mark. Having been in the fitness industry for over 17 years I would say they are pretty spot on.
Why do so many people fall off the bandwagon? Most attempt to do too much too soon, they don’t write them down, review them periodically, are unable to see them and lack a support group. Goals and strategic planning are a better option and more likely to be achieved. Don’t stop at weight loss and fitness—choose other areas of your life to improve upon such as career and relationships.
Here are my personal top 25 tips on training, nutrition and lifestyle to help you meet your goals in 2013.
1. Don’t skip the warm up warm up properly before your workout by raising core body temperature along with a few light sets of appropriate exercises to prepare the body for the work to come and avoid injury.
2. Compound it don’t waste your time on too many isolation exercises; get more bang for the buck by sticking primarily to squats, presses, bench and deadlifts
3. Let the pink dumbbells go ladies don’t be afraid to lift heavy weights, that will help you look better, feel better and build stronger bones. Gentlemen—the heavy weights apply to you also.
4. Get your heart rate up aka “moving” effort + intensity = results; stick mainly to interval training or metabolic conditioning as opposed to long, slow distance training.
5. Call for back up balance your core work with back extensions, glute ham raises and kb or db swings in addition to abdominal work. And make sure you squeeze it! Your arse that is; the glutes are a part of the core—squeeze them tightly during heavy lifts to increase stability.
6. Birds of a feather. . . don’t waste your time at the gym chatting with those that don’t work hard. Train with intense like minded individuals who are equally passionate about achieving their goals.
7. Lose the shoes or at least the platform sneakers; switch to a minimalist shoe to get the most out of your lifting and running workouts.
8. Variety is the spice of life vary your workouts; strength days, metabolic conditioning days and combo days for the best results.
9. Fuel your machine if you’re a hard training athlete aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight from pastured animals and wild seafood
10. Sugar & the bitter truth as good as it may taste do yourself a favor and take it out. This includes sodas. Sugar is addictive, toxic and linked to many diseases. A little raw honey or maple syrup as an occasional treat
11. Go organic lose the pesticides by purchasing as many organic fruits and vegetables as you can. If the bugs won’t eat them why should you.
12. Smart snacking be prepared by carrying a cooler filled with healthy items like fruit, nuts, veggies, raw cheese and organic deli meats when you’re you’ll on the road or away from home/office
13. Immunity, vision, heart and brain health eat garlic, onions and cruciferous veggies along with yellow, orange and reds, blues and purples and plenty of leafy greens to keep your body and mind functioning its best.
14. Say goodbye to Mickey D no fast foods—make it yourself. That includes ditching processed and packaged foods.
15. No artificial sweeteners these are not food! Creepy laboratory products with sketchy safety record. They have been shown to produce an insulin response.
16. Leggo the Eggo or muffin, cereal, bread, pasta and pseudocereals. Get your carbohydrates from roots, tubers and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, yucca and plantains instead. And limit those if your goal is fat loss or you have metabolic derangement
17. No nukes don’t microwave your food; use an oven, toaster oven or range top for reheating. No, it doesn’t take that much time nor is it an inconvenience because it’s healthier
18. Dairy go raw from grass fed cows or ditch it
19. Spice up your life add spices to your food to give flavor and even burn a little extra fat. Cayenne, mustard, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove will all do the trick depending on the dish
20. Go alkaline the use of alkaline water has been shown to remove acid wastes, improve immune function and hydration status. Make water your main beverage; aim for at least ½ oz per pound of bodyweight a day
21. Declutter your home/work space having excess “junk” around makes it hard to think and be productive. Start your spring cleaning early by getting rid of stuff you don’t use.
22. Chill out schedule down time into your daily/weekly planner. It will save your sanity. You will never get it all done; the list will never be all crossed off. You will be more productive and refreshed after down time.
23. Black Out use black out curtains in your bedroom for a sound nights sleep, cover all LCD monitors so that the room is pitch black and aim for 8-9 hours of quality sleep per night.
24. Help the environment and yourself by switching to all natural cosmetics and bath products along with all natural cleaning products for the home
25. Be positive it takes more energy to frown and be negative than it does to smile and be positive.
