Here’s some jump start tips that will get you started down the right path …

• Listen to your body. It will tell you when you are full. It will take some time to re-train you mind to listen to your body, but when you do you will begin to see the results quickly. In order for this to work, you will need to chew your food thoroughly. Chew each bite 25 – 50 times depending on the type of food, of course.

• Don’t eat all the food on your plate. Get used to the idea that it’s okay to “Not clean your plate.” This will also take some practice.

• When eating out, only eat ½ of your meal and take the rest home.

• Eat 5 – 6 small meals per day

• Don’t skip meals and don’t let yourself get hungry.

• Get at least 7 hours of sleep – it is difficult to lose weight if you don’t.

• Limit caffeine. Try to limit coffee to one cup per day.

• Drink lots of green tea. Using raw honey as a sweetener is best.

• As soon as you get up in the morning try to drink 8 ounces of water.

• Eat one apple a day. Granny Smith is best.

• Eat at least one large green leafy salad per day.

• Drink lots of water throughout the day. At least 64 ounces and more if you can.

• Don’t be afraid of good fat (olive oil, nuts, etc). Fat does not make you gain weight anymore than protein or carbohydrates do. It’s the excess calories that cause weight gain. The simple truth is that if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. On the other hand, if you take in more than you burn off, you will gain weight. This is simple, but true.

Action step …

I do not advocate calorie counting; however, if you don’t know approximately how many calories you are taking in per day it will be very difficult to know whether or not you are over eating or under eating.

Here’s my recommendation …

Track your daily calories for 2 weeks. For now, don’t modify your normal diet; just eat what you normally eat, so you can get a true reflection of your daily calories. This will give you your starting point.

Now once you know your daily calorie in-take, weigh yourself on a scale that also has a body composition reading which measures your body fat percentage. Then write down your weight and fat percentage. NOTE: weigh yourself at the same time of day each time. That way the measurement will be consistent. Also, weight yourself in the evening on an empty stomach around 5:00 or 6:00 if you can.

The next step is to begin to experiment to determine the calories needed for you to lose weight at a safe speed while preventing lean muscle loss.

Try this …

Decrease your calories by 200 calories per day. That may be just enough for you to begin to lose weight while maintaining your lean muscle.

Now add exercise to the mix and begin to monitor your fat to lean muscle ratio using your body composition scale. Make sure as you lose weight you are not losing lean muscle. If you are still not losing weight, lower your daily calorie count another 200 calories per day.

This method may take some time and a little work, but if you take the time to experiment, you will lose weight without also losing a lot of lean muscle. And the best part is that you should never feel hungry.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions so go ahead and leave your comments –I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s important for you to know that this blog was created for you. The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments.

Although the information in this blog will benefit people of all ages, this blog is dedicated to over 40 fitness, so I’d especially love to hear from those who are over 40.

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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One of the fatal mistakes that many people make when they’re deciding to get into shape is to tackle the entire concept of “fitness” at one time.  Incorporating fitness into your life takes time and won’t happen overnight. Your body, mind, and spirit need time to adjust to the many changes that will be happening as you start to add exercise to your daily routine.  If you tackle getting into shape in small incremental steps, you will be less likely to become overwhelmed and quit.

Many people have the wrong concept of exercise. They think getting fit means spending an hour everyday on a treadmill or lifting weights like Arnold Schwarzenegger. That couldn’t be further from the truth. You can actually become healthy and fit in less than 20 minutes a day.

The first thing that you need to do is start moving …

If you haven’t been active in a while you’ll want to start by adding walking to your day.  You can start with as little as 12 minutes per day. Interval training is especially effective even in just 12 to 20 minutes per day. For example, you can walk at a fast pace for 1 minute and then recover by walking at a slower pace for 1 minute. Repeat for 12 minutes to 20 minutes.

The most effective way to achieve maximal results from your interval training is to monitor the intensity of your workouts. In other words, you need to monitor your heart rate. 

Monitoring your heart rate …

The first thing you need to do is to calculate your estimated maximum heart rate. You can easily do this by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you are 48 years old, you would subtract 48 from 220 to get 172.

The next step is to calculate your exertion range. Since your exertion range should be between 60% – 80% of your maximum heart rate, you would multiply 172 by .60 and .80 to get a range of 103 – 137 respectively.

In the above example, you would try to stay in the range of 103 – 137 during the exertion phases of your interval training. The best way to monitor your heart rate and ensure that you are staying in your 60% – 80% range during exercise is to wear a heart rate monitor. And as always, I recommend that you see your doctor for clearance before starting any new exercise program.

If you do this consistently everyday, you will quickly see a difference in your fitness level. After you’ve become fit, you will want to begin to incorporate other types of exercises, such as core strength and stability, and balance exercises.

After a couple months of taking the above small steps towards fitness you’ll start to see a significant change in your fitness level.  You’ll find that you feel better, have more energy, are sleeping more soundly, and feel better about yourself.

Action Steps for Today …

Get started moving today. If you haven’t exercised in while, just start walking. For the first couple of weeks stick to the same walking routine so that you get used to some type of fitness.  This way you won’t injure yourself by attempting to do more than your body is ready for.

If you’re already fit, you can start with interval training right away. Remember, the key is to start at an intensity level that is right for you. And then gradually build up to more intensity as you become more fit.

In addition to your daily exercise routine, try to find other ways to get moving. Take the stairs instead of the elevator; park your car around the corner from your destination and walk a block or two; or leave your car at home whenever you can.  Your goal for fitness is to get moving and to keep moving.

My Contact information for Assistance with Personal Training

Phone: (866) 385-9685

Email: epetty[at]keywebenterprises.com

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions so go ahead and leave your comments –I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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