Gradual changes work better than strapping yourself to a rocket.

I’m a fitness blogger and I’ve been a personal trainer/Pilates instructor for 14 years.  Lots of people come into my studio nervous, shy and overweight.  They want to feel and look better, they want salvation, and they want me to give it to them.   Unfortunately, according to IDEA,  the drop off rate for people who take up an exercise regimen is 50% within 6 months and I can not, not matter how much I want to, give salvation and a perfect size 6 butt to someone who doesn’t work out.

There are steps to transforming from couch potato to being mistaken for a celebrity at an airport.  I am only one piece of it.  Here’s some of the others to help your transition:

Be really, absolutely ready.  Don’t be swayed by the calendar and New Year’s resolutions or how thin your friend looks at lunch.  This is a deep, personal decision.  You need to be willing to change, really change, to reach your goals.  You have to accept that some of this will be painful but will lead to a better place.  This means letting go of some bad habits that you’re quite fond of.

Take the gradual holistic approach.  You need to change the way you’re eating, exercising, sleeping and especially thinking.  You must approach this transition gradually and with purpose.  Making top to bottom changes, without much thought, is a recipe for failure.  Our bodies and psyches can’t sustain sudden huge shifts in our lifestyles.  We must adopt one habit at a time to be effective.  This process will take months.

Seek professional advice. Reach out to well-educated professionals who can guide you safely through this transition.  This might mean a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a shrink (yes, they count), a running coach, or a how-to guide written by a medical professional.  Be sure to check credentials and if anything sounds fishy, seek counsel elsewhere.

Use what rings true to you. As you collect your professional bits of advice, some of it will sound plausible but wrong for you.  That’s fine.  Take the information that makes sense to you and try it.  If it doesn’t work, chalk it up to a learning experience and try something else.  There will be trial and error before you get the right combination of exercise, food and rest.

Have patience. Your body and your unhappiness with it didn’t happen overnight.  You will need to have patience with yourself as you integrate these changes into your life.  As I said above, sometimes you’ll go in the wrong direction and have to try something else.  That’s fine, let the experience go.  It’s not a failure, just a change in tactics.

Start with the easy ones.  Would exercising three times a week be an easy place for you to start?  Do that.  Would cutting out an evening snack be easier?  Do that instead.  As you start collecting your information, begin with what’s easiest.  Once this new habit is ingrained into your lifestyle you’ll find it easier to tackle the hard ones.

Rest and play. I talked about this last week with my “8 Steps to Be Happy” post: you need to continue to live a happy life with friends and activities that you enjoy.  If that means watching a favorite TV show, go right ahead (just don’t watch TV mindlessly because you’re bored …).  If that means hanging out in a cafe for an afternoon with your friends, awesome.  Enjoy life.  Remember that a good night’s sleep is the easiest way to keep a positive attitude.

Move toward happiness. If you’re looking to lose weight and have more energy, you are essentially saying you’d like to be happier than you are now.  As you adopt habits think about it in terms of what makes you happy.  Does hiking make you more happy than toiling on a treadmill?  Then do that.  Does buying frozen veggies seem easier than cutting up fresh ones every night?  Then do that.  As long as a good habit is replacing a bad habit, you’re moving towards happiness and going in the right direction.

How’s that for a weight loss post that doesn’t actually talk about the nuts and bolts of weight loss?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.  Please feel free to comment below.

Lisa

Popularity: 2% [?]