You are setting yourself up to fail

How many new year resolutions did you say you wanted to accomplish? 5? 10? 15? When we start the year out we always have high hopes and big goals which is a good thing, but learning to prioritize and focus them is the key to success. If you try to do too much all at once you are setting yourself up to fail. Especially with weightloss you need to be realistic and take small steps, one at a time. Changing your eating habits, exercise and lifestyle all at once is overwhelming and is most likely not going to work.

You need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Where are your temptations and what small changes can you make to take you out of situations that lend you to an unhealthy lifestyle. Maybe that means skipping a weekly lunch that you always overeat at (at least until you get your eating under control) or rearranging your time so you have a guaranteed time every day to go to the gym – no excuses!

You think it should be easier

You think losing the last 5 lbs of fat is easy? No way! Losing 50+ lbs isn’t any easier. They both take time and commitment. Stop thinking that your goals are too tough and start making realistic action steps and mini goals to accomplish them. If they were easy you would have most likely already accomplished them. Don’t be so hard on yourself, stop giving up after a month or two and give your body and mind time to adjust to the new changes you are introducing.

You aren’t willing to sacrifice anything

You want to lose weight, but aren’t willing to cook more at home or give up the nightly bowl of ice cream. If you’ve set resolutions in 2014 that you truly want to accomplish, then you have to be willing to sacrifice to get there. If you aren’t willing to sacrifice anything, then stop trying to reach the goal it’s obviously  not that important to you.

Your friends and family aren’t supportive

The number one reason that people fail in losing weight is their friends, family or significant others aren’t supportive. Your husband grocery shops and refuses to not pick a package of oreos, tub of ice cream and bag of doritos. He swears they are for him, but you know as well as he does that if they are in the house you will eat them. You family insists on going out to their favorite restaurant instead of somewhere you can find a healthy option for dinner.

Losing weight is a big mental battle with yourself. You have to name the goal, overcome temptations, and sacrifice until you reach it. I promise once you get there the reward is so much greater than anything you can ever imagine. Stop giving up to quickly, stick with one goal at a time until it becomes a routine or you reach the goal. Don’t be your own roadblock to your success.

What do you think is holding you back from losing weight this year?

photo via lifehacker

5 Reasons You’re Stressed

Work

You office is under-staffed and you’re doing the job of 3 people. You end every day feeling more behind than you started and barely make time for anything other than work. Your friends and family have all given up on inviting you out because they assume you are always working.You’ve stopped mentioning how busy you are to your boss because he is equally as busy and doesn’t want to hear it.

Family

We love them, but we don’t always agree on everything!

Family can be a major stress in our life and until you learn to open up about your stress and talk to your family, expressing how you feel and what you need, the stress will only continue. Noticing what specifically sets you off and trying to avoid those situations will start to help manage your stress.

Lack of sleep

You fill your schedule so full that sleep is the last thing you have time for. The problem is, the less sleep you get the more your anxiety will increase. Sleep is essential to controlling your stress and should be moved to the top of your priority list.

Messy house/office

You might think that you are just a messy person and it doesn’t affect you, but I would argue that a disorganized office or home usually means a higher level of stress for you. You never know where to look to find anything, you are stepping over piles or digging through stacks of random stuff.

Spend a weekend doing an overhaul clean and then commit to keeping it tidy. Find a system that works for you, but find time to get organized!

Not enough ‘me’ time

Whether you are introverted or extroverted, I believe everyone needs ‘me’ time. Whether you run errands, go for an evening run or read a good book – spend quiet time with yourself. Allow yourself to unwind and think without noise clouding your mind. Stop filling your schedule and have nights where you stay at home and enjoy getting things done for you.

5 Ways to Beat Stress

Relax

Go to the spa, watch mindless TV, take a bath or go for a long walk. Find what gets you to relax and do more of that! If you’ve had a stressful day, be selfish with your nights and let your friends, family or husband know that you need to chill out.

Sleep

Go to sleep! Stop staying up working all night or watching endless reruns of Modern Family. Your body needs sleep more than your body needs anything else. Even as an adult I give myself bedtimes. No matter what I am doing I set a time and stop working at that time and go to bed. For the first week or so it might feel un natural to go to bed so early and you will lie in bed for hours awake counting sheep. Read a book, or picture yourself on your favorite beach, whatever your body needs to wind down and tell itself that it’s sleepy time!

Socialize

Laughing can cure all types of stress. If you find yourself working too much, schedule time with some of your favorite people and enjoy yourself. Don’t ever forget to have fun and by all means laugh!

Take vacations

Go somewhere new. Sit on a beach with a cocktail in your hand, listening to the waves crash against the sand. Just typing that I feel less stressed. Getting outside of your city and exploring

Exercise

This is a big one! Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel better and calm your body down. This has always been my stress release. If I go a few days without exercise I can feel my body tightening and the stress building. Although exercise might seem  like more of a bother right now, start a routine and stick to it – soon your body will crave the exercise. It is addicting!

Learn to say NO

There is something therapeutic in learning to say no. Allow yourself to turn down invitations and free up your time for the 5 things listed above. You don’t need to be everywhere all the time, determine your priorities and say NO to everything else.

Start Small

Don’t try to overdo it, starting new habits and making big changes can be difficult. Pick one habit to focus on at a time.

Make A Plan

Think through how you are going to make a change or create a new habit. It shouldn’t be something you jump into tomorrow without a plan. You need to be prepared for your triggers, know when and what you are going to change and build a support system around you. Write down a starting date and a timeline. Outline what the next 30 – 60 days will look like with incorporating this new habit into your lifestyle. What will be difficult for you and what will come easy? Who can you enlist to help you? Write it down so you can refer back to.

Tell People Your Plan

Dont try to start a new habit alone. Tell your friends, family and those you work with your new goal and ask them for help. None of us got to where we are today by ourselves and now more than ever is the time to use your support system. Talk about your progress and struggles with people and let them offer advice and positive reinforcement. You will be surprised with the number of people that will be motivated by your change in lifestyle and will start making big changes in their own life.

Know Your Triggers

Be aware of your temptations and what will cause you to fail in achieving your goals.

If you are trying to lose weight, and have a weakness for dairy queen on the way home from work, then you need to map out a new route home. If you are trying to stop smoking and you know you socially smoke when you drink, take a month off from drinking or avoid going outside to socialize with the smoking crowd. Know what sets off your bad habit and create new triggers. Instead of stopping at Dairy Queen on the way home from work, drive straight to the gym and get your workout in. Find healthy alternatives and use them to distract you when your triggers hit.

No Exceptions

You’ve heard me say it before, no excuses!  For the 30 – 60 days that you are committing to focusing on this one habit don’t let yourself cheat once. Don’t tell yourself “just this time” or “I’ll start fresh tomorrow”.  Commit to not letting yourself give in for the planned out amount of time, you will thank yourself later.

Reward Yourself

You deserve it!

Make the reward something that you have really wanted so you will be extra motivated to reach your goal. Plan mini rewards throughout your 30 – 60 days that will help keep you motivated and on track. For example if you are trying to lose 50+ lbs, give yourself mini rewards every time you reach 10, with your big reward waiting for you at the end. Have the rewards set when you do your original plan so you know what you are working towards.

Gather your recipes

Save your best recipes, and whether it’s online or writing them down, keep them organized. Know where you go for grilled, crockpot or brunch dishes so you don’t have to waste time digging through a pile of old recipes.

Plan your meals weekly and make a grocery list

Although this sounds obvious, writing down your weekly meal plan and separating each meal into items you need to add to your grocery list, will help you be organized and not feel overwhelmed.

Double (or triple!) recipes

You want to make BIG meals so that you can store the extras for leftovers. Double or triple each recipe when you make them, so you can cook once and eat on it for a few days.

Create your own frozen meals

Store bought frozen meals are typically loaded with salt and food preservatives, so you want to make your own frozen meals. Soups are especially great to make big batches and freeze the leftovers to eat at a later date.

Pack your lunch the night before

You will not only eat healthier but save money. While you are preparing or cleaning up dinner the night before, pack your lunch for the next day. This will help you not feel rushed in the morning, all you have to do is grab the bag from the fridge and go. Keep it simple and make sure to pack healthy snacks. I always suggest having fruit, greek yogurt and almonds on hand in case you get hungry.

Find a schedule that works for you

Setting aside on Sunday and Wednesday evening for cooking helps me stay organized. I know ahead of time that these days I will be doing cooking, chopping and prepping. By setting aside specific days I am able to plan the rest of my week without worrying about what I am going to cook each night.

Keep cooking

Practice makes perfect.. and the more the cook the easier cooking will come. If you get stressed one week, or aren’t able to plan every meal and ingredient out, don’t worry! Keep cooking, and keep doing your best to plan ahead, it takes practice. Once you finish up one week of meal planning, save your grocery lists and notes from the week so you can repeat that week in a month or two and your life will keep getting easier!

If you have to eat fast food, try to stick to these 7 rules that will help you eat healthier on the road.

1. Avoid breading – Always go for grilled.

2. Fries taste good but are never good for you – If you must (which sometimes I must) SHARE a small fry with whoever you are eating with.

3. Don’t eat and drive – I understand there are times when you don’t have an option, but try to either go inside and eat quickly while sitting down or drive your food to your next destination and eat it there. You will tend to not think about what you are eating if you are eating and driving, won’t be as satisfied with your meal… and let’s be honest it’s not safe to be scarfing down a hamburger while you are trying to merge into oncoming traffic.

4. Salads are a healthy option, the dressing usually isn’t – Know what you are ordering when you get a salad, just because the lettuce is hiding under sugary, creamy dressing doesn’t mean it is always the better choice. Some salad dressing are fine, but check the nutrition stats and know what you are eating.

5. You never need to supersize – the regular sizes are just fine, don’t let the lady at the drive thru make you feel like less of a man (or woman!) because you aren’t super sizing your meal. We are drinking buckets of coke and wasting good calories on all the drinks we take in during the day.

6. Deep-fried, pan-fried, batter dipped, creamy or in cream sauce is usually another way to say loaded with calories and extra fat and salt – Avoid.

7. Don’t make it a habit – You would be surprised how many of us stop at the same fast food joint because it’s on our way to work. Eating fast food every  now and then isn’t going to completely de-rail your diet, but eating it on a regular basis will get you into unhealthy habits that will be hard to break.

What fast food rules do you use to help you eat healthier?

Finding a personal trainer you connect can be tough and take time. I would urge you not to settle because it can make or break your training experience.

As much as credentials and past training experience are important, the success of your training hinges on if you like your trainer. Don’t believe me?  Try to muster up the motivation and energy to see someone for 2 hours a week that you don’t enjoy spending time with. It’s hard enough to make it to the gym and one of the benefits of having a personal trainer is they motivate you to get there. Do you believe your trainer takes good care of themselves and do you believe that they genuinely care about you? Or are you just another paying session in their book?

You can find the best personal trainer in your city, but if their training style and personality doesn’t fit with yours it won’t last.

Here are my top 5 questions to ask yourself when you are looking for a new trainer:

1. Does your trainer spend the entire hour talking about them self, or do they make it about you and what’s going on in your life?

2. Do you leave each workout session feeling energized, or do you leave feeling annoyed and anxious?

3.  How do you set goals with your trainer? Do they tell you what you should aim for, or do they discuss your goals with you and let you have a say in what you are working towards?

4. Do your personalities fit? If they are a talker, and you prefer to workout in silence it will be a long hour. If you need a trainer to bring up your energy level, and they aren’t typically a perky person, you might not get the most out of your workout. Make sure your personalities click before fully committing. This might take a few sessions to figure out, so give it time!

5. Are they paying attention to you?  Form is imperative when you are exercising to prevent injuries. If your trainer is joking around with his friends on the floor and not watching you as you execute each exercise, they most likely aren’t a good trainer to keep around. They should be there for you and should make sure you are getting the most benefit out of each exercise.

6. How often do they bring up what types of foods you are eating? Exercise will only get you so far, you need to eat a clean diet and get the right balance of protein, carbs and nutrients to help your body burn fat and build muscle. Your trainer should be discussing healthy food choices with you and answering any questions that you may have.

Do You Prefer A Male/Female Trainer?

Did you ask for a personal trainer of your same gender? Or maybe you prefer one of the opposite gender?

Take a moment and make sure you are comfortable with your trainer. Are you able to open up to them and talk honestly with them, or are you always holding back. You work very closely with your trainer and can be faced with either awkward movements or exercises that could leave you uncomfortable with a trainer of the opposite sex. Especially in a gym situation where you didn’t get to pick your trainer, but were merely assigned to one, don’t hesitate to speak up to the training manager and ask them to set you up with someone different.

You will notice I didn’t talk a lot about credentials, and of course anyone you train with should be able to show you valid, up to date certifications.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions or only purchase a few sessions before you commit to a bigger package. Personally I offer my new clients a complimentary session when we first meet so that they can get to know me and my training style and I can understand their exercise level to better begin designing a program for them.

Good luck and happy hunting for your next personal trainer!

Email me if you are in the Carmel/Fishers/Zionsville area and are interested in starting a new training program!

Cleaning out your fridge can be an emotional experience. As you open your fridge, comfort foods stare back at you. We think about all of the money we spent on the food and hate to waste the food, when in reality the food isn’t healthy so it’s hurting us more than helping.

To start out 2014 on the right foot, I suggest doing a pantry and fridge cleanse, getting rid of junk food and filling it with the nutritious good stuff!

What you need to begin:

1. A no excuse attitude in order for some tough love and tossing some serious junk food out of your life

2. Trash bags to get the food out of your pantry

3. Paper and pen close by to start a new grocery list to replenish your food with healthy picks

Step 1: Assess The Situation

You can tell a lot  about your eating habits from looking at your fridge. Is most of the food packaged or fresh? Is it listed as Fat Free/Sugar Free or are they real foods? Do you see any un-naturally colored food items or supposedly healthy foods that are hiding behind good marketing, but don’t have the good ingredients to back it up?

Fat-free and sugar-free items frequently have more sugar or artificial sugar and excess calories than the ‘full-fat’ version. Try to avoid food additives such as artificial colors and ingredients. Read over the ingredient list and pay attention to the salt and sugar in your foods more than the calories and fat. Beware of marketing, now a days everything is labeled ‘natural’ or ‘made from real fruit’, but lacks the nutritional value to back up the claims.

My rule of thumb is: If you can’t pronounce the ingredient, you probably don’t need to be eating it.

As you go through the foods ask yourself, who is the food intended for (your kids)? who really ends up eating the food? Why did you pick this food to purchase? Do the kids (or you) really need special ‘treats’ to be in the kitchen year round?  Also identify the good foods that you want to keep in the fridge and the weak foods that you know you need to get rid of.

It helps to point out trigger foods. Trigger foods are the foods that you can’t just eat one serving of. Maybe you try to eat one cookie, but you always end up eating 7. Or one cup of cereal is never enough, you have to eat at least half the box. These are the foods that trigger you to overeat and you want to keep them out of your kitchen and your diet.

Step 2: Get Rid of the Junk

Start by removing all of the food from your pantry and fridge and place it on your kitchen counter. Once you can see all of the food you will have an easier job going through it and organizing it. First check for stale or outdated foods – get rid of them. Ask yourself how long the food has been in the pantry or fridge, over a year? Get rid of it! Next, read the ingredient list. Is sugar or sodium the first or second ingredient on the list, if so consider tossing these foods. If they are essential such as brown sugar for occasionally cooking, i suggest you put these high up in the pantry out of your line of sight.

Now is when the cleanse gets difficult. You don’t want to throw out the package of oreos because there are 7 left and you promise you will finish them tonight. Or you just purchased the soup that contains over half of our daily sodium needs, and you don’t want to waste the money. This is where the no excuse attitude comes in. If you don’t want to throw the food away, put it in a box and donate it to a nearby food shelter, but get it out of your house.

Once you’ve cleared your counter from the junk it is time to reorganize your pantry/fridge and decide what needs to be restocked. I suggest keeping the healthier foods within an easy reach and the unhealthier foods out of sight.

Step 3: Replenish Your Pantry and Fridge with The Good Stuff

What is the good stuff? Isn’t that the question that got us here in the first place?

Vegetables and Fruits – I always try to buy fresh veggies and fruits as much as possible. Next, I suggest frozen veggies/fruits and if you need to buy canned veggies make sure you pick up the low sodium or low syrup type and rinse them before you cook them.

Nuts – Unsalted or reduced salt are the best.Walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pistachios and cashews are great picks. Pay attention to serving size when you are eating nuts, they are great to work in your diet but don’t mindlessly eat them because they are higher in fat.

Beans and Proteins – Dry beans usually taste best, but take much longer to cook. If you do go with canned beans make sure to wash them before you eat them to get the excess sodium off. Canned tuna can be a great chance to add protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. Other meats I keep in my freezer or try to buy weekly based on what I am planning on cooking.

Low-fat or Fat-free Dairy – A serving of Greek yogurt can not only pack a lot of protein punch but it will get you a healthy serving of calcium and offer half the amount of carbs as its regular yogurt counter part.

Whole-grains – Pastas and high fiber options like brown rice, couscous, oatmeal and quinoa are great for your health! Don’t swear off all carbs, embrace the whole grains in our diet. I tell all my clients to limit your purchases with white bread, pasta and flour – always go for the hearty whole grain pick!

Herbs and Spices – Keep a variety of spices on hand to keep your meals interesting and flavorful!

Many of these foods you might not love the taste of at first, but give them a chance. Just like any food you acquired a taste for other foods over the years, these are just new flavors and textures that you need to try in different recipes and find a way you enjoy to incorporate them into your diet.

Step 4: Maintaining a Clean Pantry and Fridge

In order to keep a healthy pantry and fridge you need support from your family. If your husband or wife is constantly stopping by the grocery and picking up junk food then you won’t have control of what stays out of the kitchen. Read the nutrition labels at the grocery and get in a routine of looking out for red flags on foods such as high sodium, saturated fats, a long list of ingredients you can’t pronounce or special treats that you don’t need. This will help you avoid bringing it home to your kitchen and having to toss it out later.

If it’s a special occasion and you have left over birthday cake in the house, take it into your office and let your co-workers help you finish it. Once you get in a routine of writing a grocery list and you have found good healthy foods to purchase, maintaining a well stocked fridge/pantry will quickly become routine!

When was the last time you cleaned out your fridge or pantry?

Do your 2014 New Year’s resolutions sound a bit like this:

1. Get healthy

2. Stop eating doughnuts in the office

3. Workout more

4. Eat less crap

If so, you are setting yourself up to FAIL

As soon as January hits we see a huge increase in traffic at the gym, and plenty of motivated people who are determined to change their lifestyle after the last few months of awful holiday eating. They write out very broad goals, but no action steps, and usually lose the motivation by mid-March.

If you know you need to change your lifestyle, don’t plan for 30 days down the line, or even tomorrow morning. Start Now. There is no such thing as a ‘last meal’, give up on the dieting mindset – this isn’t a diet, this is a lifestyle that needs to work with your routine and schedule to be sustainable.

Don’t Wait Until January 1!

Start NOW!  You have 30 days until the new year and this is your time to kickstart your new lifestyle and Fit 30 is here to help. I’ve been working on a program to help guide you through making big changes in your lifestyle.   Sign up here and use your last 30 days to begin introducing healthy habits and healthy foods into your schedule. Follow along on the blog for the next 30 days and we will be covering 30 guides and how to’s to help you start out 2014 a success.

Fit 30 Is LIVE!

Fit 30 is for everyone who wants to make big lifestyle changes, but gets overwhelmed by the thought of changing everything at once. Fit 30 introduces 1 new healthy habit and 1 new healthy food every week. It is set up for you to add each habit and food into your lifestyle, one at a time, in order to give each habit and food a chance. You can do anything for 7 days!

This is YOUR Lifestyle

Not mine, and not some diet book that you picked up at the bookstore.

You know your schedule and your tastes best, and only you know what is sustainable with your busy life. Fit 30 and my One Year Fitness Plan are created to slowly introduce new habits and foods into your lifestyle. If they work in your schedule, make it a habit, if it doesn’t work or it isn’t to your taste, then it won’t be sustainable for you to keep forcing yourself to do it, so lose it! Somewhere in the 52 new habits and foods my goal is for you to create your own version of a healthy lifestyle.

Join the One Year Fitness Waiting list if you are interested in the full year program or kickstart your new year and buy Fit 30 Today!