Now that the kids are almost going back at school you might be thinking “how do I get back on track with my fitness and nutrition goals?” Summer, although it’s a fun season with the warm weather, BBQs, patios, celebrations, camping, etc. It can also leave you with partying gift of a few (or more) extra pounds than you came into summer with.
We understand that for parents it can be challenging to get those healthy meals and workouts in. Even more so when the kids are on school break.
So where can you start and what can you do today to get back on track? Trust us we know it can be very overwhelming on knowing what to do and how to start. So we decided to give you some of the easiest things you can do to start. You don’t have to do them all at once but at least pick 1 and some movement and momentum going.
Here are a few tips to get you off to a great start. Remember, it doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. You just have to be consistent in your efforts.
Get Moving First Thing: How you start your day is how you finish. Put your running shoes by your bed in the morning with your workout gear. So as soon as you wake up you will put your workout gear and off you go for a nice power walk. Even it is for 15 minutes. Always think about moving your body throughout the day. Any chance you get to move, do it!
Eat Off A Smaller Plate: Plain and simple. Your food portions will be a lot smaller. Decreasing your portions by 20% can compound to an easy 10 lbs gone in a year. And you probably won’t even notice that you’re eating less.
Good Old H20: This one is worth its weight in gold. Often times when we are hungry, we are actually thirsty. Drink your minimum 8 glasses a day. Drinking more water will help with cravings and may stop you from overeating.
Veg It Up: With every meal add a cup or fist portion of veggies. Veggies are full of fiber that keeps you full longer and cut down on cravings and can keep you regular. Make half your plate full of colorful veggies.
Buy A Designer Lunch Bag: All seriousness, if you purchase a nice lunch bag the chances are you will use it and store some healthy foods in your cool lunch bag. Plus you will save money having to buy your lunch at Starbucks.
Be Seated: Sit your butt down and eat. Try to avoid eating standing up, multitasking, driving, etc. Be mindful when you are eating and make sure to thoroughly chew your food allowing the digestive enzymes to breakdown your food so that you can digest it properly. Give yourself time to enjoy your meal.
Have Something Sweet: We see your eyes light up with this one. When you have finished your dinner have a small piece of fruit or a small piece of 80% dark chocolate. An example would be a slice of watermelon or a slice of fresh Pineapple. This really helps with those that have a sweet tooth and avoids helping you feel deprived.
Stash Your Snacks: Keep healthy snacks with you at work. If not the chances of you going to the vending machine for a sweet treat that is very high in calories and is only momentarily satisfying. An example of a healthy snack is Raw Almonds, some raw cut up veggies and a protein shake.
Meditate Everyday: I have no time to meditate you say, well everyone has 5 minutes. 5 minutes to be present. Even if you mind wonders, that is totally OK. Just bring it back and concentrate on your breathing. This away for you to practice mindfulness, being present, decreasing stress and giving back by recharging your batteries. You can do this first thing in the am, in your car, on your lunch break, in your office, in a park, at night. You have 5 minutes, you just need to make it a priority.
Lift Something: A lot of people think you need to be in the gym for hours to get an effective workout but that isn’t true. You can have an effective workout in just 20 minutes. Most people can find 20 minutes in their day. All you need is a set of dumbbells, a simple full-body circuit, and give it everything you got. Even if you don’t have any weights, you can do a quick bodyweight circuit as well. Something is better than nothing. Decide on how much time you can commit to and how many days. If you aren’t currently training, start with 2x a week then slowly add in another day and so on until it becomes a routine.
What discourages a lot of people from starting is thinking how much they have to do to get things started. Workout, when, how, where. Change their nutrition, what, how, etc. That can be a lot for someone and since change is already hard, why not make it easier. Figure out what your goal is and break it down into smaller goals. If you break it down into tiny tasks then you will find that your motivation will go up and the chances of you following through and doing it will also increase.
Remember it doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective and you don’t have to do everything all at once and fast. Slow and steady does work.
So which one will you start with today?
