get FIT

This is my most asked question so I thought I’d answer it in one place with some tools for you all to get started on your GET FIT journey! Here are some of my tips. Please ask if you have any questions!

• Keep a food journal of everything you eat.  Log the time.  Log the amount.  Include all the condiments and all drinks that add calories.  I like to add things in there about how I’m feeling those days to see if there is a correlation. I log my weight and measurements so I can see how I’m doing. I track how much water I drink and when I take my vitamins. Read more.
• Get a food scale. You need to log on your journal how much you’re eating.  After you do this for a while you’ll get better at judging portions but at first you need to retrain yourself on portion sizes!  We all think we’re eating less than we do!  Read more.
• Eat at home. The amount of added calories from butter and oils that are added in at restaurants can kill the ambitions of anyone trying to drop fat. When you can, eat at home where you have control over how your food is prepared and everything that goes into your mouth!
• Look up the nutrition facts on EVERYTHING you eat!!!  I find that it’s easier for me to eat bad things when I can rationalize in my head that it’s not so bad. Look up the nutrition facts at your favorite restaurants.  Look at your favorite dishes and desserts.  Are you appalled??!!  I was!!!  So, I looked for healthier alternatives at those restaurants to eat now. I can still go for my favorite dish now and again but not as often!  It’s hard for me to eat 100g of fat in one sitting if I know I’m eating it!
• Make a workout PLAN!!!  Have a plan for the week, but especially before you walk into the gym and stick to it! Include both weights and cardio in your weekly routine.  If you’re looking for a good starting point, look no further…
• If you’re new to fitness and nutrition as I was during my first year of marriage, right after college graduation, you may need a plan to start you out!  BODY FOR LIFE!!!  It’s the best book!  It’s so easy to follow!  Read it from beginning to end….promise me! It will give you the inspiration and motivation to do this!  (Read:  “Yes, I can do this.”)  Then, it will give you the tools you need, including exactly what to eat and do at the gym. (Read: “So, I just have to do 20 minutes of cardio? I can eat all of this?”)  And, it will get you excited to do it (Read:  “When can I get started?”)  It will also give you tracking pages to log your progress ! It’s SO fun to look back and see how far you’ve come!  BTW, you get a WHOLE CHEAT DAY on this plan!  Lucky dogs! I’m so jealous!   Read more.
• Watch what you eat! You must have the diet with the workout.  You need to eat often and eat clean.  You MUST watch what you eat or all the working out in the world will be a waste. AND, if you’re not eating right to fuel your workouts you’ll feel like crap in the gym.
• Remember the equation….70% Diet.  20% Workouts.  10% Sleep. You MUST have a clean diet. There is no way around it.  Think about what your insides look like!  Just eat healthy!  It’s good for you AND you’ll look better as you live decades longer.  You have to lift weights for your overall health, fat burning and bone strength.  You have to do cardio to burn fat and for your heart health!  You must get enough rest or the whole plan falls apart. When you’re tired, you won’t control your food. (That’s me…bad news!)  You need sleep to let your body rest so you can get up tomorrow and do it all over again!
• I recommend getting a heart rate monitor.  It’ll help you work harder and make sure you’re staying in or above your fat burning zone.  Read more.
• Never leave the house without food! I pack a cooler.  You will most likely be gone longer than you think. If you’re eating every 3 hours, like you should be, you’ll need a snack while you’re out.  Take a meal or a snack no matter what…..even if you’re leaving for 30 minutes. What are the chances you’ll be out longer? If you’re me…high!  Or, you can research all of your fast food choices and already pick out your food choices ahead of time!  Read more.
• Support!!! You need support both inside your house and outside.  You MUST get your household members, spouse, parents or roommates to clean up their act, either for YOU or for themselves. Either way, the food temptations must be OUT of reach for you!  I personally cannot succeed if my hubby doesn’t stick to his diet around me. He can eat lunch out every day, I don’t care, but at home, we only have healthy foods and he cannot eat unhealthy things around me or I’m toast!! (or brownies, or cookies)  ALSO, it helps to have accountability!  Find a buddy who will really do this with you. Text them every day.  Meet for workouts. Push each other.  Find a group to work out with. Join Weight Watchers. Start a blog and show your progress (sound familiar? that’s how mine started and still works b/c I use YOU as my motivation).  Surround yourself with HEALTHY people who are living the life you want to live! Learn from them!  Inspire and motivate each other!

I’m still working on this so keep checking back for more….I’ll finish it someday…..