Tuesday’s Tip of the Week: June 7

Tuesday’s Tip of the Week:

“90% of people who have kept weight off over time have a regular schedule of activity in their lives.”

Make a plan, write it down, stick to it!

Okay, I will admit, it is hard to diet and exercise, but it is even harder to do if you don’t set rules, guidelines, goals or even a schedule to do it with. This first week of the D3Y Challenge is to get everything together and it order so you have all the tools, and the mindset, to actually make healthy changes in your life.

My activity schedule is still fluctuating right now, but here is the gist of it:

Monday: Walk around trail at park (2.5 miles)

Tuesday: Jogging after classes (gym or park)

Wednesday: Yoga Class (gym) and 2-mile walk (if time)

Thursday: Jogging after classes (gym or park)

Friday: Intense abs routine after work

Saturday: Strength training arms

Sunday: Strength training legs

While this routine isn’t ideal, because of my crazy work/school schedule this is the best I can do. I plan on doing some sort of abs work daily in the morning as well as some light lifting (with small weights at home) every night before I go to bed. So I don’t become too overwhelmed, I worked in “lighter” days on the weekend. My legs get plenty of work Sunday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday they get a break to recover while I work more extremely on arms and abs. I’m hoping this nice mix will work for a while until I am at a point where I can turn walking to jogging and jogging to running.

I will update you as to if this plan works and to any modifications I make. I hope to eventually attempt the Air Forces pre-bootcamp training, but I think I should try this out first. If you can’t always make it to the gym or if exercise doesn’t fit into your routine, make sure you include some sort of activity daily. For example, when you go grocery shopping, park all the way out in the boonies. Not only do you have to walk further, but you will have to push that full cart all the way to your car afterward too. Always take the stairs when possible. If you have bad knees, at least take the stairs down—you will still work some muscles without hurting your joints. Make it a habit to take the dog around the block for his potty break, instead of just opening the back door and letting him do his business alone. One walk around the block every day can add up pretty quick! You can do the same with little ones too! If the weather is nice, schedule in some gardening or mow the lawn, or just play with the kids outside. You are almost guaranteed to burn twice as many calories by doing activities outside the home than indoors just by the idea that there is more room to work with.

Make a plan for daily activity that can include anything that is not sedentary: dishes, cleaning, gardening, mowing, shopping, cooking, walking, playing—even that counts. Try to start off small, then gradually increase your activity. Choose 30 minutes a week when you can exercise to start off with. I started with just a yoga class for one hour a week that is offered free at the gym. (The membership is $35 a month—so the yoga class was technically $9 a week). Maybe buy a cheap DVD and lock yourself in the bedroom and do it yourself. You can also look on YouTube for free exercise videos. Just start with 30 minutes a week, the maybe move to an hour, or to two hours. Maybe do 30 minutes twice a week. You don’t need to jump-in with everything all at once—you will likely burn out within the first week. Whatever your plan, just remember to write it down and stick to it. Then, once you are ready, you can grow it.

Have a food plan in place too!

I have a relatively easy diet plan as well by doing Weight Watchers. Surprising though, I have learned so much about eating healthy and about having smaller portions. I am still never hungry, being that fruits and veggies are free. While I know so many aren’t able to afford WW, I would recommend for everyone to try it at least once if possible. I probably will not “sign up” to continue it anymore, as I will be able to do it on my own after this. I have the books and the calculator so there isn’t anything else you need. After you have that it is only a matter of watching what you eat. By reading I have learned a lot of healthy recipes that are not only good for you but taste great too. It is helping a lot.

My fall back is always the shake: either a WW’s shake with blended fresh fruit, or just the generic version of Slimfast shakes. They are filling and they are on the go. I normally have them for breakfast, followed by some fruit for a snack then a pretty hearty lunch. My dinners are usually smaller meals than my lunches and I really think this is helping. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and while I don’t eat a lot of breakfast I have noticed that I typically do better in regard to weight loss if I have an okay sized breakfast (bowl of cereal with milk, shake and some fruit, etc.) a large lunch and a relatively light dinner. I also try not to eat any more after 9 p.m. While there really isn’t any proof that there is bodily harm by eating after a certain time, if you force that rule upon yourself, you will likely cut out those extra calories you would take in from “midnight snacks”—especially while waiting for that phone call from your deployed service member.