Well, its official, the holidays are over. Hanukkah, Christmas, New Years and Three Kings Day have all come and gone. The only question is: what do you have to show for it besides a new sweater or, much worse, 5 or 10 new pounds?
If you are like a lot of people, you over indulged this holiday season and you once again resolved to get into shape or back into shape for those of you that were in shape once upon a time.
If you are serious about getting into shape, and I hope you are, then you are going to need a serious strategy. A game plan so to speak for defeating all the negative and undermining influences in your life and, once again, if you are like most people there are many.
Getting and staying motivated; finding the time; finding the inspiration; changing your diet and more importantly your attitude toward food; actually exercising, consistently and for the rest of your life, not just for 6 months and then quitting and one you may not have expected. Believe it or not your family may become jealous of the time you spend taking care of yourself and they may become even more jealous of the way you look and feel.
In my experience this holds true especially for moms (and some dads) who are expected, mostly by themselves, to do so much for everyone in the house and always place their own needs last. I have seen it many times, and I always tell my clients that they have to take care of themselves and place their health first. Without good health and the energy that comes with it, you can't possibly do everything you need and want to do for your family. Yes, there will be an adjustment period but soon enough your family will accept that you have placed a priority on your health and they will learn how to manage for themselves while you are at the gym or out for a walk or whatever. The point is you should never feel guilty about taking care of yourself. Exercising and eating right are not luxuries; they are necessities.
One way to minimize the adjustment is to plan group activities that involve and are fun for the entire family. After all, exercising and eating right are necessary for everyone and individuals are much more likely to stick with their programs if the entire family is doing it together. And, with childhood obesity on the rise, you also owe it to your children to see that they get enough exercise and are eating right.
So, the good news is that with the internet and with the gym industry competing for your business there are so many affordable ways to exercise that money should not be an issue. The internet has thousands of web pages with exercise routines and magazines like Shape and Fitness have web sites filled with free information. With more and more gyms opening there is more competition and prices have really come down. I know of several area gyms that are offering memberships for $30 a month.
Time could be an issue but it really shouldn’t be. You can workout at home, 30 minutes a day and, with the right program, you can see dramatic results. If you have a gym close by and can take advantage of the equipment and the classes , even better.
So, you are committed, motivated, inspired and determined to live a long, healthy and happy life. You are going to exercise, eat right (I will talk more about diet next time) and you are going to get everyone around you involved. That’s what I call a game plan.
Until next time,
Peace and Health
Dave
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