Have Your 2012 Fitness Resolutions Gone Off Course?

The major reason most fitness endeavors crash and burn is the unrealistic goals people set for themselves. And as you wallow on the floor in self pity amid spent chocolate wrappers, keep this in mind, you are only human, not super human.

It’s all about lifestyle changes. Think about this, the word “diet” conjures up all kinds of unpleasant pictures of pathetically clinging to the side of an empty refrigerator, or a cupboard filled with diety (is that a word?) tasting power bars. Really, the keys are small, independent steps aimed at changing small things in your life that culminate into the grand plan.

Try looking at it like this. Instead of saying “My goal is to lose 100 LBS in 6 months, try, “My goal this week is to find a butter substitute that has fewer calories”. Once you have achieved that, move on to finding a sugar substitute.

I personally can’t stand the taste of saccharin and it’s chemically aftertaste. However, if it works for you, fine, but if you’re like me, try stevia. For me, stevia tastes more like real sugar. You can also try honey. My point is to make small dietary changes that are not going to send you on an eating binge.

Now, keep doing this until you have found reasonable substitutes for all the things that are helping to pack on the weight. If that takes 6 months, so be it.

Fitness and diet kind of go hand in hand. And again, making unrealistic goals will result in you not achieving your goal at all. Much like the example above, let’s apply that to your workout routine.

Don’t tell yourself your goal is to do 110 sit-ups in the morning. In fact, don’t do sit-ups at all if it bores you. Boredom with exercise is the second greatest killer of fitness goals. Again, look for something you enjoy doing. If it’s swimming, then go swimming, or kayaking, or take up Karate, or yoga, or dancing. The possibilities are truly endless, but the point is to find something that you like. Remember, the key to youth and staying young, is movement.

So let’s look at one of these. If you choose to swim, don’t set lofty goals of swimming 30 laps per session. Try wading in the deep end and tread water for 5 minutes. Then slowly, over time, work up to doing laps.  In theory, you can apply this technique to anything. If you decide to take a Salsa dancing class, try not to push yourself too hard in the beginning.

Recently, I decided I needed to move more as I sit in front of a computer all day. So my routine is to take a walk on the beach each morning. My goal is to within 6 months be able to jog a little each day. I’m keeping my goal fun and within reach. Follow this advice and you too can achieve your health goals and get back into that swimsuit this summer.

Dain, MagicKitchen.com blogger