Losing weight and getting fit is one of the ambitions that most of the people have. However, according to a study from the University of Scranton issued in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, less than half make it to the six-month point. Elizabeth R Lombardo, PhD, who is the author of ‘A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness’ says that as the week’s pass, the focus on the objective, say weight loss, decreases and people revert to their old styles.Here, you will be bale to find ten tips from top experts to get you to the finishing line.
1. Eliminate excuses
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Lombardo says that holding to resolutions implies eliminating excuses.You can write down the purposes and advantages of your goal and the excuses that hinder you. Then put a ‘Post-it’ on your bathroom mirror so that you can analyse your lists every morning.
2. Set realistic goals
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It is always bet to set a realistic goal than setting up an unrealistic goal which you will not be able to achieve and thus make you lose hope and make you frustrated.Rebecca Scritchfield, RD, who is a health and fitness specialist, and a dietitian practising in healthy weight management opines that unrealistic dietary resolutions are why many people drop them within a few months. The more precise the plan, the better.
3. Write it down
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Irv Rubenstein, PhD, who is an exercise physiologist and founder of Scientific Training & Exercise Prescription Specialists, advises formulating a chart noting all physical activity of 10 minutes or longer.Rubenstein says that even shopping at the mall counts in the list of exercising. Viewing it in print drives you to do more.Gregory Florez, CEO of FitAdvisor.com, Utah, and a spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise says that tracking your moods permits you to see the variations in how you feel on exercise days, an upswing you’ll want to reproduce more often. You can try one of the many foods- and fitness-tracking apps and devices now accessible for computers, tablets and phones.
4. Think outside the ‘exercise’ box.
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You need to stop thinking you have to exercise every day and just decide to move more.Rather than sitting at work, you can stand with a treadmill-driven Trek desk or perhaps walk instead of drive. Take the stairs more often than the elevators.
5. Channel your inner child.
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You can tap into your favourite childhood exercises for motivation. Activities such as flying a kite, participating in the local Sunday soccer game or even dancing can help in promoting enthusiasm and make it simpler for you to reach your fitness goals.You can also do silly things like standing on one leg while brushing your teeth or perhaps switching legs alternately.
6. Weigh yourself only on Fridays and Mondays
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Cordiello says that weighing yourself every day can be frustrating since a woman’s weight naturally varies with hormonal changes.Step on the scale simply on Fridays and Mondays. You’ll get a more efficient reading of weight loss as most people increase weight between Friday and Monday since we tend to overindulge during the weekends.
7. Challenge yourself.
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Think confidently about what you’re capable of, yet don’t take success for granted. According to a study by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, members who asked themselves “Will I?” before doing a task were more likely to attain success than those who declared, “I will.” Researchers observed that people raised their motivation by challenging themselves a question.
8. Celebrate little steps.
It may seem great to break out the champagne after you’ve achieved your 6-month target. But it’s the smaller, more frequent rewards that help you stay focused.Mary Jayne Johnson, PhD, who is an exercise physiologist and also a certified spokeswoman for the ACE or the American Council on Exercise says that small celebrations along the way make it simpler to reflect on your progress when you sense you’re not succeeding.Johnson says that a reward doesn’t have to be large to stimulate motivation and that it could be as small as an entry in your journal that you’ve achieved another step.
9. Forgive your lapses.
When sickness, tours and other problems make it hard to exercise, you may feel like you’ve failed your resolution. Hence you have to plan for inevitable lapses and relapses by listing anticipated obstacles and figuring out how to win over them.If you’re ill and cannot do the workouts, then you just need to take a break and start again after you have recovered.
10. Give yourself time.
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Florez says that getting yourself to workout every day takes time – at least 21 days, and later on it will turn out to be a habit.The same thing goes for dieting too. Skipping fried foods or melted cheese on everything may be difficult at first, but consuming healthy food can become second nature. The studies have shown that if you’re doing a behaviour every day for around three weeks, then you’re no longer pushing yourself to do it. According to a Florida State University study in 2006, that’s mainly because self-control is just like a muscle and the more you work it, the stronger it becomes, Florez says that though the exercise will not seem fun in the beginning. But at the end of the day, you will never regret doing the workouts.
Now that you know the simple tips, are you ready to drop some pounds?
Losing weight is a dedication to diet, exercise and behavioural modifications. You understand that ou could stand to lose some of those unwanted pounds, but you should be ready to make this life-long commitment.
