Hi my friends! I hope you are doing well this week. I am happy the weather is warming up so I can take the workouts outside. I wanted to touch base with you about something that I believe is truly important for wellness, Lifestyle Changes.

The goal with fitness is to make lifestyle changes. If you starve to get weight off, you will have to starve to maintain the loss. If you revert back to eating what you were eating before you will gain weight and sometimes more than you lost. If you are limiting calories or are on an extreme diet, you probably lowered your metabolism.  When the calories increase again, your body clings to every one just in case you will starve it again.

Also if you know you will not and can not work out for 3 hours a day for the rest of your life, why do it now? Unless you are training for some athlete program.

We live in a world that promotes dieting. If you search the internet for diets, you will find more than you can research in an evening. Some restrict foods, some add foods, some lead to starvation. I encourage you to make lifestyle changes…what does that mean?

Don’t look for the quick fix, look for what you can do for life…

I gave up all soda. I don’t drink regular or diet. My health improved. It was a choice for life. I eat more fruits and vegetables. I eat more fiber. I drink more water. These are lifestyle changes, not a quick fix. Since I made lifestyle changes, I don’t have to worry about yo-yo dieting or buying special foods, pills, etc…I also don’t gain weight quickly. My life has changed. I am seeking wellness, not a life of dieting.

How to make lifestyle changes:

1.Move at least 30 minutes a day several days a week; daily is best. This is not an extended period of time. It’s easy to accomplish. Choose to not be sedentary. Walk, run, bike, circuit train, clean the house, do something.

2. Drink more water. We talked about how water helps our metabolism, digestion of food, and cleaning toxins from our systems.

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables. There are so many reasons to choose whole foods over processed foods. One is whole foods have vitamins and nutrients our bodies need. Two they are natural for the body and not foreign. Three they help the body shed pounds instead of gain them.

4. Cut back on white foods. White bread, white rice, sugar, potatoes…all these foods cause your blood sugar to spike. Unstable blood sugar tells your body to store fat and the mid section (abs) are normally the target.

5. Move from 3 meals a day to 5-6 small meals a day. Stability in blood sugar is crucial to maintain a healthy weight.

6. Eat your favorite foods in moderation or on a cheat day. If you love ice cream, giving it up for life would be a sad thing. I am not a huge fan of ice cream, but I do like it sometimes. So, I purchase frozen yogurt or small one serving size containers. I allow myself to eat certain things in moderation. I love cheese, but I know I can not eat as much as I want, so I keep the portions small. Deprivation can lead to overeating (binge eating).

7. Portion control. The reason obesity is a problem in our country is not simply because of the richness of the foods, our portions are out of control. I ordered a salad at a local restaurant and the bowl was bigger than my head. There had to be 5 cups of lettuce, and several cups of toppings. I looked up the calories, the one salad was 700 calories. Yep. Portions matter.

I hope these tips were helpful. Slow and steady wins the race. If weight comes off slowly, it comes back on slowly. If you make lifestyle changes your life will be better!

Cheering for you friends. You can do it!~Warm Regards…