If you have not noticed we have 6 weeks to NYE so put down the cupcake and pick up the training gear; its time to bring in the New Year looking super-fit. Oddly enough there are quite a few parallels between getting fit and getting fat, and much like getting fat, getting fit starts with the mind-set so, let me expand (no pun intended).
Motivation
Normally, you think about eating a chocolate bar before you reach for it. Even if it’s only for a split second, you picture yourself biting into the bar, you imagine the soft velvety feel of chocolate melting on your tongue and you taste the creamy bitter sweet chocolate flavour. This vivid thought or visualization motivates you to act/eat chocolate, so why not use visualization to get fit instead?
How? Firstly, ask yourself what does getting fit mean to you? Does it mean losing 10 pounds, or fitting into a size 10 dress, does it mean running a marathon or simply tripping all over the endorphins with well-defined cheek bones and a grin? Write down what getting fit means to you in detail; get a clear idea of what you would look and feel like when you get to your desired fitness levels… keep it realistic.
Then ask yourself, why is getting fit so important? We only remain motivated to activities which relate to our personal values, not the values of friends, families or spouses. Discover your values. Finally, spend a few minutes daily focusing on your idea of fitness, call it to mind making it as clear and compelling as possible; this visualization reprograms the mind.
But before getting excited about getting fit whilst perched on your sofa visualizing; stop… just like getting fat, getting fit requires action.
Organize Time
Schedule your fitness routine into your day; I find the ‘Life-Act’ Model works fabulously at making space in a busy schedule:
L: List in detail all your daily commitments. Include fitness even if it hasn’t been a commitment till date.
I: Identify priorities.
F: Focus; only prioritize commitments you and people important to you benefit from.
E: Evaluate the possibilities for changes.
Act: Make the changes you identified above.
Avoid commitments that are not priorities. Adjust schedules to support fitness. Place exercise first thing in the morning; this is the most predictable/manageable part of a day. And Accept some commitments may not be pleasurable but must be completed.
Great, now that you have fitness scheduled – working on it means regulating calorie intake and burning excess fat.
Eat:
Like getting fat, getting fit involves eating…the right things. Becoming The Lean, Green, Veggie-Eating Machine isn’t top priority for most people, yet eating more veggies means you eat less carbs, working wonders for the waistline:
• Choose food wisely, the closer food is to its natural form the better. Foods from cartons, tins, bottles or packages are processed.
• Serve yourself deliberately, pile high on the greens and light on the whites (pastas, rice, potatoes – carbs).
• Eat intentionally, start with the greens, move to the proteins then work on the carbs; fill up with the good stuff first.
• Use www.myfitnesspal.com, this free site is a food journal that helps you track food intake against weight goals.
• Sleep; your body needs to rest to metabolize what you eat.
Exercise:
Getting fit means moving. Though traffic jams in Jakarta encourage a sedentary lifestyle I say where there is will, there is way. The most obvious exercise option is the gym (preferably with a trainer), yet there are other ways of keeping it moving:
• Take on a racquet sport; it’s easier to schedule with a coach or partner.
• Walk, cycle or use the stairs whenever you can.
• Dance to burn calories.
• Borrow someone’s kids; chasing children around keeping them out of trouble can give you a terrific workout…for maximum results use two children (not for the faint-hearted!)
• Mall walk, its air-conditioned and clean; power walk.
So, with a tight deadline to work to its best you get going, see you looking fabulous this NYE and good luck!