Keeping up the Motivation!

After starting a workout routine you may think in the beginning that you are finally ready to make these lifestyle changes, but it's very easy to lose that motivation! Many people begin to get tired of their workout routine, wheres the excitement of running on a treadmill a couple times a week, or stretching through a strength training routine? Eventually, one will begin to get bored. So, I found some tips to help maintain a workout routine :). They are helpful ways to keep the pace, reminding you to start off slow in the beginning because if you wear yourself out early on your way more likely to lose motivation to keep to it. Other ways to keep the workout fun are listening to music, enlisting a friend to join the fun and start a lifestyle change with you- it's always good for me to have someone to talk to and someone to go to when you feel you might not be able to make it. Other things to remember is that you have to let yourself make mistakes and you have to remind yourself that this won't be easy and it won't be perfect. Don't get mad at yourself for indulging in that chocolate on your friends birthday or for missing a workout routine because you had to finish a school assignment, life will get in the way, and frustration will probably only make it worse. Keeping a journal and rewarding yourself are great ways to keep on track! And hey, if the gym is making you bored don't be hesitant to go to the park for a run, give it a try! You might love it :). If you want to read the whole article, check it out here: Sticking to it!

Rise & Shine Sunshine :)

Having a good start to your day is always a way to put yourself in a good mood. How many times do you wake up in the morning and think ughhhh I don't want to get out of bed!? I try to start every morning with a positive outlook on my day and begin to think of what I can accomplish, because the more productive I can be often the better I feel. It's good to start your day with a nice smile and nice goodmorning to yourself. Eating a good breakfast is a great way to start the day; they do say it's the most important meal of the day! Your metabolism starts to work and your body has the energy it needs to get moving. I like to wake up with a good amount of time to get ready in the morning as well, I feel as though rushing only makes me crazy and I like to relax and enjoy myself and it helps me make sure I don't forget anything. If you have the time, working out in the morning is an awesome way to get those endorphins flowing immediately and make you feel as though you can take on whatever life may throw at you! If you don't have so much time, yoga or pilates is uplifting and really only requires an extra 20 minutes to your morning :). If you want some more tips to start your day off right, check out this link! Improving your Morning Routine

Working Out on the Job

How many people these days have desk jobs and sit around all day while they work? And then these hard workers go home and all they want to do is relax! This is becoming the sedentary lifestyle the desk job people of our society and getting stuck into. So I say, why not try and incorporate some exercise into your job? I've actually read about a company that has their workers on treadmills! But, that's going to take a lot more effort than what I propose. Im suggesting little efforts made to help get your body working while your mind makes all the work decisions. Park farther away rather than look for the closest parking spot, take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, make that extra trip upstairs to the fax machine or across the office to get more paper. Incorporating simple movements throughout the day is important, whether you make it a point to get up and stretch or always be the one to offer to make the trips around the office, every little bit helps! Young students in schools are having 10 minute exercise sessions in the classroom which is proving to help make their minds work more efficiently and the students are performing better so I say it should work the same in the workplace. Why not put a little effort from the body to help empower the mind? This site will give you some more ideas! How to Workout at Work!

Goal Setting

One of the most important ways to acheive, is to set goals. One must remember SMART when setting a goal; meaning goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Specific. Weight loss and fitness goals are big life changes that require a lot of motivation, devotion, and perserverance. One must be serious and ready to face challenges and set backs. By creating goals one will feel the achievement and hopefully gain more motivation to more forward and maintain any already made goals and pursue the next one. By creating goals that follow the SMART rules one will have goals that will actually make a difference in their lifestyle and allow the big life changes. SMART is very important so one can fully embrace the whole process of change. Always make goals that you know you have a chance to acheive so you will desire to make more and continue to make process towards lifelong goals. If you want to read more about creating good goals check this advice from Jillian Michaels out!Telling It Like It Is

Foods the Fight Depression

As odd as it may sound, there are actually some foods that can make you feel better about yourself! Obviously a healthy diet and exercise have led to less cases of depression, but even specific foods have chemicals that can help your body function better and actually make you feel better. Some foods that help are Omega-3 fatty acids, B Vitamins, Amino acids, Carbohydrates, & St. John's Wort. There is not enough research to show that these foods can actually prevent or treat depression, but it's interesting to have doctors actually prescriber certain foods or types of foods to help with the disease. Although it's not proven how these foods perform their magic, reseachers believe that the foods effect the chemical in the brain. Check out this link to read more about these foods!Foods that make you feel good!

Moderation Is Key

One thing that sets people off from their diet is restrictions. When you don't allow yourself to eat what you love, it's easy to feel bad about your diet and eventually fall off the wagon and go back to where you were before you started dieting. But if you allow yourself to eat the treats you love simply in moderation you can still feel good about everything. So rather than denying yourself the pleasure of a desire you've been fiending, indulge everyonce in a while, and you will never feel the emptiness of depriving yourself. I personally am a chocolate addict, so I incorporate chocolate into my diet everyday just as long as it is small. Remember there is really no such thing as a "bad" food only a "bad" portion. Snacking is a good way to remind yourself how to eat in moderation. There are plenty of ways to snack and still be on track on your diet. The new "Snack App" for smart phones is a good way to snack and keep track of how many calories you are eating so you can make sure you are not overdoing it. Learn more about the Snack App here! :Snack App.

Enhancing Your Metabolism

If your like me, talks about metabolism always have you thinking it seems like the magic thing; getting a fast metabolism so you can eat what you want but still maintain your weight, I mean that's how so many children stay so thin. So many thin young adults are the same way; it seems like no matter what they eat they just do not put on weight! Although this isn't the secret no one's been telling you to fix all your weight loss problems, I must say that it does help. There are many myths about enhancing your metabolism, such as eating breakfast, not eating before bed, eating on a schedule, drinking lots of water, eating certain foods, or eat small meals throughout the day. Each of these do have some truth to them but the real way to enhance your metabolism is building lean muscle. Hours on end on a treadmill may make you feel as though the weight is melting away, however you still can't go home and indulge on that chocolate cake :). I have found that a lot of strength training truly gives your body that tone one probably desires and also helps your body to stay that way. To build your lean muscle you also want to focus on eating right, lots of protein and cardio is important as well. I feel as though strength training is most important though. Girls, do not worry about "bulking up" because you don't have the same hormones as men and it would take a lot of work to actually become big. So that's my tip; if you want to enhance your metabolism try to build up your lean muscle, and do so with strength training. This is why men seem to be able to eat so much more than women and not have as many weight problems! Check out this article on specifics to strength training: Strength Training Tips.