Posts Tagged ‘weight loss motivation’

5 Top Ways To Stay Motivated To Exercise

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Maintaining your motivation to exercise can be very difficult when all you really feel like doing is sitting on the couch with your favorite TV show..  Finding motivation to exercise can be difficult, but it can be done by following some simple tips regularly until they become habits, and exercising becomes an automatic part of your day to day routine.

Small Steps

It is critical not to try to do too much too fast in the beginning.  Begin small and add new exercises or routines on as you become more fit.  You could begin with a light jog daily around your neighborhood and speed it up progressively from week to week.  Before you know it you’ll be jogging for miles and shedding those excess pounds effortlessly in the process.

Measure Your Progress

There are numerous ways for tracking your progress when trying to lose weight through exercise and dieting. Usually, the scale is the preferred option for most people.  Watching the numbers on the scale lower is a great motivator to keep exercising.  You can also take monthly photos of yourself each month to see your progress.  It is when you start to see noticeable results that you will begin to truly enjoy exercising and all the rewards it brings. As a result, you’ll be turbo charging your motivation to lose weight.

Partner With Friends Or Family Members Who Have Similar Goals

Sometimes it can require having another person by your side who shares the same goals to motivate you to exercise each day.  The person can be a family member or friend that goes to the gym with you a few times a week, for example.  You could meet up each morning and go for your jog together.  A partner is an excellent motivator to have for those times when you just do not feel like doing it.  They can remind you of the reasons behind why you are trying to lose weight in the first place, which will give you the boost you need to stay on course.

Enjoy It!

If you are not having fun with exercising it can easily start to get dull, tedious and tiring. After a while, you can find that you start to miss sessions and eventually you may even stop altogether. Experiment with new exercise routines and change them up every once in while.  Doing the same type of exercise over and over can really become a drag, so be sure to make your exercise interesting and enjoyable by adding variety to it.

Do Not Allow Yourself To Quit

Write down your goals and the reasons why you are exercising and trying to lose weight.  Refer to this list everyday to keep your motivation levels high. If you feel like you want to quit, read over your list and get emotionally involved with your reasons for losing weight.   How will you feel once you have accomplished your goals?  If you go off track and skip a workout, forgive yourself and pick up right back where you left off.  Allow room for mistakes whenever they happen.  The important thing is that you start again at once with your daily exercise routine and never quit.

Having motivation to exercise does not have to be a continual challenge.  Sometimes, you simply have to do it whether you feel motivated or not. However you can use the tools above first to help put you in the mood so that you will enjoy the experience rather than forcing it.

The Five Tips for a Successful Weight Loss Plan

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Because the truly global obesity epidemic continues to spiral out of control, men and women are searching for an effective weight loss method.  The problem starts with the fact that thousands of plans exist, every one claiming to support you while you lose weight.  It is a virtually impossible task to discover which diet plans truly work.  There are, even so, some critical aspects to effective plans.

The five keys to a successful weight loss plan:

1.  Above all else, a successful weight loss plan should be founded on sound science.  This doesn’t mean that a successful plan always has to be at the cutting edge of weight-loss science, but the fundamentals should be based upon proven results.  This can be as straightforward as a confirmed method for cutting calories, an efficient workout routine, or the incorporation of new weight loss medicine into your program.

2.  With regards to diet, specifically, you should seek a plan that will show you how to follow a moderate calorie and high fiber diet.  Obviously, you need to follow a moderate-calorie plan.  So why high fiber?  Recent studies have confirmed that a diet high in fiber tends to fill a person up quicker than a diet low in fiber.  Therefore, when eating high fiber foods, you will become fuller quicker, especially if you slow down while eating and chew your food properly.

3.  A successful weight loss plan also need to combine a properly balanced exercise routine.  That will not mean you have to become a gym junkie. Typical cardiovascular exercises, such as walking, running, swimming, and bicycling, can be included to burn calories.  Equally important, is a strength training routine.  This can be particularly beneficial, because muscle burns calories at a faster rate than fat.  If you can successfully add muscle mass to your frame, then you will be burning more calories by doing the same cardiovascular exercises.  Think about that. The muscular ah

4.  Another aspect of the successful weight loss plan is firm planning.  Without solid goals in mind, you almost guarantee failure in trying to lose weight.  Not only should goals be results oriented, such as losing a certain amount of weight in a certain amount of time, but also process oriented.  For example, you would want one of your goals to focus on maintaining your planned diet for a certain amount of time.

5.  A final key to a successful weight loss program is including proper motivation.  While it is true that you are the only one who can properly motivate yourself to lose weight, there are certain tools you can be equipped with to achieve that motivation.  Techniques like keeping a journal or losing weight with the group of friends can vastly improve the motivation you feel to lose weight.

Every successful weight loss plan is comprised of many different facets.  However, there are certain critical components that you will find every successful plan uses.  Relying upon a solid scientific background, including proper diet and exercise, planning with firm goals in mind, and utilizing appropriate motivational techniques are five such key aspects of a successful weight loss plan.

Like with all similar entries this is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness and you should always speak to your healthcare professional if you are contemplating making any changes to your health care or diet routines.