Five Top Tips to Achieve your Weight Loss
Helen Jones
1. Write down everything you eat and drink each day
Keep a little book with you and write down absolutely everything you eat and drink each day – and I mean EVERYTHING. Quite often our memory can be selective when we recall what we have eaten and whether we have stuck to commitments to eat more healthily. Did you remember the odd biscuit with your cup of tea, that second glass of wine or the tasty samples while you were cooking? It can be quite surprising how much we have consumed over a week and this will heighten your awareness of where to make changes.
2. Forget the end weight loss goal
Quite often repeating the amount of weight you want to lose can seem a burden mentally rather than a motivator, especially if you have tried to lose weight in the past and have not been as successful as you would have liked. Forget the total goal and focus instead on one small thing you can do on a daily basis that will contribute to achieving the weight loss goal you have set yourself. By concentrating on one specific thing at a time, conquering that or changing your behaviour accordingly, will increase your success rate. Once that small step has been achieved you can then choose another small area to work on. Without realising it, these changes will become habits on which you can build more and more successes.
3. Make exercise fun
Exercise and fun can be said in the same sentence! The key to ensuring that you stick to an exercise plan is to choose activities that you enjoy. Choosing fitness options that you will look forward to helps you stick to them and continue to build on the progress you are making. Having fun is essential to enjoying life and there is no reason why exercise cannot be enjoyable – you just need to make the right choice. Not only does this help you become healthier but it increases your sense of happiness and wellbeing. What activities could you do that would inspire you to get going? Some suggestions could be dancing, cycling, sailing, jogging, playing in a sporting team, swimming, walking, belly dancing(!), tai chi, ice-skating ….. or a bit of everything. You could take part in an individual activity, involve the whole family or get involved in a club and make new friends.
4. What would losing weight mean to you and your life?
Take time to really consider how much better your life will be when you have achieved your weight loss goal. What opportunities would open up to you that you have felt unable to take in the past? How would losing weight affect all the other areas of your life? Build a clear mental picture of what you will be doing, seeing, feeling when you have lost the weight and take time to regularly recall that picture. This is especially helpful when you are faced with challenges as it reminds you of how much you want this new life.
5. Reward Yourself
Please don’t underestimate the achievements you are making as you conquer bad eating habits. Negative habits of any kind have built up over a long period of time, maybe even a lifetime, and every step achieved to change those habits is a massive step. Congratulate and reward yourself with treats (other than food) to acknowledge each success and to keep yourself motivated. You really are doing great!
Helen Jones is a highly skilled Life Coach and founder of Vital Spark Life Coaching. She is listed on the International Coaching Register and is the Press Officer for the International Institute of Coaching. She coaches individuals on areas such as self-confidence, work/life balance and career change. To know more about Helen’s expertise, visit http://vital-spark-life-coaching.com. Helen is one of the leading experts in the UK on coaching for weightloss and has helped pioneer the remarkable Meaningful Change Weightloss Programme. http://www.weightloss.uk.net.
Ceri Wheeldon
Ceri is Founder and Editor of Fabafterfifty.co.uk She is a frequent speaker at events and in the media on topics related to women over 50 , including style and living agelessly. With 20+ years experience as a headhunter Ceri also now helps support those looking to extend their working lives.
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