The Fitness Enthusiast

How is everyone doing on obtaining your health and fitness goals for 2008? If you have a plan and are taking action, I would guess that you have either obtained or are moving closer to your goals each day.
No matter how well or poorly you are doing right now, I want to remind you that you can make great improvements by the end of this year. Now is a great time to turn up the heat on your efforts. If you need to lose weight, I challenge you to set a 90- or 120-day goal and take action on not only achieving it by year’s end, but also have steps in place to keep the weight off forever. All you have to do is make a decision, get started and stay consistent with your weight maintenance program.
Weight maintenance is like weight loss. They both fundamentally consist of eating healthy meals, exercising regularly and making a long-term commitment. I truly believe that progressive and permanent lifestyle changes are the key to successful weight loss and maintenance.
You just have to find your motivation. Is it your health, your age, your children? What has motivated you in the past to be successful in this area? No matter what drives you, please make sure to attach a long-term commitment to your health and well being. Focusing on health rather than the “quick temporary fix” is a better approach in terms of long-range success. That’s especially true if you pay attention to the many ways you feel better as you drop pounds, increase flexibility, gain strength and reduce risk factors for poor health. It’s all about giving attention to positive lifestyle changes rather than the end result. Losing even 5 percent to 10 percent of your body weight can promote big health rewards like lower blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels and risk of joint problems.
Please remember that once you’ve started your program, you cannot stop your efforts. Weight maintenance requires daily exercise, proper nutrition, your long-term commitment and remaining aggressive. Maintaining moderately intense activities like fast walking on most days of the week for 30 to 60 minutes is a great way to keep your edge. Of course, always check with your doctor before beginning any physical fitness program, and always include plenty of rest.
I challenge you to enjoy healthy meals and snacks. Focus on quality calorie foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Keep saturated fats low, and limit sweets and alcohol. Choose a variety of food groups throughout your day.
Know and avoid food traps that cause you to eat. It may be a good idea to write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you’re feeling and how hungry you are. Over time you may start to see some patterns. Once you recognize these triggers, you can develop a strategy on how to best handle them. This could be a powerful tool in helping you stay in control of your eating behaviors.
Monitor your weight regularly. Weigh yourself at least once a week to find out if your efforts are working or to detect small weight gains before they become larger.
Be consistent. It is very important to remember that taking care of yourself must be a priority for the rest of your life. It doesn’t become less important on vacation or the weekend. And it certainly is not less important as we age, because that is when we need it the most!
Finally, create a support network of friends and family to keep you motivated. Surrounding yourself with people also striving to improve their health can make a major difference in your success or failure.
 Until next week, please make it a great fitness day!
If you have fitness questions, contact Reggie Grovey at (405) 613-0237 or lifechange@allegiance.tv.