A new beginning

Happy new year!! It's that time of year that people makes new years resolutions and decide they want to get in shape and start eating healthier. Did you know that only a small percentage of people that make these resolutions actually keep them?

Last January I made a new years post about making changes that you will keep, so I've copied part of that post to help you start 2015 off with a great start:

For food ideas check out my recipe tab. As I've mentioned before I love Michi's ladder, a tool from Beachbody. It's very helpful to plan balanced meals and snacks. I also found that using a calorie tracker such as My Fitness Pal will help you get on the right track and make you more aware of how many calories you are burning and how many you're consuming. It's quite an eye opener because there are many things I thought were healthy that were full of sugars and empty calories.

Check out the Fitness and Health information tab for some other great links from magazines that I've found over the last year. There are so many resources out there!!! And it's incredible how many magazines publish information on their website for you to use without having to subscribe to their magazine.

After a year and a half of this amazing and rewarding lifestyle here are some tips that I'd like to pass along:
  • Prepare at least your lunches for the week on Sunday (or whatever day works for you)
  • If you have the time, prepare your snacks and dinners for the week as well (no excuses if healthy food is ready for you to grab in the fridge)
  • Allow yourself to have treats IN MODERATION. If you cut yourself off completely you risk losing control, binging, and then feeling awful. Have a treat here and there, again, in moderation. (Edit 01/02/15: a good rule is 80% of your daily calories from nutrient dense food, and 20% of your calories from a treat. Also, try following IIFYM (if it fits your macros) as this is a very flexible way of eating that allows you to enjoy the food you like.)
  • Make the time to workout. If this is a priority you should make it a priority. I workout as many days of the week as I can because I never know when I won't be able to after work. When I work early shifts I workout after work. When I work late shifts I workout before work.
  • Results take time. Don't give up because you don't see a change on the scale or your body. It took time to gain the weight so it's going to take some time to lose the weight.
  • Just because you worked out today doesn't mean that you're 'allowed' bad food. You're not a dog, don't reward yourself with food. **FOOD IS FUEL FOR YOUR BODY, NOTHING ELSE**
  • Drink lots of water and cut out pop - even juice has a lot of sugar. I really only drink water and coffee with cream. I only drink diet pop if it has alcohol in it ;)
  • Try to eat veggies with every snack and meal.
  • REMEMBER: finding what works for you takes time. Everything I post on here is what works for me and may not necessarily work for everyone. Tweak your diet and exercise after 2 weeks if you're not noticing a change in how you feel. Some people prefer 3 large meals a day whereas I prefer 3 smaller meals and 2 snacks throughout the day.
  • If you find that these are too many changes, try incorporating one or two of these into your life a week or 2 at a time. Drastic changes can be intimidating and overwhelming. Try starting with drinking more water and concentrating on what you're eating before you start adding exercise in. I lost 8 pounds by tracking my calories before I starting working out.
  • My last tip: Try not to eat after dinner. This was probably the hardest habit for me to break. I love eating cereal before bed. But your metabolism slows way down when you're sleeping so eating before bed can damper your results.

I hope you find health and wellness in 2015 and if I can be of any help then please comment on here, email me at kschickfitness@gmail.com, or message on my facebook page(s).

Cheers,
Kelsey

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