8.07.2011

The Keys to Successful Weight Management

1) Do not make excuses.
Everyone has a busy life.  You have a responsibility to your health to get the job done.  Take responsibility for your choices and actions.  Life does not always go as planned.  You might think you have a good excuse, but it is still an excuse.

2) If you bite it, you write it.
Keep a food journal and log all food and drink.  A simple notebook will do, but there is also an app for that.  Lose It is available on both the iPhone and Droid markets and there is an online version at loseit.com.  Journaling your consumption will help you to assess and analyze your current behaviors to paint a clear picture of where you need to make changes.  Logging your food and drink will also guide your choices.

3) Be consistent.
Consistent exercise and proper nutrition will get results.  A behavioral roller coaster - doing well for a few days and slacking for a few days - will get you little to no results.  Consistency is key.

4) Be prepared.
Failing to plan is planning to fail.  Do not leave your success to chance.  Create a schedule and structure to your exercise and eating plans.
- Exercise: You must workout 3-5 days a week at a high-intensity.  Train hard or go home.
- Nutrition: You must create a 4-6 meal per day plan and stick to it.
- Regeneration: Cortisol-reduction time. High cortisol levels trigger fat storage in the abdominal area.  Cortisol release is triggered by stress and high levels of abdominal fat.  Take time to relax.
- Plan ahead: Prepare meals in advance.

5) Take action.
Information without implementation will not get you to your goal.  Lifestyle change and body transformation take work.  Neither one is easy, but they are doable.

"Remember, to learn and not do is really not to learn."  - Stephen Covey