We get lots of mail from you guys just starting out on the fitness road asking, ’’WHERE DO I
BEGIN?’’ So, we will try to make this as simple as possible and lay out a ’’plan’’ of where to start
so you can be on your way to a healthier you. Here goes!
STEP 1: Food. Here is where you need to start, and where most people tend to struggle and
stress. Eating healthy meals, and making better choices is a HUGE part of looking and feeling
better, whether or not you want to LOSE fat or GAIN muscle. DO NOT avoid eating in an effort
to lose weight, because starving or skipping meals will come back to haunt you. If you do, your
body will begin to store ANYTHING you eat as FAT, because it needs food for energy and you
are not giving it enough to work properly, so any food you eat will be stored for later energy in
the form of fat. ADDITIONALLY, instead of a quick metabolism (which is your body’s furnace for
burning food energy) you will slow down your metabolism, and therefore slow the furnace
burning food for fuel and cause you to gain fat. SO, you must eat enough to lose weight and eat
enough to gain weight. HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? You can make yourself crazy by counting
and measuring and studying each and every calorie and fat gram that goes into your mouth, but
you don’t really need to do that, don’t you have enough to worry about with school and all?? So
follow these simple guidelines: Cut out all soda! - switch to juice and water (add lemon or lime or
orange for tasty water) (If you must, diet soda) Stop eating junk food! - If you think its unhealthy,
or comes wrapped in plastic..think again! Read the shopping list for better snack choices. Don’t
skip meals! - Keep your body fueled, by eating every 3-4 hours all day, starting with breakfast. 3
meals a day should have a portion (the size of your fist) of protein and carb, and snacks should
include some fruit or veggies, yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts or healthy protein bars.. Drink water! -
see
STEP 2: Exercise. Again don’t go crazy, this can be very simple. DO SOMETHING! MOVE
YOUR BODY! MAKE IT SWEAT! 3-4 times a week for 20-45 minutes [preferably on an empty
stomach or 2 hours after your last meal]. This means walk or jog or run or bike or dance or do
video aerobic tape, SOMETHING that gets your heart rate up and gets you sweating. Adding
some push-ups or crunches for AB work will help round-out this routine. It looks like this:
Monday: 20-30min. of some Aerobic Activity
Tuesday: One set of push-ups (until you can’t do anymore) One set of crunches (until
you can’t do anymore)
Wednesday: 20-30min. Of some Aerobic Activity
Thursday: One set of push-ups (until you can’t do anymore) One set of crunches (until
you can’t do anymore)
Friday: 20-30min. Of some Aerobic Activity
Saturday: One set of push-ups (until you can’t do anymore) One set of crunches (until
you can’t do anymore)
Sunday: REST
STEP #3: SLEEP! - You must get plenty of rest in order for your body to rebuild, grow, and
recover from the work you do each day. You must get between 8-9 hours of sleep each night, if
that means going to bed at 10pm, THEN DO IT! You must get enough sleep for your body and
mind to function at their best. You will feel better, look better, and your mind will be sharper!
RULE #4: REWARD YOURSELF! - Once a week, preferably on Sunday (the rest day) treat
yourself to eating WHATEVER YOU WANT. If you are good and making healthy choices
Mon-Sat., then on Sunday eat Pizza, Fast Food, Candy, whatever you want.....and then on
Monday, back on the plan. This way, you will never feel like you are missing out on the food you
love, or craving food that will ruin your plan. Look forward to Sunday as a reward day for a week
of hard work. Enjoy it.
Each week starting on Monday, try
to push yourself a little harder than you did the week before, and this will force your body to grow
stronger each week.