Nothing can be more frustrating while attempting to lose weight than putting in the effort and not seeing the results. What gives? Why do some people get amazing results while others struggle with weight loss? As a personal trainer for over 10 years, I witnessed a lot of transformations. And the best weight loss transformations and the ones that lasted the longest were always the transformations that ran deeper than the physical body. When most people think of losing weight, they tend to think of working out more or eating less…and both of those can help. At some point, most people stall out in their results and need to approach their weight loss from a wider perspective. More is not always better when it comes to working out and less is not always better when it comes to eating. Sometimes, the most important thing a client can learn to recognize within their life is not just, “what am I eating? But…what is eating me?” What are my stress triggers? Learning how to manage their stress without numbing it or avoiding is a key component for Weight Loss and Wellness. We need both physical and emotional fitness practices for people to achieve the next level of success.
The 5 Habits That Will Help You Master Your Wellness and Weight Loss are:
- Exercise 2. Nutrition 3. Sleep 4. Stress Management 5. Meditation
Which habit is most important for you to integrate into your lifestyle? Whichever one you are not currently doing.
Our bodies are dynamic energy systems that require adequate amounts of stimulation, fuel, recovery, awareness and rebalancing to function and perform optimally. Here are five great ways to integrate the 5 habits into your lifestyle.
The best way to integrate exercise is to schedule your workouts into your calendar at the start of every month. Aim for twenty 30-minute work outs per month. Don’t wait to you feel like working out to work out. Find an activity you enjoy and plan to do it.
The easiest way to integrate nutrition is to plan meals ahead of time. Waiting until you are hungry to choose your meals leaves lots of room for poor choices. Be proactive and decide ahead of time what meals you will prepare and have the groceries and ingredients on hand to prepare them.
Respect the power of sleep and make it a priority. As far as possible, go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Our bodies need a minimum 6-8 hours of sleep to rest, repair and recover. People who are well rested tend to exhibit higher levels of creativity, memory, attention and focus, and lower levels of reactivity, inflammation and stress. Your body, and the people around you, will thank you.
The best way to beat stress is to get crystal clear on your priorities and execute your life based on what you value and according to what really matters to you. The only things we really control in our lives are how we spend our time and how we direct our energy. Everything else is out of our control. We feel more in happy and less fearful when we are making decisions and taking actions that are aligned with our values and goals.
The best way to integrate meditation into your lifestyle is to make it a part of your daily routine. Set aside 10 minutes each morning and take the time to check in with yourself, become present to what it and direct your focus and attention to cultivating positive emotional states. What we focus on expands and we have the ability to decide what we choose to focus on. Taking action from this place every day is a game changer for most people.
We all want to be our best possible selves, and here are five simple steps that will help create your best life and your best body. Weight loss is simple, if we stay committed to ourselves and continue to take action based on what is highest and best for our bodies. The slow and gentle approach yields the longest lasting results. Nobody wants to lose the weight only to gain in back. Your current body is a reflection of your current lifestyle and current habits. If you want to change your body, you must make small, sustainable, positive changes within your lifestyle.
Kelly Newman is a Health and Wellness Coach. She is a Certified Personal Trainer and Feminine Leadership Coach. With an active family she understands and teaches women how to build self-care into their routines, so they can continue to take excellent care of themselves and others around them.
