How to Stay on Track With Diet & Exercise
You've started diet and exercise programs countless times only to give up over the holidays or while on a vacation when an abundance of delicious food undermines your resolve to eat healthy and workout. Changing your lifestyle is a challenge and you won't succeed overnight. In order to stay on track, find a strong support system, be accountable to it and don't get discouraged by slip-ups. A brownie and a missed workout won't undo your weight loss efforts if you simply get back on track with your plan.
Tips For You
- Make your plans public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests drawing up a contract with information regarding your goal weight, the date you hope to reach your goal and the details of your diet and exercise plan. Sign the contract in front of your spouse or a friend and ask this person to keep you accountable.
- Consider your motivations. If you don't have any concrete reasons for changing your lifestyle, you won't be able to push through inevitable challenges and setbacks. Write down the reasons you'd like to lose weight. Perhaps you want to run a half marathon next year, feel better about yourself or simply make playing with your kids easier. Post the list on the bathroom mirror or refrigerator where you'll see it everyday.
- Join a support group. Socializing with like-minded individuals will provide you with accountability and a place to vent when the going gets tough. Ask about support groups at the local hospital or gym.
- Plan for complications. For example, you're packing for a business trip and don't have room in your luggage for sneakers. There's no reason to skip workouts for a week, however. Simply pack a resistance band and plan to exercise in your hotel room. Or, bring a swim suit and do laps in the hotel pool. Make a list of possible challenging situations you might encounter and think of solutions.
- Keep a journal. Write down details concerning your daily diet, your workouts, pounds and inches lost, future goals and goals you've met, for example. The written word is a powerful thing. Seeing your progress in black and white may help you to persevere with your diet and exercise program.
