How
To Create An Effective Weight Loss Road Map
by Lynn Bode
We all know that losing weight and improving your overall fitness
are things that don’t happen overnight. But, did you know in order
to be truly successful that important steps need to be taken before
you even start a diet or exercise program? The first thing you should
do is identify where you fall on the behavioral change spectrum. There
are five distinct stages of behavioral change. Do you know what stage
you currently fall under?
Knowing what stage you are at will help you to create
a road map to the subsequent stages and ultimately help you to be
successful in your fitness goals. Below are the five major phases.
Precontemplation: This is the point
where you don’t feel that any change in your lifestyle is necessary.
You may be thinking that exercising just takes too much time or that
fast food is just too convenient to even consider giving up. Starting
a fitness or diet program during this stage would probably result
in failure. The best thing you can do during this phase is educate
yourself further about health, diseases and risks.
Contemplation: During this stage
you may start thinking that a change is necessary. So, you think that
maybe cutting back to eating fast food only three times a week is
not so bad and you might be able to at least take a walk once in awhile.
This is a good time to learn more about the benefits of healthy eating
and regular exercise.
Preparation: At this point you are
getting more serious about taking action. You’ve penciled in a walk
with your friend for next week and are planning to go grocery shopping
to cook a home meal. You may want to research exercise equipment,
gyms, personal trainers, and diet programs to learn more about what
you can do (with the help of professionals and/or equipment) to get
in better shape.
Action: Here’s where you actually
take the first step. The first step may be as simple as taking a daily
walk, reducing your fast food visits to twice a month or just cutting
back on daily sodas. Or, you may go as far as hiring a personal trainer
or joining a gym. During this stage it is very important to learn
coping mechanisms that will help you avoid re-lapse into your old
ways. One way to avoid being a part of the high exercise dropout statistics
is starting slowly into a new program and making permanent lifestyle
changes versus temporary ones.
Maintenance: This is, of course,
the phase that everyone should strive to be at. This means that you
have been doing a regular fitness program consistently for quite some
time and that you continue your new lifestyle. It’s important throughout
this stage (which should last a lifetime) that you include a variety
of workouts that change frequently. You should also seek social support
of friends and family.
So, now can you identify what stage you are at? You
may find that you are in the precontemplation stage for nutritional
habits but that you are in the preparation stage for exercises. That’s
okay. It’s not critical for you to force both areas into the same
stage. You can work on changing your nutritional and exercise habits
separately.
The key to success is first identifying your stage
and then taking steps to advance to the next level (unless, of course,
you are already at the Maintenance stage). Use the suggestions mentioned
above in each stage to help you move to the next phase.
For example, if you are in the precontemplation stage,
then research and read as much as you can on the subject of health
risks and how they relate to an individual’s lifestyle. From there
you will probably want to learn more about the consequences and benefits
of specific lifestyles. Education is a powerful thing. The more you
fully understand and can relate directly to the causes and effects
of your action, the more inclined you will be to change.
It’s also important to tune-in to your fears, past
struggles and expectations. Making nutritional and exercise changes
is not easy and should be approached slowly. Remember to make small
changes. Don’t try to go from a completely sedentary lifestyle to
an hour of continual exercise in just one day. Build up slowly starting
with even just 10 minutes. And lastly, be sure to inform your family
and friends of your plans and enlist their support. Support is extremely
important for your success.
Lynn Bode, certified personal trainer, offers her
services online through WorkoutsForYou.com. Workouts For You provides
affordable online exercise programs to help even the busiest of people
lose weight, tone-up, build muscles and more via the Internet. We'll
provide you with weekly customized workouts designed just for YOU!
Visit: http://www.workoutsforyou.com
for a free sample workout.
|
