Battle of the New Year’s Resolution

Are you among millions who will be creating a New Year’s resolution this year? Are you also among the millions that will break your New Year’s resolution? Every year resolutions are made and either forgotten or broken before the year is half over. What do you think the number one resolution is? You got it! Weight loss and/or exercise.

Health club memberships increase dramatically in January, but the majority of these people will not keep their resolution. Often guilt ensues when someone realizes that their resolutions have not been met and maybe never will be. This completely defeats the purpose since making resolutions is to change a person positively and feeling guilt is not a positive feeling.

Let New Self give you some guidelines on making and KEEPING a resolution!

Ways to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution:

1. Find a friend that would be interested in having the same resolution. You can get together to compare results, exercise and rely on each other for motivation. It is much more difficult to disappoint a friend than yourself! Join one of the New Self Fitness classes – you may end up with many friends with the same resolution!
2. Write your goals down. If you just make mental notes about your goals you are much more likely to modify them (for the worse) if your initial goals were unreasonable. If you write them down, there’s no turning back. Keeping a journal is also a good way to track your progress.
3. Make the goal specific. When you write down your resolution, be as specific as you can. Writing a goal of weight loss or getting into shape is vague. Going to the gym three times per week or losing 10 pounds in two months is more specific.
4. Make the goal realistic. Many people set an unrealistic goal and wonder why it failed. Saying that you are going to the gym five days per week when you have never been to a gym in your life may be a bit unreasonable. If you really want to go five times per week, give yourself time to work up to that. In the first month, go three times per week, then four times, etc…
5. A goal without a time frame is a WISH! Attach a sensible time frame to your goal and adhere to it. Don’t delay and don’t give yourself less time than is necessary to complete your goal.
6. Reward yourself. Give yourself permission to take a day off or cheat on your diet. However, try to time this reward when you reach a milestone such as losing your first 5 pounds. Rewarding yourself should motivate you, so if you do it too often, it will not have the same effect. 
7. Acknowledge that everyone has a bad day. We can’t feel wonderful all of the time so don’t give up when you experience a bad day! A resolution is basically making the decision to change something about yourself. The reality is that you can make the decision to change, but you cannot actually make the change that quickly. If you mess up one day, it is not cause to quit! NO amount of mistakes should ever discourage you from improving your life! If you miss a day (or two) at the gym that doesn’t mean you should have to miss the rest of the year at the gym! We should learn from our mistakes … not quit, right? 

Holiday Merriment

Tips for Sensible Eating & Drinking During the Holiday Season

What To Do:
• Prepare for the onslaught of holiday busyness. Keep healthy meals on-hand, be it pre-prepared meals or low-fat frozen dinners. This will decrease the temptation to order takeout during this hectic time.
• Stay focused on the meaning of the “season.” Oftentimes, the focus of our gatherings is food-related. Try to center the entertainment in other ways: watch a holiday movie, view old photo albums or just take time to reflect on the blessings of the past year.
• If you’re attending a holiday party, take the time to eat a light, healthy snack so you aren’t starving when you arrive, which usually leads to poor food choices and overindulging.
• Keep moving! If you’re hanging with family, try a walk and talk! There’s nothing better than a good conversation AND burning some calories! If it’s cold … bundle up!
• Drink water! If you’re enjoying alcoholic beverages, try to drink water in between glasses. This will not only help you stay hydrated, you may even eat and drink less because you feel fuller.
• Bring a sensible dish to the party. That way there will be at least one food item for which you are aware of the nutritional information.
• Try some healthier food substitutions in traditional recipes. Everyone likes to eat the same goodies year after year, but cutting down on the calories can help keep off the holiday weight.

What NOT To Do:
• “Save” your calories for a party. This usually leads to overindulging and the result is you take in far more calories than you should.
• Try to be on a diet during the holidays. Maintaining your weight through the season is a far more realistic goal.
• Don’t drink on an empty stomach! The effects of the alcohol will be greater and this can lead to overeating and overdrinking.
• Eat quickly. Slow down when you’re having a snack or a meal. It does take approximately 20 minutes from the time you eat until your body registers that it is full. If you eat too quickly, you’re likely to overeat.
• Don’t stand next to the buffet table and visit with friends. Grab a small plate, choose your snacks and mingle toward the other side of the room. If you become engaged in a conversation next to the treats, this may lead to continued grazing.

Making It Through the Holidays

Enjoy the upcoming festivities without losing your fitness gains—or your mind!

Let’s be honest: The next few weeks can feel like anything but a celebration—especially when holiday planning and some hefty holiday meals threaten to undo months’ worth of sweat and healthy choices. According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the average American gains around one pound each holiday season. The problem is we don’t always take that pound off!

Don’t panic! You can get through this! Let’s visit some of the top excuses women give for losing sight of their fitness goals along with some solutions of how to handle them!

The Excuse
With all the holiday distractions, I’m not motivated to exercise.

The Solution
Make a realistic plan and be consistent. “We women lose focus on ourselves while we are trying to make everyone else happy,” says running coach Jenny Hadfield, co-author of Running for Mortals. Take time to set some concrete fitness goals for yourself during the holidays and share them with your family. Your best bet to stay motivated: Commit to a goal! Giving an hour to a fitness class with friends twice a week can be a great form of stress relief. It is also a great way to be held accountable and have fun in the process! Your goal could also be signing up for a Turkey Trot or Jingle Bell Jog. Holiday races have a fun vibe and are often family friendly. In addition, registration fees often benefit charities which can help you feel better about plunking down all those dollars shopping at the mall. In addition to working on your goal, give yourself some variety. Variety gives you motivation! Take a new class just to mix it up a bit!

The Excuse
I can’t stick to an exercise routine because of all my holiday travel.

The Solution
Be flexible and think ahead. That could be as easy as committing to sightseeing on a walk where you are visiting, finding a fitness program you can take on your travels or hiring a trainer to design a home/travel program to fit your personal needs and goals!

The Excuse
I can’t resist huge holiday meals.

The Solution
Cut yourself some slack, but be smart. The Holidays are about maintaining weight, not losing! You work hard, so allow yourself to enjoy some holiday meals. “A handful of days won’t set you back. It is continuously snacking on cookies that’s a problem,” says triathlon and running coach Matt Fitzgerald. If you are watching your calories, have a plan before you indulge. “Pick what foods you want to splurge on ahead of time,” Fitzgerald says. In other words, don’t waste your time on the green bean casserole if what you really want is the mashed potatoes with gravy. Or take a different approach and have a small bite of everything.

The Excuse
I can’t find the time to exercise.

The Solution
Get up early and/or enlist group support. Set your alarm early enough to get in some exercise and have a nutritious breakfast before everyone else is up and about. Of course there will be times when the best plan doesn’t pan out. In those cases, just keep moving! Even if it is 20 or 30 minutes compared to the hour you could have had if your plan had been implemented. That way you won’t be too far behind when you get back to your regular schedule! Having a pal or a couple of friends to workout with gives you the accountability you may need to stay on track. You are less likely to over sleep an early morning workout if you have someone to meet!

The Excuse
With all these treats and goodies around, I’m constantly snacking.

The Solution
Control your inner cookie monster. While a few holiday meals won’t set you back, constant snacking can be dangerous. “Budgeting your calories is no different than budgeting your money for the holidays,” Hadfield says. This is when a food journal can be handy. There are several free online journals that allow you to track your daily physical activity and calories. Examples include: myfitnesspal.com and fatsecret.com. It can also be as easy as keeping your own notebook. Sometimes just knowing that you are recording your daily food intake helps you make better choices!

We are all familiar with the excuses listed! Hopefully the above strategies will help you enter the next few weeks with a proactive mindset that will put you in the festive holiday mood all the way through! I know you can do it!