Okay, so there are about a million books out there on the topics of health, dieting, exercising, looking better, etc?and I should know since I feel like I’ve read most of them myself!!!Most proclaim to hold the magic secret or formula for improving your health. I must admit, it’s tempting to buy these books by the dozen. Don’t get me wrong, there are some exceptional books out there... but do you want to know the true “secret?behind creating better health and being in better shape? Well here it is in 7 super simple stages (the funny thing is you probably already know all these, but maybe haven’t thought about it this easily):
1. CHANGE YOUR FRAME OF MIND
Everyone says the same thing: “I need to LOOSE weight? That’s the first problem. As humans, we are psychologically hardwired to think of LOOSING as a negative. Subconsciously we do not want to LOOSE and therefore our brains will sabotage our own efforts. Solution: think of it in terms of IMPROVEMENT or GAIN. Tell yourself “I want to GAIN better health? Even if you succeed in loosing your desired weight, eventually you’ll think “okay, I’ve lost enough weight?and then my friend, you’re in trouble. However the more health you GAIN, the more you’ll want to keep going. Hey, we’re all greedy by nature.
2. A LITTLE MOTIVATION NEVER HURT ANYONE
Simply put: people don’t achieve and maintain their goals for no reason. So pick one. But make it a good one; one that will be sustainable. Saying “I want to fit in that new dress by my birthday?may work in the short term, but could soon fade after the big day. Try to think of one that will keep you going in the long run. Some examples that just popped into my head could be “want to set the right example for my kids? “want to live longer? or simply “want to feel confident about myself? Whatever your reason, choose one that will last. And if you need a little extra motivation you can always turn to others for inspiration in books such as Michael Ruge’s Quote-A-Quote: to Your Success (www.quoteaquote.com).
3. THE BIG “SECRET?br />
Hopefully you noticed I was mocking the “secret? You want to loose weight (or should I say improve your figure), BURN MORE CALORIES THAN YOU CONSUME!!! That’s it. That’s the entire formula. “How do you do that?you ask? The best way is through a “healthy?mixture of eating right and exercising. How much of each is up to you. You eat like a pig…well you might want to exercise a bit more. You’re extremely lazy; eat more sensibly. Bottom line: evaluate your lifestyle and react/adjust accordingly. You don’t have to “count calories? but use your best judgment and the results will follow. I trust you.
4. GETTING STARTED
Now that you know the big “secret?you can get started right? Hold on. As a business consultant, I know one thing’s for sure: every successful business is built on a solid plan. Likewise, so should your goals. It’s one thing to know what you want; it’s another to know how you’ll get there. So make a plan. This isn’t rocket-science and certainly doesn’t need to be. The simpler, the better, as you are more likely to stick with it. “I want to bike to work”…there you go; your plan can be that simple. Know your goals, and establish a REALISTIC way to achieve them.
5. KEEP GOING!!!
I find it funny (maybe funny isn’t the right word) how many people pack the gyms in January compared to February. With the New Year, everybody is determined to get in better shape. A couple weeks later, most revert to their old routines. In the paragraph above I emphasized to “establish?a REALISTIC way to achieve your goals. This means not only creating and executing a plan you can work with, but MAINTAINING it. You can’t win the race if you don’t cross the finish line. Achieving better health or shape isn’t something you can or want to do in a weekend. This should be a long term ambition so think accordingly.
6. TREAT YOURSELF
Don’t know about you but I enjoy the occasional beer and cheeseburger. Getting in better shape doesn’t mean you have to give up all your favorite foods and spend 4 hours in the gym everyday. On the contrary, doing so will only make you stop. There is a big difference between cutting back and going cold turkey. You know yourself. You know how much of something depending on your activity is good for you. So if you’ve exercised like crazy all week?have that piece of desert (but not the whole cake). And remember there is also a difference between treating yourself and cheating yourself. Just because you walked from your house to your car doesn’t mean you burned enough calories to have the extra-large triple combo! Lastly, healthy food CAN taste good. So try one of the recipes in this book and see for yourself: Healthy Cooking for Two (or Just You): Low-Fat Recipes with Half the Fuss and Double the Taste.
7. LEARN FROM OTHERS
Everyone makes mistakes. Use that to your advantage. Learn from others who have made mistakes and still found a way to succeed. It will help you avoid them altogether or at least may provide a solution to the ones you do make. In my opinion, those are the most valuable health books. Courtney Rubin’s The Weight-Loss Diaries is a prefect example
“Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live?–Jim Rohn, as included in the book: Quote-A-Quote: to Your Success.
Nicolas Gremion is a health buff, business consultant, entrepreneur and apparently part-time writer. His latest venture is a Canadian mineral exploration company (http://www.IQmining.com).