Beth Douglas of OneLife Fitness in Gainesville, Virginia.By Beth Douglas of Onelife Fitness, Gainesville
Happy New year! Maybe you've started working on your resolutions on Jan. 1 or maybe you are just beginning. If you've started, you may already be losing motivation and if you haven’t, today is the day to get going.
You see, New Year’s resolutions are a bit like babies: They’re fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain!
Every January, about one in three Americans make New Year resolutions. An average of 75% of people continue to work towards their goals for at least a week and less than half are still on target six months later.
It's hard to keep up the enthusiasm months after you've swept up the confetti, but it's not impossible. This year, I have some helpful hints to help you with your resolutions so you can reach your goals for 2017.
Slow and easy wins the race and gets you to the finish line without injury.
I have seen it year after year, your intention and enthusiasm is there so you put in 110 percent effort, only to end up exhausted sore and sometimes hurt, leaving you with the idea that exercise is not for you.
Everybody is different and so should be your workout. We jump into a workout routine without educating ourselves on proper form and use of the equipment and then there’s the question of what kind of exercise we should be doing.
For example - a beginner exerciser shouldn’t be choosing an extreme exercise program or someone with knee injuries shouldn’t be doing a high impact workout. To ward off injury, consult with a trained professional. Many clubs have personal training teams available to help.
Our club offers two free personal training sessions when you join. Not only will you learn about what your exercise program should look like, you’ll also learn about great nutrition. You will be amazed of how much you can learn in these couple of hours.
Turn that setback into a comeback.
Please remember if you have a setback such as injury, missed workout or a cheat meal turned into a cheat day, don’t throw in the towel and don't think your health and fitness routine is out the door.
An injured shoulder does not prevent you from working out your lower body, and a sprained ankle does not mean you can't exercise your upper body. Injury doesn't mean your whole body is shut down, and it certainly doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel and eat yourself into a coma.
Rest up, workout what you can and stay on the great nutrition track.
Don’t skip the Protein; it helps Burn Fat.
Unlike high carbohydrate diets, protein triggers a response in the stomach that affects motility (movement and absorption in the digestive track) and stimulates the release of glucagon, a hormone that helps us to burn previously stored fat.
In normal people, within thirty minutes of eating a small amount of protein, glucagon starts to rise, peaking at two hours. In fact, glucagon can stay elevated in blood for several hours after a protein rich meal. This gives your body plenty of time to use the fat stored around your waist and hips for fuel. How about that, you can literally eat your fat away!
Women should be eating about 46 grams of protein daily = 9.2 grams 5 times a daily. Men about 56 grams = 11.2 grams five times daily.
Be careful of Carbs and Sugars
When we eat foods that are high in sugar (high glycemic food) the blood sugar roller coaster begins. Because sugar in large doses can be toxic to the blood stream, the body will create a high amount of insulin. This insulin will cause the blood sugar to drop dramatically usually causing low blood sugar.
The body tries to protect itself from becoming toxic and converts the extra sugar into fat. The tragic part of this story is that when the blood sugar drops we start craving sugars again and up and down we go all day depositing fat.
Here are some sample high glycemic foods: sugars, candies, syrups, sweeteners, breads, pastas, fruit juices, soda, and cereal.
Keep it simple. Keep it fresh. Stay away from processed food, and read food labels.
Avoid foods with words like "diet," "fat free," and "light" on the packages; THEY ARE PROCESSED! We are designed to break down real foods, and your body doesn’t know what to do with processed foods. Read labels! If you don’t know what it is , DON’T EAT IT. Long ingredient = toxic slug.
Get active on your lunch break
Not only will this help towards your fitness goal, it will also increase your energy levels and help you be more productive at work. No more low energy afternoons.
Try this emergency workout and complete it in less than 30 minutes: 15 squats, 10 pushups and 15 crunches - 1 to 3 sets followed by 10-minute walk or run.
Health and Fitness New Year's resolutions don't have to be a number on the scale. Simple changes in our activity level and the way we eat can help you become a healthier person in 2017.
Happy New Year, YOU GOT THIS!
Beth Douglas is the general manager at Onelife Fitness in Gainesville. You can email Beth any questions about your health and fitness goals at beth@onelifefitness.com.
Onelife Fitness is located at 7500 Limestone Drive in Gainesville. The health club offer classes, personal trainers, on site child sitting and at variety of workout amenities at very reasonable membership prices. Call Onelife Fitness at 571-261-6100
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