Ditch weight loss for healthy living

Were you like the millions of other people worldwide who made a resolution to lose weight this year? How many times have you set that goal for yourself? And of those times how many have you been successful? Not too many, probably.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say, the goal of losing the extra pounds is the wrong way of looking at the issue. Why not focus instead on improving your health and personal fitness? That way, weight loss becomes a positive side effect but not the main impetus for actions.
When you focus on cutting pounds you are constantly viewing yourself as not good enough. On the other hand, when you look to improve your health the focus shifts to betterment and small positive milestones; such as running a half mile further, doing an extra rep of weights at the gym or drinking one less carbonated soft drink a day.

It’s not easy to make the transition. It takes an entire mental overhaul. To get started, try these tips:

Outline your fitness goals. (Run a half-marathon, feel less sluggish during the day, play with your kids outside without feeling winded.)

Make your goals realistic but challenging to achieve.

Examine your day-to-day activities. Where does unhealthy living creep in? (not getting enough sleep, driving some place you could walk to, rarely drinking water, frequenting fast-food restaurants)

Identify the biggest problem areas and what you can do to uproot them.
Expand your knowledge base. The more we know about our bodies, foods and exercise the easier it will be to implement positive changes. Sign up for a magazine subscription or bookmark a favorite website.

Tweak your eating habits. Can you trade flavored water for soft drinks? What about eating a handful of almonds instead of potato chips when you want a snack?
Don’t concentrate on the numbers on the scale. Health is about the body as a whole.
Cut the words ‘weigh loss’ from your vocabulary. Instead supplement that phrase with healthy lifestyle.

For inspiration YouTube-it. The site has videos that will walk you through every thing from yoga moves to hip hop dance routines. It even has more than 26,000 entries for healthy recipes and hundreds of how-to videos for the fitness ball.

Communicate your fitness goals with someone else. Just speaking the words will help these concepts become a reality. Plus, your confidant can act as a cheerleader, spurring you on.
Results are never immediate; don’t expect them to be. It takes time to see/feel a difference. You’re in it for the long haul.

Don’t compare yourself to others. No two people are going to fit the same fitness and heath model. Find what works for you; ignore the rest.