Small steps can improve health
If your clothes are feeling a little tighter than they did prelockdown, then Gary Dawkins, of River Ridge Retreat, might just have the solution.
TACKLING weight gain and working off the midriff insulation can present as a bit of a daunting task.
But it is not something that has to be done in one hit and there are straightforward and achievable lifestyle changes that mean there is no time like the present.
Where to begin?
Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Try these six weightloss tips.
1. Tweak your lifestyle. By making a 1% improvement each day to your health and fitness you will have made a massive 365% improvement in a year.
2. Skip the salty and sweet aisles at the supermarket. Do this and you are well on your way.
3. Have a goodsized late breakfast of multigrains and protein. This will keep your snacking down during the day.
4. Get plenty of sleep.
5. Drink plenty of water.
6. Follow the DCBA approach: Diet (70% of your attention), then Cardio (15% of your attention), Build lean muscle (10% of your attention), and finally abdominals (5% of your attention)
Make your weight loss stick
If you did make a New Year's resolution, there’s a good chance you have already lapsed — but it is not too late to turn that around. You will have a much better year if you make your resolution stick.
Here are seven tips to make it happen.
1. Be real. The best way to fail is to force yourself to never eat your favourite food again. Instead, strive for a goal that is attainable, for example avoiding that food more times than you have it.
2. Talk about it. Tell others what your health and fitness plans are, to create more accountability. Even better, find someone with a similar resolution and work together.
3. Reward yourself. Not with junk food or skipping exercise, but by allowing yourself to buy a
new Tshirt or catch up with a friend online.
4. Track your progress. Tick off small goals and work on small timeframes, and record these in a journal. Your motivation will remain high when you see yourself achieving the smaller goals. Be patient and the bigger goals will be achieved, too.
5. When you slip up, don't beat yourself up! Take it one day at a time.
6. Stick with it. It takes 21 days for your new habit to form, and six months for that new habit to fully become part of your personality.
7. When you want to throw in the towel, go back to taking it one day at a time. Make 24hour goals. Then start increasing them to weekly targets and so on.
Gary Dawkins runs Catlinsbased River Ridge health and fitness retreats.