Tips

I want to share some tips that I am taking to heart from the Facebook challenge group that I'm participating in this fall:

Take your measurements!  Weight is not always the best indicator of the improvement of your health.  By that same token, neither are body measurements.  Be sure to find out your resting heart rate, blood pressure, and any other numbers that you are concerned about.  The most common measurements include the chest, biceps, waist, hips and thighs. You may also wish to measure your neck, forearms, and calves.  When measuring, keep the tape (or string) just tight enough to keep it from sagging and keep your muscles relaxed.  You should measure around the largest part of your chest (including your breasts), midway between your shoulder and elbow (bicep), the narrowest point of your waist (typically about 1 inch above your navel), the widest part of your hips (around the largest part of your butt), and the area of your thigh with the widest circumference.  I use a flexible measuring tape but you can use a piece of string and then measure it with a standard measuring tape.     

Keep youself in check by using smaller plates, reading ingredients, nutrition labels, and serving sizes, and tracking your food and exercise.  Plan your meals ahead of time either day by day or for the week.  If you don't need it, don't buy it!  Buy foods you know you will eat and that you know are health(ier) options.  Prep your food when you return from the grocery store.  It's easier to grab fruits and veggies that are already chopped and washed.  If you have to spend time prepping before you eat, you're more likely to just grab something less healthy from your pantry.  Arrange your pantry and fridge so that the healthier options are eye level. 

I carry around a 24oz water bottle everywhere I go - the grocers, my home gym, walks around the neighborhood, the park, EVERYWHERE.  I never have an excuse for not drinking water. 

Break up your overall goals into smaller, attainable goals to meet along the journey. 

When you've had a particularly bad day of unhealthy food choices and little exercise, don't beat yourself up.  Own the decisions you made today, move on, and make better choices tomorrow.  Better yet, even if you made unhealthy choices on just one meal you can still commit to make better choices at your next.