Seven Simple Tips To Lose Weight, Get Into Shape, And Feel Great

Many of you who started the year on a mission to lose x amount of weight are starting to see how difficult it really is. It takes time, patience, and lots of hard work, both physically and mentally.  Nevertheless, before you throw in your gym towel as many are starting to do, check out these seven tips that will help make your fitness goals easier to accomplish. 

1. Proper Diet

You can exercise for two hours/day, seven days a week.  However, if your diet and eating habits aren't proper, you're wasting all that time. Learn to treat your body like a temple and take care of it well. There are hundreds of diets out there that yield results. What really burns the calories and speeds up the metabolism is simple clean eating. Lots of water, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates are a great start.  Keeping a food diary with calories and fat grams is also good to see what you're eating.

2. Safe Exercise

Proper, safe workouts not only burn fat, they tone the physique and make you feel good inside.  Well not initially though.  You will be sore for a while.  However, a good workout where you sweat and push yourself is a good stress reliever and is good for the blood circulation.  Don't forget to seek a doctor's approval before beginning a workout, and don't feel you must over exert yourself too fast. Take baby steps until you reach the level that you want to lift, run, or workout. Develop your own routine and worry less about other people's workouts. 

3. Plenty Of Rest and Sleep

You should give yourself at least one rest day each week so your body can rebuild and recover. Also, make sure that you are sleeping well. The average person needs at least six-eight hours of quality sleep to achieve maximum results.  Naps are also great as I've mentioned in the past.

4. Stretching

Spend at least two minutes stretching before and after you work out.  This gets the muscles and joints loose, and prevents injuries such as pulled muscles or hamstrings.

5. Stress management and relaxation.

Basically, take time to mediate, breathe and relax every day. Having lots of stress will also impede fitness results.  Therefore, simply relax and have fun in this journey to get fit. The results will then take care of themselves. 

6. Motivation

You must have a definite reason or "why" for you to keep at it, especially when times get the hardest and life interferes. Post your motivation and short-term goals, and stare at them every day.  Also, keep yourself pumped up through surrounding yourself with like-minded people, and have plenty of upbeat music on your playlist.

7. Dedication. 

This may be the most important.  You must stay dedicated and committed to the process. It is not meant to be a quick fix. You are developing a new lifestyle.  One must be in the routine for working out, eating healthy and taking care of themselves.  Think of yourself as a company and maintaining your health is your job. It would be a shame to fire yourself for not doing what is necessary to succeed. So take responsibility and don't allow that to happen. 

Just remember that it is possible and don't give in. I've learned that it is an ongoing process as you improve in your fitness, regimen, and in age and wisdom. Keep at it; the rewards are great.  

Now pick that sweaty towel back up and put in work!

Don't Sweat It: Just Relax

We all encounter bouts of stress and turmoil. No one is without their battles and struggles. Some folks have it better, and some have it way worse. Nonetheless, they are struggles all the same.

Stress management is crucial not only to your health and happiness, but also your goals and achievements. Working under pressure and being overly stressed are two different things and should not be confused.

I have previously mentioned about treating yourself once a week. That is definitely good. You have to take the load off at times.

Also, find inspiration in others. I find it in my circle of friends and family, ministers such as Joel Osteen, watching movies such as Remember The Titans and Antwone Fisher and most sports movies. They give me that extra drive and motivation that I deem paramount and necessary.

Exercise is a major factor in stress relief. I go to the gym several times a week, partially to blow off steam. It seems I don't think about my problems while I'm working out. I'm in my own zone.

Listening to music is also helpful, as it's the universal language. I have a vast and contradicting playlist, plus my Pandora stations have variety also. When I really need to relax, I listen to oldies from the 50s-70s, Michael Jackson, and even jazz. I feel calmer, cool and collected after hearing these types of songs and ballads.

Finally, I breathe and mediate. That's right. I get my quiet time, my “me” time to simply think, unwind, and unleash the negative tension.

Relieving stress is obviously easier said than done. However, stress management is important and necessary. Don't sweat the small stuff, pick your battles, know what you can control and simply relax! Nothing is permanent. Your test can someday be your testimony. So stick to the fight and don't let life knock you out with one punch. You're stronger than that.