The journey to an improved you

Helping on the journey: the Sunstone Team. photograph: Sunstone Women

It’s that time again to make a new year’s resolution!

I’m sure at some point or another we have all made one, maybe something along the lines of “I am going to lose weight”, “I am going to tone up”, “I am going to eat healthier”, “Get healthier”, “Give up smoking”, etc.

Sound familiar? Then you’re not alone!  Whatever our new year’s resolution is, many of us don’t last long before we slip back into our old ways.

On 1 January our minds are full of the beautiful bikini body, smoke free lifestyle etcetera that we will soon have, but when we stumble or feel those changes are not coming soon enough we start to feel that we can’t achieve those dreams.

This can often leave us feeling bad about ourselves and we might turn to our old and familiar comforters of food etc.

We may also lose the motivation that we need to keep up our new plans and simply drift back to our old ways.

Each time this happens we start to see our goals as less and less achievable.  So in order to overcome this we have to set ourselves realistic and measurable goals.

So, the first step of your successful journey to the fitter healthier you is to set those realistic and measurable goals.

We are destined to fail if we expect to be a size 10 within a month, whilst just introducing some healthy shopping options and popping into the gym every now and then.

This approach is wrong.  Firstly, we need to understand that permanent and healthy change comes slowly, so we need to plan to lose a healthy amount a week over a longer period of time, say, four pounds a month.

If we sometimes lose more than this we are going to feel really good about ourselves and that will help us to carry on.

Whereas if we aim to lose a stone a month we are almost definitely going to fail and feel bad about ourselves.

A small healthy weight loss over a year will do more to get us into that little black dress next year than a crash and burn diet ever will.  Those four pounds a month add up to three stone and six pounds over a year!!!

By joining a gym and getting the support of professionals, we can use the same technique in using exercise to help us to be fitter and stronger and healthier and of course this will help too if your goal is to lose weight!

Once again, don’t dive in at the deep end and start out doing 2 hour stints at the gym or five mile runs.

Take it easy and do little and often, just like with your food.  If you can manage 30-60 minutes two/three times a week then you will be much more likely to be able to sustain this and make a lasting positive change to your health and well-being.

When you take this measured approach to eating and exercise it is possible to keep a record of your achievements.

Your gym will provide records so you can track your progress and it will boost your confidence when you look back and see how much stronger you are now.

In six months’ time you may well have forgotten that you couldn’t do more than ten minutes on the cross-trainer without feeling like you were going to die, but when it’s there in black and white and you see the upward curve of your progress you will not want to stop!

Even with realistic goals and eating and exercise plans we still need to think about our motivation and attitude towards our new lifestyle.

Instead of seeing things as obstacles, try to see them as challenges. If it’s cold and wet out and you don’t feel like walking in the rain to the gym, why not decide to jog there and make it part of your warm up?

If you go out with friends and have way too much wine and dessert, don’t feel as if you’ve blown it:  think of the progress you are making week by week and take some time to look at your records to remind yourself that you’re in for the long haul and one night of over indulgence isn’t the end of the world.

Ask some of your positive minded friends and family for support and encouragement and maybe you have a friend who would like to join you on your journey to a better, fitter, stronger and more confident you.  It is however you that needs to make the first decisive move to kick start your journey on the road to an improved you.

Whether this is throwing away all the junk food at home or joining a gym, do not do it with sadness or fear, but instead with joy and excitement about the challenge ahead.

So, we need to be realistic about what we can achieve and manage.  We need to be kind to ourselves.

We need to keep track of our progress and we need to allow ourselves the odd mistake: we’re only human after all.

If you want to begin your journey start today, start now. Don’t make the same mistakes you have made time and time again. Remember, set realistic goals, make positive changes, stay motivated and enjoy the journey to a new improved you.

JADE HALL
Fitness Manager
Sunstone Women
Stoke Newington.

Click here for a FREE start to the journey to an improved you (women only).