 | Invest in some disposable food containers and zip lock type baggies.
Regular and freezer. |
| PLAN the entire week menu before the week starts and buy only what you
need for the week. Better yet, include your grocery store weekly circular
and shop around their healthy specials. |
| Wash produce the day it is brought home. Chop it up and it will be ready
when you need it. |
| On Sunday, we cook our meals for the week. That way, the food is right
there ready to eat! No Excuses! (See Food Safety
for storage times) |
| Rice and wheat bread don't have to be the only carb! Consider low GI
fruit, like pears! |
| To save money on meat, consider purchasing a bone-in turkey breast or
small 3-4 pound fryer chicken (peel off the skin). There is enough meat on the turkey breast to
make authorized enchiladas, turkey soup, pita pizzas and a couple of turkey
sandwiches. If you have a crock pot, toss in a couple of cups of baby
carrots, 1 medium onion quartered, & 1 cup of water. Lay fryer on top
and sprinkle with salt, pepper & basil. Turn on low (8-10 hours) and dinner is
ready when you get home, plus lunch the next day. (and after the first 97 or
so dry heaves, picking the meat off the bone isn't that bad!) |
| We tossed or donated anything that was not 'Authorized' by the
Body-for LIFE program. Out of sight, Out of mind, OUT OF MOUTH! |
| Invest in some quality spices. Our favorites are garlic pepper, oregano,
basil, cayenne, cumin, cilantro, Butter Buds and white pepper. |
| Fat free cheese?! Ew. Spray with a little bit of cooking spray. It
will behave more like full fat cheese when melting. |
| Cravings? Add a tablespoon of natural peanut butter to a chocolate
shake or a 1/2 cup of frozen fruit to vanilla or strawberry shakes. Keep track of the extra
carbs! |
| Ok, this is not on the authorized foods list, but I chewed peppermint
gum or popped tic-tacs for 3 weeks. They have some calories and sugar, so be
careful. |
| Another way we curb those evil cravings is to add some lemon juice to our
water. The sour taste cancelled out the sweet craving! |
| If you use shakes, get a shaker bottle with a screen. They cost about $5 and the
screen breaks up the powder so you aren't swallowing chunks. |
| Change your routine every 4 weeks. |
| If you have never done anything to an exertion point --- START SLOWLY. Try
1 minute on the treadmill adding a minute each session. Start with really
light weights or Thera Bands. You will probably think "a minute, no
problem." GREAT - Think that! Then 2 minutes will be a breeze, then 5,
then 10. In to time you'll be up to 20 minutes. |
| Invest in or borrow a portable CD or tape player and play music you find
uplifting. |
| If training at a gym, become familiar with the location of the
machines/weights you will be using. Plan your session based on these
locations. Try to stay in the same general area if you can. |
| Is someone else using a machine/weight you need? Ask if you can work-in.
Most people in the gym are nice. |
| Have a back-up exercise for that muscle group if they aren't nice. |
| Take your time during the motion of the exercise. |
| If it hurts in a 'functional' sort of way - don't do it. I mean if you
injured your shoulder and it hurts to add weight, find another exercise or
visit a physical therapist. |
| Use correct form. If you are unable to maintain correct form for all reps,
go down on the weight. |
| Feeling like you don't want to train today? Call someone, read a muscle
magazine, review your goals, call EAS (yes, there really is someone there to
help! We've called!)! |
| Keep your workouts fun! Dread the bike? Try swimming. |
| Think you don't have time? Give this a thought: We spend most of our day
doing for other people. We get up and go to work for someone else, even if
in business for ourselves. Why not take the 24 hours we are given and set
aside 1 hour for ME? It will do wonders! |
| Plan your 12 weeks ahead of time. Use a calendar and note what days you
will do what training. Mark your goals on that same calendar. (ex, by May
31st, I want to weigh x, or by the 8th week I will do one chin up) |
| You must be honest with yourself. |
| If you think you can't, you won't. Change the way you think. I
know, it sounds impossible, but it's not! Your body will do whatever you
tell it. |
| Don't beat yourself up if you miss a training session or eat something
you shouldn't have eaten. Do, however, make a note of it in your training
journal, accept it, and keep going. Don't quit!!!!!! |
| Stay positive! |
| Celebrate small triumphs! 1 pound less on that scale, making it through a
workout or sticking to your meal menu for one day are things to
celebrate! |
| Review your goals regularly. |
| Write down your goals. You are more likely to honor your promises if you
see them in writing instead of keeping them in your head. |
| Feel like giving up? Reach down and grab that spare tire or extra thigh
luggage ..... Feels nice - all that excess squishing around in your hand.
Better yet, jump up and down a few times and see how long it takes to stop
jiggling! (ha ha) One thing is guaranteed - if you quit, you won't see
results, ever. |
| Ladies: if there is a certain time of the month where you feel
particularly bloated, crabby, etc., Do Not make that the beginning of your
Challenge since the end of your Challenge will also be around that same
time. |
| Get your body fat percentage checked regularly and do the math. |
| It takes approximately 3500 calories to burn 1 pound of fat. |
| If you don't workout today or eat that candy bar, will you meet your
goals? |
| Tell someone else your goals. |
| Check your weight 1 time per week. Healthy weight loss is between 1-2
pounds per week. You won't see any change by weighing yourself daily. The
scale is not a good measure of success. |
| Take that 'before' picture, and post it everywhere! |
