How to Get in Shape
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Many people want to stay in shape and improve their health but have a difficult time maintaining a regimen that works for them. These simple steps will help you start a work out program that works for you and will enable you to continue even when you don't want feel like making it to the gym.
Steps
- Don't drink your calories: This is the most important rule to follow. Try not to drink anything that has calories; only drink water! A good rule of thumb for how much water you should drink is to divide your weight in half and that number in ounces is your recommended daily water intake. Therefore, if you weigh 200 lbs. , you should drink about 100 oz. per day.
- Be Natural: This means only eat natural food. Don't panic now! Natural or naturally occurring food or food products are those which are minimally processed and remain as close as possible to their whole, original state. Natural foods are much better and generally more nutritious than their refined counterparts.
- Feed Your Body: You have to feed your body calories - good calories. It is very important to eat several meals a day. Do not go more than 4 hrs without eating, unless of course you are sleeping. You may not even need to limit how much you eat at each interval. Smaller, frequent meals will increase your metabolism, maintain your blood sugar, and prevent you from overeating.
- Eat at Home:Dining out is great, but do not do it! While this can be difficult if you travel a lot, if you do go out to eat, try your best to stick with the above rules.
- Sugar is your Enemy:Surely you have heard this one a thousand times, but it is true. If you love candy, cookies and sweets, you should do your best to give them up - at least for a short time. Stay away from the sweets, especially until you get to your goal weight. It really can be done!
- Set Your Weight Goal: You need to set goals in order to be successful in anything. Set a weight goal, but NOT a date goal! It is not important how fast you achieve your weight, so dates are not important. Health is always better than speed!
- Get up and move: Exercise is a very important part of getting in shape, but sometimes you might miss a workout. Even if this happens, you could pick some exercise - such as push-ups - and do that consistently no matter what interferes with the rest of your workout plans. Try doing 20 push-ups every morning before you get into the shower. Make it part of your daily routine. It may seem insignificant, but after some time you will actually see a significant change in your body shape.
- Relax on the Weekends: It is important to follow the rules above. However, it's okay to relax on the weekends. This means, do allow yourself to go out to dinner and eat some sweets on the weekend. This may sound contradictory, but it's the real deal. If you have a craving, go for it. Anytime you have a craving for something that does not really conform to your diet rules - such as pizza, sweets or fried chicken - wait for the weekend to have them; make them your weekend treats. You can still follow the rules, but modify them a bit to fit in your cravings. A day or two of eating more than you're supposed to can actually make your metabolism kick in and cause a net weigh loss. Do not, however, use this as an excuse to binge eat, or else you will undo all your hard work.
Tips
- Understand what fat is. When you eat something, it's made up of many different things (protein, carbs, fat, vitamins, etc.). Food gets measured in calories. The calories are units of energy, that get stored as fat in your body for emergencies. Depending on your genetics the fat will get stored in certain areas (most likely thighs, butt, stomach, arms, etc).
- While working out, don't forget to rehydrate your body. Don't go too often without taking a drink of water.
- Avoid "fad diets". No Atkins and no South Beach! Eat food that you can eat for the rest of your life. Make an exercise schedule that you can do any time of year, for years to come.
- Find other like-minded people from work or your community. Having a support group is a form of "peer pressure." You'll be more inclined to stick with the program when you have others relying on you to show up. Decide where and when you will meet to work out (could be a gym, someone's house, etc.).
- Set goals. For example: lose an inch off your waist, fit into a size 8 dress, etc. If the goal is met, celebrate by going to dinner as a group (no kids!), a day at the spa, or plan a shopping trip together. This gives you something to look forward to.
- If you work out with a friend, you might want to do something like trading workout shoes. By doing this little step, you will compel yourself to go to the gym--or your friend will be shoeless!
- If you don't have (or want!) other people to exercise with, try getting an iPod and listening to podcasts while you exercise. This makes the exercise time feel less like 'lost time', and more like 'productive time' since you're now learning or being entertained while you work out.
Warnings
- With any work out regimen, start slow and build up as you feel you can. Starting off with too strenuous a work out plan can be a killer.
Related wikiHows
- How to Eat Less and Lose Weight by Chewing More
- How to Use Exercise to Help You Lose Weight
- How to Begin a Walking/ Weight Loss Program for the Very Unfit Person
- How to Get Wider Shoulders
Sources and Citations
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