1. Last week we started with a 10 minute per day exercise goal if you are new to exercising.  This week, I would like you to add ONE MINUTE PER DAY to your exercise plan.  This is a good way to build up your fitness gradually while not causing muscle soreness, which can discourage you from exercising. By the end of this week, you should be doing 17 minutes per day of aerobic exercise!  If you can't find one chunk of time, you can split it into 10 minute bursts during your day. You may even find that you get in more time than required this way!  I also want you to start to be mindful of your heart rate and breathing during exercise. You should feel comfortably winded while walking. Don't walk so fast that you can't catch your breath! More about this next week.....

 

2. Keep up with your journal! You can weigh yourself again today.  Write down how your clothes fit and how you feel as well as how much you weigh! If you stuck to the rules in week one you may have lost a couple of pounds, or you may just be feeling lighter and better about yourself! Which ever occured is great.  Don't be  a slave to the scale. In your journal, you can also include feelings, pitfalls such as a family party or weekend celebration and how you handled it or didn't handle it. 

 

3. Remember, if you have a bad day, it is not the end of the world! Jump back on the wagon the next day!  We all have a day where for whatever reason, we eat badly or we don't exercise. No big deal! Just start new the next day. Many a good lifestyle change has been ruined by one day of bad choices. If you are feeling like you may go back to the old ways, send me an e-mail, or come to this website for encouragement.  Sometimes, just getting out for a mindful walk can help.

 

4. Try to fit in more healthful foods during your day. Snack on an apple or banana instead of a candy bar. Make a bean based chili, rather than a ground beef based chili. Eat oatmeal for breakfast instead of a doughnut or croissant. Start to shun artificial sweeteners and exchange them for natural sweeteners such as unsweetened applesauce and fruit.  I like to eat what I call "whole foods". Foods which are unprocessed and unchanged from their original form.  By eating from primarily around then perimeter of the store, you can eliminate bad food choices.  A typical day may include the following:

Breakfast: oatmeal with banana and walnut, sweetened with honey or pure maple syrup and soymilk.

Snack: piece of fruit

Lunch: mixed dark greens (such as spring mix), with avocado slices, tomatoes, red onion, black beans and salsa (I love mexican!!). And a piece of whole wheat toast.

Snack: 8-oz glass of soymilk w/ 1/2 peanut butter sandwich (on whole wheat bread)

Dinner: steamed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli and zucchini) with 3-4 ounces of protein ( white meat chicken or turkey, salmon, tuna , tofu or beans). One small baked potato drizzled with olive oil and whatever spices you like.

 

This would be a basic plan to be modified based on your likes.  You do need to be willing to TRY new foods! If you say to yourself "I don't like brussel sprouts", then you are sabotaging yourself!  Try them, look for new recipes with foods you typically don't like!

 

5. Remove the words "I CAN'T" from your vocabulary this week. I was walking through the park and there were two ladies sitting on a bench discussing their aches, pains and ailments.  They were both visibly overweight, and eating deep fried cheese curds while lamenting on their poor health!  One said, I would love to walk everyday, but "I just can't". Ok, she might not be able to walk 6 miles in one day, but she can sure put in 10 minutes to start on a plan. "I CAN'T" is a cop out and I don't want to hear anyone say it!  If you are having an "I CAN'T" day whether you can't exercise, or you can't find the time to eat right or whatever....send me an e-mail and I will help you through it!

 

Want to move on to week three???? Click here