Sunday, December 25, 2005

How to Start Getting In Shape for The New Year

By: John Christopher



Are you like most people where all your time is spent living for
others? Do you want to start working out and eating right but
you're too busy? Well join the club.



We are all busy. Most of us are kept occupied by taking care of
everybody else's needs (i.e. Your Boss, Your Clients, Your
Family, Your Mortgage Company, etc). The perception we create
for ourselves is "I have no time for anything."



Now is the time to start taking care of yourself. Making a
commitment to fitness can change your life for the better.



Try these 5 things to help you get started:



Make the Choice to Start Working Out



We still have choices in life. If you are huffing and puffing
doing daily activities you should consider that unacceptable and
make the choice to change. Taking the option to start working
out is the first major step in doing so.



Recognize you want to be better, feel stronger, avoid the
hospital or what ever you want to do with yourself. Decide that
you need to change behavior and create new possibilities for
yourself. Only then you can let go of the past and take steps to
move forward.



Document Your Weekly Schedule



Write down everything you do during the week. This should
include work hours, commuting hours, nights spent with your
spouse, your child's activities and anything else you can think
of that you do. You should also include what you do on weekends.
You should make a list for each day. You will then have a visual
outlook of your week and will be more successful in finding
time.



Get Information



Most people do not have enough information before they start a
work out program. However, we live in the information age. Take
advantage of your favorite search engine and learn a little bit
about fitness and nutrition. However, do not go overboard and
lose focus.



If you have the money, hire a personal trainer for a few
sessions to help you get started. Hiring a personal trainer is a
great way to get started because you have made a commitment to
meet someone to workout. Your goal is to have the trainer show
you the basics on exercise and eating healthier.





Create a Simple Plan and Realistic Goals



Keep it Simple! Following a simple plan while on a hectic
schedule is much easier than following an elaborate plan. You
should have a plan of which days you want to work out and one
goal to change your eating habits for the next few weeks. For
example, "I will work out for 3 days this week. I will eat a
little less each meal." Simple is success.



Execute



Now that you have a plan, all you need to do is follow it. You
should look at your plan every day upon waking. You'll be
mentally prepared for the great day ahead of you. When you
complete your workout, highlight it or cross it off your list.
It will show you that you accomplished something for yourself.
No matter what you must execute. This will be the hardest step.



Following these simple steps should help you get started on a
new life of physical fitness. Life is filled with making
choices, documentation, information, plans and execution. Try
these approaches for yourself and you will see that having your
own workout and nutrition program is not as far fetched as you
think.



About the author:
John Christopher is a webmaster for http://www.addfitness.com.
Add Fitness is a web site filled with useful articles and
fitness product reviews to help the average person start and
continue their fitness lifestyle. http://AddFitness.com also
offers a free newsletter for their visitors if they choose to
receive further information on health and fitness.