Monday, January 2, 2012

New Year Resolutions

Fat loss and fitness are always high on the list of New Year resolutions.

It’s almost intuitive. You get past the Christmas season and come to the sudden realization of what poor shape you’re in and resolve to do something about it.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about getting back into better shape before Christmas and haven’t had the brain space to deal with it. Maybe you’ve been too busy, too absorbed in other things or distracted.

Christmas is the divide between the years, in fact it’s become the great yearly watershed between what’s happened in the past and what you’d like to happen in the future. That’s why it’s such a significant occasion.

A huge slice of the world stops on the 25th of December each year. ‘Sorry can’t do it until the beginning of February, it’s Christmas.’ End of story. No ifs, no buts. Christmas trumps all excuses.

If we didn’t have Christmas we’d be running around like headless chooks, we’d never have the urgency to finish things off, tidy our desks, take a few days off, sleep in and take naps, slow down, read a book, spend time with family ...

Christmas gives us the freedom to do those things without feeling guilty.

But what happens as soon as you slow down? The relaxation response kicks in and stimulates the process of reconnection with your Self, particularly that part of your Self that’s closest to you, your body. You take stock. You weigh up your position.

The Self thrives on time, attention, affection and thought.

If you’ve let yourself go, if the symptoms of metabolic, musculo-skeletal and psychological dysfunction are staring you in the face you begin to ‘wake up to your Self’.

Tension starts to build up to the point where you either resolve to do something to improve your health status, or you don’t.

A lot of people are stimulated sufficiently to make a few resolutions.

The starting point to losing weight it to make the distinction between good food and junk food. Get that sorted out and you’ll start eating more of the food that’s good for you and less of the food that’s not. You’ll be on the way to getting back closer to your ideal weight.

If you’re going to tackle the metabolic dysfunctions - of which being over weight is the most obvious symptom - you’ll need to eat less junk food and up your energy expenditure level, including aerobic activity and strength activity.

Of course the secret to improving your aerobic activity is to do it in the morning before work - with other people.

I run three mornings a week with three other blokes from our street and Frank who lives around the corner. I can tell you one thing, if it wasn’t for the commitment to the group there are many mornings when I’d still be lolling around in bed at 6.30am instead of getting ready to go for a run.

Do yourself and your neighbours a favour, organise a group from your street or your neighbourhood.

If that’s too hard, organise a group at work. The chances of it happening will be enhanced if you do it in the next couple of weeks.

Don’t forget your strength training program. Whilst there are a few exercises like situps and pushups you can do at home, going to the gym makes eminent sense. That way you’ll improve your all round muscular development, and because lean muscle burns more energy it will help you lose weight.

For some people New Year resolutions are a bit like castles in the air. Just having the picture in your mind might not be enough.

Emerson said ‘If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.’

Underpinning your resolve by writing down your resolutions is the foundation to achieving them. Post them in a place where they stare you in the face, somewhere like the side of your bathroom mirror.

Then gather the support of people around you by inviting them to be part of your fat loss and fitness program. You’ll do them a big favour as well.

Now take advantage of the special offer to obtain your copy of the Complete Fitness Workout and the Hourglass Diet.

Here's the link to the New Year Resolutions Special Offer

http://www.fitandhealthyonline.com/new-year-resolutions-2012/default.html

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and resolve to turn those New Year resolutions into reality.

John Miller

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