Now you’re eating smaller portions, so the next goal is to exercise more. Okay, maybe the goal is to START exercising. Maybe the best way to think about it is to not call it exercising. Let’s just call it increasing your use of calories. Walking is the easiest. I know you’ve heard it before, and maybe you are already walking some. But the walking has got to be productive without overexerting you. The trick to knowing if it’s being productive is to speed your walk up till you know you are exerting yourself. This makes it self adjusting to your fitness level. When you start that will be a slower pace than when you are more toned. You can always gauge your exercise that way.
Warm up slow, push up to exertion, keep that pace for 10 minutes and ease off to cool down. Or do whatever length of time you can manage. Like the advertising slogan… “just do it!”
TODAY: WALK HARD FOR TEN MINUTES.
We’re into the first week of DST. (Unless you live in Arizona or Indiana) I love it. I can cook dinner on the grill, play with the dog and still see the glow of the sun fade, even after staying at work until almost 7:00. I know, we “lose” an hour of sleep, but we quickly adapt to that. Getting that precious daylight at the end of the day makes it easier to get some exercise in. It should also give you one less excuse.
So spring forward with your diet and get walking.
TODAY: TAKE AN EVENING WALK.
We’re through that “in like a lion” part of March. So, now we can make use of the improving weather and start doing some marching of our own. I know I nag about this. But hey… it’s my job.
The shocking truth is that less than half of us do enough exercise to get any health or fitness benefits from it. So walking is maybe the easiest and best place to start. I know, I know, you’ve heard this before. Well… you’ll hear it again. Each day in the coming week I’ll talk about our march to better health.
TODAY: CHECK YOUR CLOSET FOR WALKING SHOES. I’M SURE YOU HAVE A PAIR YOU CAN DUST OFF.
It’s Monday, weigh-in day. You need to do this every week. Chart your weight but don’t obsess about small daily changes. Look at the big picture. (no pun intended) Weighing yourself just once a week is sufficient. If you can lose just 1 – 2 pounds a week you’re on your way to a weight you can live with. You might not lose weight every week. That’s normal. Just stick with it and the scales will tip in your favor.
TODAY: TAKE A GOOD WALK (IT IS “MARCH” AFTER ALL) TO THE MARKET AND BUY VEGGIES TO CUT UP FOR SNACKS.
Yesterday I told you to exercise in the morning. Now today I’m suggesting that you exercise at the end of the day. I know your thinking what the hell? Can’t you make up your mind? Well the truth is I’m trying to make up yours!
Just like the morning exercise gets you pumping, exercise late in your day will get rid of all the tension that has built up. A good brisk walk, or spinning on the exercise bike, or simply doing several reps of exercises will clear your head, warm your muscles and get you ready for a nice hot shower. It will curb your appetite some while relaxing you for when you go to bed for a good solid sleep. So you can get up early… and exercise!
TODAY: GET SOME EXERCISE BEFORE DINNER.
Don’t deprive yourself of your favorites just because you’re dieting. You can eat anything you want. Just do it every now and then rather than all the time. Keep the portions reasonable too. No huge bowls of ice cream with chocolate sauce every night! A scoop or so every now and then is okay. If you deny yourself all the time you’ll end up resenting your healthier lifestyle. Just continue to eat les and exercise more and it will all work out. So go ahead, have a treat this weekend, and even during the week sometimes. Make sure you enjoy it. You may find it better than you remember when you were having it all the time.
TODAY: DO JUST A LITTLE MORE WALKING THAN YESTERDAY.
Just saying the word “diet” can sound daunting. It may be what’s holding you back from changing your bad eating habits. So don’t go on a “diet”. Change just one little thing at a time so you can feel like you’re accomplishing something. What you will find is that you will actually accomplish something. Just use the tips I send you each day as a starting point. Each of those little goals will work a little. That’s the idea. They aren’t meant to be the single think you do to improve your health. Give it a try. Hey… even deciding to do that is reaching a small goal.
TODAY: DRINK MORE WATER.
Daily Nag, Exercise | Diet Nag | 
March 18, 2011 6:13 am | 
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