By Helen M. Ryan
“One thing leads to
another…”~ The Fixx
One thing leads to another, one step leads to another (and, as I sometimes share in Spinning class, one chip leads to another).
The reason why so many of us fail to stick to our weight loss efforts is that we try too much, too soon. I know the ‘baby steps’ concept has been beaten to death, but do you know why you hear it so often? Because it works.
If you remember back to many a “first week of Januarys,” you ate nothing but vegetables and lean protein, exercised every single day and cut out sugar and alcohol, hoping to lose a lot of weight fast. By the second week of January you were starving, tired and discouraged, with your hand back in the cookie jar.
In our quest to get quick results we often sacrifice too much, and fall off the wagon because it’s too hard to keep up with many changes all at once. The solution? Those inevitable small steps.
A much better plan of attack is to make more changes every week, starting out slowly. Write down your goal for these changes in a calendar so you know where you are and what you plan to add each week.
You will be surprised at how easy it is to lose weight this way, and by the end of one month you will be lighter in weight at a lighter emotional cost.
Helen M. Ryan is a freelance writer and the author of “21 Days To Change Your Body (and Your Life).” Connect with her on Facebook at realworldweightloss, or follow her on Twitter at aspinchick.
Quick Office Fit Tips
1. Keep supplies you use often just outside of your reach so you have to get up and get them.
2. Every hour, get up from your desk and move-—even if it’s just for a minute or two.
3. Periodically, while sitting, inhale deeply, then exhale forcefully, contracting your stomach tightly towards your spine. Relax. Repeat.
4. Walk or pace while talking on the phone.
5. Schedule office walks at break.
6. Do ‘planks’ at your desk.
7. Pretend to sit, but don’t sit fully, holding this semi-squat position for as long as you can (feel the burn!). Repeat throughout day.
8. Instead of emailing co-workers, get up and talk face-to-face (gasp).
(More at www.realworldweightloss.com)