My plan for getting healthy and fit

So, “tomorrow” didn’t come as soon as I thought. Between work getting crazy and me getting sick, I’ve been swamped.

Excuses aside, here’s the next part of healthy lifestyle plan.

After deciding to not only lose weight but to get back to a healthy lifestyle, I outlined how I lost 30 pounds in six months last year. My method included better eating habits but no real exercise. While that formula can be effective for losing weight (and thus making you healthier), it is not the best way to improve your overall health.

So, here’s my plan:

1. Exercise: I’m up at 5 a.m. and in the exercise room by 5:15 a.m. I’ll do light cardio on the bike or treadmill and finish with weights. As I build up, I’ll increase my weight training. In the end, though, I’ll have only 45 minutes to give to exercise. But that’s better than nothing.

2. Eating: This will be strictly a calorie-counting exercise. I can eat whatever I want, within reason, so long as I’m careful to watch my calorie consumption. Once you are accustom to counting calories (or Weight Watcher points) then it becomes second nature.

3. Foods to avoid: OK. An addendum to the above. I will avoid all fried foods and consume “sweets” only once a week. I’ll increase my fruit intake as snacks. (I know, sugar. Must be careful.)

4. Water: I’ve already increased my water intake to 96 ounces a day. That alone can make a big difference. Water can help keep your metabolism up and keep you filled.

5. Tracking: I’m a big believer in accountability. I’ll track my progress daily and weekly in a few ways, all of which will be discussed in my next post. (And while it’s planned for tomorrow, I’ve learned never to publicly announce my next blog post unless it is written and scheduled to post automatically.)

None of these are revolutionary tips, and they are all commonsense. In fact, they are so simple that I’m reminded of what someone said on Twitter when I posted my last post.

“Is it really that hard to lose weight?” he asked, then went on to explain his method. He:

• Watches what he eats.
• Rides his bike everyday.

In short, no, it’s not that had to lose weight and stay healthy once you are in that routine. But breaking bad habits and getting into a good routine can be quite difficult.

Sometimes just writing it down and finding inspiration in others who have undertaken simple steps to reach their goals is needed to obtain what others find so simple. That’s what I’ve done, and I hope others (at least one person) finds the same from these posts.

Up next: My jumping off weight and sizes, my tracking methods and where I am after one week.