Self Regulation is Key to a Better Body

Once athletes reach the top of their sport, going up to the next level is a really hard. But it's also difficult to sustain your level when you're at your peak- novice or expert.   Physical and mental discipline is needed here. (Put that 4^th cookie down!)

 Self-regulation is the key. You can naturally keep it simple (KISS) and self monitor.  To do this one has to think more like a thermostat; to detect the difference between the environmental factors and your internal standard. You are here now but want to be over there in the near future.  What a neighbor or child at the supermarket say is not necessarily the truth; one of those environmental factors that are often taken to heart.  With real information, like a BMI report, you can then adjust standards by raising the current status to meet with where you want to go.  To do this, you start with a well thought out strategy and take action.  

The first step is to become aware of where you are.  Some people have natural self-regulatory skills, but many do not have that skill at all.  Many consider walking down the block and back worth at least one extra candy bar-NOT.   Keeping a food diary will tell you what you are eating (count everything) and what you are doing when you eat; are you on the couch snacking on chips, munching on an apple at your desk  or at the dinner table with the family?  Note what you are doing for exercise and how often and how long are important factors too.  This will give you a benchmark for where you are and help you plot where you want to go.  Those who do not have any real self regulatory skills need to probably consult with a specialist after doing the homework on where they are.  Often a trainer at the local gym or a dietician can interpret your habits and give you a better direction or choices to achieve your goals.  This may even be a free service-especially if you have done your homework first.  Having an outsider look at what you are doing will give you better insight to causes of a lack of reaching your goals.  They can give you pointers to keep you on track.  Self sabotage is a real problem for many.  Find resources that will tell you for your weight, how many calories you burn for various activities.  This will give you a real understanding of how much or little it will take to achieve goals.  Remember, start small so you do not overwhelm yourself and quit before you really start.

 A sister of mine cut out 2 sodas a day and lost about 40 lbs. over 3-4 months. What a natural solution to weight loss!  Regular soda or pop has as many as 150 calories of sugar per can or about 3 teaspoons of sugar.  When you learn that it takes around 43 glasses of water to neutralize the acid in the pop, you come up with a pretty problematic drink.  Diet sodas have all the acid and researchers say the sweetener causes the body to crave more sweets.  Pop is just so easy to pick up. Luckily there are more natural choices at the vending machines now than ever.

Aerobics by itself is not a complete answer for losing weight. The natural change in body composition is what makes you look better, and for that some strength training is more effective.   Ideally a combination of 3 days of aerobics and 2 days of strength training will go much further to get a body into a much better place. People need about 30 minutes per day of physical activity that will get the heart rate up for at least 20 minutes of that time.  Consider staying away from the scales as muscle weighs more than fat.  Every time I have seriously started back into any exercise routine, I have gained weight.  Instead of the scales, take a measure of that BMI (body mass index) or just measure your waist once every 4-6 weeks.  Some women can gain five pounds but go down three dress sizes. 

There are free BMI calculators available by just typing in BMI into any search engine.