5 Steps to a Healthy Lifestyle
Every week our training team sees a new client or existing member at Coachman and we hear the constant theme in regards to the individual’s lifestyle/workout structure/habits. The constant theme is the fact that they make it too complicated. "I think I am going to go Keto (does work for some), my friend Sally did it and lost 400lbs", "I think I am going to try this Green Tea cleanse that my friend George is selling, it is supposed to burn fat when you drink it", "I think I am going to lift my 5lb dumbbells and wear this fat slimming belt and get ripped like Kelly". These are all poo poo. Living our lives in a healthy fashion does not have to be complicated and NEEDS to be a lifestyle choice. Think to yourself next time you make a big decision, "can I do this for the rest of my life?". If the answer is no, then why invest the time and money into it? You should be able to enjoy your life, but in a healthy fashion. There is no better feeling than the feeling of feeling good about yourself and the way you feel. Basic steps is all you need. There are no magic pills, there are no special diets and there aren't any cleanses that will heal you of your lack of discipline. Here are some steps to help you become more basic.
1. Clean It Up!
Clean out your fridge, clean out your cupboards, clean out your office break room, and get RID of items that you know you shouldn’t eat. If it isn’t good for you, why keep it around? People love to have these items around and say “I wont eat them, they are for the kids” or “I will only have that item if I do X”. Why even tempt yourself? Why treat yourself like a dog? Getting a reward for hard work should be beneficial, not to take a step backwards. I have a client that used to train very hard and then immediately after the workout would go to Burger King and eat approximately 1,500 calories in food. WHY? The reasoning was because this individual busted their butt. Now, they didn’t gain weight while training, but they also didn’t lose weight and didn’t see the muscle growth we expected from the hard work put in. Stop eating out. Have some discipline. If you are going out to eat, choose wisely. Don’t get fried foods. Don’t have six beers and/or six pops with dinner. Ask for water. If you do drink an alcoholic beverage, match it with water. Choose a salad with protein on it. Can’t go wrong there.
2. Metabolic Rate – Figure it out!
Every one of us has a metabolic rate. MR is important because it is the basis for all things weight loss or weight maintenance. If you don’t know your Resting or Basal Metabolic Rate, you wont know how many calories to consume. When your body is at rest, even though you may not think you are burning calories, functions like circulating blood and breathing are all expending energy. The amount of energy (calories) that your body uses to carry out these processes is your RMR. By knowing your RMR, you can identify how many calories your body needs. Go to https://www.mytecbits.com/tools/medical/bmrcalculator to use an easy calculation to give you an idea of what you need to take in to stay, lose, or gain weight. If your goal is to lose weight, still consume your calories recommended, but you need to add exercise in. So, if you are slated to take in 2,000 calories and you do, but add exercise that burns 500 calories, you are now in a calorie deficit and well on your way to losing weight. No one should EVER consume 1,200 calories or less. If you hear advice like that, RUN AWAY!
3. DRINK UP BUTTERCUP!
This can be looked at in multiple ways and it doesn't mean drink more coffee or booze. You need to drink more water, period. That doesn’t mean Propel flavored water (which keeps you bloated, scientifically proven). This means drink plain old water. You know the stuff that keeps our bodies fully functioning. The stuff that helps you lose weight and keep you full. This should be an easy thing to change. Its not like you live in a desert where water is not available. Drink up! You should consume AT LEAST half your body weight, in ounces, daily. If you workout, drink another 20 ounces! Your muscles, your skin, your ability to poop, your energy level, etc., will thank you! Pop doesn’t count. Dump that crap down the drain. Stop buying it, unless you want diabetes. Stop buying Gatorade/PowerAde, too. Why is that even a thing? Well, it has electrolytes…bull….its full of sugar and junk. You shouldn’t drink it and your kids shouldn’t either. It isn’t healthy and never will be!
4. GO NIGHT NIGHT!
Seems like a simple concept, right? The average person doesn’t get enough sleep. Sleep HELPS your muscles recover, it helps you establish a solid metabolism, it lowers your anxiety levels (which I will explain below); it makes it so you aren’t tired for LIFE. One rule of thumb that will help…shut your screens off (lower anxiety by not looking at everyones facebook feed over and over) an hour before you want to go to bed. Let’s say you want to get 8 hours of sleep and plan on going to bed at 10, shut your phone down and TV down at 9pm. Stop showing up to an early morning workout or to work, saying you are tired. You are only tired because you went to bed late. GO TO BED! You aren’t missing anything. Your Game of Thrones episode really isn’t going to benefit your life in anyway, but skipping your workout and being a crappy employee that is half asleep at your desk, will dramatically affect your life.
5) Get 10,000 Steps (at least) per Day!
Most Americans get around 5,000 per day. Not enough. Get off your butt and go for a walk. We have a strategy of taking walks during the workday. Take a 10-minute walk here and there. Clear your head. Go for a long walk at night with your dog, you know the one that just sits around and poops? Take it for a walk. Take your kids for a walk. Walks are something you CAN do with your kids. Don’t use the excuse that its too cold for your kids. Dress them warm. Get out and move.
6) SHOW UP!
For those of you that have a gym membership, show up. Seems simple, but this is one of the toughest things for people. Make a plan and stick to it. Put it down on your calendar and commit to it. Its very easy to bail on your workout. Very easy to do something else that comes up. If you constantly find yourself skipping a planned workout, change the time frame you go. Go to bed earlier and get up earlier to go. Go at 5am before your kids get up. Yeah, it sounds awful at first, but your day will be much better, I promise! The average person that has a gym membership attends the gym once every week and a half. That sounds like a BIG waste of money to me. Find something that will keep you coming back.
In summary, while all of these sounds like a lot, it really is simple to institute. 6 steps to make sure you are not complicating being healthy. We all need to stop using the excuse that you are too busy to go to the gym or too busy to get healthy groceries. You aren’t. You’re just being lazy. Don’t be a dumb dumb, have some discipline and be healthier. We want you around. Your family and friends want you around. We want you to live a long life. Making poor decisions and not being basic kills longevity in this world.
