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So, what is the single biggest deterrent to a successful diet plan? Hmm, well I think we all know what it is don't we? We cheat. We take the plan we help write it we buy the right foods and supplements we might even incorporate some fitness and thus exercise. Whew, now that felt good. Get it out in the open everyone. You need to diet, you need to exercise and you know you are going to cheat on your plan. Is that not all of us or what? Of course it is. No one sets out to fail. Although as we hit our forty's and beyond we can no longer count on one hand how many start/stops we have gone through to lose that extra 20 pounds that somehow crept into our waste line. We blame it on the holidays and no government or faith based celebration is immune to this trophy. It's our excuse to cheat on our life fitness needs. When is the last time your mouth said no to Easter and that second helping of ham, mashed potatoes, greenbeans with the mushroom sauce and fried onions (personal favorite)? Notice I did not include the pies or chocolate candy that seems to be coming out earlier and earlier in the days celebration of Easter.
Ok, so that's the obvious. Cleanse the mind and lets beat this thing together. Now you are wondering, ok this crazy writer has hit all my weak points and somehow has not insulted my feelings so there must be a plan to beat the diet cheaters in all of us, right? Well its closer to a simple response than you think. But first some basics on the body and fuel. The body needs fuel to survive. But it really doesn't need synthetic add-ons or sugar coated snacks. What it needs is what nature provides us all around. But fuel is only part of the equation. The body needs to move. It needs to get out of the house and from behind that desk (every 20 minutes at least) and stretch and burn portions of the fuel. Fuel to the body, in the right combinations, is the key. Combine the right portions of the food groups (fruits, veggies, protein) with the right daily (yes daily) fitness plan and you will be able to "Cheat." Did this writer just say cheating is ok? You bet, within reason. In order to cheat you need to understand deficit fitness.
If you eat a balanced intake of the proper food groups then no-need to worry about your waste line. It will disappear when combined with 30-45 minutes of basic aerobics whether walking, jogging or all out running. Get the heart rate up (minimum of 20 minutes but let's not set that as a goal) and your body rewards you by increasing your fat burning engine or your metabolism. As always, consult your personal physician before any fitness program is started. No cutting corners here! So, let's get back to deficit fitness. What exactly is it you ask? It's the ability to exercise your body to a level that exceeds the amount of excess calories brought on by your daily fuel intake. Sounds hard? How do you keep track of all you eat. Tried this before and it works for about a month if you are lucky then you just get tired of calorie counting and you slowly drift off the plan. This is where you hear the yo-yo effect. Avoid this as all possible as the effect of losing weight then gaining it all back is not good for the body and actually could be worse than just maintaining a high weight for your age/height, etc. In order for this to work it has to be a life changing acceptance. Deficit fitness is just that and it's easy. First and foremost invest in a pedometer. These are devices you clip to your pants or throw in a pocket (some will work from inside a purse). Setup your pedometer first thing in the morning and then forget about it. Don't do any exercise. Just do your normal daily routine. As you end the day and prepare to go to sleep take a look at the number of steps you just completed. For most, without any exercise you will be in the range of 1500-3000. If you are in that range then you need to build a fitness plan to achieve another 7000-8500 steps per day. Wow, that hurt. Can't even imagine where I'm going to get that from since its now 10pm at night and I'm only 15-30% completed? Better not cheat on my diet as this wont work. Wrong! It's easier than you think.
Whether you are a morning, afternoon or evening person you can do this. It takes 60 minutes at a normalized pace of 2-2.5 mph in your walking. Runners take your marks as this is real easy for you and quite frankly you probably aren't associated with this topic due to your running routines. Ok, so now you know that you need sixty minutes in your day of 24 hours and approximately 7 hours is gone for sleep leaving 17 hours and then subtract out 10 hours for the office and general stuff leaving us 7 hours to plan this some where in our hectic lives. Oh, did I mention that 60 minutes of walking at a rate of 2-2.5mph (pedometer will give you all this once you set your stride up) will achieve between 8-10,000 steps? Yep, you will over achieve. If you over achieve every day (remember Life Changing decision here) then you can cheat! Look for more articles soon on how you keep this up over the long haul. We are humans after all and without variety we tend to drift away. Oh, and I take no responsibility for the amount of money you will spend at Nordstrom's buying new clothes! Congrats.
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