Getting the tight, fit body you picture in your mind while chugging along on the elliptical is easier than you think. It's the world that is so confusing. Everywhere we look, we see different preconceived notions regarding health and fitness...AND temptations in the same exact spot. Magazines at the check-out line boast they know the "crunch-free secret to sexy abs," right above rows of chocolate bars. Pins on Pinterest remind you that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" but even more invite you to create "home-made almond joy's with just 4 simple ingredients." All the while, you're hanging out with a friend at In-&-Out/Starbucks/Applebee's and tell yourself that just a few fries/a sip of her Frap/one sugary margarita isn't going to kill you or sabotage you. Your other friend "ate a big lunch" so isn't indulging, but still never manages to lose the pooch around her middle. So who has the right idea here? And how the heck do you follow it with all these temptations sabotaging your every healthy attempt?
Let me repeat myself: Fitness. Is. Simple. Once you get the hang of it and expel all those airbrushed models from your brain, you'll understand what I mean.
Some of what I'm about to say may not be popular, and me and my fellow female fitness buffs are in the minority. The ration of men to women in the gym (when there's not a Zumba class in session) can quite often be 10:1. I know this from personal experience. Many of my tips I've picked up from guys but don't think for a second I will and could ever look like them. Frankly, because it's impossible to! I have girly hormones, they have manly ones. Simple as that.
The ONLY diet and fitness regimen that is the absolute best is the one that works for you. Besides, how can anyone sort through all the articles regarding health and just believe what it says without even trying it? For instance, let's talk about an eating plan. If you want to eat 3 medium meals a day with 2 small snacks in between, because it helps you lose weight by speeding up your metabolism, fantastic. What if, like me, you often have a long period of time in between your lunch and dinner, so you have a slightly larger lunch and a quick, 150-calorie snack an hour before dinner? If it keeps me from being so ravenous by the time my work day is over that I'm tempted to grab fast food on your way home, I think that's my best bet.
Healthy living (and consequentially, looking good) is actually pretty simple!
• Eat balanced, nutritional food when you're hungry
• Don't eat garbage (processed food, fast food, high-sugar, high-cal)
• Exercise regularly
• Take a multivitamin every day
Everyone knows these simple facts, yet we hardly ever follow this mantra 100%. If you're following a similar plan right now to prepare for summer, you know that this is TOUGH!! Way more so than how it sounds. Remember, I never said it was EASY, just that it was simple.
Read more about how this applies to real life in Part 2.
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