Weight Loss Diet Solutions

New Years Resolutions are a great idea that seldom work. The reason that most peoples new years resolutions fail is that people will get a good idea and not flesh it out, decide what to do and how.

The best way to be successful is to plan your outcomes and to decide what are the most important things for you.

When you do this you have a much better chance at succeeding because when you need to make changes you will do it knowing why you are making a change and exactly what changes need to be made.

Starting to Plan New Years Resolutions

The way I start each year is by looking back, looking at where I am today and finally looking at where I want to be tomorrow and then creating a plan to make a better tomorrow happen.

With traditional goal setting most people just look at what they want and then create a plan to get there.

My method of setting real New Years Resolutions is much better as it does not just look at myself as a superman and allow me to collapse as soon as any problem gets in the way of my goal.

Tools for successful New Years Resolutions

To start you must have a notebook and realize that this notebook will be your companion for the next year.

Give yourself an hour to get started and know that you will likely be sitting down a few times over the next few days, if New Years Day comes and goes while you are in the midst of this process do not worry.

Even though we always look at new years day as the switch that begins a new year remember that you are creating a map and a route that is much more important and long lasting than the flip of a calendar, the end of a day, or a fuzzy idea in the middle of the night.

You want your year coming up planned, and planned for success, not some flimsy idea of importance is reflected only by the thoughts and actions of a very few minutes.

Looking back over the last year

To do this new years resolution planning correctly you must begin by looking back at the last year. Sit down and ask yourself the following questions.

What did I plan to do this year? Write this list by writing down one at a time with a couple lines between them. Look back and see all of the things that seemed important for a short or long time and write them down in a big list.

Did you include health and exercise, spiritual goals, financial and career goals, holiday plans, leisure plans?

What happened to these ideas and plans? Did you complete one or more of these things on the list? With the one that were completed, great. For the ones that you didn’t complete, great as well.

This exercise will allow you to see from a bit of distance what was important and what was not important apparently.

Now for each of the items in the list that you completed look at the obstacles that you had and how you over came them. You will probably find that for your accomplishments you were in one way or another motivated to really complete and not just ‘wishing’ to finish.

Also go to the things that did not work out. What was the level of priority and what kind of obstacles stopped you?

Are these long term plans that can’t be finished? Were you just hoping to get these to work? Write out some detail on each of these things on the list and reflect on how you felt about the idea of each of these one year ago today.

Now you have a nice basis for building on what you have now and what will be the highest priority plans for next year. You are going to find a few common threads from the last year.

Maybe you procrastinate.

Perhaps you are unrealistic with your time and resources.

Likely you wanted certain things that were not that important to you at this time in your life. For the things that you did accomplish you are going to see that you needed to complete them either for your job, your ego or for people that rely on you. You may know now how I will have you look at the next year.

Creating Your New Years Resolutions

Create New Years resolutions for what is really important and do not just put lofty goals that are not critically important to you.

The real reason that most people fail with their new years resolutions is that they are not important enough for them and they are really just goals that sound good at the time.

You probably see from your accomplishments over the last year that the things that you did right were not planned on new years eve but instead in March or June or even November, so if you want to succeed then you will need to find those things that would make enough of a difference in your life that you will not let any of the obstacles that get in your way to stop you.

Now for planning for next year!

Look at you list of things that you did not accomplish this year. Are any of them really important? Are there any that you can accomplish right now for a quick win to start the year with? More importantly get the ones that you did not complete and are not important enough and just put a line through them in your list.

First of all Make Sure any Goals are SMART goals

Many of us hold on to goals that we are not going to ever complete as they may be lofty but are never really that important to us and just take some of our waking time.

Some scientists say that almost all of our thoughts today are just thoughts recycled from yesterday, if these thoughts are not going to do us any good then dump them so that you can free up some space in your head for more things that are really important instead.

After you have gone through your list look at the following list and see if there are anymore things that fall into what should and will be done.

Spiritual Goals
Health and Fitness Goals
Monetary Goals
Career Goals
Family Goals
Entertainment and Leisure Goals

I find that most people that try to make goals or that come up with systems tend to be very narrow focused.

What would be wrong with goals to eat the food from 10 different countries? If you need a little help to really see the big picture I have found a site called www.43things.com this site has list of what people would like to do from all walks of life and many of the ideas are sure to surprise you.

Now that you have a list do not worry about how big it is, I have heard people say no more than three goals should ever be on your list and another that says that you should have 101 goals.

Your list is yours and you now have to go to your list and figure out the following.

How long will it take to complete this goal/outcome?
How important is this goal to me to complete?
What will happen if I do not achieve this goal?
What are the roadblocks that I can expect to have crop up because of my weaknesses in the past?
What will I get if I complete this, what is the reward?
Are there any goals that I should achieve first to get this one done?

These are big questions and are the questions that never get asked when we just jump at making a new years resolution. Answer these questions for each of your goals and don’t really belabor the questions or you will never get them done.

How Should My New Years Resolutions look?

Let’s say now that you have 10 things that you want to complete by the end of January, 30 things that you want to complete by the end of the year and another 10 for the end of next year.

Again Make sure the Goals themselves are SMART Goals

Now you have to have some kind of action plan to get it all completed. Most of getting a goal completed is to get your head aligned with what you want to get, to do this make sure that you have a roadmap to completing each of your items and then your mind can really believe these things possible.

After you have done this pull out your daytimer or at least some kind of sheet of paper and list down each goal and when a certain part of it is due so that all of those things in life that get in the way won’t stop you for these.

Celebrate your accomplishments, share your dreams, and always make this day the day that will make tomorrow even better. But First build better new years resolutions.

Share this so your friends can see it too!

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on Fitness

MSNBC has this article about losing weight as we get older. Thought it would be great info for people that are struggling these days.

While time may adorn you with new lines on your face, a new color hair (gray) and a new waistline, the passing decades are not to blame for all of the changes in your body.

Your eating habits, your attitude and your approach to everyday experiences also play key roles.

As we age, our bodies lose muscle and gain fat. Our nutritional needs change, as well. But you don’t necessarily feel these changes on a daily basis.

Metabolism gradually slows each decade after age 20, so it’s not as if you suddenly wake up 10 pounds heavier. It creeps up slowly. Fortunately, you do have some control over your changing body and slowing metabolism.

Watch this Fat Burning Furnace video for 3 great weight loss tips

Some strategies to help you avoid a midlife diet crisis:

Shave Your Portion Sizes

The average woman needs about 100 fewer daily calories at age 40 than at 20.

While there’s no need to give up your favorite foods, it’s easier to keep calories in check by using “snack-pack” sizes as a guide. To avoid gain it’s important that you eat enough high-quality protein such as lean meat, poultry and fish, but not too much.

For women over age 25, the recommended allowance for protein is 50 grams a day. A piece of chicken the size of a deck of cards is 21 grams of protein. A cup of skim milk has around 8 grams and 1/3 cup of beans is 5 grams.

Give Your Brain A Boost

If you’re forgetting things more than ever, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your brain is deteriorating. You may be overtired or dealing with an overloaded schedule.

As you try to lighten your calorie intake, don’t skip meals, however. Keep your brain sharp by consuming by consuming a bouquet of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.

Choose deeply colored produce such as sweet potatoes, strawberries and blueberries, as well as, dark green leafy vegetables such as kale.

There are powerful antioxidants in some white foods, too, such as cauliflower, onions and garlic. The bottom line is: Eat more fruits and vegetables for your brain and body.

Do A Balancing Act

A recent published study from Columbia University Medical Center found that increased levels of blood sugar were correlated to decreased mental sharpness.

Keep your blood sugar balanced by combining: almond butter with whole grain crackers; low-fat or part-skim cheese and whole grain bread; hummus and fresh veggies; or whole grain cereal and skim milk.

A container of low-fat, low-sugar yogurt is a good protein-carb combination. These combos will also curb your appetite and help with loss.

Make A Deposit In The Bone Bank

At least 28 million older Americans have osteoporosis and low bone mass. If you haven’t had your Vitamin D level checked, be sure to ask your physician to take this simple blood test at your next exam.

The dynamic duo of vitamin D and calcium helps to strengthen your bones to prevent this crippling disease, so be sure to get 1,500 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D, preferably from food sources such as skim milk and yogurt or a combination of supplements.

The best bone-boosting foods are low-or non-fat dairy products. There’s also calcium in canned salmon with bones, broccoli and fortified soy milk and orange juice.

Try to choose products that have a high daily value (20 percent) for calcium. You can find calcium values on the nutrition facts panel.

Women aged 65 and older should get a non-invasive bone density test.

Drink From The Fountain Of Youth

One of the simplest things you can do for your body is to drink plenty of water. Water will moisturize your skin and help it stay clear, smooth and younger looking, while also flushing out the body’s toxins.

Decaffeinated green tea is soothing and high in antioxidants which help boost metabolism. Caffeinated beverages stimulate your metabolic system, but can have a dehydrating effect on your skin.

Other skin pleasers include salmon, berries, oranges, skim milk, sweet potatoes and carrots and lots of sleep.

Have A Birthday Party

‘Life begins at 40,’ my mother said as she entered her fourth decade. I was only 8-years-old at that time, but I remember exactly how I felt: ‘Wow, she’s old.’

Now, as I’m about to turn 54, I naturally hold a completely different opinion when it comes to the inevitable process of aging.

Although the years are increasing, they’re just numbers. If you are able to stay healthy, physically and emotionally, you’ll have good reason to celebrate, no matter how many candles you have to blow out.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D., is a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and control expert in New York City.

Share this so your friends can see it too!

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on Fitness

Here is an article from The Salt Lake City Daily Herald. I am including it as it does show the way that METs which are a calculation of workout based on oxygen consumption.

Disheartened by a failed marriage and years of gain, Ellen Bowden decided to turn to a personal trainer to help reshape her body and lifestyle.

Since January, the 47-year-old Salt Lake City court mediator has lost 11 percent body fat, shed about 25 pounds, improved her diet, quit smoking and toned up under the guidance of Michael Streeter at the 24 Hour Fitness center in Sugar House.

Streeter designed an exercise program for Bowden using the Karvonen formula, which calculates a person’s target heart rate by a person’s age and pulse. Three or four days a week, Bowden hits her rate of 144 on the elliptical machine.

According to new research on women and fitness, she also should be able to reach about 8.5 METs — but that means little to her.

What are METs?

MET stands for metabolic equivalents. It is displayed on most elliptical trainers, treadmills, and other cardiovascular exercise machines, and is a measure of a capacity for exercise based on the level of oxygen a person is consuming. A Chicago study published in The New England Journal of Medicine earlier this month — which provides the first fitness guidelines based on research on women — used METS as its measure.

A Chicago study published in The New England Journal of Medicine earlier this month — which provides the first fitness guidelines based on research on women — used METS as its measure.

Cardiologist Martha Gulati and a team of researchers at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center studied nearly 6,000 women during 10 years beginning in 1992 to gather their data. Gulati said cardiologists have used MET levels as part of cardiac treadmill tests for years, and she believes METs will become mainstream.

“I don’t think it’s at all complicated,” she said. “A lot of people work out on the treadmill, and most of the cardio machines have on (them) how many METs you are going. It’s a question of understanding what that means.”

Moderate walking burns 3 to 6 METs per minute. According to Gulati’s research, a fit 40-year-old woman should be able to reach 9.5 METs while exercising, while an 80-year-old woman should be able to hit 5.

Experts Like Using METs to Rate Fitness

Frank Yanowitz, medical director of The Fitness Institute at LDS Hospital, said METs can help people understand how fit — or unfit — they are.

“Where METs are a little more useful is in the testing environment, when we’re trying to assess one’s fitness level on a treadmill,” he said. “If we can define a low-fit subgroup of people, that information is useful in motivating a person to start an exercise program, and it shows that they may be more prone to diseases.”

Bowden and Streeter are skeptical.

“When I first came in, if Michael had sat here and calculated my target MET level, I would have been completely overwhelmed,” Bowden said. “It would have been very discouraging.”

Streeter adds: “I’ve been doing this for four years, and I didn’t even know what a MET was. I don’t want to invest the time in learning about it because I know what works.”

Ashley Jensen, an aerobics instructor and personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness, agrees the MET standard is hard to convey to clients. They more easily understand heart rates and calories burned.

“If you’re talking about women, we are moms, we work and we are so busy we don’t have time for a confusing chart,” Jensen said.

Melissa Walred, manager of Ladies Workout Express in Sandy, pushes her clients to work out for at least 30 minutes at the highest exertion level they can handle.

“People like stuff simple,” she said. “We have a lot of clients with diabetes and high blood pressure, and they’re not interested in something so complicated.”

But Mike Young, the personal training director at XCel Spa and Fitness in Holladay, finds the MET system useful.

“For clients who want a high intensity workout, I will tell them they want to reach 10 to 12 METs,” he said. “It’s not that hard if you understand it, but most members and even a lot of trainers may not know about it.”

METs can be Very Visual

Working out on an elliptical trainer, Marci King could see that she was hitting 14.6 METs, well above her target fitness rate. The active 31-year-old was the rare exception, however, in understanding METs, which she learned about at the University of Utah while studying exercise and sports science.

“Sometimes it’s easier to gauge how hard you are working by looking at MET than heart rate,” she said. “And I think it’s good for interval training.”

Across the gym walking briskly on a treadmill, Stephanie Christian, 27, said she never looks at her MET level.

“I think most people look at minutes or calories burned,” she said. “I knew MET had something to do with oxygen, but I wasn’t sure what it meant.”

Carey Hamilton is a reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune. This story first appeared in the Tribune on Aug. 23, 2005.

Share this so your friends can see it too!

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on Fitness