Healthy Habits of the "Biggest Losers" (in lbs that is)

As I reflect on my time with clients who have reached their weight-loss and fitness goals I am in awe of their accomplishments. I look at them, at their work ethic, their determination and will-power and I am inspired to share with you some of the habits of these successful individuals. If you are struggling to lose the weight, gain the muscle, or run the 10K you have always wanted, here are a few tips from successful “losers” (weight only of course).

This might seem obvious but most people are afraid to push themselves too hard and I think that is because most people are afraid of failure. What if you try your hardest and that just isn’t enough? Well no matter what, when you are training and trying to get in shape, your hardest is ALWAYS enough. So what if your hardest is not as long or as strong as your friends or neighbors or that girl in class. So what if you need a chair and a five-minute rest after doing one-half of one pull-up. If you do not try your best you will never get better. Many people stop trying as soon as they feel the burn, or fatigue or the full effect of the resistance, but don’t let your head get in the way of what your body is capable of! I know that you know you are fully capable of pushing yourself farther, harder and longer, it is up to you to make the decision to give it everything you have.

Be realistic, it is essential to your success. Weight does not just fall off after your first workout session. Weight-loss, strength training, conditioning, it all takes a lot of time, a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and probably some tears. If you know this going into your fitness regimen then you are more likely to be successful. Most things  in life worth achieving do not come easily, so stick with it, know that your hard work will pay off in time, and don’t expect any over-night transformations.

So you cheated on your diet yesterday, so you only ran three-quarters of a mile instead of the full thing. be honest about your failures just as you would be honest about your achievements and then LET THEM GO! There is no sense in beating yourself up over the margarita you shared with friends last night. You are HUMAN! You like your tequila, there are worse things in the world. Yes you made a little mistake, so what? Twenty extra minutes in the gym this week and you have worked it off. Do not let your mistakes set you back! Move forward, learn from them and be kind to yourself! You are working hard, challenging your body, challenging your mind, and changing your lifestyle, so let yourself slip-up once in a while, everything will be just fine.

Everyone who works with me knows about my “workout calendars.” I like keeping records, it shows us where we have been, what we have done and where we need to go from there. Writing down your daily exercise is a great way to know where you are physically and what you are capable of. Having records of your workouts will let you know when it is time to step-it-up, slow it down, or push yourself to your limit. It helps keeps us balanced because sometimes we are not aware of how much we favor certain workouts over others until we are evaluating what we have written down for the month. Set goals for yourself, time your runs and your workouts, then try and beat those times next month. In addition to exercise calendars, the few women I know that have kept food calendars have been very successful in losing weight. Many women tell me that as soon as they start writing down what they are eating, they immediately started to make healthier decisions because they would have to hold themselves accountable and they did not want to explain that piece of chocolate cake at 2:00 AM.  You are the only person that can be in charge of YOU, so hold yourself accountable, set your standards high for yourself, and if you do this, you will NOT fail.

For more health and fitness tips visit: www.malibuhealthandfitness.com