Every day is a new day
Wow! You made it through January! Ok, now is when it can get tough… For those of you on track with your goals – congratulations! For those of you that are struggling to stay in the game, or possibly have given up – hang in there.
Studies have shown that most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second Friday of January. The day has been dubbed “Quitters Day.” As was mentioned last month, you don’t have to wait until January 1st to make changes in your life! Every day is a new day. Yes a bit cliché, but true, nonetheless. Whether or not you fell ‘victim’ to this unfortunately named day, don’t worry you can BEGIN (AGAIN) TODAY!
A common misconception I hear in our clinic is: “If I work out, I can eat (fill in the name of your ‘junk’ food).” Sadly, you cannot exercise your way out of a bad diet. In fact, you can completely sabotage your workout efforts by ‘cheating’ on your nutrition. You need to have both a good nutrition plan AND a good workout strategy.
So, what does a good workout strategy consist of? Glad you asked! Doing something that you enjoy doing is where you must begin. If you hate to run, then don’t! By finding an activity that you like, you are much more likely to keep at it during the tough days. Intensity is really the key, in my opinion.
DISCLAIMER ALERT – you should consult with your healthcare provider
before beginning a strenuous exercise program.
Now that the disclaimer has been issued, the intensity is the key! For most people beginning an exercise program, the goal is to lose weight. The exercise goal then is to burn fat. The best way to burn fat is to get the heart rate up to 90-100% of max – for a few seconds. Yes, you read that right – a few seconds. Done properly, this can get and keep your body in a fat-burning mode for up to 36 hours.
This means that you can lose weight while you sleep, but you have to do the work by exercising. No magic pills or creams, you have to personally move – and then the benefits will be obvious. There is obviously much more that can be said about this, but space here is limited. If you would like more information on some simple steps you can take to improve your fitness, visit our website (https://www.beavertonfamilychiropractic.com/events/) and join us for our “Back to Health Workshop” on fitness.
