Tips From The Start Of The Journey

Story of my life

Depending on where you look, the failure rate of health improvement plans can be upwards of 95% (WTF!?). That means that out of 100 people who decide to take that first step, only 5 will maintain that plan. What do those 5 people know? How do they do it? What wonderful words of insight can they give?

I have asked as many people as I can, done some online research, and added my own insight into what I feel are the top 5 things that will help you to becoming one of the 5%! Here in no particular order is that list!

1. It’s dangerous to go alone 

(5 internet points for those of you who get the reference!)

Double internet reference!

This one is something that I feel is most often underestimated. No matter how much drive a person has, no matter how strong you feel, there will be times that you will want to give up. The main difference between the 5% who keep their lifestyle change and the 95% who so not, is that they are able to get past that wall. Many of them credit this to having others who they are able to use for support that are going through the same thing. This could be a spouse, friends, or even (and actually VERY common and helpful) co workers. If you set up a workout schedule with a partner you will keep each other in check (No skipping sessions!) and being able to push each other when you feel like giving up.

One of the best ways to get your workout/diet lifestyle kick started is to have a competition at work. My wife had competition at work where the prize was $100. Her whole office participated. They had check ins to keep people on track, and they supported each other through the process. It was a great launching point in her process. If you are not the competitive type, work with someone and set a prize at the end. Set a goal with your partner that you will put aside each dollar you would spend on fast food/soda (or whatever) and then once you reach the goal, use that money to go out to a movie, or to a show, or (as long as you've been good) a treat at a resturaunt. Having a partner who will remind you “If you don’t get the soda, we get to go to see Justin Timberlake that much sooner” (It doesn't have to be JT... actually it probably shouldn't, but you get the point!).

Your support system can also be virtual. Find someone online who is going through the same thing/motivates you to continue on with a good goal, healthy outlook, and positive support for your choices. For me personally, I have found a great inspiration in Meghan Tonjes (Facebook or Youtube (vlog) or Website) She is a musical artist who is also going through her own weight loss process and also has some of the best outlooks on body image and supporting yourself.

2. Start off slow (life change foreplay?)

Turn the page, wash your hands, turn the page, wash your hands

Most of us at this point know people who have (or have tried) to quit smoking. My best friends, both of my parents and both of my brothers have gone through that process. The ones that have quit and have not started up again have one thing in common: They did NOT stop cold turkey. Change is hard and big changes are even harder. If you ever met a person who decides to quit smoking cold turkey (and by that I mean they decide one morning that they are not picking up another cigarette) it isn’t long before they look like this:

This is also how I look after a day at daycare

You need to take any changes one step at a time. Every time before that I start out trying to exercise, I would say something similar to “I’m going to get up every morning at 5 am and take Zuko (thats my dog) for a walk.” That sounds great and all but it never works. I was trying to quit a bad life style cold turkey (mmmm.... cold turkey.... DAMN IT!). Like my best friend who set easy milestones of smoking one less cigarette every 3 days he was able to stop because it was easier. Each time it got a little harder, he was able to adjust for the small change (waiting 45 minutes between smoke breaks instead of 30) as they came so he never felt overwhelmed. That’s what diet and exercise needs to be like. Instead of eating only salads and running an hour with the dog, I’m going to start by not cutting anything out of my diet yet, but start by always including at least a small salad. Once that becomes easy, I make the salad bigger and the fatty meats/cheeses smaller and so on.

3. Distract yourself

Subtle, yet effective!

Full disclosure: This one is a completely personal recommendation. For this one I will turn to the wonderful mind of Einstein and his theory of relativity:

Imagine how fast if would go if you sit on a hot girl!

If I want to go on a walk/run for 40 minutes and I bring Zuko and just walk, that 40 minutes feels like a lifetime. Zuko is fun and all but lets be honest, walking a dog  is not that exciting. However, if I hop on a treadmill and play an episode of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report my workout will be done in a heart beat. Whatever your distraction is, find it, use it, love it! If I don’t have shows to watch, I will start blaring some Pandora.

Side Note: I would tell you to be wise with what you pick for music. Keep it up beat. For me this may be 90 alternative, rap, or death metal. (Honestly, death metal is music that if you like it, will keep you going FOREVER!)

If you are going with a friend, then see if there is music you can share. Also, if their is a trivia show you can watch, that makes the time go even faster! You and your group can compete with the trivia which will keep you even more distracted allowing you to go further!

4. MAKE IT RAIN!

Water Helen, WATER!

This one seems like a no brainer but it is the single thing that people tend to let fall to the wayside during the struggle of diet and exercise. Not only is water... you know.... needed for life, it is one of the easiest ways to help curb hunger, and reduce fatigue. It’s very hard for me because, like most americans, I have a strong desire for sweet and flavor. Water seems bland to me. The way I get around this is with a few tips:

A. I chug a glass of water right when I wake up.This makes sure I can start proper hydration in the morning and get at least a glass of plain water a day. This also helps slightly reduce my appetite for breakfast (don’t skip but make is small)
B. Mio and Crystal Light will save your life! Just a packet of CL or a squirt of Mio can take a big glass of boring, dull water and splash it up enough to not only make the water palatable, but enjoyable without losing the benefits of water (like adding a bunch or sugar). I have also grown up on kool-aid and still enjoy it but have slowly reduced the amount of sugar that I use to almost 1/2 the amount without losing the flavor.
C. Keep a million (yes, LITERALLY a MILLION) bottles of water around, everywhere that you are, so that it is the easiest thing to shove in your face. (or always have a big, full bottle with you). I am a bored eater/drinker. I may not be hungry but if I’m not doing anything, I will eat or drink something. If I put water within reach then i can use that to fill that urge rather than a soda or chips.

5. Give yourself a designated day/time/meal to indulge in unhealthy things.

This post brought to you by the letter D'AWWWWWWWW!

All things in moderation. When asked why people stopped dieting, many people said “Because I missed X too much.”  This is actually one of the best aspects about the Weight Watchers program that I've seen. They tell you that there is nothing in their program that is restricted. However, you can’t sit down and eat a bowl of ice cream every night. If you are not going to use a program like Weight Watchers (which I've heard good things about) then at least make sure you give yourself the opportunity to indulge once in a while.

DON'T CALL IT CHEATING! If you call it cheating, you immediately make it bad each time you do it, and eventually you'll stop feeling bad and do it more, and more, and more until you “cheat” more than not. Think of it like drinking alcohol. In the US we ban it until 21 and we see huge amounts of binging and alcohol abuse at or before that age. In other countries where drinking is not “cheating” but is something that you are allowed to do, there is less abuse of it. Same thing with food. If you let yourself off your leash on Saturday nights so you don’t need to worry about things when out with friends, you will be less likely to do it on a random Tuesday night when you are bored.

I would love to hear your comments below. Do these make sense? Am I missing something? What has worked for you? Remember to comment, subscribe, and follow me at these other places:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GuppyBOT

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuppyBackOnTrack

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GuppyBackOnTrack/

The Tip Master

~Guppy

P.S. Bonus Nerd Tip!

For my nerd/gamer friends, set up a leveling up/experience table for getting healthy. Start at level 1 with 0 experience and make a table for the healthy things you want to do. For example, get 5 experience for drinking 5 glasses of water in a day, 20 experience for working out for 45 minutes. Find good leveling milestones and leveling bonuses. If people are interested I could whip up a character sheet/experience table if people are interested. Comment below if you want this stuff!

As always, thanks to my reviews/editor HK and ED for their great input.