Hopefully you have taken some time to “prepare” for your healthy start to 2009 with the Resolution Roadmap: Day 1 post. At this point, you should be in the right mindset to start moving forward and making progress. Remember, this Roadmap is meant to help you make smaller changes over a few weeks so that by the end of December, you are ready to start 2009 with a bang.
As a recap, for day 1 I asked that you get into the right mindset both nutritionally and physically. Nutritionally, you should stop thinking about diets (and dieting) and instead, focus on the choice of a new lifestyle. Further, you should focus on the qualitative changes to come versus your weight. Fitness wise, you should start visualizing yourself as you want to look and feel, listing out your favorite activities, budgeting for a fitness program, and researching your options.
As we kick into week 1 of the roadmap, we want to start making some minor changes that will help you as you make some of the harder changes to come. Here are your Week 1 to-dos:
Nutrition: Laying the Foundation. Preparing yourself for a new way of eating is important so that when you start making bigger changes, they don’t feel so extreme. At this time, you want to do what it takes to ensure you are covering the basics.
- Drink lots of water: Although some may argue how much water you really need, water is definitely undervalued when trying to eat healthy. Your goal should be to drink your body weight x .66 per day in ounces. First off, water helps to keep you hydrated. It also helps to keep your digestive tract moving along, which will help you be more regular. Lastly, it helps to keep you full so that you don’t confuse hunger for thirst.
- Eat breakfast. If you aren’t already eating breakfast, start. It should be a balanced meal that integrates carbohydrates and proteins and be low in fat. Whole grain cereal with low-fat or skim milk is a good option. Egg whites or an egg white omelette with whole grain bread is even better. And, a yogurt parfait is always a yummy way to start the day.
- Eat 5 to 6 times a day. Eating smaller portions and more often will boost your metabolism. It will also prevent you from being really hungry really quickly. As a result, try to eat smaller breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and eat a snack between your meals so that you are eating every three hours or so.
- Educate yourself. Do your homework in understanding basics of healthy nutrition. Sheer Balance provides a lot of good, solid, basic information. Learn why fat, protein, and carbohydrates are all important to a healthy diet. Learn about essential vitamins and minerals. Understand what they do and why they are important. Also take some time to start learning how to read nutrition labels.
- Multi-vitamin. Start taking a multi-vitamin. This will help ensure you are getting all the important vitamins and minerals you need every day
Fitness: Ease into it. If you are new to exercise, you need to make sure you don’t try to do too much all at once. Also, consult your doctor prior to starting any exercise regimen.
- Start slow. If you haven’t been exercising, start slow. The last thing you want to do is over do it and as a result, burn-out fast. If you have decided that a gym membership is going to be part of your program, try to go three times a week and spend about 20 to 30 minutes each day. If you are not using a gym, try walking, jogging, running, bike riding, or rollerblading. What is most important is that you are active for 20 to 30 minutes a day for three days a week.
