It's just that a lot
of the health issues that we face today are because of obesity. Diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure, even
certain types of cancer. And we know
that obesity makes it hard on your joints.
Obesity is the #1 preventable problem facing Americans
today. And notice the
"preventable" part of that. We
can do something about it.
Throughout time, there have been more diets than...well, you
can imagine or I can describe. I've
looked at many of them. The Adkins
diet. The Watermelon diet. Paleo.
South Beach. The detox diet. The grapefruit diet.
But the main conclusion that I've reached is that the
simpler the weight loss program, the more likely it will be that you will stick
with it. That the easier it is to live
with, the less self-control that you will have to use That the better you stick with it, the more
effective it will be.
So I've adopted a very simple plan that most people can
follow. A path, if you will, to better
health. I believe that you need to look at doing two
things: Exercising every day and
eliminating that one "worst" thing from your diet.
That every day exercise thing is important and is probably
the most daunting aspect about this whole concept. Studies distributed by the American College
of Sports Medicine have indicated that to achieve fitness, you should exercise
at least 4 times a week.
Notice the "at least" part of that. I don't believe that is enough. If your exercise is going to affect your
metabolism (and it can in very important and profound ways), you've got to do
it every day.
The exercise doesn't have to be vigorous but you do need to
do it every day. Walking is a great
start but you'll find that if you do it daily, pretty soon it won't be
enough. Swimming is great if you've got
access to a pool. Most people know of my
love for everything bicycling and CrossFit.
You've just got to find something that you can stick
with. I would suggest that it should be
several "somethings."
Strength training should definitely be in there part of the time. Interval training and cardio are important
too. But if you don't do something that
you find fun, you won't be able to sustain it.
And I can tell you from years of experience in working with
people pursuing fitness, you've got to sustain it. You've got to be in for the long haul. A commitment to the lifestyle change that this
requires is not something you can do for 6 months, see great gains, then move
on to something else.
You have to build it into your daily schedule. If it's Tuesday, it must be cardio day, or
something like that. Have a plan and
then stick with it until it doesn't work anymore and then change it. It helps to have exercise partners. Being accountable to anyone makes it harder
to miss a workout.
And the best time to exercise is in the morning. Even light exercise will change your
metabolism (for the good), with the net result being that you burn more
calories the rest of the day (another good thing).
The other part:
remove that one worst part of your diet.
Not everything, just the worst thing.
I used to have a secretary that brought a 65 ounce jug of soda
to work every day. And she refilled it
at least once every day. She didn't
really have a weight problem but she had a lot of health problems that were
likely the result of all that sugar.
What is that one bad thing for you? Identify it and cut it out. It really is that simple. No wholesale changes to your diet and
definitely no "diet" to follow nor calories to count.
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