Unstoppable Fitness Goals: Fat Loss, Muscle Gain – What Winter Blues?

I don’t know why the post Christmas winter months can leave us feeling blue but they always seem to have that effect. Well, whether your woes are financial, caused by the weather, or possibly a broken New Year’s resolution, it’s time to defeat those blues, bust some stress and achieve your health and fitness goals for the Spring and Summer of 2010! If you’re hell bent on getting those abs in shape for a scorching summer then read on!

Exercise Eases the Way

We have all heard about the ‘Runner’s High’ and Endorphins; Nature’s ecstasy for those who exercise. I always feel better for having got my heart rate up and broken into a sweat. Some of it is physical (e.g. the release of endorphins) but I think an even bigger part of it is psychological. You feel great once you know you have done your bit for the day. If you are someone who struggles to exercise, you have to find your way of making exercise enjoyable. I believe that everybody can find happiness in physical activity somehow. It might be a certain sport, or maybe you need social support and should take part in a class. Whatever it is, you have to find it…and once you have, those goals will be coming your way!

Using the Power of Nutrients

We can all draw from the power of nutritious food to alter our mood and help us reach our fitness goals in less time. Vitamin C and Calcium for example, are known to help keep blood pressure from reaching high levels. I always try to keep frozen (mixed) berries in my freezer – that way they can be easily thrown into any smoothie, or breakfast. Another natural anti-stress food is oily fish. Make it your duty to eat oily fish at least once a week and you could be saying goodbye to that stress.

Mind Barriers – Try these Blues Busting Tips…

I think that key to succeeding with nutrition and exercise is the more fundamental point of mentality. You want to get both healthy nutrition and exercise right from day one or you might just be wasting your time and kissing your healthy results goodbye. Personally, I enjoy my food a lot and although I eat a healthy, clean diet 80% of the time, I like to indulge now and again. I know that this means I have to put in some serious exercise if I want to stay in shape though. I believe this is actually the hard way to do things because ultimately, you cannot out-exercise a bad diet. If you cannot (or do not want to) exercise more than 3 times per week then better to opt for cleaning up your diet. As I have already said though, you need to get the right mindset to sustain your health efforts. So here are a couple of tips to get in gear for a healthy 2010!

• Try to make a list of between 20-30 things you would like to achieve over the next month. You can split the list into the areas of your life e.g. fitness, social, nutrition and so on. Compartmentalising your goals can help you feel more in control of your life, and writing this list on a monthly basis should make it manageable. Every time you achieve a list item e.g. ‘Meet with friends at the cinema’, or ‘Complete 40 push ups’, strike it off. Any items remaining at the end of the month can be carried over to the next month. There is no need to feel like you have failed. There is always time to achieve your goals!

• Be wise about food availability – possibly the most important factor in keeping a healthy diet is to always have the healthy food readily to hand. Most people resort to less healthy foods because they are so accessible. A little bit of effort on your part and healthy food can be fast food in any hectic lifestyle. Prepare your healthy food in advance and keep stock levels high (i.e. always have fresh fruit and vegetables at the ready). Equally, if it isn’t in your house in the first place then you can’t eat it! If you don’t have very strong willpower, avoid the lethal step of bringing junk foods into your home.

Please share your blues busting tips with us all, maybe you have a super-food ingredient or use meditation? Lastly, good luck to everybody in achieving their goals for 2010 – remember, there is no better feeling than achieving a goal, no matter how big or small!

Related posts:

1. Sustainable Fat Loss and Fitness in the New Year
2. The Benefits of Group Exercise to Smash Your Fitness Goals With Others
3. See Sense: Kick Obsessive Fitness Habits and Nurture your Relationships
4. First Defence – How to stay out of the Colds this winter
5. Food: Body Fuel or a Life Joy?