Sometimes planning can feel very overwhelming, but actually creating a plan and breaking things down into small manageable pieces is the best way to go.
There are several small steps that will help you reach your health and fitness goals and planning is number one. The first thing I want you to think about is when do you physically have the most energy – some people are morning people, some need to wake up a little, so late morning may be better for them and some people are night people. Once you figure that out then you need to figure out how you can make time for yourself during that time slot to fit in some physical activity. For me it’s either right after I roll out of bed and have a cup of coffee or on the weekends a few hours after my breakfast has had time to digest – so maybe 10 ish. Night time is when I have my lowest energy so if anything I plan a walk or something very low impact.
Now that you have figured out how to get some activity in we need to look at your food. When you eat, what you eat, and how much you eat. One of the keys is becoming aware of this and honestly it’s not that hard.
- When you eat. As you have heard the experts say over and over again – breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it is. Once upon a time I skipped breakfast all together and had to teach my body to be hungry in the morning. Maybe you can only stomach a few bites of toast with some peanut butter at first, but after a short time your body will start to crave fuel as soon as you wake up. Personally – I have low blood sugar so I am one of those people who have to eat every few hours, which for me is 3 full meals and two 150 cal snacks. This is just enough to keep me from getting so hungry between meals so that I don’t make bad choices.
- What you eat. Books have been written on this subject alone, but let me just give you the down and dirty… The truth is white processed foods have no business being in our diet – they have no nutritional value and spike our blood sugar-making us want to eat more. Check out my blog – We are what we eat.
- How much you eat. Your plate should be ¼ carbs (or about 1/3 of a cup), ¼ lean protein (or about 4 oz) and ½ vegetables and greens (2 or more cups). Check out my video on portion control.
Below are 4 pages from my health and fitness journal – (double-click for a larger view). First I talk about deciding or really wrapping your head around doing this – and writing intentions which is your map on how you are going to get things done.
Next I’ve added a sample meal plan and how you make your shopping list from that plan – In my journal there are 4 weeks – so you have 4 pages for meal plans and shopping list. And lastly – your daily to-do’s – (there is one page for each day of the week)
This is where you take your weekly plan and break it into manageable daily pieces:
- Plan your meals and what time you eat.
- Plan your water consumption.
- Plan what workout you are going to do that day or plan some relaxing time for yourself – (write about how you feel).
This is a great tool that I’d love to give to you – all you have to do is sign up for my Zero to Fitness Free report and I will send the pages for all 4 weeks at no charge – oh and the cherry on top is each day has a motivational quote.
When you sign up for my Free Zero to Fitness Report you will also receive my Health and Fitness Journal for a limited time. These two tools together will give you a solid foundation to start your personal health and fitness plan.
What is Zero to Fitness? This report includes 8 actions Anyone (yes YOU) Can Take Today to Reach your Desired Health and Fitness Level – cool right!!
Oh and one more thing – Want a daily fitness tip or challenge? Click here
Again – Thanks for reading!!
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