Fit Tip Tuesday: Your Perfect Body Secret 5: Habits

As I discussed last week (and the week before) in this 6 part series, most people ("trainers" included)  are so focused on the newest diet or the latest exercise trend that most  (if not all) have lost all grip on reality when it comes to the science and how's/why's of an effective nutrition or exercise program and certainly all grip on incorporating healthy habits in their life.  If you missed  Secret 4: How To Get better results in less time you can read it HERE Today, I will cover component #5 BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION - A healthy body starts with healthy habits

I know "habits" may seem obvious but, it's right up there with portion control as to reasons people don't reach their fitness goals and stay there.Weight is a symptom of lifestyle, PERIOD

Simply put, dieting, eliminating entire food groups, improper portion sizes, diet foods full of artificial sweeteners and preservatives, starving yourself, living off of packaged foods, bars and drinks, taking pills and working out 5 days a week for a few months only to quit are NOT healthy habits.

Eating a well balanced diet that includes mostly whole foods with a touch of your favorite "junk food" , working out 2 or 3 hours a week for life, taking quality supplements and drinking water more and soda or sugared drinks less, scheduling workouts in your planner along with other important activities, hitting the outside aisles of the grocery store and pre planning/preparing your food are healthy habits.

The key to success here is to go slow. This is where most "diets" and "programs" fail.  They expect you to change every aspect of your life, all at once.

If you drink 0 water, haven't worked out in months (or years), drink a gallon of soda a day and eat a fruit or vegetable a few times a week, start slow and aim for moderate changes doing a little more each week.

Try this:

If you are wearing a watch, take it off, and put it on your other arm. If you don't wear a watch  switch the side you put your purse or wallet on. I don't wear a watch but I carry my bag to all of our camps and in home clients and I can tell you switching it to the other side was harder than running a marathon.

How does that feel? Is it driving you nuts?I know the first week or so, I kept  having to catch myself slinging my bag onto my right shoulder on auto pilot.

Why is that? It still weighs the same. It still tells time. Everything is the same except what arm it is on or the pocket it's in.

It's because it is out of your routine.

That is why any time it seems like you focus on really eating healthier, your workouts seem to suffer. Or vice versa.  Or worse, when you focus on either one, the rest of your life suffers. How many times have you finally gotten  in the groove with your workouts and you just can't seem to eat healthy or you've gotten the workouts and food plan down but to the detriment of everything else?

It happens to a lot of people which is why most people quit! You've exhausted your will power supply. 

Think about how much you use your will power throughout the day.

All the things that you do in every day life, but don't like doing take away will power. It's why so many people that have jobs they hate, can't seem to exercise and eat right. Their job has taken every bit of will power they have just to get through the day!

Back to the watch exercise. That is why it is so important to take on one habit at a time. 

If you were to wear your watch on the opposite arm for a few weeks, it would eventually feel more natural to you. Just like exercise can begin to feel like just another part of your day when it becomes a habit.

Eating healthy feels great once you make it a habit! But it feels very unnatural in the beginning.

Rather than trying to take over the world in one month, just stick to one new habit a month. Once that becomes a part of your life, then you can look to add more habits.

Here is my free gift to you to help you develop healthier habits. Previously only available as part of the "Ultimate Belly Blast Program" , you can now grab a free copy of  my revolutionary "7 Day Fat Loss Blue Print" HERE

In Health,

Dianne Villano ,MExPhys, NASM certified ,  Your Personal Body Sculpting Expert
Custom Bodies
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