Balance and goals
The important thing is to work out what you want and set a goal to help you achieve it. So the first question to ask yourself is: are you a healthy weight?
You can check your body mass index (BMI) on the NHS website to assess your weight in relation to your height.
Do the calculations
Boots – and many gyms across the country – offer scales combined with BMI calculators, where you jump on for a basic or advanced reading.
The advanced reading will include your BMI index and body fat percentage, so it should enable you to sit down and work out what you need to do next.
Some of you may find you’re underweight and need to put a bit of weight on to get healthier. Others may be a healthy weight but not happy with the way they look, which could mean a specific exercise plan helping you to tone specific muscles.
When you decide to lose weight, it should be more than just a short term thing. It’s all about re-evaluating the way you live, what you eat and how you exercise.
This is a total lifestyle change, and it has to be for good. Once you achieve your ideal weight, you still need to maintain it!
Baby steps
A good option is to have an overall goal (such as “I would like to lose 15kgs to become healthier and happier”) and lots of little baby goals. Concentrate on the first 5kgs, which should take about 4-5 weeks. After you lose the first 5kgs, reward yourself with a new item of clothing, a spa treatment or whatever appeals to you.
It’s not healthy to lose more than 2kgs a week, so don’t go overboard. You also need to rest and give your body time to recover after exercise (especially after weights, which should only be done every other day at most).
Exercise for free – Work out at work
If you sit at a desk for most of the day, keep active by getting up at least once an hour and do two laps of the office or building, or walk up and down the stairs a couple of times. Go to the kitchen for a drink and spend half your lunch time walking. Shoulder and leg exercises are also quite easy to do at your desk, as well as chair squats and abdominal stretching.
The website About.com has a great resource on exercising at work everything from basic stretches to full office workouts.
COST: Nothing!
Housework is good for you
Hate housework? Don’t. Combine housework with some loud rock music and go crazy. Rock music will help you put more effort and ‘umph’ into scrubbing/vacuuming/sweeping/wiping.
Another great exercise: when you’re carrying the shopping in, hold the bags in both hands at a 90 degree angle and then slightly lift them in towards your chest, hold and release. This helps to tone your biceps.
Change your eating habits
You’ll have a much easier time losing weight through exercise if you also watch what you eat.
However, remember that starving yourself will actually make the situation worse. If your stomach isn’t being fed properly the fats you do eat will store themselves because your body doesn’t know when you’ll be fed next. If you eat 500 calories less than your recommended daily amount, you can lose a healthy 0.5kgs a week.
Think of ways to cut down on the things that aren’t as healthy as others. For example, including ice in a glass of coke cuts out 70 calories, and switching from a cream-filled doughnut to a chocolate covered doughnut cuts 100 calories.
SAVINGS: Coke, doughnuts and ice cream are more expensive than water, bananas and crudités. Always look for an alternative!
