Right!
Well, right if you go about it the same way you probably did last year.
Let me guess, you’ve tried it all – counting points, red and green days, the blood type diet, the calorie controlled diet, light weights to ‘tone up’, atkins, jogging, home exercise dvds, starving yourself, drinking shakes, going to the gym, sweating it out in one of them scrunchy vests, those vibrating plates that promise the earth….and all of them making you go round and round in circles, losing the same 10lbs/20lbs over and over again.
Anyway – we know what HASN’T worked – but why? I mean, when you read it, it all sounds perfectly reasonable to say that eat less and do more will get you the body that you want – won’t it??
Maybe not. Otherwise we’d all have the body of our dreams wouldn’t we.
I’m not going to bore you now with the why’s and the boring sciencey bit (unless you want to know in which case email me!) Instead i’m going to tell you exactly HOW to get a great start to 2010 – way ahead of all your workmates who are gonna have the ‘groundhog day’ effect – the same weight to lose, the same way of doing it.
Your 5 HONEST steps to guaranteed fat loss sucess….. Warning – it might not be what you want to hear!
No 1 – YOU CANT OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET!!
Yep, I did write in caps on purpose because it needs to be said LOUD!!
To stop you going round and round and round in those same circles over again you need to be following the simplest yet brilliantly effective nutritional plans, guaranteed to get rid of those sugar cravings that just take over your body, stop you falling asleep at your desk at 2pm, clear your skin and oh yes have that body fat dropping off you. It’s also a plan you can then maintain permanently – not a quick fix ‘diet’ Wouldnt it be wonderful to feel well & healthy without being bloated rather than deprived tetchy and sad?
No 2 – You Need to do some resistance training!
Don’t be scared of those weights girls! No they will not make you bulk up, No they will not give you great big guns and No NO NO they will not make you look anything like a man. I Promise.
The main reason you hear women saying “oh i dont do weights because I bulk up” is because they were eating rubbish on top of training (gaining some muscle AND some body fat) You don't even need any weights to get a super effective and fast workout - your bodyweight will do just fine!
Lean muscle tissue increases your body’s metabolism (they powerhouse that burns calories all day) the more lean muscle you have, the more powerful you body is a burning calories long after you’ve finished training. Women in general do not have enough of the growth hormone (testosterone) in their body to make massive gains in muscle size very easily – and those women that do ‘get big’ on purpose work extremely hard at getting there and are very very strict on themselves to achieve that. So don’t worry!!
No 3 - Goals – Knowing what you want and what you’re willing to do…
It’s not just as simple as saying ‘oh i want to lose weight & tone up.’ YAWN.
Think about yourself and the people that you know who said that this time last year – ok ure some of them might have done it – but who’s really made a huge impact on their health, fitness and shape this year?? What about all the people you met in Januray at the gym this year?
Having a clear idea of what you want an knowing the price (not just the money – will it cost your time, patience and willpower?) ad being prepared to take this on will get you much further in your mission that a fluffy non descriptive aim. Be specific.
No 4 – The Most Underrated of all…..Go to sleep!
Yes I know it sounds like something your mum would tell you to do, but going to bed at a reasponable time really does have an effect on your fat loss mission. Your body recovers when it sleeps, and needs that time to repair. Not only that but getting to bed by 10.30pm for 5 nights a week will help keep your hormonal system in check. No matter what your lifestyle is like (whether it’s being a busy mum, working shifts or frequently staying up late on facebook!) your body hasn’t evolved much in the sleep sense, as in it wants to be recovering during those dark hours. I used to think I was superwoman…doing 3 years of shift work with not much sleep…but i also spent 3 years like a zombie, unable to function without a morning cuppa and an impossible sugar addiction to keep me awake on night shifts but that kept me awake all night when needing to get to work for 6am!
No 5 – Having the backup of others
To stop you making ‘pie crust promises’ to yourself (in the words of mary poppins – easily made, easily broken) every year, it helps to have someone to be accountable to. Whether it means you telling your friends, family or workmates, or whether it’s joining a professionally run service like fitcamp or personal training it gives you the accountability factor & you’ll have the knowledge that someone else is helping you to look out for yourself and keep you on track 
Here’s my 5 super easy to follow rules for getting a head start on those without a plan this new year…
1) Re visit your nutritional rules – you can download a free copy of the Elimination Diet, written by the London's most prestigous personal trainer, Dax Moy click here to go visit the website and download your copy – it’s super simple and works every time to get you clean and lean from the inside out!
2) If you have a gym membership – visit the free weights area – it’s not scary once you have a plan to follow. If you dont fancy the weights just yet then get some decent bodyweight training in. Click here for a free bodyweight training video I filmed to get you started. It’s actually what my last group on the drop a dress size fitcamp used for their week 1 homework. Repeat it twice if you can manage it – workout done dusted and you’ll most definetly get sweaty in less than 20 mins.
3) Don’t make new years resolutions….Make yourself a new journey! Write yourself a list of things you want to achieve. They don’t all have to be fitness or health related – keep them somewhere handy and look at the list every day to remind yourself what you want to be this time next year. Or even this time next month. Just be really specific on what you want and how you’re gonna do it.
4) Get to bed by 10.30pm at least 5 nights a week. If this seems too much as you’;re currently going to bed at 1/2am then slowly wean yourself back in to a sensible time….12.oo, 11.30, 11, 1030…. It’s lovely to get up feeling awake and refreshed, rather than tired and miserable.
5) Surround yourself with positive people…not energy vampires. You know, those people who tell you that you’ll never stick to this or that’s a stupid idea or why not just have another biscuit. Avoid them like the plague, or if you can’t avoid them just dont listen to them. Smile sweetly knowing you’re changing your health and your body for the better and they can keep their moaning minnie attitude. Being more positive will attract you to more positive people naturally – whether they are at the same class, fitcamp, exercise class or close friends/family – these ones are ones to keep hold of
So thats it! All you gotta do is follow the simple rules for a fab start to 2010!
Happy New Year
Jenni x
