The Get REAL Guide to Health and Fitness

Free Preview Get REAL Note: The big “ah-hah moment” came when I realized that there needed to be a more obtainable entry point into health and fitness improvement. I found that starting small, at less than what “experts” say is optimal, made it easier to stick to my plan and actually see improvement. Seems too simple, I know—but confidence gained from sticking with something and having success propels you to add more healthy habits. Small changes, consistently and slowly done, actually work! This goes against the severe all-or-nothing mentality that I fight daily. I have lost and gained over thirty pounds at a time. It is a struggle I will always have. But I have a choice. I have learned how to gradually change my thinking and my habits. I now understand the value of appreciating my situation and changing as my needs change. I must fight to avoid those all-or-nothing patterns—it is a daily choice. You have a choice too. Because of thought shifting, reframing, and purposeful living, you have the ability to greatly improve your fitness and total wellness, not to mention increase personal fulfillment… It became clear that many people were looking for ways to get healthier and for something to motivate and keep them on track. I saw a need to help people from different backgrounds and fitness levels find a way to get healthier and stay healthy, all the while living their normal REAL life. The Internet, bookstores, and TV are full of information about what to do and how to do it. That is the problem—information overload! Who has time to sort through that pile of information? It can be so overwhelming that some people give up before they even start. After a while, people stop listening to the advice available. It becomes like the teacher in the Peanuts cartoons: “wah, wah, wah.” They tune it out because they are simply not motivated enough to deal with it. I have come to understand that the phrase “I don’t have time” really means “I just don’t want to that badly.” Because the truth is, you will figure out away to do the things you really want to do. It is imperative that you discover what will work for you, not copy what someone else has done. This requires some self-discovery. You will use what you learn about yourself to formulate your own Personal Wellness Plan. I will walk you through the basic steps. Each step is a rung on the ladder of your life. You step up one rung at a time until you reach your goal. You don’t jump from the bottom to the top in one massive leap (crash scenario). This is a process. You did not suddenly wake up one morning in your current shape. It has evolved from comfortable patterns. This guide is designed to address what got you here in the first place. You will use that information to begin mapping out your own journey forward. Living a healthy lifestyle needs to become something you enjoy, look forward to, and live on a daily basis! Not a short-term fix, something to dread, or a painful sacrifice. You have time—use it! Living healthy, happy, and fit always requires something of you. Creating your own Personal Wellness Plan is good place to start. But as noted earlier, any plan is only as good as your willingness to actually do it regularly. You will only get from your efforts what you put into them. Think—no investment, no return! This investment will reap big dividends, empowering you to enjoy your crazy, busy, and unique life. Guilt serves as a self-imposed prison for people with good intentions to check themselves into. This happens when they fail to meet the standards they have set for themselves. Well-meaning people—forgetting they are human—hold themselves back when they check into the “prison of guilt.” Guilt sends you rushing back to the coping behaviors that got you where you are in the first place. Do not let guilt or shame make you a prisoner. This personal acceptance is another key to unlock your potential, and it allows you the freedom to explore who you were meant to be, to find your passionate purpose. You hold this key too. Choose to turn it and set yourself free from the guilt-dread-inaction cycle. Remember that how and what you think—your internal dialogue—will impact your overall success. Successful people do not suffer from the catch-22 of guilt leading to lack of progress. They don’t let what they should have done hold them back. To succeed, you must learn to accept that you are human and you will make choices that, in hindsight, you will wish you could change. When you begin to accept that you are okay—even better than okay— just as you are, you will empower yourself to succeed at making any changes that you choose. There is not one plan that is perfect for everyone. This book puts you in the driver’s seat. It gives you all the information you need to create a REAL plan that will work for you. I identified the main reasons I have found that REAL people struggle, and I addressed those issues. I wanted to take the knowledge I have gained through research, trial and error, and working with everyday people to compile an easy-to-read and easy-to understand guide. I have used that information, plus what I give to my personal training clients, to develop this guide. I realized that REAL people need an encouraging resource–one that is short, easy to understand, basic, and comprehensive. That is what I have set out to do. If you choose to follow this guide, you will be able to customize your own unique plan. A plan for life—an enjoyable REAL life! Get REAL Bottom Line: Living a healthy lifestyle involves having a plan and living purposefully