Get Motivated. Get Going.
Before starting on this life-changing journey, take a snapshot of your current health. Record the information so you can track your progress on a monthly or weekly basis. In addition to getting the go ahead from your medical doctor, it's a great idea to record your:
1. Weight. After you began your new healthy lifestyle, track how well you're doing by monitoring your weight. Some people weigh themselves daily, but that can lead to an eating disorder or weight obsession. Really, once a week should be enough. And don't overdo it with your weight loss goals. Studies show that losing as little as 10 pounds can do wonders for your health.
2. Resting Heart Rate. When you're out of shape, your heart does a lot of work to keep you going. An average resting heart rate is 72 beats per minute. But a body in bad shape normally has an elevated resting heart rate. Keep track of yours to see if it gets lower as you get healthier. The best time to check your pulse is in the morning after a night of peaceful sleep. Simply count how many times your heart beats per minute.
3. Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is the percentage of fat on a body. A BMI between 14 percent to 16 percent body fat is good for men. For women the numbers are slightly higher. A BMI between 20 percent to 22 percent body fat is good for women.
BMI is measurable in a number of ways. If you have money to spend, BMI monitors (also known as "fat loss monitors") are available from numerous online retailers. But free is good too, so here's a formula to manually find your BMI:
a. Multiply your current weight by 703.1 and divide by your height in inches. Divide by your height again to get your BMI.
4. Body Measurements (waist, arms, hips, and thighs). This is important because muscle takes up less space than fat - but muscle is also heavy. So after you've been exercising for awhile the scale numbers may remain high, but your body measurements will shrink. This means you've been doing a great job of burning fat and building muscle. Great!
More Articles
Introduction To Looking And Feeling Good
Related Products And FREE Videos
More Articles
Introduction To Looking And Feeling Good
... weight-loss without focusing on dieting. Well, the answer is simple: Dieting and weight-loss really have nothing to do with each other. Yes, you read that correctly. Just because you diet doesn't mean you'll lose weight. In fact, the opposite is true. Most people diet, lose weight, and then regain the ...
... we discussed earlier, deprivation doesn't work. It's the shortest route to a complete binge. You may even want to consider a cheat day. A cheat day is when you allow yourself one day to enjoy whatever you want. No guilt or shame allowed. But, and this is a big but, do not let a cheat day become an excuse ...
... Learn to read food labels so you'll always know what you're getting. The label will tell you what's in your food, and you can decide if it's worth putting in your body. 6. Keep healthy snacks at your job. The candy in the office vending machine sure looks scrumptious when you're hungry. Save your money ...
... weight loss. They think if one thing is good, then more of it will be better. They believe things like: If walking is great for losing weight, then running a marathon once-a-week will work wonders. If I can lose 5 pounds by eliminating 100 calories, then I'll eliminate 300 calories and lose weight even ...
... the intensity of your exercise, but consistency is also important. Any exercise is better than no exercise. So even if you can't do the exact workout you'd planned, try to fit in some form of physical activity - no matter how little. 3. Changing Your Routine Every Month. Nothing encourages burnout like ...