Here it goes: In a nutshell, most of us fall into two camps when it comes to meal prep. We either overthink it, or we don’t think about it all.

Overthinking is an easy trap to fall into…  there’s just SO much “stuff” on the internet, in magazines, and on social media with conflicting information. It’s nearly impossible to filter out all of the noise and to make an actual decision.

So you think about it, you think some more, and then before you know it, it’s time to eat and you still don’t have a plan.

Way too many people (I used to be one of them!) think that meal prep is all about identical-looking bland Tupperware meals (like chicken, sweet potato, and broccoli) and think, “Ugh… that’s not for me”!

That’s when a lot of us join the second camp: “put it off for next week” / or not thinking about prepping or planning meals at all.

There’s actually a happy middle ground! What if you took a few minutes to map out your meals and snacks for the next several days, and when you’re making diner, you cooked simply made 2-3x the amount you usually do’

That’s actually a golden tip from the good ol’ days of home ec class, our grandmothers and beyond!

I grew up with a single working mom and after a long day the last thing she wanted to do was cook dinner. Back then they didn’t call it meal prepping but she would make extras through out the week so she wouldn’t have to cook. 

You can double up by making extra turkey burgers, chili, stir fry, or … well, almost anything! It doesn’t just apply to “special” meals.

Taking this approach means you don’t have to set aside several hours of valuable weekend time to cook for the upcoming week. Instead, you spend your normal amount of time cooking … plus 5 to 10 minutes each week PLANNING your meals.

This seems like a no-brainer, but the PLANNING part of it makes all the difference, especially if you’re used to trying to figure out every night what you’re going to make for dinner.

And to help you tackle meal planning at another level, I’m going to share an AMAZING resource that I created just for you!  It’s a “Complete Guide to Meal Planning” where I’ll break down step-by-step how to plan your meals and set yourself up for success. 

It’s also loaded with game-changing recipes, tips, and strategies! 

Best of all, it’s free!  It’s my gift to you for being such a loyal reader of my blog. Want a new copy’ Grab it here 

The post Save HOURS with this simple meal prep trick appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Watch show

A New Approach to Weight Loss

We all have our own approaches to what the new year is going to bring us. So, what I wanted to talk about is what if we turn dieting on its head’ You’ve seen all the commercials just as much as I have, you’ve heard all the commercials, and it’s all about “give up”, “drop this”, “do that.” What if we stop focusing first on dramatically dropping our calories and dramatically upping our workouts’

For some people dropping calories and upping workouts, keeps people in that perpetual cycle of chasing skinny. You give up all the “bad” food you rely on willpower and then your willpower gives up, your motivation runs away and you find yourself on the couch with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Dublin Mudslide with a side of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Once you get out of your sugar coma you promise yourself that you will get back on to the “wagon” again. You’re going to go to the gym every day and hit up every class that so-and-so told you, will give you a tight butt. “The class that will give you six-pack abs.”  You are going hard, but you can’t sustain it because that’s not who you are, it’s too hard and you go back into that cycle. I’ve been in the fitness industry for over 15 years and I see it time and time again.  

The first Monday in January everyone comes in, ready to rock! I’ll tell you that by March 31st 20% of the those with fitness goals stick. The other  80%, I’m going to see them again NEXT January.

I don’t want that to be you.

No cold turkey

What if we took the two things that everyone says they need to start with – diet and exercise – and we put them on the back burner and “Instead of chasing skinny I want to chase lasting results.” And I know for many people lasting results come from having great habits, because if you’re not in the habit of working out, if you’re not in the habit of eating right that’s like trying to force someone who is a smoker to stop smoking cold turkey. Why would they have the patch and these other things if quitting smoking was just like, “Hey, I’m not going to smoke anymore” and they’re done’ That’s what you’re trying to do when it comes to diet and exercise.  You’re like, “I was having Big Macs and margaritas yesterday, and now I’m not going to salads and water.” 

Reboot your mind

What I want to say is if you’re tired of that reboot button, what if we started to focus on your mindset first’ Now, it isn’t sexy, not by any stroke of the imagination. But what I know is that when I

✅ clear out the cobwebs up in my head,

✅ clear out all of the negative self-talk,

✅ clear out all of the judgments that I have on myself,

✅ clear out all of the comparisons,

that’s when I’m going to start making some serious changes because I can’t outrun my mind.

But I know I can outrun the next person on the treadmill 😉, I can probably out-diet somebody, but I can’t outrun the coo-coo that lives in my head. And we all have that coo-coo that lives in our head it only seems to comes out when you’re trying to do something different. It’s that voice that say you shouldn’t even try. You suck, you’ve been done this road before and failed why try!

I always challenge my clients, and I tell them if I focus on my mindset the body is going to follow.

What happens is when you start with diet and exercise and you’re like, “This is great! This is awesome! I’m doing amazing!” But there is always going to be a roadblock, there is going to be a challenge that comes up and your mind is going to tell you, “You know girl, how many times are you going to go down this road’ How many times are you going to try’ How many times are you going to fail’ How many times are you going to make this perfect when it’s not perfect’ How many times are you going to be let down and disappointed'” That inner voice starts talking louder and louder. And even though you feel great you’re making progress, your mind can find a way to knock you down just like that.

The challenge: Start where you are

I want you to get away from the focus of how fast things are coming, because that’s one of the first things that always knocks people off track.

When it comes to starting down the path of mindset, please know that mindset isn’t one of these things like, “Oh, in 30 days I’m going to have a brand-new mindset.” that’s not how it works. Working with my clients I use the Arthur Ashe quote as my framework “Start where you are.”

Arthur Ashe Questions

I want you to sit down and just say, where am I’ When you start down the diet road, what are the obstacles that jump out at you first’ What are the excuses that you say about yourself’ How far down the path do you get before you get squirrely’ And by ‘squirrly’ I mean are you four weeks in before you start questioning, “Is this working’ Am I getting results'” When do you start to press the freak out button and start feeling like, “I’m not getting the results from my efforts”‘ At what point have you experienced that in the past’

These are the obstacles I want you to focus on.  “Here are my known obstacles, here are my known excuses” so that when they pop up you can start to build the toolkit to bust through all of the lies, all that malarkey and just be able to say, “You know what, it’s my mind trying to stop me from taking things to the next level. It’s my mind trying to keep me safe.” 

As humans we like certainty. We want to know that when I close my eyes at night the sun is going to rise. You want to know that there are 24 hours in a day.  As you go through each step of getting healthy and fit you want to know. “How am I going to react on each step'” This is where the work comes. And that’s why most people don’t want to do it; IT’S WORK. It’s not this “take this pill wake up in three days and you’re going to be down 40 pounds.”

Do the work

Trust me, my life would be so much easier if I said, “Take two of these and call me on Friday.” I wish, but that’s just not how it’s going to be. Here is where that inner work comes, and that’s where most of us slip up. It’s our society, we want to snap our fingers versus have to ride through the uncomfortable parts, the feeling of the unknown. But if you’re able to do that, trust me, on the other side is going to be the results that you want. It’s going to be what you want. It is going to be that blue sky. But you’ve got to go through the dark forest first in order to get to that blue sky.

Define your sustainable success

I want you to think about how you define success, I want you to break free of your past self. I don’t want you to be like, “Back in high school I weighed 138 pounds” and you’re now 40. It might happen, but let’s just break up with old high school you. Instead let’s say, “In the last five years I’ve weighed this.” Or, heck, throw the scale out and just say, “In the last five years I’ve been a size blah, and I want to go back to being that size.” Then, I want you to take it to the next level – in order to be that size, what are you willing to do long-term’

If you want to get down to a size 10, size 8, what am I willing to do’ Am I willing to do it for the next five years in order to get there’ Because a lot of times people get to that size and then they’re like, “I can do whatever I want now.” And then gradually they creep back up. I want you to think about whatever you chose it has to be sustainable, and that sustainability starts in your mind.

We are always going to be working on our mindset. As you knock down one barrier, another barrier is going to pop itself up. It’s just a constant building of that toolbox in order to get that bulletproof mindset that instead of wallowing for a couple of days you might wallow for a couple of hours or what used to take you out for days isn’t even a blimp on the radar anymore. I don’t want you to think that all of a sudden, you’re this bullet proof Wonder Woman, deflecting all of your obstacles and challenges. 

You’ve got to move

The second piece is MOVEMENT. Now, I’m not talking balls to the wall kind of workouts. I’m just talking moving your body. And if we think about it, in our society we don’t move as much as we used to move. 20 years ago – which was a short period of time – we walked a lot more. There weren’t remote controls, you cranked your window by hand – it was a luxury, an option that sometimes you decide you didn’t want to pay for to have power windows, so you cranked your windows.

And when you hear people say these little things like – “get more movement in your day, take the stairs. If you work in a corporate environment go to the bathroom the furthest from your desk.” All those little things add up, those are active daily living. Why do you think the Fitbits and the activity trackers are so popular’ It’s not because the Fitbit https://amzn.to/2AJxRqh is pretty; it’s because we don’t move.

I do a lot of work in corporate environments. I go in and teach group fitness classes in companies, and a lot of the companies over the last few years have adopted more standing desks because fidgeting, that’s movement, or pacing, that’s movement. While you are the standing desk, you’ll do more fidgeting than you would sitting in a chair.   Fidgeting burns 29% and 38% more calories than just sitting in a chair. Those little acts of daily living add up.

If you have a dog, you’re definitely going to be out at least two times a day with the dog. If it’s a puppy you’re out way more if you’re trying to potty train it. Little things that add up and you will get a lot of bang for your buck. 

Are you getting 10,000 steps’ And if you aren’t, what can you do to get those 10,000 steps’ I’m at 12,000 steps today, and some days I can hit 30,000 steps and some days I can hit 5,000 steps. It’s very telling about what kind of day I had with those two types of steps.

Enjoyment and satisfaction

After you get mindset and movement down THEN we can focus on food, and I know you want me or any fitness professional to hand you over a magic fat-burning, calorie-torching food list. Here’s the thing – when you work with me, I’m not that type of coach that says, “Okay Susie, here is the ‘don’t eat this’ list and here is your meal plan for this week, and here are the foods you can have.” I don’t do that because this is what I know – you are a grown ass woman and you know what to eat. You know that super sizing it out at McDonald’s isn’t exactly the best thing for you. You all know that. It’s just a matter of helping you to figure out what’s the best thing for you.

I call 3 Meal Planning — satiation, satisfaction, satiety

The first thing I always say to people is we have to focus on the type of meal that you’re eating. And so, what that means is, do you have satiation with that meal’ A big word to say do you feel full’ Do you feel like you’ve had enough’ Do you feel like you don’t need anymore’

Was your meal satisfying’ Did you enjoy it’ Enjoyment piece is not a physical thing,  my brain will tell me if what I just ate was satisfying.  My stomach can be stuffed, but my brain can say, “You know what, there are some cupcakes over there and I want one of those. I’m having one of those. It’s going down.” 

Eyes vs. Belly

And trust me, you’ve all been there. Think about it – you’re out to dinner and you’re like, “I’m so full, it was a great meal.” And then the waiter comes by, and restaurants knows that you eat with your eyes, they have a dessert tray that physically shows you a sample of dessert is versus handing you a piece of paper. Restaurants are smart.  I worked at a restaurant and we used to hand out a piece of paper. Then, we used to have one piece of the desserts on the cart, as soon as we started doing that I sold way more desserts than before. We get satisfied with our eyes even though our belly is like, “Oh girl, I can’t have no more”.

What I want you to focus on, as you’re putting together meals, I want your meals to feel satisfying and I want them to physically look satisfying. Why do you think restaurants spend so much time on the presentation of the meal’ Because if it looks pleasing to my eyes it’s going to feel pleasing to my belly. So, I want you to think about, “I want something that gives me that quick hit of fullness, then I want that fullness to last and not just a few moments.  I want that fullness to last a couple hours so that I don’t feel like I’m always eating or always seeking food.

Maximize your nutrition

After that then I’m going to focus on caloric intake because I want to have maximum food from minimum calories, if that makes sense, I focusing on food QUALITY and not just  “This has X number of calories.” Then I’m going to say, “Does it satisfy me'” Because I know when you focus on X number of calories or X number of macros and you eat it and it’s not as satisfying, it doesn’t leave you full, guess what’ You’re off looking for the next thing, and that sucks.

Beware of trigger foods. They are foods that trigger you to eat keep eating it’s food that you just can’t get enough of, it just hits all the taste buds in the right spot and lights up your brain like Christmas day. Pay attention those foods and do your best to not have them in your house.

When you’re building your menu focus on the foods that you’re going to eat. I want you to sit down and really think about what foods you find satisfying but are also filling. It’s like broccoli – minimum calories, but if you can eat more than a cup of broccoli…(I’m going to look at you funny because clearly there is something is wrong with you.)

Their is so much fiber in broccoli that most people can’t eat more than a cup of broccoli in a sitting. You might be able to eat several cups over the course of the day, but in NOT one sitting“. It’s satisfying, minimum calories, and with all that fiber in it, it’s going to stick with you for a while. So, I want to think about things in terms of that.

Create a meal daisy chain

As you go through your day those are the types of meals you want. But I also want you to think about meals being daisy-chained together. The first meal of the day can affect the rest of your day. Let me just backup and explain what that means. My first meal, if it doesn’t hit on all those buttons, (satiation, satisfaction, satiety)

If you don’t feel full, satisfied or if your hunger comes quickly back.  That’s going to set you down this avalanche of seeking and nibbling.

I know for me, it’s eggs – sometimes if I’m traveling and I’m not in my normal environment sometimes the only choice I have is eggs. And eggs for me, they are not very satiating. I can eat three to four eggs and probably within an hour or two I’m like, “What’s next'” I’ve done it all, I’ve put in vegetables, I put toast, I do all the things to make that meal way more filling and way more satisfying, and it doesn’t do it for me. So, when I have eggs first thing in the morning it sets me down the snowball of, I can’t eat enough of other foods. And so, you might have foods like that, or now I’ve raised your awareness may start thinking about, “Do I have foods that do that for me'”

That first meal of the day doesn’t have to be breakfast. I know that some people are into the intermittent fasting and all that other stuff, that’s fine. But whatever that first meal of the new day is, I want you to make sure it hits on all three Ss

• Does it make you feel full’
• Does it stick with you’
• Is it satisfying to the brain’

Let’s make sure we are not maxing out on our calories. If you think about it, it’s like Denny’s or Applebees, they’re all over the internet like, “If you eat this breakfast, you’ve eaten breakfast for five people.” I don’t want those kinds of breakfast if you feel me. 😉

Plan your success

That’s where the meals come in. It flips meal planning on its head a little bit so that your focus more is making sure you are full versus, “I need this many calories or this many macros of carbs and this many macros of protein.” It’s focusing on making sure by the end of that meal you are not hungry, you are not craving, and your energy isn’t in the toilet. Makes sense’

Work it out

The last piece is the workout. So many people want to solve the eating problem with the workout. It makes me crazy when I hear people say, “Last night was a bad night. I’m just going to sweat it out on the Stair Master. Or I’m going to not eat today” 🤦🏽‍♀️It makes me crazy when I hear that. You can’t outrun a bad diet. If you ate it, you own it, the end. You ate. You own it. Move on. I hope you enjoyed it, next.

Working out is not about, “I need to kill myself. I need to work so hard that I feel like my heart is going to pop out of chest. I need to work so hard that the next day getting off the toilet is hard for me.” No. I want you to focus on quality. I want you to say, “If I could get in three to four awesome workouts I’m winning.” Now, when I say awesome, it’s awesome for that day, because some days you feel like you could lift a Buick, other days scanning your card at the front desk is all that you can do. Each day you work out check in with your body and go with how your body feels on that given day.

And that’s how we’re going to flip dieting upside down. That’s how you’re going to break free of chasing skinny. That’s how you’re going to say, “I can live a happy life with an occasional cocktail and have cream in my coffee.” 🥰 It starts with having good habits, creating these small little habitual wins that are going to help you create routines. Having a great routine gives you the courage to keep going so that eventually you’re able to get this consistency.  And it’s the consistency that’s going to get you the results. It’s not these hit or miss endeavors that you do here and there and every once and a while it’s like, “What can I do on a day-in and day-out basis for the next five years for the rest of my life'”

The post The New Rules of Weight Loss in 2019 appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

At first glance it might not seem like there’s much difference at all between the two, they both help you to lose weight and they both help to manage your diet and exercise routine. While it may seem similar in the beginning, the difference between a structured diet and a personal weight loss plan can easily be the difference between a successful and failed diet!

Structured Diets 

Structured diets can be flexible in some areas but are more or less “set in stone” or so to speak. It’s pretty much follow these rules and get the results. Don’t follow the rules and perish =).

These diets have set methods for losing weight whether that be cutting carbs, modifying caloric intake, or extreme exercise regimens.

The biggest weakness is that they assume that because their method works on the whole, that it will work for everyone.  How do I say this politely, it’s simply not true.

Personal Weight Loss

Personal weight loss plans on the other hand are plans that you are capable of following because you chose it.

These plans are great, but their biggest hurdle is coming up with them in the first place and this is where structured diets tend to pull ahead (at least at first).

If you’re not intimately familiar with nutrition or how to balance food and exercise, then putting together a plan personalized to you can be a daunting task, without some supprt.

Sure structured diets do that work for you, doing the hard work of balancing nutrition and planning meals.

Last and definitely not least, personalized meal plans feel more, well, personal! It’s something that you’ve worked hard on for yourself so you’re more likely to stick with it since you’re the one who worked to build it.

Structured diets can feel kind of hollow and easy to pick up or put down when you aren’t getting the results you think you should be getting. For some diets are like shopping for clothes , if it doesn’t fit well or feels uncomfortable you’re going to try on other one until you find one that fits.

Now if you’ve ever had anything tailored to fit yourself you’re going to want to keep trying and changing it until it fits just the way you want it to.

Structured diets can work well to start, but don’t let flashy promises distract you from your real goal of transitioning to a permanent, healthy lifestyle.

Lifestyle 45 

Lifestyle:45 is a ridiculously easy and effective way for you to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. I wanted to create a program that was a simple and given to you in such a way that you would actually take daily action.  If this sounds like you, we start on Monday!!

The post DIET Do You Really Need It This Will Help You Decide appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

I will he hosting the 3rd Annual 15-day Fitober Fest Healthy Living Challenge starts on October 17, 2015. This fall fitness challenge is the ultimate way for you to get closer to your goals.  You will meet people who understand your situation and can give the motivation to make to the top!

How to Join’
This 15-day Fitober Fest Healthy Living Challenge is open to women who are in need of help and guidance in reaching their weight loss goals. We want women who have the biggest desire to get in shape and live a healthier and more gorgeous life. If you feel like you lost your mojo and you cannot find your way back, let this challenge be the key to help you get what you wish.

The 15-day Fitober Fest Healthy Living Challenge is not like any other challenges that you can take. We are about lasting results.

Bridget G. had a little too much summer during our last challenge and just by cleaning up her nutrition and being consistent with her workouts she was able to shave 24 inches off her body.  Best of all  she lost 7 inches off her tummy!! 

Deanna S. is a busy mom who just sent her first daughter off to college and in the midst of graduation parties, summer and getting her daughter ready for college she got lost in the shuffle. She started the challenge and dropped 5 pounds!!! 

This is a 2-week jump start to help you focused on your fitness goals. Get surprising benefits while paying only $24.97.

• Getting consistent with your exercise and eating.
• This can help you to lose weight and some inches of your waistline.
• You will not be too far from your goals.
• Jumpstart your healthy living plan
• Lose inches
• Clearer mind
• Sense of accomplishment
• Debloating of your tummy

You’ll receive
Grocery Shopping Guide  This is for you to have a better idea of what makes up clean eating

7 Day Clean Eating Guide  One of the keys to getting the physique that you want is to clean up your nutrition. This guide will help you put together a meal plan that’s easy follow. The plan can be customized to your needs and yes can be shared with your family.

Daily Email  Each day I will send you an email that will help you to take one small step towards living a healthier and fitter life.

Closed Facebook Support Page I will be in that group providing guidance, motivation and inspiration every step of the way. Plus you will have the support of the group where you will meet people who understand your situation and can give the motivation to make to the top!

Two Full Body Workouts Both workouts can be done at home or at the gym. You will have a video tutorial overview of the workout.

Live Webinar Weight Loss Has Nothing To Do With Discipline — 4 Strategies to Help you Sail Through The Holidays! Save the date Thursday, October 29th 8pm EST

You in”’

The post Too Many When In Rome Moments This Summer’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

If you struggle with mindless snacking, cravings you can’t win against, or shame when you decide to eat the foods you love then this book is for you. Mindful eating is the cure for all of that.

It’s about more than just eating as well,

mindful eating is about creating a healthy relationship with food that’s good for the mind and…
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Eating a meal should nourish the body and soul. It should be an enjoyable experience, not a rushed one.

The thing is, that’s so different from how most people think today. Learn how to slow down and really enjoy your food.

Did you know that by slowing down and really focusing on your food you’ll not only eat less but…
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On top of that your body will have an easier time digesting the meal.

I think the biggest thing you can pull from this book is the part about guilt. So many diets out there tell you what you can’t eat. They tell you to eat less in general, exercise more, and they make you feel bad about ever indulging in foods deemed “unhealthy.” The thing is, you should never feel guilty about eating food. There are no bad foods. Sure, some are more nourishing, but eating some ice cream or a donut isn’t going to hurt you.

Rather than looking at things as mistakes, this book teaches you to look at them as choices. Each bite you take is a choice and you should never feel bad about the choices you make. Instead, just listen to how your body feels and try to make choices that make your body feel better.

There is a Kindle version of this book available but I highly suggest the paperback. It’s one of those books that is more effective when you can dog ear and highlight important pages to refer to later. You’ll also want to refer to it as you work towards better mindful eating.

I’ve also done a podcast on her other book 50 Ways To Soothe Without Food. Click here to listen. 

The post Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food Review appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Here is where you pull up your big girl panties and say I’m tired of being a victim of my past and letting that determine how I feel about myself. I’m ready to tackle my future.

Here is where a coach can help. A coach helps through the ups and downs, they also help you brainstorm new ways to handling situations when you get stuck. Now intensify that with a group. A group of women who are trying to achieve the same goal, who get where you are and where you want to be.

Together you are an unbreakable army of women who say I will not be stopped.

Enter Lean and Sexy!!

This is the just-right toolkit you can pull from in any situation. You have weight and fitness goals and this is the solution that fits into your life and is sustainable! Right here is where you face your fears headfirst. I know it’s scary, but Lean & Sexy will help you to get over your fears, conquer anxiety, and replenish your motivation.

During this program, I will share with you what I’ve learned over the years. In the past, you’ve been a follower. What if, instead of following, you learn the HOW and WHY behind nutrition and training’ My goal is to make you an expert on your body. I want to teach you that it’s not just about developing a plan. It’s also about finding what works for YOU, your life, and different situations that may approach you.

Now the rubber meets the road you need to make a decision that the time is now! During this program, you will be supported. You will be part of an unbreakable army of women who are, together, ready to toss their hat in the ring and say, ready to change for good! I am willing to not only commit to consistent action, but also to persistent action. My battle cry is, will not be stopped! My mantra for lifelong success, am going to fall back in love with myself. Are you willing to part with old habits in order to get what you want’ Take a moment. Think. Are you willing to sacrifice one hour of television to work out or prep your food’ Are you willing to have an open mind and try something that is out of your comfort zone’ Are you willing to move beyond an old habit to move toward your goal’

You will be part of a team with the same goals: helping you move from fear, uncertainty, doubt, and negativity to a place of strength, courage, positivity, and joy.

You will learn how to:

• Stick to a plan
• Go from wired and tired to energized from the inside out
• Receive maximum nutrition anytime, anywhere
• Highlight what you can do vs. what you can’t do
• Love life to the fullest and start living beyond your expectations
• Bring your absolute best to any situation and see recognition for it
• Take your excuses off the table, permanently
• Turn your should haves into a must-do
• Move from doubt to strength watch out!
• Fuel your body to the ultimate performance muscles and mind
• Focus on what’s going right and share your successes

Are you ready to get Lean & Sexy”

The post What’s It Like To Hit Your Fitness Bottom’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

For those of you don’t compete. You know what I’m talking about you know you watch what you are eating to get ready for a friend’s wedding or vacation and once that event happens you go back to your old ways and then wonder how you put the weight back on. With consistency, anything is possible. In real estate, it’s about location, location, location.  In fitness, it’s about consistency, consistency consistency.

I know first hand that consistency is tough.  In order to remain consistent, we need to change is our mindset.  Our healthy lifestyle is a CHOICE not a death sentence.  On my program, I encourage you to eat clean at least 80% of the time.  For the 20%, these are the meals that we should savor and enjoy.  It’s when we have those little nibbles, bites or I’ll do it just once’s that eventually catch up with us.  So.. how do you stay consistent’

1. Patience.  Know that consistency will pay off. Many of you want week-by-week changes, sadly our bodies don’t agree.  We need to trust the process and stay the course knowing that your best body is just waiting for it’s unveiling.
2. Taking Consistent Action.  I feel you; I can be one of the biggest procrastinators on the block.  The two things that make me take action with my fitness is making a plan and recipes.  Each week I sit down and schedule my workouts in my calendar.  I treat it like an appointment I can’t break.  Now if something does come up, I go back to my calendar and reschedule the workout, but trust me it must be HUGE for me to give up a workout.  As for my nutrition, I’m a big fan of recipes.  On Saturday mornings while I’m drinking my coffee I pour through the internet to find new clean recipes or recipes that I can make clean.  Trust me I’m no Rachael Ray, but I do what I can. Here is of my favorite sites. All Recipes
3. Setting A Goal. Each month I set a goal.  With each goal, I give myself a reward.  Have you heard of a little place name Lululemon’  That place is my personal fitness reward center.  When I have a goal, I’m like a machine especially with a reward like Lulu!  Here are some examples of goals I set for myself in the past  — By the end of a month I will mix up my cardio. I will get on a new piece of cardio each time I go to the gym.  I will try 3 new starches during this month.  I will limit myself to 2-cheat meals/week – no nibbling.  Make sense’

At the end of the day we all want results.  Want to know the secret to getting results’ Being consistent!  Feeling stuck or stalled” Reach out.  I am running  30 Day Slim Down Challenge to help  jumpstart us all toward summer.

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1. You need a strategy — just hoping and praying isn’t a strategy. Think of your fitness plan as planning a trip. Would you just hop in the car and hope you end up a destination. No.. you would punch it into your GPS and follow the route. Getting back into shape and losing weight is the same thing! Your action for right now is to say — I am going to ________. I’m looking for an exact number, if its not exact you can’t measure how you are doing.  For example, by February 17 I will lose 10 pounds or I will run/walk 1 mile each day for the next 30 days.  So.. what’s your action item to get you toward your end goal’
2. Yes, write it down — you have you strategy, it’s not good enough to have it in your head, you need to write it down and put it someplace where you can see it each and every day! I recommend you tape it in multiple locations — your bathroom mirror, your nightstand, your refrigerator, your car’s sun visor, your cube at work. The more you see it the more you will be reminded of your goal and your actions will start to reflect where you want to go. Your action item — write your goal for the next 30 days and put it in multiple locations.
3. Don’t go hungry — when people start to diet the first thing I hear is I’m going to skip meals. Nothing makes me more crazy than when I hear that. Okay the other thing that makes me crazier is when I see people walking/running on a treadmill and holding on for dear life. Unless you came in using a walker or a cane there is no need to hold on. Pump your arms and use your core! Off my soap box, now back to meals. You must fuel your body every 2-3 hours.  You must keep blood sugar levels even, this is what signals the brain for food. The more even your blood sugars levels the less likely you are to go on a bender. Think about this.  How many times have you skipped lunch and then headed home after work and just ate everything sight or you planned on eating the right things and your hungry mind took over.  I know that never happens to you guys. =) If you are reading this and its been a few hours –EAT SOMETHING! Your action item — what snacks can you put in your desk drawer or in the car that you can eat’
4. Get support — You can’t do this alone! There will be times when you need a shoulder to lean on, a kick in the pants or just an ear when you need to vent. Ask someone to be your accountability partner. When you have this person you are less likely to fall off the wagon. I highly recommend you find that friend, co-worker or whomever that isn’t afraid to be hard on you.  Your action item — find and ask someone to be your support person’
5. Share your goals with the world — The more people who know what you are doing you are more likely to do it. No one wants to look like a fool. In this new world of social media — post your goal(s) on your Facebook wall, tweet about them on Twitter.  You’d be surprised how much support and encouragement you’ll get from others who maybe trying to reach the same goal or this is where you may find your accountability partner. Your action item –post your 30 day goal on your Facebook wall, tweet about or tell someone in person.  You can even leave your comments on my blog! I have no problem being that kick in the rump!
6. Pick one thing to change — Many of you feel you need to change EVERYTHING right away. I’m all for that BUT… if you aren’t that kind of person. Don’t do it!  I recommend you pick 1 habit this week and work on changing that. If you are addicted to diet soda — work on reducing the number that you have in a day or go cold turkey.  Action item — What is the one thing you will change this week’

With these 6 tips in hand do you feel like you have a nice blueprint to help you forward towards reaching your fitness goals this year’ If you would some formalized help. I still have a few spots open for my F.R.E.E 30 day wellness coaching program. Just shoot me an email to learn more.  I really want to know how you are doing. Leave me your fitness goal in the comments below.

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1. Set a deadline — nothing springs you into action like a deadline.  I recommend picking 3 dates (short roughly 6 weeks, medium roughly 12 weeks and long roughly 24 weeks). This way you’ll have something to celebrate yet keep you motivated.
2. Review past behaviors — As I said earlier, look at your past, if what you were doing wasn’t getting you to where you want to be, then you need to stop doing them. What I mean is if you want to lose weight and you are not exercising and/or watching what you eat, guess what’  You are not going to see results.

Now is the time to take your dream and put it into action.  I am hosting a Shape Up For Summer teleconference call.  I will be discussing actions you can take to flatten your belly, tone your legs, tightened your tushy and what’s the best thing to eat on a hot summer night. To attend, just register here.

In the next 30 days what actions will you take to make your dreams come true’

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