10 Tools To Permanent Weight Loss

A common theme with anybody who's trying to change their physique is the occasional plateaus. Lately a lot of the clients and blog readers have contacted me about their frustrations and struggles every day with weight loss and struggling to change their lifestyle. And I have to remind them that. Change doesn't happen overnight. I left the gym tonight trying to figure out how I could get them to re-focus. As I was unpacking some boxes tonight I found ten rules I used to teach to new clients. So I think it would be prudent to share them now. I'm sure if you put these 10 tips into action you will find success will follow shortly.

1- Write down your Why? - So you can constantly revise it. You have to have a clear vision of why you want to lose weight. Is it too fit into some great pair of jeans, or impress some old friend? Is to be around for your children? Your why needs to be significant and clear. You need to be able to remind yourself of it every day and it needs to be able to motivate you even on the darkest of days. No matter how much someone else wants this for you, whether it is your trainer, your spouse, your children it will not happen if you don't want it.

2- Remember one day at a time! - I learned very early on in my career and dealing with weight loss that People will have good days and there will be bad days. You have to learn to focus on what you can control. You cannot change what you did yesterday, so if you screw up... forget about it (Donnie Brasco accent) The I will start next week, tomorrow mentality won't work. Focus on today. Today you will make good choices.

3- Do some Interval type Cardio on your days off! - This is a valuable tool; a half hour of cardio in the morning is equal to an hour of cardio at night. If you want to maximize the amount of calories burned find time in your schedule to get in some Cardio. In addition if you get it out of the way first thing in the morning, no excuse during the day will get in your way. It takes sacrifice. I know a lot of you work both men and women and you have to tend to your children but on those off days wake up earlier to take care of yourself and get your auxiliary work in. If you are going to make that sacrifice, you want to ensure that what you're doing is worth it. So, get after it. Break a sweat... push your limits. If you set goals for your exercise, it can be exciting. Boxing,Kick boxing, and body weight circuits can be fun alternatives to traditional gym exercises. Purchase a cool video and put it in the DVD, and there you have a great work out without leaving the comforts of your home.

4- Lift to Lose! - Don't let anybody fool you! Resistance training is mandatory to lose weight. One pound of muscle burns 50 calories. Don't be afraid to work with weights and start lifting. The research is endless to support number 4 so no need to reiterate it here.

5- Set small goals - Most people bite off more than they can chew. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you have to be realistic on what you can realistically achieve. If you're being told you can lose more than 3 to 5 pounds a week you may need to re- think your weight loss program. A regiment that would achieve that kind of weight loss would definitely require dangerous calorie reductions and a workout regimen that would lead to over training, and traditionally has a high dropout rate. Instead choose one small goal at a time. You goal can be a simple as making all your exercise appointments, eating every 3hours. If you can be consistent with just those 3, weight loss is a simple by product of that. Don't focus on a weight goal instead of a lifestyle goal. If you improve your lifestyle your body composition will improve naturally.

6- Clean out the cabinets - As your knowledge of whole foods grows, you will not desire the processed junk that keeps you from your goals. It's another known fact, if unhealthy snacks are not in your cupboard, statically you won't eat it. I would clean out my cup boards as quickly as you can, and load your refrigerator with healthy foods that you can go to when it's time to eat. Barring a few whole grains, anything that will last in your cupboard longer than a few days, probably shouldn't be consumed in a healthy lifestyle.

7- Kick it Old School (10,000 years ago) - Before processed foods, and sugar laden snacks and meal replacements, there was animal protein, vegetables, unadulterated grains, fruits and veggies. If you want to change your exterior you've got to clean up your interior by giving your body the proper tools for the body to take care of itself. This article is not meant to go in-depth into the subject of balanced whole food consumption versus the traditional American diet. But I will say it is prudent to find foods that is life giving. A simple suggestion without knowing my readers health and current body compositions, is to base your day around lean meats, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats.

8- DRINK MORE WATER - Less face it if you're not living in the ocean, you're not getting enough water. We all should drink more. There are numerous articles touting the benefits of water, I have personally seen people improve their health just from drinking water. Bottom line Increase your water consumption and your health will improve as well as your ability to change your body composition. Dehydration is known to cause internal stress, so make sure you're taking in adequate water.

9- Manage your Stress Better - Some of the tips above like lift weights, doing intervals are stresses on the body, but that's a good stress a stress needed to continue the growth cycle and prevent atrophy and death. We need a calculated amount of stress on our bodies to function correctly. When is physical stress bad then? Physical Stress is bad when it leads too over- exercising. What's are some of the risk from over exercising?

1. Suppression of our immune system.
2. Chronic fatigue
3. Overuse injuries
4. Plateau's

The list is too long for this article here.
Simply put using tip number 5, take your time when starting an exercise program, micro progress slowly. Forget the do it too you puke mentality that seems so rapid in the exercise community.
The next type of stress to manage better is mental and internal stress, which causes a lot of damage to the body because of poor management. When you have chronic stress, your body runs amuck with stress hormones, that cause internal damage and eventually leads to dis ease. When stress is rapid in your body, your ability to heal, rest and recover is severely impaired. Rest and repair is where we see the benefits of the physical stress we place on our bodies. Sit down figure out what's causing you to experience stress symptoms. Then set small goals to alleviate that stressor in your life. Here is something many people don't want to hear, but food choices can magnify your stress. Eating correctly provides your body with effective tools to manage the damage excessive stress hormone can cause. So too sum up just following the first 8 tips well go far too alleviate stress in your life.

10- Remember it's not a sprint, it's a marathon - I hate to be so cliche but it's just so true with fitness. This also ties back into to the 5th point. Your journey to being healthy is one that in on- going. We do not become unhealthy overnight, nor will you become healthy over night. You will have days that simply just don't go well. And honestly every cell in your body will won't you to quit. I truly believe most people are comfortable failing; we are programmed to believe success is so unattainable; a marathon is long race that requires proper preparation, goal setting and knowledge of the obstacles one will face. If you think you can sprint to health, not only will you fail, your body will fail you because it cannot adapt to the changes you are trying to put on your system. If you want to be healthy this needs to become your lifestyle.