Resolve to achieve your New Years Goals

I am going to take a wild guess and say that you may have made a few New Years' Resolutions before.  I will also go out on a limb and say that they are probably eerily similar year after year after year...

Well, 2012 can be different.  As Einstein said - "You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it."

This means that if you are creating the same Resolutions and are going to go about your Resolutions in the same manner that you always have... well... you will most likely get the same result.

Insanity - Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result.

Change is hard.  Do not fool yourself into thinking that because you made a decision to change that you will not sabotage yourself or that massive, long lasting changes will come to you without discipline and consistency.  You will only end up dissapointed again.
Here are 5 tips to insure you can break your failure cycle and begin to reach your goals:


Get Specific and avoid "vague" goals.
Weight loss is a very poor goal. Stop smoking is a poor goal.  These are too general and lack passion.
The more specific you get with your goals the more likely you will be to reach them.
How much weight loss?  What is your time frame for reaching these milestones? What are you absolutley willing to do to achieve these results?


Focus on what you are gaining, not on what you are giving up.
If you are focused on restricting items from your day or life and viewing improving fitness levels/exercise as a chore, or, you are focused on eliminating foods from your life - how long do you think you will have the willpower to hold out?
A better strategy is to list out all of the things you will gain by slowly and systematically making changes to your habits.  Improved energy and self-confidence would most likely happen first.  Self-pride and the ability to stick with your goals and plans would surely follow.


Get into the process and out of the outcome.
Change takes time. Be patient with yourself.  No one makes a decision and magically changes.  Everyone makes mistakes and takes missteps.  Understand that a mistake is not the end.  Get right back on track and get going.  An "IFSism" that I use all of the time is -

Habits X Time = Results

Improved Fitness and Reduced Weight of any substantial sum is most likely a 12-18 month process.  There will be plateuas and setbacks.  How you plan for and deal with these setbacks will make all of the difference in your success.  You WILL NOT experience smooth sailing.  And, if you do, you will not maintain it for long.
Use history as a teacher - if you were losing weight and as soon as something derailed you, you gave up because progress stopped - I would challenge you to alter your perception of what is actually happening.

Focus on your schedule.  If you schedule it, you will do it.
This seems pretty simple, but, for many people sticking to a schedule is difficult.  The habit of procrastination sets in and what I refer to as "The Tomorrow Syndrome" becomes a rally cry. If you will always start tomorrow and you justify your lack of commitment to your health and goals you certainly will never reach the goals that you set.
Schedule your exercise and stick to your schedule.  Make your Fitness a non-negotiable priority.  If you do not you will not achieve the desired results.


Avoid "All or None" thinking.
Focus on Progress, not perfection.  If you are moving more than you have been before and eating better than you have been then you are making progress!  Congratulate yourself.  You are doing great.
All or none thinking (as in - I need to eat perfectly and exercise everyday or IT is not working) only derails success and makes happiness unattainable.  NO ONE eats perfectly and exercises everyday.

There you have it.  An altered perception of your goals and how to reach them can help to make 2012 your most productive year to date.

Get the help that you need here - My Dynamic Life

90 Days to a New You. - Weight Loss Day by Day

Yours in Health,
Robert J DeVito

Measure and Reward your Success

Measure Your Success!  
Not by the scale! Weight loss is a slow and steady process. To truly achieve and maintain your ideal or goal weight it realistically could take months to a year. You must find alternate methods to measure your successes that are not scale related.  Pick some non-gym goals and keep track of how your exercise plan helps you increase your ability to succeed in multiple ways. Examples can be cutting strokes off of your golf game, running and chasing your children without becoming winded or carrying object(s) (laundry) upstairs or feeling better about yourself and having improved energy.

Reward Your Success
Give yourself nonfood rewards.  For example, buy yourself new clothes in smaller sizes or sign up for a massage.  You will soon realize that rewarding yourself with food is not necessary and oftentimes not as enjoyable as a lasting reward.

Yours in health,
-Robert

Slow and Steady

Steer clear of attempting to tackle everything at once.
Often, we take on too much and end up disappointed because we are unable to achieve all of our goals at once.
Change takes time.  It is a process.
Get Dieting Help Here
Choose 1-2 things that you can change in your eating patterns this week.

1. Perhaps, you can be sure to eat breakfast 2 more times than normal this week.
2. Maybe adding in 2-3 more glasses of water daily would help.
3. Reach for Fruit and Veggies before a treat.
4. Buy a Better BAD Version of your favorite treat(s).

Slow and Steady wins the race.

IFS Healthy Holiday Party and Holiday Gifts

IFS/OHW – Healthy Holiday Party

Wednesday December 28^th – 6:00 – 9:00P

IFS and OHW are throwing a “Healthy Holiday Party”.  We would love for you to bring your healthiest, best tasting dish to share.  Please provide Robert with the recipe beforehand and we will make copies available to everyone. Bringing a dish is optional, but, please let us know if you plan to participate.

Everyone is invited!  Bring your family (children too!) and friends.  This will be a casual, fun, love fest!  Everyone has made such amazing progress this year and we want to celebrate!

IFS will be doing year end awards and there will be raffles and giveaways.

 

Muscular Dystrophy Association

IFS will be collecting donations for the MDA. There will be a donation box at the party. All donations are appreciated.  We know that times are tight but, please, give what you can.                  

Eat Smart Nutrition Scales

IFS’s own Karen Welby has secured a 15% discount for the holidays towards any Eat Smart scale.

The 3 that we recommend are:

Kitchen Scale -  $21.25

Nutrition Scale:  $59.45

Get Fit Bodyfat Scale: $46.70

http://www.eatsmartproducts.com/products

If you would like to order please have your order and payment to Robert by 12/24.

IFS Gift Certificates

We have Gift Certificates for sale in any denomination for your Fit Holiday Gifts.

Bonus: If you purchase $100.00 in Gift Certificates you will receive an additional $10 certificate good towards products.

My Dynamic Life

On December 15th the website www.MyDynamicLife.net launches.  It is an online Personal Training website filled with tons of free workouts and education.  A partnership between IFS and Dynamic Health and Fitness of Oswego, NY has made this a reality.  We believe with the guidance from IFS and additional support provided by MDL you will experience even better, faster results.  Log on and sign-up for the free content.

Thanks and have a GREAT day!

-Robert

Thriving through the Holidays!

Bring a friend and they will receive a 14-day pass for our Group Training program to navigate the holidays and stay on track!
You will receive a 30-Min. Coaching session!

Back to the Business of Losing

Post Holiday "Back to Business" Strategy

We know that the average Thanksgiving meal alone (reported at approx 4,000cal+) can do some serious damage. The holiday, combined with a long weekend can throw even the most committed and dedicated of us off track. Here are some no-nonsense tips to get back to business NOW:   Think short-term. Commit to one week of cleaner eating to rebound from the holiday splurge. Start TODAY. Be sure to maintain your food log for one week to reset healthy habits.  Increase your water intake. MOVE MORE - be sure to get your Strength Training in 3x this week. NO EXCUSES. Plus, increase your cardio by at least an hour over the course of the week. Clean out your kitchen cabinets and fridge! Give away or throw out all of the unhealthy leftovers in the house. No one in your family needs them and if they're not there you won't be tempted by them.  Eat more fruits and veggies.  You will feel better and feel better about yourself. Follow these tips and you'll be back to feeling like your healthy, motivated self in no time! Even Santa is PRE-Burning a few Holiday Calories.  he knows that cookies are coming.

Thanksgiving Eating Tips

Thanksgiving Eating Tips

A1+ - Remembering what your Goals are and Why you are trying to accomplish these Goals will help to keep you on track throughout the holiday season.  Temptation is everywhere and "slipping up" only takes a few seconds to consume a few hundred extra calories.

Why are you eating what you are eating?

1. Decide what you are going to eat each day before you start. Have a plan for your food. No one says you can’t have a snack, then dinner a while later and then dessert a while after that. Often we have "soup to nuts" meals multiple times per day.  

2. Get some exercise right after you get out of bed. This will help you focus on your fitness and make you aware of how your body feels. Make mini bouts (5 mins) of exercise a priority for the day.  Play with the dog, chase your kids, do squats and jumping jacks every 30 -45 minutes.

3. Drink lots of water throughout Thanksgiving day. We all know how important it is to drink water and to stay hydrated. Water will fill you and keep you from feeling hungry throughout the day. Begin by setting a Water Goal for the day.  Track your intake and drink BEFORE you eat.

4. Eat a small breakfast to set up a slow eating day. Do not make the mistake of "making room" or starving yourself in preparation for the feast.  You will consume substantially more food and calories that way AND feel awful.

5. Load up on the Veggie Tray. Carrots, Celery, Peppers, Broccoli, Cauliflower.  If you are not hosting the festivities, find out from who is if they will have a Veggie Tray.  If not, bring your own.  I guarantee you that if you load on on low-calories veggies first, you will not eat as much throughout the day.  Make this choice even better by bringing a low-calorie ranch dip.

6. "Cheat Well".  There are foods that you are really looking forward to and there are foods that you do not really care for.  Eat the ones that you really want.  Ignore the ones that you don't.  Often, in holiday/social situations we eat impulsively and re actively. Be sure to Stop, Think, ChOose then Proceed with your eating by making a choice that you really want.

7. Go for another walk if the weather is good. The worst thing to me is that after having a great Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner there is no energy outlet so you end up just sitting and almost falling asleep. Why not take a little walk around the neighborhood?

8. Kinect with the Wii.  Have an interactive game to play. What you want to do after dinner and dessert is keep away from the regular habit of snacking even though you are full. Set up a tournament with your family to get moving!  Have fun and bond together!

AVOID Holiday Self-Sabotage

Prepare for a Healthy Thanksgiving

Before you go shopping for your Thanksgiving meal, plan ahead with these substitutions: 1. Instead of sugar, use cinnamon and vanilla. 2. Skip canned cranberries and prepare fresh with orange juice. 3. Use low fat broth instead of cream in soups. 4. For casseroles use skim milk and low fat cheese instead of cream and  high fat cheese. 5. Make a stuffing using whole grain bread and turkey sausage. 6. Serve fresh vegetables or fruit as appetizers and skip the fatty chips and dip spread. 7. Use as many fresh vegetables and fresh fruit as possible. 8. Bake sweet potatoes instead of sweet potato pie. 9. Be sure to complete 30-minutes of Movement/Exercise in the morning so you feel good about yourself and sticking to your Exercise Regimen. 10. If you are going to cheat - CHEAT WELL.  Don't just grab based on temptation and impulse. Decide if you really want what you are about to eat. You can be stronger than the holiday "bingefest" that usually occurs.  You control your choices.  Have fun, make great choices, enjoy your food and feel great about yourself! Yours in health, Robert

Create a new Attitude for Success

An Attitude for Success! Part I

Do you alternate between being “good” at sticking to a sensible eating plan and being “bad” when you slip? It’s a frustrating but common cycle for most of us, especially when we consider the self-defeating attitudes that labeling and acknowledging our “badness” create when it comes to food.  Many psychologists know that behavior modification strategies--rather than diets--can help us break this self-defeating cycle and make lasting lifestyle changes.

What is behavior modification? It begins with a change in self-talk and thought, which helps us change our attitudes about our eating, our bodies, and our weight, which helps us change our behavior. In terms of weight loss, our behavior will be reflected by how we feel inside, which will be reflected in how we appear on the outside. When we feel good about ourselves, we can’t help but be attractive to others. THIS is the ultimate goal—to feel better about ourselves inside, so that our bodies and personae will reflect confidence and light to others.

Be Supportive, Not Critical.
People lose weight at different rates. Weight may drop off quickly at first and then plateau, or vice versa. Your body composition may change, although your weight may stay the same.  The important thing is that long-term healthy behavior gets results.
Reassure yourself that you are working hard and remember that hard work pays off. Don’t judge your progress by your weight; instead, acknowledge that during the day or week you engaged in behaviors that will be rewarded down the road.

Set a Game Plan
You may know exactly what you want to achieve but not have a set plan to achieve it.
This is where I see many people fail.  They have great intentions but lack the action steps and action for success.

1. Set your Goals
2. Make you Plan
3. Take Action

This is an emotionally healthy start.  Have a great day.

Stay Motivated to Exercise

How Do I Stay Motivated To Exercise?

The reasons for exercising vary person to person. Studies have indicated that individuals motivation is either driven from within (internal), or driven from outside influence (external). This must be identified to create strategies for oneself to stay motivated to exercise. Individual's can become demotivated from exercise for various reasons:

• Boredom
• Lack of Results
• No support system
• Program not appropriate for the user
• Pain

Possible Strategies:

Variety is the spice of life!
Suggestions for either internal or externally driven individuals is variety. Your program should be built to create modifications in your program either daily, weekly, or monthly. Both types of individuals could benefit from incorporating environmental changes (outdoor, indoor, at home, at health club or PT studio are examples.)

Go for a check-up!
For the externally driven individual, hearing your doctor give you positive or negative feedback can motivate you.  Most people have higher regards for their doctor. If the doctor tells you to move more or eat less that will most likely get you moving. The same can be said if the doctor says great job, keep it going.

Seek A Pro!
Hire a professional coach to help guide and design a program that is just for you. There is no one program that fits all, a coach can match you, your goals, and tasks to the appropriate program.  For the externally driven individual, another voice is in your ear.

Jay Morgan, FAFS

Dynamic Health and Fitness/

My Dynamic Life