Change one thing

A few sessions with a personal trainer might be what you need to get started

Most people I know have at some time or other taken on a “diet” on its own or combined it with a very strict exercise routine for a finite period of time with a goal in mind. We have no intention of sticking to the particular diet for any longer than say 2 weeks – just so long as we lose that couple of kilos and fit back into our skinny jeans.
I don’t know about you but as I get older I find that I have less success with these kind of “diets” and ramped up training. If I do end up losing weight – it comes back on within weeks as it was likely just a loss of fluid.
What is required if we want to see long term sustainable changes in our body composition (rather than just a temporary weight loss) is a commitment to change some of our habits for good – on a permanent basis.

One way of achieving lasting change is to tackle one thing at a time. Pick one bad habit you will eradicate. Or better still think of something you can start to do. Focus on this goal and keep trying until it is no longer a challenge for you.

For example you might decide to :

Drink 2 litres of water a day
Eat 5 serves of vegetables a day
Eat a palm sized portion of protein with every meal
Do some strength training 3 times a week
Eat oily fish at least 3 times a week
Swap diet coke for green tea
Go on a brisk walk in your lunch hour at least twice a week
Limit coffees to one or two a day
Have a certain number of alcohol free days per week.

Don’t even try to tackle all of these in one go – just pick one of them – make a plan and see if you can get to the point where its no longer a “change” – it is just something you do all the time. Then take on another one of these until it feels “normal”. Of course some changes might be more challenging than others and you are sure to have set backs but the aim should always be to achieve a lasting change.