Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions!

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Very soon it will be 2017 which means you are probably thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. There’s a good chance getting fit is somewhere on the list whether it’s losing weight, toning up or eating better. Come January 1st you are ready to go! You have a new gym membership and you prepare your meals in advance.
Suddenly, it’s the end of January or the middle of February and you’re skipping breakfast, eating fast food for lunch and who knows what for dinner. Oh, and you haven’t seen the inside of the gym in weeks.
Darn it! It happened again…You are not alone.
52% of Americans believe doing their taxes is easier than figuring out how to eat healthily.
31% of Americans eat more packaged foods than fresh foods.
You really want to eat better. You are frustrated by loosing and gaining the same 10 pounds again and again and AGAIN. Ugh! You are a super busy mom with several balls in the air at once. You do not have time to make different meals for yourself and the other members of your family. It can’t be THIS hard to be healthily. You’re right – it’s not.

Let’s do something different this year! When I was struggling with this same issue (yep, I went through it too) there was ONE thing I did to keep me on track:

I made small changes over a period of a period of time. Let me explain.
Instead of saying, “I’m going to eat better and go to the gym every day” I changed what I ate for breakfast for a week. Yes, only breakfast. When I was feeling good about that change I THEN moved on to changing my lunch while maintaining the change I made to my breakfast. I have never changed what I ate for dinner because my real problem with eating was during the day. You have to make this suit you and your life. You need to know where your weak spots are.
Following this method has a greater chance of long-term success (which is what we ALL want) because you are not making drastic changes all at once.
Why did I start with breakfast? Studies show the healthiness of the food we eat decreases 1.7% for every hour in the day. Start your day with a “win” and you’re more likely to stick to your plan the rest of your day. 

Notice, I haven’t mentioned working out yet.

It’s true that “abs are made in the kitchen” which means you must eat well if you want to change the way your body looks and functions. I suggest changing your meals (notice I didn’t say diet) and beginning an exercise plan a week or two later serves my clients better. Why?
1 – You already have a win (you are eating better and probably lost a few pounds)
and
2 – You are more motivated to go to the gym because you are feeling better.
When you make small changes to your current lifestyle you are more likely to stick to the task.
So, now you’re thinking, “I get it, Micah! But what am I going to eat for breakfast?” Have no fear my fellow Columbus Moms Blog reader! I’ll have three breakfast choices/recipes to share with you next time!

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Micah Cook
Micah Cook is an American Council on Exercise (ACE) certified Group Fitness Instructor and the founder of The Sweat Suite, LLC - a fitness lifestyle brand. When she's not helping her classes shred body fat while gaining muscle she is creating meal plans and sampling healthy recipes. Fitness has always been important to Micah but it was not until October 2015 when she left her 11 year career as a Medicaid Health Systems Administrator for the Ohio Department of Medicaid that she decided to pursue it full time. Micah has a B.A. in Political Science from The Ohio State University and a M.A. in Political Science and Survey Research Methodology from the University of Cincinnati. When she is not working out she enjoys napping, wine, pizza and online shopping. Family is everything to Micah. She is married and has a stepson in college as well as six years old and three years old sons. Her fitness motto is "strength,stamina and sculpted supersedes skinny". The Sweat Suite www.facebook.com/thesweatsuite #thesweatsuite

1 COMMENT

  1. When will I know what to eat for breakfast….. I am ready!:) I need meals on the go too and snacks. I need to feel full. I love this blog, it makes total sense to me.

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