Basically, most people are dissatisfied with their physiques. But then part of the American Way is to never say enough. We always want more, want to be better, to earn more, run faster, fly higher. Look better. Unfortunately, some women (and men) mistakenly believe that you can never be too thin. Odd for a culture whose population is, let us say, the largest that it's ever been. With schedules at their busiest, appliances at their most convenient, and processed foods at their most available, people are not exactly able, or even willing, to take the time to prepare a broiled chicken breast with steamed vegetables for lunch and then hit the gym after work. The world is not only busier today, but smaller. People are commuting very large distances to and from work, spending large parts of their days traveling and leaving little or no time for things like family and relationships, much less diet and exercise. With weight-and-stress-related diseases at their peak, finding, or making, time for proper nutrition and exercise is more than important: it's a necessity.
Of course, dieting doesn't necessarily mean losing weight, or even losing a lot of weight. Some people, dissatisfied with the image their mirror shows them, plunge into a starvation diet or pro-bodybuilder-level exercise routine that's way over their head, ultimately landing with a physical illness or an eating disorder. At the very least they may turn themselves off to health and fitness habits and probably land gaining a few pounds for their trouble. Before launching into Mr. (or Ms.) Universe's workout routine, or trying to look like a runway model, sit down and decide what it is that you want and need to accomplish. Remember, fit is attractive, skinny is just skinny.
Don't try to do it all at one time, and surely don't go to the supermarket and stock up on diet foods, supplements, and shake mixes. It's important to start off so small that finding time, effort, and will power will be no problem. At first, if you feel that you really aren't doing much, then you are probably doing it right. Anything can be accomplished in small steps. Anything. Don't jump into fancy supplements and workout routines, the things you find in the bodybuilding magazines. Remember, those magazines are written for pro-bodybuilders by pro-bodybuilders. The routines printed there are geared toward athletes who are (no offense, guys) on steroids and following them will land the beginner with nothing but injuries and exhaustion. Likewise the supplements, which are for bodybuilders that have reached their peaks and have gotten as big as they can with exercise and nutrition. Those plans are for people who are working and feeding huge, high performance physiques: that's not you. Not yet, at least.
It can be, though. But remember, the trip of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Start off with a proper diet. Actually, the term diet is really incorrect. You don't want to diet, because anytime you restrict yourself where eating is concerned you are going to fail. You'll be denying yourself certain nutrients your body needs and you'll likely wind-up obsessing over the things you're denying yourself. What you want to do is to develop and maintain balanced eating habits.
Balanced nutrition is made-up of small portions of protein, dairy, a little bit of fat from healthy oil, fruits and vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates (yes, I said carbohydrates) -- at least 5 portions every day. Many professionals suggest a diet that is composed of mostly carbohydrate, moderate protein intake, and a little bit of fat. The idea of denying your body any carbs is a prime example of a fad diet and is a sure recipe for failure. Just because some people may lose a few pounds on a fad diet like that doesn't mean it's good for you: remember, you can lose weight by starving yourself, too, but would you want to do it? You need to eat 4-6 small, healthy, low-fat meals per day instead of 1 or 2 bigger ones. This allows your body to get just what it needs for fuel (nutrients for bodily maintenance and performance) with little or nothing left over for the hips or tummy. Furthermore, don't let them tell you that fruits and vegetables are fattening. This is one of the falsehoods of another popular fad diet of late. The best guilt-free dessert that you could reach for is a cold piece of fruit. Fruits and vegetables are high fiber which is good for the colon, not to mention providing you with nutrients that help rebuild your body and keep your skin healthy and young-looking by eliminating damaging free radicals.
The best way to start your new eating habits is by fazing-out the trash, you know what they are, and start getting enough water. Don't skip breakfast and please don't grab a sugar-filled pastry at the office--BLAACH! What a great way to get fat. All that sugar is white death, it can be worse than cigarettes, making you feel sluggish and providing nothing beneficial for your body. You'd be better off just having an apple and a small glass of lowfat milk. With this in your tummy your metabolism will kick-start and get the fat burner running inside. This won't happen if you skip the most important meal of the day. Just stay away from those huge lumberjack breakfasts you see people slopping-down on T.V. Be sure to get a glass of water with your little breakfast to flush out the toxins your body created during the previous night's maintenance duties while you slept. Incredibly, many people think that they are getting adequate hydration through the soft-drinks and coffee they drink. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The fact is, if you aren't getting an 8-10 ounce glass of water (pure H2O, not iced tea, etcetera) 8-10 times per day then you aren't getting enough. Your body needs this minimum amount to even function properly. A good rule-of-thumb is to get one 4-ounce glass of water for every hour you're awake (16 hours per day for the average person). A sure sign to watch for that you are under-hydrated is the color of your urine -- if it has any color at all, you need more water. Not only is water a great zero-calorie drink, but it will flush toxins from your body, will smooth out facial wrinkles and keep your skin younger-looking, and will help your body break down and burn fat much easier. And don't worry about having to run to the bathroom so often at first: your bladder will quickly expand to be able to hold the added volume of fluid.
Walking is an excellent starter activity toward losing weight. It costs nothing and can be done most anyplace; in your neighborhood, at the mall, at work during lunch hour, and even in front of the T.V., on a treadmill. Put on a pair of headphones with some great tunes and walk the fat away. Visualize the fat breaking-up around your belly and booty and being burned up as fuel for your body. Actually see this happening in your mind's eye. Feel your tummy and butt getting tighter. Will your metabolism to make this happen. Don't take this part lightly. Every successful athlete incorporates visualization into their training and competition. Be positive, know what you want, and will it to happen. You'll be surprised at what kinds of changes the mind can will onto the body.
Once you start your workout, don't stop to talk to your neighbor or pet the cat from across the street. Keep moving, get your metabolism revved-up and keep it there for about a half-hour (to start with). As time progresses you can add five minutes here and five minutes there. Don't try to measure your progress by distance, measure it by time, starting with one-half hour and advancing from there. You can throw in extra fat-burning motion by pumping your arms front-to-back or side-to-side and later by getting a couple of 1-3 pound hand weights to carry and even leg weights to strap on. But don't do too much too soon: Too little is better. Even 15-minutes of walking is better than sitting on your butt, growing outward. You can also get into activities such as tennis or volleyball or swimming, anything that keeps your oiled-up and running. These kinds of things are great all-over exercises and are perfect for losing fat. You might as well forget about those contraptions you see on T.V. that people swear melted the fat off their tummy or butt with little or no exertion. I hate to break this to you, but, no matter what they tell you, you can not spot-lose (meaning losing just from your tummy or rump or thighs): it's all over or not at all. Bodybuilding is an even better way to burn fat and tone up. Ladies, don't worry about getting too muscular because that is not going to happen. You would have to have exceptional amounts of testosterone in your body to be able to get the way those pro-athletes in the magazines look, and if you did have the hormones, you'd already know it and would already be a bodybuilder. What you will get from weight training is a firm, shapely, sexy figure that you will be proud of and the other women will be jealous of. And is there a better reason for hitting the weights?
You can neither do it overnight, nor will it be exactly fun and easy at all times (no honest weight loss program will promise that, and the ones who do are, well, stretching the truth). If it's easy and fun it's doubtful that it's burning any fat. We've all seen the commercials with the bulky guys and super-sexy gals proclaiming that they have lost a ton of fat and gained the figure of an athlete by investing about 3-minutes a day for a week, without so much as breaking a sweat and while having the time of their life. In reality you won't have it that easy, and it will take a little time, but, once you start seeing results it will get to be fun and very gratifying. The idea is to start small and build, developing permanent habits. That way, by next summer, you will be able to cut a fine figure on the beach without having to worry about anyone trying to help push you back into the ocean.
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