Making your own fitness goals.

If you're aware you need to get in shape. It's a very broad subject. There's the exercising. There's the nutrition. There's the mental conditioning. There's the daily routine that needs adaption. Where do we start??

Before we begin by exercising or cutting down on unhealthy food, we need to WRITE down our goals. Some of us do it mentally. Either way is fine as long as you don't forget your goals! For a beginner, write it down.

There are many goals to come up with. Ask yourself many questions. Do I need to lose weight? Am I skinny and need to gain weight? Do I need to improve on my legs strength? Do I need to improve my heart's condition? Write down what you need to do.

Make short term and long term goals. Losing 1-2 pounds per week is ideal. If you've watched Biggest Loser, don't try to follow them and lose 10 lbs a week! They're crazy, plus they work with a trainer. Don't try to overdo yourself. Don't do too much that you'll collapse.

Just aim for anywhere between 1 and 5 lbs a week.

Make several goals. Get your bodyfat percentage down. Your blood pressure down. Become more active than what you are now. Take the stairs. Park your car further at church, work, or the mall. Walk more. Take a water aerobic class. Or boot camp. Or hire a trainer. Or join a gym.

Your goals can be any of these:

I need to lose 20 lbs in 12 weeks.

I need to lower my blood pressure.

I need to run more and improve my heart's condition.

I need to strengthen my problematic lower back.

I need to overcome an arthritis in my hand/wrist/knee.

I need to raise my HDL - the good cholesterol.

I need to increase energy and overcome fatigue.

Whatever your goals and reasons are, it's important to write them down and keep it where you can see it everyday. It'll inspire you to reach your goals.

Another way to inspire yourself is to take your picture! Yup, a picture of you! If you're overweight, take a picture of yourself in a swimsuit (guys, without a shirt)! Only you will see the picture. Keep it hidden if you're embarrassed! That's the great thing about the digital age. No more taking embarrassing films to a photo lab!! Try to make your picture as bad as can be. Put on a frown in the picture. Keep the picture to yourself or share it with your spouse. Keep it on your dresser (or anywhere only you can see it daily). It'll inspire you to work out and eat right. Keep thinking that you'll reach your goals and you won't look like the extremely sad person in the picture!

And, there you go! You made a goal(s). You took a picture of yourself and saw how you look. Now, you're ready to work out and eat right!

Paul Johnson, CPT

To diet or not to diet? That is the question!

Should we diet? Should we plan a 12 week diet? That's a good question but I HATE that word! Diet? I would die before I diet! Diet is a temporary solution to losing weight. If we had to lose weight, it's better to change a lifestyle than to diet. We need to be eating right for the rest of our lives.

If a person goes on a diet, that person will be looking forward to the end of the diet. Ah, back to the normal life! The normal daily routine. The normal food - junk food, that is. Once we lose weight and reach our goal(s), we shouldn't stop there and return back to our old ways. That's why over 97% of diets fail! We're done with our diets, we get back to normal and we gain the weight back. That's no diet! That's no lifestyle! The dictionary ought to elminate the word, diet. Diet should die!

You want to lose weight? Change your eating habit. Change your lifestyle. Forget about a short-term solution. This is for the rest of your lives. Throw away junk food. Stop going to fast food restaurants. Stop ordering chinese or pizza so often. Stop eating chips. Stop drinking sodas. Learn to eat right and you're on your way to losing weight.

It's true, many people don't stop entirely. Successful people limit it to 1 day a week to eat whatever they want ONLY if they eat right and exercise 6 days a week. They can treat themselves to their favorite food on a "free day." Some people do eliminate junk, unhealthy food for good. Whatever works for you. Play with your eating plans and see what works for you.

We should eat 6 small meals a day. Obviously, that means no BIG dinners. If you consume 1500 calories a day, even that out into 6 meals. Don't consume 1000 calories for dinner and only 500 for the other 5 meals. That won't help you lose weight.

What do I do? I'm trying with my best to adapt to eating right for 6 days. Maybe 6 and half. I try for one meal and one snack of my favorite junk food on a Sunday. Or it'll be all day Sunday to eat whatever I want. I've lost 2 and half inches off my waist in the past 4 weeks. (Earlier in 2008)

Next time you eat, keep in mind that you want to eat right forever and not just for 12 weeks on that 'd' word! Throw away all those sodas, potato chips, and cookies!!

Paul Johnson, CPT

Why do we exercise?

Is it really necessary to exercise? If your answer is "No," I could say, you're right. That is if you enjoy being sick, short on energy, and limited in your range of motion for all of your joints.

I see many overweight people - either slightly or greatly. I already know their excuses. "I don't have time." "I'm too busy." "Oh, I plan on starting next week." "Can't do anything with my bad knee." "I can't afford a gym membership." "It's in my genes. I was born to be fat."

The real reason behind ALL excuses is that people don't want to leave their comfort zone. Watching too much television, surfing the internet, and not waking up earlier to exercise are comfort zones.

People need to get out of their comfort zones. Life is too short. It'll fly by too quick. The thing will come at them quick before they could do something about it. What thing? For many people, it'll be a heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke. Name any disease, people will get it.

Why do we exercise? Sure, we want to look good. We want to look toned up or muscular. We want that six-pack abs. We want stronger legs. , can we forget about looks for a minute? The real reason for exercising is to maintain a great health or to improve health. We all need to exercise at least 5 times a week for the rest of our lives. So we don't get any extra fat that will lead to being overweight, that will lead to high blood pressure and limited energy, and that will lead to diabetes and heart and/or breathing problems, which could lead to a stroke or heart attack, which could result in premature, early death. I'm sorry to scare you but that ought to wake you up and start exercising!

Also, people should start thinking about their family and the future. I'm sure anybody doesn't want to miss their grandchild graduate from high school. Or a grandchild's wedding. Ok. If the person doesn't miss it, but will the person be healthy? Wouldn't that person want to actually PLAY with their grandchild instead of sitting in a rocking chair? If you chose to want to be a healthy grandparent or even a great grandparent in the future, then start exercising NOW.

I know I would choose to be the grandfather who tosses a football to his grandson. I wouldn't want to be in a rocking chair. Nor with an oxygen tank. I'm going to work out in an hour with that in mind! A healthy, active grandfather.

Paul Johnson, CPT