Summer is in full swing, is your body up to it...

  The official start of the summer months begins this weekend, and our weather seems to be in tune with the calendar. It is also the time of the year we start truly shedding our heavier clothes and putting our winter bodies on display for the world to see. Guaranteed a larger majority of people planned on being in better shape at this point but chances are life got in the way and those January goals were not reached once again. 
  So rather than being hard on your self and beating your self up emotionally try, another strategy, one that might be healthier and keep you happier and possibly more effectively on course than the past. I think many times we try to make things so difficult that we overwhelm ourselves into failure yet once again..This time lets hit it from the angle of success and with less mental stress and anguish. I think one problem so many of us have is that change is hard and visible signs of those changes never happen as fast as we want them to. Obviously we have unrealistic expectations and want it all to happen and be done by tomorrow, and slow progress is hard for us to accept, although we did not get in this unhealthy state of affairs over night.
  I have found that getting some visible signs of change can be amazingly motivating, so I like to be a little stricter and focused, while keeping it streamlined and even a bit boring for about 3 weeks. This seems to show some needed motivational changes and seems to give us the support we need for change. Of course after about three weeks a longer term program needs to be approached, but until then I make it as easy as possible. This is what I suggest for the hard to motivate group who need that  extra level of motivation,
  Daily- Protein- chicken, fish, all seafood, turkey, grass fed beef in whatever amount it takes to keep you full. Preparing it by baking, grilling, broiling, of course no batter and seasoned however you choose. Green vegetables, any and as much as you choose, and think outside the box. Try a few different vegetables every week and broaden the spectrum of your taste buds. Prepare them by steaming, grilling, baking or stir frying. Be creative and use as much variety as you can muster up. Add any spices and do not be afraid of the butter. Fruits, I usually suggest 1/2 cup of berries daily if you choose, or if your sweet tooth is screaming at you. Choose fresh whenever possible, but frozen is another great choice. That is it for the food for the first three weeks. Beverages, diet soda seems to be a popular choice, I prefer ice tea, green tea and of course 64 ounces or more of fresh water daily.
  Boring, a bit, but the end result will make it enjoyable enough to get this done, and done well. Our problem is we have glamorized food so much that we expect our taste buds to be overly satisfied, and we now use food as a past time and a friend rather than a way of staying alive and replenishing our bodies of nutrition.
  Weigh your self at the beginning, and again three weeks later, and that's it. Use clothing as goals and measure of your success. One more tip, do not talk about your problem with friends, family or co workers. Although we love them, they may be in need of the same program, but if they are not ready for the change, they have a tendency to not be always as supportive as they could be. This can add some negativity and may cause you to not be focused or to stray away from the goal you are ready this time to reach. Just let them notice your changes and say thank you, I am getting healthy and leave it at that.
​Good luck.....

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