General tips on how to lose weight and get fit

I constantly get asked for the "holy grail" to weight loss..when I find it I'll let you all know lol until then how about we stick to what tools we have, our bodies our minds and our surroundings because just with these 3 things you can achieve whatever you want. Below are listed some general tips on what you should look out for, some tips and some things that you probably never thought made much of a difference...

1. Get into the habit of being active. Don’t just rely on your “exercise” to keep you fit. Use the stairs, walk to the shop, go for a bike ride with your family, go for a walk at lunch, etc… eg. A one hour well paced walk with the dog is an exercise session!

2. Vary your training. There is a need to constantly vary your training and modify the intensity. If you train at one thing and never increase the time or intensity, your body will adapt to it, and your fitness will not improve. Consider that training should continuously challenge your body past it’s current capabilities; this is how we get fitter. Also, you won’t get bored!

3. Cut down on high sugar and high fat processed foods. These are generally the single biggest problem in the Western diet. Foods that are dense in energy (calories) generally provide you with more calories than you need and can be eaten rapidly. See dietary guidelines on page 4 for a list of foods to avoid/minimise.

4. Educate yourself. Don’t use the excuse, “I didn’t know that x food was high in fat”. Read the labels, ask your trainer, do whatever it takes to learn about what you are eating. The same goes for exercise, don’t use the excuse of I didn’t know what to do? Ask your on-line trainer, read a fitness magazine, do whatever it takes.

5. Don’t make excuses. Occasionally, there may be a reason why you can’t fit in your exercise or eat well, but most of the time, it is an excuse. Make eating well and exercising a priority. Not to say that you have to exercise 10 times a week and eat perfectly all the time, but don’t make excuses for not doing what you set out to do at the start of the week. People who constantly make excuses, don’t achieve their goals.

6. Set goals and be realistic. Be realistic about your goals and about how much exercise you are prepared to do. Set your goals realistically and break them down into small goals. The goal can be activity based, it doesn’t have to be result based.E.g. one goal might be – I will exercise 4 times this week, as opposed to I will lose 1 kg this week. Focus on the process, not on the result.

7. Rest and Listen to your body. Make sure you get enough sleep every night so that your body can recover and rejuvenate. Don’t push yourself to exhaustion day in day out. For your body to be efficient as possible it needs adequate rest.

8. Have fun and enjoy. If you are not enjoying your exercise and the feeling you get, you will not keep it up. Find something you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy the food you eat, you will not keep eating it. Find a good balance of food you enjoy that is nutritious, and go for it. Treat yourself in moderation, there is no need for total abstinence.