MY OWN PERSONAL FITNESS MANIFESTO

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I'm not exactly the picture of health but I know what it takes to get in shape - A few years ago I was able to over 60 pounds by following certain guidlines that I had laid out for myself. Now, almost 8 years later as I start a new path of health and fitness I've decided to write out what has worked for me into a sort fitness manifesto. here's some very simple tips to remember about losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle.

I'm not saying this is 100% what you should do but most of it is all very common sense and has already worked for me. I welcome everyones feedback and insight


CLARITY'S FITNESS MANIFESTO


EAT OFTEN

yup! keep your metabolism going and burn fat while you sleep by eating every 2 to 3 hours. Eat small, healthy meals approximately 6 times a day. If you starve yourself your body goes into survival mode and STORES FAT - eating every few hours activates our metabolisms natural function of BURNING FAT. just keep it healthy and SMALL PORTIONS!!

60 MINUTES OF ACTIVITY

whether you do cardio, weights, or sports, just keep your body moving and active for at least 1 hour every day. Walking, running, working out, biking - ANYTHING! even if you don’t feel up to lifting weights just go for a walk – it is super important to move your body for a minimum of 1 hour every day.


EXERT MORE CALORIES THAN YOU INTAKE

I don't know if you're good at counting calories(I'm not) - you don’t have to be exact about it but just keep in mind that a general rule of thumb is that you should keep your caloric intake BELOW what you exert. like I said you don’t have to keep log of calories but if you pig out at lunch that tells you that you should probably be more active that day to compensate. Although sites like www.myfitnesspal.com make it really easy and almost fun to keep a running log of your caloric intake. THIS IS A MAJOR FACTOR in LOSING WEIGHT.

WATER

drink TONS of water. it's SO important to flush all the bull**** out of your body. It keeps you hydrated which will keep your metabolism going and it will also curb your appetite when you start freaking out and feeling hungry. A rule of thumb is; divide your body weight in half and that is the # of OUNCES of water you should drink everyday.

FRUITS & VEGGIES

get tons of fruits and veggies! they are so vital to getting and staying healthy. also, try to get a lot of FIBER from things like apples, broccoli, beans, oats, quinoa etc. Fiber is SO important - it'll make you feel fuller quicker and you'll be satisfied with smaller portions eventually. Also fiber helps you poo! which also contributes to your metabolism and just keeps every running SMOOTHLY : )

NO FRIED, FAST, PROCESSED FOOD

it's the worst thing for us! we're supposed to have 2000 calories a day and some value meals have like 800+ calories and they're all from fat and salt and garbage. plus there's 0 fiber in that stuff and it just sits like a lump in your tummy and your system has to work double overtime to break it down which is one reason why fat people are always so tired - our bodies can spend DAYS trying to break down processed bull**** food and in the end we don't get ANY NUTRIENTS from that **** - just sick and tired.

try to stay away from food that is heavily processed - read the ingredients on the package and try to stick with stuff that only has a few ingredients. The more ingredients, the more processed, the less value it has for your body. Last night I went to buy a package of precooked grilled chicken thinking I was making a good choice - it's just chicken! but no - there was like 20 ingredients listed on the package- additives, preservatives, etc - all garbage. So try to keep it to simple ingredients that your body will be able to ACTUALLY USE and wont use all of your energy trying to digest it.

GREEN TEA

this is more of a personal thing. Green tea is super healthy and can contribute to weight loss but if you don’t like it don’t force it on yourself - I live on the **** and honestly it gets me more wired than a cup of coffee. (also curbs your appetite)

Also I've recently discovered something that has helped me make better eating choices - it's called MICHI's LADDER - I've sent you the link here

http://www.beachbody.com/category/michis_ladder.do

there's ALOT of choices in the first 2 tiers and those are the best ones to eat from

check it


oh, by the way - when I followed this regime I had was able to lose 60+ pounds.


hope this helps - good luck.

Replies

  • jrlenig
    jrlenig Posts: 364 Member
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    That is a great manifesto I will add one for you, FEEL YOU ABOUT YOURSELF EVERYDAY, no matter what the scales we tend to take for granted that this is a long journey and self hate is not going to help!
  • JatieKo621
    JatieKo621 Posts: 425 Member
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    I am definitely going to come back to this because it is all of the things I know-but sometimes its easy to lose sight of!

    Great post! I love that you type like a normal person-not like an instruction booklet. :)

    And hell yea to green tea- I looooove it!


    And to the added part: good point! You MUST feel good about yourself and feel GREAT about the progress that you make. If you never give yourself any credit for trying to make healthier choices-you will just end up miserable. Be happy with each small goal you set for yourself, because only YOU can control your own happiness. :)

    -KTJO
  • Clarity22
    Clarity22 Posts: 24
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    so true...mind/body/spirit are all connected. Stay positive and loving toward yourself, you goals, and your outlook.

    I'll add this!
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    This is great and so true - all common sense really, but it's scary how uncommon that sense is these days - everyone wants a quick fix and they don't want to hear that the answer is simple but requires hard work and a change in habits.
  • caitlinclock
    caitlinclock Posts: 528 Member
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    Awesome advice. I also really like the Michis ladder. I never saw that before but that is a fantastic guideline. I also really love green tea. I think it is super healthy and I think it really is a great thing to have in any diet whether you are trying to lose weight or not. It's just healthy.

    Also I see you live in Babylon. I am on LI too right in Sayville. Small world, huh?
    Good luck with your journey. You've done it once so you know you can do it again! That's always great to know!
  • Clarity22
    Clarity22 Posts: 24
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    thanks for the compliment and I agree...it really is common sense. I think that knowing and being aware of these things and NOT applying them is worse than just not knowing at all. I see some people try dieting in trendy, haphazardly, and even dangerous ways and it makes me want to say; "no, try this" haha - but I cant exactly do that if I'm not practicing what I preach...soon enough I'll be able to say; "look...this is how I did it!"
  • Clarity22
    Clarity22 Posts: 24
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    yea, Michi's is great!

    totally small world...maybe we can meet up for walk or something one day!