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Tag: goals

Healthy TipsLifestyleUncategorized

Are You Ready For Spring?

This past weekend we sprung forward for Daylight Saving Time and also the weather slowly started to creep out of the 30’s and up toward the 50’s. The snow is finally melting and the warmer weather and longer days we have been waiting for will be here by the end of the week. Now is a crucial time for your weight loss. You probably felt like the dark, cold winter days were filled with monotony and low motivation. During these long winter months it felt like the light at the end of the tunnel was so far away that it would never come – but now is the time that you should be feeling and looking amazing, not just day dreaming about it.

 

Use the improving weather to jump start your motivation. Recently the weather has been a hassle with mounds of snow and layers of ice, but now you have so many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and boost your mood. In fact, it’s a scientific truth – a study published recently shows that people who engaged in outdoor activity had elevated mood and self esteem after just 5 minutes. Whether you are switching from snow shoeing to jogging or just trying to energize your exercise routine after months of work out videos inside, you will notice a big change with just one work out.

 

Your goals are closer than you think and making them even more of a reality can help get you in the right mindset. As you prepare to pack away the heavy coats and sweaters remember that you won’t be able to hide underneath winter layers any more. If you have lost touch with your goals and your progress, strengthen your commitment. Now is the time for you to start enjoying all the hard work you have already put towards your goals and to keep pushing yourself. It hasn’t always been easy but that’s what makes it worth it. It’s time to embrace the shorts and t-shirts!

 

Prepare yourself for this transition. Warm weather may take you out of your comfort zone but that doesn’t mean you have to spin out of control. Maybe it’s the first time you’ve worn a tank top or a bathing suit in a long while, so you have to work on your confidence as much as you work on your weight loss. Don’t just focus on the things you still want to accomplish or how far you still have to go – think of all the things you have done to make yourself proud.

 

This is an exciting time when you get enjoy the benefits of your hard work and take your weight loss to the next level. In the winter there is little satisfaction in your efforts when you’re covered head to toe. The shrinking number on the scale can put a smile on your face, but when you put on summer clothes for the first time this year and go to the beach or out with friends you’re going to love your healthy lifestyle even more.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

Start Thinking About Shorts Season Now

Yesterday it snowed several inches again on Long Island. It seems like winter is never ending, but now that we have transitioned from February to March, shorts season is right around the corner and Spring Break is just a couple weeks away. Now is the time to put in that extra effort toward reaching your goals, not in May. As soon as the temperature starts to increase and little bits of green grass start to replace the inches of snow, you will wish you has started thinking about spring and summer sooner. 

 

 

Focus on the habits that will get you there. Choose to eat a healthy breakfast every morning, pack healthy snacks for during the day, exercise consistently, make a healthy grocery list, plan your week on Sundays or any tasks you want to take on. Don’t worry if you can’t get everything right at once – that is why you are starting now while there is plenty of time to build healthy habits and get results. Instead of saying something vague like “eating right” make it more specific and attainable, like cutting back on sugar or snacks, having fish a couple times a week, switching coffee for tea in the morning, etc. These little changes are your building blocks for not just summer weight loss, but a sustainable fitness plan that can become your healthy lifestyle. 

 

 

The last thing you want to do is wait until it’s too late and then go on an extreme quick-fix program. These programs not only instill an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise, but they seldom work or offer long term solutions. If you try to make an extreme change in a short amount of time, you will be more likely to gravitate back to your old habits. Slow and steady wins they race, and also continues to feel the benefits long after crossing the finish line. Working hard for your weight loss goals will not only ensure your good habits stick, it will also make you less likely to back track when you remember all that you went through to get where you are. When you go on a quick fix diet you don’t experience the value of hard work and realize what you are capable of. The journey is just as important as the destination. 

 

 

Whether you are new or coming back to exercise and healthy eating, even beginners will experience great results. You have the time to get stronger, build endurance, develop technique, and change the way you eat little by little, all while losing weight. For those of you who are already hard at work and on the right track, now is the time to put in the extra effort. When it’s time to put on that bathing suit or summer dress, you will be glad you did. 

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan NY 10018

FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

Reflect on Your Resolution

 

As we embark on the second month in the New Year, take some time to reflect on your resolution. Has it changed? Are you on track? Has it taken a new direction? Have you accomplished some of it? All of it? Many people make the mistake to committing themselves to a resolution but then never tracking their progress. Either it happens, or it doesn’t (and usually, it doesn’t) – there is no in between. A huge part of reaching success with a resolution is to hold yourself to it, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t adjust it. This is not meant to give yourself a way out, just to make sure that you can reach your goals. For example, if you had planned to lose a certain amount of weight in the month of January and it didn’t happened, don’t give up on it. Come up with a plan to make it happen in February. But don’t just push it back – reflect on why it didn’t happen. Maybe it was too big of a resolution for just one month. If so, try spreading it out over 2 months or more. People always seem to be in such a rush to complete their resolutions, but accomplishing a goal or making a lifestyle change doesn’t happen over night. Give yourself time to reach the finish line.

 

This is why quick fixes never work. They are only made to give you immediate results, not lasting, healthy changes. Patience may be the hardest part of working towards a goal, but if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Changing your habits not only takes time, but it also takes a lot of strength. Not just the physical strength to exercise, but also mental strength to stay on track and motivate yourself. It can be exhausting to constantly have to think about what to eat, when to exercise and to keep yourself from going back to old habits, but the strength you build and the amazing things you accomplish because of it will be just a rewarding as reaching your goal weight. Fad diets and quick weight loss solutions make you drop pounds but they don’t improve your lifestyle the way getting healthy does.

 

If you’re feeling stuck with your resolution, try breaking it down and making it more specific. Instead of just saying you want to lose a certain amount of weight or you want to “get healthy”, make it more precise. Try making tangible goals, like working out 3 days a week or cutting back on a certain food or drink you consume often. The more vague a goal is, the harder it is to achieve. It may seem like the more open-ended an objective is, the easier it is to accomplish because there are so many ways it can be fulfilled, but this will actually work against you. The same way that you decide the road to take before you drive anywhere, you need direction to be able to follow through on your resolution. Always have a plan, get as specific as possible, and stick to it!

 

2015 is only just beginning…Make it count!

 

~ Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

 

FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

How To Stick To Your New Year’s Resolution

 

It’s time to shake off that holiday haze and get back to reality. Some people see it as a welcome end to a hectic and busy holiday season, while some may still be clinging to the last few moments of celebration. Either way, for almost everyone it is time to go back to school or work, say goodbye to your relatives and put the decorations back in the attic. Returning to your usual work or class schedule is impossible to avoid so maybe you’re thinking about taking your time getting back to your weight loss plan. January 1st was still part of the holiday break so maybe you planned to get serious about your resolution today…But you weren’t ready to get up when the alarm clock went off this morning, so forget about having your head in the right place when it comes choosing what to eat this week. And those leftovers shouldn’t go to waste, right? The passing of another holiday season and the stress of going back to your regular routine may make you feel overwhelmed, but now is not the time to shy away from your commitment to your resolution. Take this as an opportunity to kick things into high gear. Use this fresh start to build on what you have been doing.

 

But beware – the worst thing you can do right now is go overboard. Putting too many things on your plate or trying to quit certain things “cold turkey” can make you weaker and crumble under pressure. If you have a long list of strict resolutions or things you want to accomplish (quit candy, cut alcohol consumption, exercise more, drink less soda, drink more water, eat more vegetables, get healthy, try juicing or a detox, eat more protein and focus on your weight loss, etc.) all at the same time, your brain is going to be the one getting the workout instead of your body. When you split your attention and have too many priorities it can actually make it harder to accomplish anything at all. For example, if you over do it at the gym it just means you’ll probably dread exercising and be less likely to workout. Instead, push yourself just beyond your comfort zone without getting too intense. Similarly, if you were to skip meals or try some crash diet you are basically setting yourself up for failure. Making changes to your eating and exercise habits is possible when done right.

 

The best way to succeed is to break up your resolution into manageable pieces. You should make realistic goals that are specific to you. If you have never been a runner and then decide to run a marathon next month, you should probably reconsider. Or if you want to cut down on how much sugar you consume, you will probably be feeling cravings after just a day or two without it. Your brain automatically prefers comfortable, old habits over new and different ones. For a while, for example, you will still crave sugar or resist going for a jog, but eventually you will be running a full marathon and will have left those sugar cravings behind. The most important part of this idea is to have a plan and hold yourself accountable. Make clear goals for each month or week and keep track of them. If you miss a goal, it’s not the end of the world. Readjust your plan and keep going. You’re not giving yourself any excuses to quit, you’re actually ensuring your success.

 

Most of all, it’s important to remember that this will take time. It is commonly felt that resolutions need to be accomplished within the beginning of the new year for them to count, but remember that a year is 12 months. It’s not a January Resolution, it’s a New Year’s Resolution. Changing your habits and completing a major accomplishment won’t happen over night. The changes may be small and gradual, but that doesn’t make them any less of a success. By the end of the year you will have accomplished so much that you never thought would ever be possible right now. The same way you start with simple, short phrases when you learn a new language – start small and you will see major results.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

Start Thinking About Bathing Suit Weather

 

Let’s take a break from the cold weather and holiday talk and think about spring and summer. Going to the beach, barbeques, green grass and blooming flowers, swimming at the pool, long sunny days. Just thinking about it can be a momentary mental vacation from the cold and dark months ahead, but are you going to be ready when it’s time to put on that bathing suit? It may feel like winter will last forever, but now is the time to start thinking about where you want to be when summer comes around. Some of you may even be taking a tropical vacation in the coming months, so instead of dreading the moment you peel off your winter layers, make a plan and look forward with confidence.

 

Even if you lose just half a pound each week, by the time June arrives you will have lost over 12 pounds. It may not seem like a lot, but even the smallest things you do now will add up. The consistency you cultivate will help you when you weigh in this weekend and also in the future. It’s all about consistency. When the warmer weather comes around and it’s time to bring back the shorts and t-shirts, sticking to your weight loss plan will make sure you are ready. A balanced routine will work when you give it time. The last thing you want to do is go on some kind of crash diet or spiral into stress eating when you approach the time you had planned to reach your goal. Having a healthy breakfast, going to the gym even when you really didn’t want to, ordering a salad when you really wanted a burger or taking the stairs instead of the elevator may seem trivial, but they are what will take you across the finish line in the end.

 

It may be a tough battle to lose a little one week and gain a little another week, but thinking about the big picture can really help give the day-to-day effort more meaning. Think about where you were when you started. Think about all the good weeks you have had. Even if you just started today, remember that you can’t climb this mountain overnight. It takes time, which you have plenty of in the winter before summer arrives. Having the right mindset can ensure you have good weeks ahead. The same way you look forward to a cheat day each week, look forward to the summer after a long and challenging winter.

 

2015 is going to be the summer you work hard for, and the summer you deserve to feel fit and comfortable.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018