One of the common New Year Resolution is weight loss. May be more like “I want to lose 30lb”. As much as setting the goal is very important, it is also important to know what is involved. Whatever the goal you may have set, you will need to have 1.) weekly exercise plan 2.) daily nutrition plan 3.) elimination plan. Majority of time we tend to focus on the first two but not the third one.
Before I share, I want you to realize that this is just an example, and you may have method that is keeping you accountable then follow that method. Purpose of this article is in a hope that I can add different perspective towards the goal setting, especially for the health and fitness goals.
Weekly Exercise Plan
Before thinking about how frequently you should be working out, think of how your schedule looks like. Many of you may go to school, work, need take kids to practices and so on. So, you will need to think of where you can fit your exercise time in. If you are new to the exercise starting off with 30 minutes sessions 2 days per week is good place to start. Yes, 60 minutes 3-4 times per week is better but try 30 minutes 2 days per week for the first 2-3 month so you will create a habit.
Another thing you may want to think about is location of your training. You can pretty much train yourself to get in shape anywhere. For example, at home workout is great. You may need to purchase few equipment but compared to gym memberships, it may be more reasonable. Only problem I hear is you can get distracted easily. However, this can be an option for those who are busy at home and time is restricted. You can get a membership at the gym. Easy access to so many different equipment. Only challenge may be is the cost of membership and need to travel to the gym. If you only have 30 minutes to workout, this may not be a great option. So, choose the options that will fit into your schedule.
In initial phase of exercise choice should be exercises that you would like to try. Could be squat, push-ups, plank, lunges, deadlift, lat pulldown, TRX rows, and so on. Choose 3-5 exercises that you may have interest in and work on improving them. Don’t worry about sets or reps. Initial guideline should be when you can feel your body is getting exercises or being challenged then that is good enough.
Daily Nutrition Plan
Daily nutrition planning will also be important for both weight loss and muscle gain individuals. Initially, though, rather than working with popular diets, start with something that is simpler and more obvious. Such as eat 3 meals per day (including snacks), eat 15-20g of dietary fiber per day, eat more protein, chew more, eat until you are 80% full. These habits alone will help you accomplish some of your health and fitness goals paired with your exercise plan.
When you get plateau then you can apply low carb, low fat, intermittent fasting and so on. These dietary plans should be done in short term (< 2-3 month). We tend to look for easy way out. I realize that there are dietary plans or weight loss drugs out there that are appealing to the consumers. However, even if they work can you sustain it? Can you use this plan anywhere? What are some side effects?
Start with simple and easy adjustment I have mentioned earlier. Give it a try for 3 month and see how you are doing.
Elimination Plan
When you are working on accomplishing a goal, things you may need to think about is what to eliminate. This elimination can be temporary but may need to be done while you are accomplishing it.
For example, we know that it is important to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night for better health and performance whether at work or at the gym. This may mean that you may need to cut down your T.V. time or frequency of social gathering. If you consume alcohol or latte, may need to minimize, or eliminate drinking for a while. Snacking can add extra calories to your diet and has no nutritional value so may need to be eliminated if you are on weight loss program.
As you plan your exercise and nutrition, also spend some time to think about what are something that you may need to eliminate while you are on your program.
Don't Get Hung Up on Perfection
Keeping mind that no plan is perfect. Even when you plan it perfectly you will go through life and may not complete the task 100%. Don't get hung up on perfection. Life happens and mistake happens. Important thing is keep practicing your plans at best of your ability. With said that, you may need to change plan when things are not working for 2 weeks. This can be don't see any changes, you don't feel better, energy level is still low, and so on. If this happens you should revisit your plan.
If the plan you have is something that you cannot follow 80% of the time or 5 days per week, then you may need to revise it to something that you can follow. For example, ideally I like all my clients to eat 20g of dietary fibers. However, this can be difficult for those who does not eat vegetables or mushrooms, so I may scale down to 10-15g to start. Then work up to 15-20g of dietary fibers by gradually increase vegetables or use supplement to help meet the requirement.
Enjoy the Process
Accomplishing the plan you have created is a fun journey. It is challenging at first but as you start seeing and feeling the progress, it is rewarding. Weight management or strength and muscle enhancement does take time so enjoy the process.
Kota Shimada
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