If eating healthier is one of your top new year priorities, you are not alone. You are among thousands of Americans with that goal, but "I'm going to eat healthier this year" is one of those well intentioned, but too-hard-to-define goals that isn't nearly as easy done, as said. When I made the decision to commit to a healthy lifestyle, I was practically eating fast food every day, tired all the time and rarely felt like I was getting a good night’s sleep. Being a father of three kids, I wanted to be healthy and have energy to keep up with my children.
It started two years ago, when my wife and I decided after Valentine’s Day that we were going to make a change in our diet. We decided on Weight Watchers to start our journey, due to the success my wife had in the past years after having our children. Weight Watchers is not the only way to get started, although I do believe it was a great method for us at the time. Along with Weight Watchers, we tracked our daily food intake with an app called ITrackBites, and after two weeks, I began to develop an exercise routine. I started out with 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill every day, then two weeks later, added in small amounts of weight training to gradually build my strength and burn fat. After about a year, I had lost 50lbs; I went from 205lbs to 155lbs and felt more energized than ever before.
I often get asked by people what they can do to achieve their weight loss and fitness goals. Here are some strategies to help you stay on track to weight-loss success.
Create realistic goals for yourself.
Going into your new adventure of a healthy lifestyle, it is important to set goals for yourself, but don’t make them unrealistic. Striving to lose those last few pounds or training for a fun run are a great way to motivate yourself.
Remain consistent.
Today, my diet is consistent with a balanced calorie intake and a cheat day built in. Cheat days are very important to give your body a sense of normalcy and something to look forward to throughout the week. Consistency is key; put a routine in place. My workout routine currently consists of running/cardio, Monday through Friday and weight training Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There are days I want to grab a donut or don’t feel like working out, but I remember my goals.
Eat clean, exercise regularly.
Exercising will help shape your body and can boost your results, but at the end of the day, the most important part of a healthy lifestyle is developed in the kitchen. Having a partner to help keep you accountable is also very helpful. My wife has been played a key role in maintaining my results and continuing to live a healthy lifestyle.
We all have different interests, but one goal that has personally helped me are running in 5k races and mud runs. With all the training and hard work, I am looking to complete my first half and full marathons this year! Which brings me to one of the great benefits of working for Gateway; They have sponsored employees in the Oklahoma City Memorial Run, the Rugged Maniac Mud Run, and Miles for Melanoma Save Your Skin Fun Run this past year. At Gateway, we are proud of our team’s efforts to train, complete these difficult events and keep a focus on healthy living.**Disclaimer: You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs.
Written by Gateway Team Member, Jared L.