- Joined
- Apr 30, 2005
- Messages
- 42,064
Happy new week all!
This week's HLT is coming to you from Lorelei's new computer - hehe!! My old one was groaning and backfiring, so we decided a new one was in order - nothing too fancy as all I do is ' surf and shop' according to a reliable source
,but I am pleased with it - much faster and quieter!
The freezing weather has moved away thank goodness so we are back to pantsy old rain as usual. Anyway, I digress.....
I was thinking about healthier lifestyles and how important it is to set ourselves up for success - being overambitious can lead to failure and despondency. Initial goals should be realistic and it is crucial to bear this in mind when setting them.
I was particularly thinking of those who have just embarked on this journey or have been living a healthier lifestyle for some time now. It can be exciting when first starting on a lifestyle change and the pounds start to drop off, or we notice our clothes feeling looser due to strenuous workouts. But it is very important to have a plan we can live with and can follow reasonably easily, otherwise if we are using a plan we hate, we won't achieve long term success. For example, if you are on a plan which doesn't allow for the occasional cookie and they are one of your favourite foods, then it is fair to assume that eventually you will cave in and eat the whole box. A strict eating plan based around foods you are not keen on isn't going to work in the long term, there has to be a balance between getting your nutritional requirements, fuel for your body, a suitable amount of calories so you can maintain or reduce your weight - and foods you enjoy.
Similarly with workouts, if the most exercise you normally take is walking to and from your car, then a vigorous 3 hour session in the gym three times a week is going to be very difficult to achieve, in fact you would be setting yourself up for failure as this type of program would be too intense and you could even injure yourself. This level of fitness in order to be able to do marathon workouts is something that needs continual effort, patience and is a goal in itself. 15 minutes of moderate pace three or four times a week on a treadmill or elliptical might be fine to begin with for someone who has never exercised, then increasing to 20 mins, then half an hour and longer as fitness levels increase.
For example, it took me time and practise to learn to play Moonlight Sonata on the piano, and I made my share of mistakes - but with continued effort I learned to play the whole thing and now don't need the music to play it accurately. In order to do this, I broke the piece down into small sections and rather than thinking " I want to be able to play the whole thing perfectly in 2 days," which would have led to failure or an unsatisfactory result, I set small achievable goals and broke the piece down into small sections which I could manage, then go onto the next until I had mastered the whole piece.
And so it is with our weight reduction and healthy living goals. Look towards making success as easy for yourself as possible by setting realistic goals and a realistic plan in order to meet them!
Have a great week
This week's HLT is coming to you from Lorelei's new computer - hehe!! My old one was groaning and backfiring, so we decided a new one was in order - nothing too fancy as all I do is ' surf and shop' according to a reliable source
The freezing weather has moved away thank goodness so we are back to pantsy old rain as usual. Anyway, I digress.....
I was thinking about healthier lifestyles and how important it is to set ourselves up for success - being overambitious can lead to failure and despondency. Initial goals should be realistic and it is crucial to bear this in mind when setting them.
I was particularly thinking of those who have just embarked on this journey or have been living a healthier lifestyle for some time now. It can be exciting when first starting on a lifestyle change and the pounds start to drop off, or we notice our clothes feeling looser due to strenuous workouts. But it is very important to have a plan we can live with and can follow reasonably easily, otherwise if we are using a plan we hate, we won't achieve long term success. For example, if you are on a plan which doesn't allow for the occasional cookie and they are one of your favourite foods, then it is fair to assume that eventually you will cave in and eat the whole box. A strict eating plan based around foods you are not keen on isn't going to work in the long term, there has to be a balance between getting your nutritional requirements, fuel for your body, a suitable amount of calories so you can maintain or reduce your weight - and foods you enjoy.
Similarly with workouts, if the most exercise you normally take is walking to and from your car, then a vigorous 3 hour session in the gym three times a week is going to be very difficult to achieve, in fact you would be setting yourself up for failure as this type of program would be too intense and you could even injure yourself. This level of fitness in order to be able to do marathon workouts is something that needs continual effort, patience and is a goal in itself. 15 minutes of moderate pace three or four times a week on a treadmill or elliptical might be fine to begin with for someone who has never exercised, then increasing to 20 mins, then half an hour and longer as fitness levels increase.
For example, it took me time and practise to learn to play Moonlight Sonata on the piano, and I made my share of mistakes - but with continued effort I learned to play the whole thing and now don't need the music to play it accurately. In order to do this, I broke the piece down into small sections and rather than thinking " I want to be able to play the whole thing perfectly in 2 days," which would have led to failure or an unsatisfactory result, I set small achievable goals and broke the piece down into small sections which I could manage, then go onto the next until I had mastered the whole piece.
And so it is with our weight reduction and healthy living goals. Look towards making success as easy for yourself as possible by setting realistic goals and a realistic plan in order to meet them!
Have a great week
On the off days i''m going to try to do some home workouts.
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