Get Started

How to Get Started
Q: I'm ready to lose weight and get fit. How do I get started?
A: I am thrilled that you are motivated to lose weight and get healthy. That's awesome! How do you get started? It looks like you already have. The simple fact is that you can change your life by changing your mind. Nothing is impossible for the willing mind! We all have the power to gain control of our lives, reach our goals, and live our dreams. The challenge is locating, nurturing, and believing in your ability to do so.
I can't possibly put all the information on how to shed the pounds into this Q and A — luckily, I've created a whole site that addresses this topic! The first thing you need to understand is how your emotions and your behaviors affect your weight. You need to commit all your mental resources toward change. Learn how to take control of negative self-image and poor self-esteem through journaling, positive affirmations, visualization, and behavior-modification techniques. It's also important to build a support system and communicate with your family and friends so they know what you need and how best to support you. Identify temptations and "trigger foods" (foods that you have a hard time controlling) in your life so you can modify your daily routine and behavior. Next, you must learn how and what to eat. Learn how to make healthier choices and find out what the right types of foods are for your individual metabolism. Then educate yourself about calories. How many is your body burning daily? How many are in the foods you are eating? How many do you burn when you exercise? Starting to get the picture? Weight loss is simple math. A pound is 3,500 calories — so to lose a pound you will need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. It's "calories in" versus "calories out."
This is where the exercise comes in. Exercise is the best way to get those "calories out" and burn fat. Get yourself acquainted with exercise. Find out the most effective ways to work out in order to burn the most calories. It's also important to learn where your heart rate should be when doing resistance training and cardio, the proper form and purpose for each exercise you perform, and how to modify and progress your fitness routine to prevent plateau