Tips For Making Your New Year's Resolutions STICK

Happy New Year!

As you probably know, at the start of every new
year Americans seeking a better quality of life
will make a healthier lifestyle and losing
weight among their top resolutions.

It's almost a given. The holidays give you an
added guilt trip and all then it's time for
a resolution. What perfect timing.

Since most people try to adopt a healthier
lifestyle and lose weight for the new year, AND
most people drop those resolutions somewhere
between February and June, I thought some tips
for making those resolutions STICK would be helpful.

Allocation: You cannot expect to make ANY change
with your health, fitness, or weight without
setting aside time. Joining a gym only gives you
access to a facility. It won't help you lose
weight. Buying the newest bestselling diet book
only informs you about the diet. It doesn't prevent you
from eating junk food.

You must block out time, and preferrablly set
appointments, to take the needed action. When
it comes to exercise, accountability is the
biggest secret. For diet, it's preparation.

Priority: Everyone has priorities. Usually family
and work rank at the top. If you don't make your
resolution a high priority, it will quickly fall to the
bottom of your list.

So what's more important than your workout? I'm
not suggesting to miss your daughter's piano recital.
But because it's during your normal workout time, it
doesn't mean you should skip it all together. You must
reschedule. Our clients that train in the morning are
always the most successful with their schedules.
Obviously not much can pop up at 6 o'clock in the
morning. Well, other than more sleep. But who needs that.;-)

Measurement: There are no overnight success
stories when it comes to weight loss. No one just
loses 100 pounds. You lose 100 pounds 1 pound
at a time. Once you have your big picture, chunk
it down and measure often. At Fitness Together we measure once a month. Seeing progress stimulates your motivational engine. As momentum builds, your
confidence grows, commitment gets stronger, and this
entire process gets easier.

On the flip side, if you are going in the wrong
direction you can quickly realize it and change
course. Measuring your progress will ensure your success.

Don't rely on yourself: Let's be honest, sometimes
you just have a sh@*#y day. Everyone has them.
It is on these days that a coach and motivator
help pick you up and keep you on track. Don't go
it alone. There's no sense in that. Get a coach. (For
more info on our coaching programs click here)

Numbers: Don't make 10 resolutions. You won't
stick to 'em. Make 1 good one. Or if you're
feeling really determined make 3. But don't
overload yourself. You'll overwhelm and burn out.
One successful resolution is better than 5
unsuccessful.

Commitment: I have a saying, "If you're
interested, you'll fail. If you're committed,
you'll succeed." Only you can decide if you really
want to be healthy, lose weight, and feel good
about yourself. Doing so for others, by pressure,
or any other false pretense will result in
failure. Commit. But ONLY because you want to.

Print this out and post it where you can see it daily
along with your written resolutions. You're chances of
success will rise exponentially!

To your health and fitness in 2011,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. If you'd like help getting fit and healthy, losing
weight, feeling good, and making 2011 your best year ever
then request a consultation here.

"3 Holiday Strategies and 1 Heckuva Sweat"

Before I dive into the formula we need to address your 'Holiday Indulgence Factor'. Because it's different for everyone.

You must first determine your starting point. If you need to lose 40 pounds, you're 'Holiday Indulgent Factor' will be less than someone needing to lose 10 pounds.

If you need to lose weight, sacrifices must be made. And indulging during the holidays will be one of them. So, for some, it might be best to skip the parties, throw out the cookies, sip on light egg nog and look forward to ringing in 2011.

But if you do allow yourself to indulge, then follow this formula.


3 Holiday Strategies

It's time to party! Between work, social, religious, and other groups you probably have a few Holiday parties to go to. I have a buddy who goes to at least 8 or 9 every year! Sometimes there's no way around it. Follow these 3 strategies to make holiday parties your friend, not foe.


1. Eat before you go.
Nothing new or fancy here. Just DON'T go to a party hungry. Failure is for certain! Eat a healthy meal with lean protein and veggies 30-60 minutes before the party. You'll have a chance to satisfy your sweet tooth with something small, but you won't go overboard trying to make a meal out of bon-bons.

2. Drink one, then drink another.
No, no, no. Not another in quantity. Another in type!;-) Have a tasty libation, but switch to water or club soda with a lime afterwards. Do this with every other drink. Pace yourself and drink moderately. Remember, everyone makes fun of the company drunk. No one really wants to be them.

3. Be Balanced.
If you know you have 3 parties this coming weekend, don't go out for a burger and fries everyday at lunch. Nutrition isn't as easy as 'banking' calories (this is one of the flaws with the Weight Watchers point system). But during the holidays it's not a bad strategy to follow. Eat a couple of light meals on Saturday before your big Holiday party. Be balanced and don't go overboard every chance you get this season.

I assure you these 3 strategies will prevent the average holiday weight gain. But we're not finished with the formula.

Now it's time to work up one heckuva sweat. Go sweat your butt off! Go get after it. I'm not talking about walking the dog or reading a magazine on the stationary bike. Go hard, go intense. Go chase your kids in the backyard. Go wrestle with them in the snow. Do a high intensity interval on the elliptical. Do something. And do it hard.

I remember one of our clients had a T-shirt that said 'Go Animal or Go Home!'. That's good to keep in mind as you work up your sweat!

And if you really want this to be effective, do this before and/or after your party. Get your metabolism cranking and burn off the extra sugar and calories.

Put this formula into play. I'm certainly going to. And I'm also going to eat the cookies my trainer and his girlfriend made!:-)

Happy Holidays,

Tim Chudy


P.S. Do you have any other holiday fitness or weight loss tips? I'd love to hear them and so would the others reading this blog. Post them below.

P.P.S. John started the Holiday Kickstart last week. His wife Connie is jumping on the Fitness Holiday bandwagon tomorrow. That means it's not too late for YOU!

If You're Over 40, Do This EVERYDAY

Warning: This post is NOT intended to be medical
advice. This is simply based on an interpretation
of a study. Please see my disclaimer below my
welcome message in the right hand column. As
always, consult your physician before taking any
medical advice. Now that we got that out of the way...

I bet you know taking a daily aspirin will
help prevent some cardiovascular incidences. That's
SMART prevention. But new evidence shows aspirin having a much greater
benefit than preventing a heart attack or stroke.

A long term, low dose aspirin has shown to
dramatically cut the risk for a wide array of
cancers. This new finding published in
The Lancet comes from a fresh analysis of 8 studies
and over 25,000 patients.

The scientists discovered these results while
initially looking for the protective potential
on cardiovascular disease. However, as the
patients were tracked, up to 20 years after the
initial study, more cancer preventing benefits
were found.

Overall cancer death risk plummeted by 21 percent
for those taking a low dose aspirin. At 5 years
out death due to gastrointestinal cancer dropped
by 54%! Furthermore, after 20 years of a low dose
death risk dropped by 10% among prostate cancer
patients, 30% among lung cancer patients, 40%
among colorectal cancer patients, and 60% among
esophageal cancer patients.

Those in their late 40's and 50's stand to benefit
the most and can likely lower your risk of death
from cancer. If you're over 40 I would talk to
your doctor and get on this pronto.

I've talked with a lot of people over the years
that are afraid of either heart trouble or cancer.
This study is good evidence a low dose aspirin may help both.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. You know what also has been shown to prevent
heart disease and cancer? Exercise. It's the best
cure-all you can do. And we can help you. More
info here.