Have a plan!
One of the first steps to a healthier life is being organized. If you are prepared and have a plan, you are much more likely to succeed. There are many things you need to prepare for. For example, plan when you are going to work out and what you are going to do. Otherwise, it is easy to put off your workout with excuses until your excuse becomes that you are too tired and you put it off until tomorrow. However, if you pick a time to exercise you can make your life schedule around it. Schedule and organize your meals/food the same way. If you know in advance what you’re going to have for breakfast, you are less likely to skip breakfast. If you pack a healthy lunch and/or snack, you will be less tempted to go out and eat something you shouldn’t be eating. Availability and scheduling are key factors to making a plan work. The more organized you are, the easier it will be to achieve your ultimate goal of losing weight. You are only helping yourself when you become more organized.
In addition to organization you need the equipment. If you have a bottle of water handy, you are much more likely to drink it than go get a drink of water. Just having the proper things around helps you be healthier. When it comes to exercise try getting a locker at your local gym or pack a bag or workout clothes the night before and put them in your car. That way you cannot use the excuse that you don’t have anything to workout in, and it will be easier to just go to the gym and not be tempted to go home and stay home.
Organization can go much deeper that just having things like water bottles handy. When I first started trying to count calories I was frustrated by having to remember so many numbers. I started a list of my favorite foods and next to them I wrote down a serving size, and the calorie count. This was especially helpful when I threw out the container but had leftovers. It was also easier to choose what would go in a meal and what I could eat that day having a list of things I liked already tallied up. I also found it helpful to label leftovers with calories instead of just the date -just on a piece of masking tape stuck to the outside.
I definitely see a need for a plan when it comes to special events too. At church potlucks I try to fill my plate up with fruits and vegetables first so I don’t have room for anything unhealthy. Additionally, I just have coffee while everyone else has dessert. When it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m going to make a list beforehand of the calorie content of my moms foods so I will know how much I can eat and how many calories I’m eating. I’m also going to try and cook something healthy myself to contribute that I know is healthy. At parties I’ve learned to take a seat far from the food and find someone to talk to who also isn’t really eating much. Think about any situation long enough and I know you can come up with a plan to help you avoid those calories. Have a plan and you can deal with any unwanted food situation and you can fit exercise into any routine.