Forming Weight Loss and Exercise Habits

Getting into the exercise habits of eating healthy and exercising is probably one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people. Why is it that this is such a complex task? It may all come down to your mindset first.

As with any habit you have to want to make changes. If you don?t have a strong enough desire to lose weight and get healthy, you most likely won?t form a strong enough habit.

It is very easy to view weight loss and having exercise habits as a temporary state. How many times have you said to yourself that you can manage to eat this way for a couple of weeks? You may have even lasted the course. But this is not going to give you long term success.

The Important Steps

First, you need to really dig down deep and discover what your reasons are for losing weight. Has your doctor told you to drop some pounds for health reasons? Are you totally sick of not fitting into your clothes? Take the time to find your reasons and then write them down.

Your next step will be to figure out how you can add these changes into your life. What time do you have for exercising and cooking healthy meals? If your time is limited then look at cooking in batches and freezing portions.

The same applies to exercise, what exercise do you like and when can you fit this in? Most people find that early morning is best. If you wait until the evening you may be too tired and just want to plop down on the couch instead of going for a walk.

Now you are ready to starting forming your new habits. Remember that you don?t have to change things overnight. Start out by cutting down on one or two items. Eat less sugar or watch how many carbohydrates you are consuming. Then when you feel you have this under control, change another aspect.

Combining eating healthier with exercising can really help speed up your results. Make a commitment to walk for 20 minutes three times a week. Do this for three weeks and your walking habit will be ingrained in you. Then you can either add in another day, or walk for longer each time.

To get your exercise in early in the day try getting up 30 minutes earlier. Or if you take public transport, take an earlier bus and get off one or two stops earlier.

Forming a new habit doesn?t have to mean completely changing your lifestyle, it means just adding one or two new steps into your routine for the better.