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| Photo credit: Wonderfullifee |
Today, we welcome Kym of Live Love Laugh Lift, who has spent the past ten months dedicated to getting in shape and figuring out what works best for her to do so. She's popping in at OffCultured to share her tips and tricks that have helped her make long-lasting changes.
I used to think of exercise as punishment. Punishment for eating "bad" food and punishment for laziness. My idea about this "healthy lifestyle" was doing an exercise you hate and eating food you despise, not to mention very little of it. I often thought, "I love food too much! I could never do this!!!" Needless to say, I never succeeded with this kind of mindset. I always started out determined to make it through the torturous exercise and dreadful diet plan but would very soon after become "too busy" or "too stressed out" to continue. Things have changed since then and I can happily say that I love my new lifestyle and it's not torturous at all!
Here's what has helped me stay on track:
1) Find an exercise you love - Hate running? Hate that aerobics class you keep dragging yourself to? Don't do it! You're bound to quit sooner or later. Try out different things and see what it is you enjoy doing. Before I realized that what I actually love is lifting weights, I tried running, aerobics, cardio kickboxing, yoga, bootcamp, you name it... I've tried it!
2) Eat whole foods - If you're like me, you love junk food and desserts. Dieting doesn't mean you can never have a slice of cake again or never have your grandmother's deep fried chicken at the next family gathering. Clean up 90% of your diet with whole foods, lots of fruits, lots of vegetables and the other 10%, go ahead and have a treat! "Clean" eating doesn't have to be boring!
3) Keep yourself accountable - Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your Facebook fam if that's what will help you! Read my latest post for more on this: How to Stay Accountable To Your Health + Fitness Goals
4) Think long term - Don't go through the cycle of losing a few lbs for the summer only to gain back double of what you lost come winter time. Fitness is not a summer thing or a 2-months-before-your-wedding thing, it's a lifestyle!
In summary, drop the excuses, find an exercise you enjoy, be conscious of what you're eating, and stay committed. You won't regret it!
P.S - I just started a Facebook page, I would love to keep in touch with you there! [facebook.com/kymbantan]
You can also follow Kym on Twitter @KymBantan
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