Millions of people will begin some sort of diet or fitness plan this week. Unfortunately most will fail, and the average dieter quits after 15 days. This does not have to be you, you can do it.

Here are some pointers to help you stay healthy and on track this new year.
 
January is the hardest month to make a change

January can be the hardest and most depressing month of all to make and stick to resolutions. Your body will have a hangover after the holidays. It takes time to rewire your brain and your blood to get back to being clean and lean again after a month of eating poorly.
 
Don't Starve Yourself

Eat good food, not boring food. Eat food that will make your body and mind feel good. Steamed chicken breast is not going to help you get slim. Give your body a break from alcohol and excess sugar. Eat fruit and legumes that will still nourish you without making you feel deprived.
 
Get rid of the Christmas Food

Don’t let guilt make you eat all those holiday dessert leftovers. Get it out of the house. Throw it away or bring it into work if you can’t throw it away, let your coworkers eat it.

Shop Smart

Never go food shopping hungry. Don’t buy things at the store that you just know that you should not eat at home. Shop for healthy and delicious foods.

You may fall off the wagon, get back on

Trying to lose weight is a process.  If you eat too much or skip exercise one day, don't be too hard on yourself. Don’t give up, start again tomorrow, but don’t keep putting it off until tomorrow.
 
Think about it

Why do you want to get fit? Why do you want to get healthy? Think about why you want to lose weight when you start to slip into holiday habits. Look for reasons to stick to your resolution.

Too many people make the New Year’s Resolution to “Lose Weight”, or to “Get in Shape” in the New Year. Unfortunately, almost as many people are unsuccessful. Why? They don’t have a plan, they haven’t thought this out.

Understanding food and nutrition may be the perfect place to start. Assess your present diet, start a food log. Every item that you eat or drink should be documented in this log. After a week or so, you can review that log and see what can be removed, reduced or changed in your diet.

Sedentary lifestyles have been determined to be more dangerous than or just as dangerous to your health as smoking. For mental and physical health and well being, exercise is imperative. If you are new to exercise, you may find it challenging at first to get up, out and motivated. This is where an exercise plan really comes into play. Working with a personal trainer, or being a regular at a favorite group exercise class is very helpful in keeping your motivated through the hard part, a.k.a. the beginning.

However, once your exercise routine and your weight loss plan get rolling, it is much easier to keep rolling. As your mental health improves, and endorphins in your brain are being made through exercise you’ll feel it become easier to get started each day.

Answer Is Fitness in North Attleboro is here to help you meet your weight loss goals, and we are serious about your health.