Thinking About Teeny Tiny Bikinis

After months of cold weather, hot tea, sweaters, and fireplaces, January has us thinking about swimsuits. Not because it's warm enough to go for a swim, but because most of us, myself included, made a resolution to look better this summer. Most of my posts are about nutrition, but that's only half the battle of a healthy lifestyle. Exercising is a necessary part of looking good in those short shorts on the beach. If you've made a resolution to lose weight and work out more this year, that is awesome. It's always great to want to be a better version of yourself, but just wanting to work out isn't going to give you results. You have to come up with a plan and stick to it.

The first step is to come up with a long term goal. My goal is to lose 30ish pounds. I'm going to see how I feel after 25 and decide if I want to keep losing or just maintain. It sounds like a lot, but just 2 years ago that's the weight I was, and I was totally happy with it. It started creeping up more at the beginning of last year, after a few too many nights out drinking all night and eating nachos at 6 in the morning. I'm not too focused on the number on the scale, but more about how I look, feel and how my clothes fit. I can't wait to get back into my favorite jeans.

Make sure you know your body, and you pick a goal that is reasonable and attainable. Losing 50 pounds in a month is not realistic. Being 100 pounds and 6 feet tall is also not reasonable. Pick something that will keep you healthy. A reasonable number to think about is 2-3 pounds a week. Losing more than that is not sustainable and probably means that you're losing weight in an unhealthy way. Just keep that in mind when you're deciding your big goal.

The next step is to consider why you want to achieve this goal. What's your motivation? It has to be more than"I want to look like a Victoria's Secret model in my swim suit." You need to find a deep desire to want to achieve your goal, so that you'll stick to your plan. Mine is two-fold. This summer I'm going to Hawaii!! I don't want my pictures from that trip to piss me off and make me lose focus on my awesome trip. So, maybe looking like a swimsuit model would be ok. But my bigger, better source of motivation is you. Anyone who's reading. How can I possibly give you advice on leading healthy lifestyles if I'm not doing so myself? If I want this to be my career and my passion, I have to make sure that I am living it all the time. I would love to be inspiring and motivating to you, and I can only do that if I'm happy and healthy in my own life.

After you've picked your big, main finale goal and your reason for wanting to achieve it, you should think of a couple mini goals and a reward for achieving them. Since I wanted to lose 30 pounds, I thought I should break that up into 5 little mini goals of 6 pounds each. You could also choose fitness goals like how long you can run without stopping, how much you've increased the weight you're lifting, or how flexible you're getting from yoga and pilates!

The harder part than picking your mini goals, is coming up with a way to reward yourself. I think that if you know there's a little reward coming if you just push yourself a little more, you'll be more willing to want to do it. It's much easier to think about losing 6 pounds than 30. Or running for 15 minutes without stopping rather than running a marathon. So breaking it up gives you an attainable step towards your more daunting aspirations. I wanted my rewards to encourage my goal and not fight it. So instead of choosing a reward like getting to eat a boatload of nachos, I chose rewards that would encourage me to work out.

My first reward was a new workout outfit. New clothes would encourage me to want to go to the gym and show them off. I always get so excited by new clothes and want to wear them right away. My second reward was a new yoga mat. This is gross, but the one I take to hot yoga gets super sweaty, and I wanted another one to use at home or for regular yoga classes at the gym. Also, this way, I can keep my hot one in the car and my new one at home in my little home gym I set up in my bedroom. I've already accomplished these first two (yay!!!). My third reward is the one I'm working towards now. Variety is the spice of life, so I am going to treat myself to a new workout. I'm thinking I'm going to buy a Groupon I've been eyeing for some crossfit classes. My friend that helped me come up with this plan really wants to take Barre classes, the ballet inspired workout. If this is a reward you choose, make sure it's something that you'll really look forward to. The next reward is a snowboarding trip! I'm excited because I've only been once, and I really want to go again. The final treat for myself is a bicycle. I am DYING to have a bike. I want one soooooooo bad. I'll ride it everywhere, I promise. I've been wanting it for a year now, so this is great motivation when I feel like laying on the couch eating chips and salsa.

The next thing you should do is set yourself up for success. Write down your goals and put them up somewhere you'll look at them everyday. I keep mine on my closet door, right next to my mirror. Right next to it, I put the schedule for the classes at my gym and yoga studio. Plus, I pack my gym bag and take put it in my car everyday, so I always have workout clothes to take to the gym whenever I'm done with my daily errands. I also set up a little gym in my room, so I have to walk by it everyday, and it makes it really hard to ignore a workout. I put my new yoga mat, a pull-up bar, my hand weights and my resistance bands all set up, so not having time to exercise is never an excuse.

Here's a plan I came up with to make sure I actually achieve my goals. Since I have a gym membership, a hot yoga membership, a beautiful running path in my neighborhood, countless workout DVDs, and plenty of workout equipment at my house, there is no excuse for me to not get a workout in every single day. My usual run takes me between 20 and 30 minutes (depending on how hard I'm working) so on really busy days, even that would be a little step towards a big goal. I'm aiming for 2 workouts a day, one in the morning or afternoon and then usually heading to the gym after work. Ultimately, I would be really happy with 10 workouts a week. This means that most days I would need 2 a day, but sometimes, life happens and it's not possible so a quick workout would be fine, as long as that's the exception and not a regular occurrence.

I have so many different things I can do so I'm not getting bored doing the same thing. I'm also trying not to wear myself out by pairing my workouts accordingly and giving each muscle group a day to rest. Most days, I'll do yoga in the afternoon, and then some cardio and weights at the gym at night. Or maybe a little jog with the dog in the morning and the gym at night. Or P90X and hot pilates. The possibilities are endless.

Again, it's really important to know your body. I love doing yoga. I love how I feel after, and I love how flexible I've gotten, and I love that it's a mind and body workout, and I love the environment, BUT I know that my body responds better and looks better when I'm doing a little cardio (about 20-30 minutes a day) and lifting weights. So to look and feel my best, I know that I should do both. Since I really love yoga (did I mention that) and I'm acquiring a new found love for the gym, this really is attainable for me. I also know that workout DVDs, while convenient in a pinch, are not right for me. I need accountability. I need to walk into the gym and start working out. Mostly because after you start working out for 10 minutes, it's a real bitch move to leave after that. But it's so easy to turn the TV off 10 minutes into a workout DVD.

Which brings me to my last thing! (Whoo finally, I know this has been a long one.) A sure fire way to stick to your goals and your plan, is to have some kind of accountability. Tell anyone who will listen and care about what you're going to do. Post it here, tell me, I'll listen! :) Tell your friends, or better yet, find a friend that wants to do it with you. Surrounding yourself with people who will motivate, and not criticize, is a huge help. If that doesn't work, there's an App for that. I use MyFitnessPal on my phone. You can track your workouts, your weight and your meals to keep yourself on track. It even sends you reminders to track it and gives you some feedback. I also get health tips sent to my phone. Telling people about my goals is really what works for me. I'm less likely to slip if I know people that people are encouraging me.

Hopefully this helps you all stay on track for your New Year's Resolutions. We'll all be looking much better on the beach this summer! Feel free to use this page to post your plans to get into shape and share your tips here. Everyone, including me, can benefit from other people's points of view. And always feel free to email me with any questions or comments at naturallyhealthyplease@yahoo.com Thanks everyone!!