How To Get In Shape Without Obsessing Over It. Staying fit for Life.

Here’s how to get in shape without losing your mind in the process. My secrets to living a fit life in a healthy way that LASTS!

It seems like everyone you know is doing the Keto Diet. Or running ultra marathons. Or raw vegan, juice cleansing, and practicing yoga twice a day. Everywhere you look there seems to be a better answer, some revolutionary program that will make it “easy” for you to stay fit forever.

People swear that the “Paleo diet is THE path to fitness results” or that “Barry’s bootcamp 6 times a week WILL give you a six pack”. There’s so much noise out there in the fitness world, it can feel so confusing. You just want to be in good shape, have energy, feel great, and see results. You don’t want to have to stress out about counting your macros or getting enough miles in on the treadmill. Is getting in shape really THAT complicated? Is it possible to be fit without resorting to extremes or a crazy diet? I say yes, and here’s how to do it.

How to Get In Shape Without Obsessing Over It : Staying Fit for Life.

• Ignore the hype and lose the extremes. If a program offers “instant” results — AKA, 30 days or less — it is probably either complete nonsense or extremely unhealthy. As fabulous as it would be to go from size 12 to size 6 in one month, it’s simply not feasible or sustainable. The kinds of programs that promise this kind of impossibly fast change are usually those that encourage you to resort to extremes, starve yourself, or and deprive your body of essential nutrients in favor of dropping pounds or getting “lean”. If a fitness trend ONLY has you doing one type of movement (running, or cycling, or barre — pulsing in that squat for DAYSSS), you will hit a plateau or injury. If a program wants you to ONLY consume fat, or protein, or carbohydrate, its not well-rounded or balanced. This is unsustainable because your body can’t function off of just avocado or chicken breast for long before it starts deteriorating. Doing one thing to an extreme sadly means you’re also pretty much guaranteed to gain back the weight afterward. Avoid falling into the “quick fix” trap and….
• Make SMALL changes consistently. Instead of jumping on the next 10 day juice cleanse or giving up carbs forever, make small healthy consistent changes. Many studies have shown those who focus on slow and steady lifestyle changes are better at sustaining it. Start small and make healthy changes that work for you. Anything from eating a healthier breakfast or adding one more workout to your week counts. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day — the secret to lasting fitness results is to keep moving in a positive direction. Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going.
• GET OFF the scale. This is controversial advice, as many studies have shown people who weigh themselves regularly are more successful at long-term weight loss. The problem with the scale is that it can lie, it can be frustrating when it barely budges, it doesn’t reflect gaining muscle, and it can just become something you hate doing (or cause more body obsession — not a good thing). While the studies show regular scale users are better at weight loss, they haven’t been compared with what I think are far more positive things to measure, such as miles run each week, weight lifted, fitness classes attended, fast food meals avoided, healthy meals prepared, fruits and vegetables consumed. And there are better ways to assess results, like how your clothes fit, your energy levels and even your sex drive. If you can use the scale in a way that elicits a positive mindset, then go ahead, but if it stresses you out, consider tossing it and tracking other more important variables instead. READ how to be MORE not less in your fitness.
• Stop comparing yourself to other people. It’s okay to be in friendly competition with your gym buddies. It’s not okay to get so caught up in trying to be the best that you become discouraged when others seem to be making more progress than you. Everyone is different. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes, with differing metabolic rates, body fat percentages and capabilities. The best thing to do is to judge your own progress. If you’re doing better than you were last month, or last week, then you’re doing something right.
• Get Your HEART pumping. Regular exercise helps you achieve both physical and mental wellness. Make movement part of your life and exercise most days of the week. My Strong Body Program gives you a fitness schedule of weekly cardio workouts that you can custom fit to your preferences. It teaches you how to vary your cardiovascular training with low, moderate, and high intensities. And most importantly it helps you to….
• Build lean muscle and body confidence with Strength Training. Strength training is the secret to maintaining a healthy body and mindset throughout every season of your life. It gives your metabolism a major BOOST by increasing the metabolic rate, allowing the body burn more calories throughout the day. It also increases lean muscle mass and overall strength, helping to improve performance, endurance, and energy levels. These things combined work to help you maintain your weight goals over a long period of time. Not only that but lifting weights has been shown to improve psychological health, by increasing self-esteem, confidence, and self-worth (all KEY components if you want a healthy body and mind for your lifetime). My Strong Body Program helps you learn HOW to build a balanced and well-rounded strength routine that fits with your love of group fitness, yoga, and cardio. It helps you learn PROPER FORM and prevent injuries. Here are some of the results you can expect to achieve from the Strong Body Program.
• Find Your Team. A good support system is a vital element to reaching your goals in a healthy way. Often times its not about getting tons of support, but about finding the RIGHT people to help you. The Strong Body program members are JUST that — positive, likeminded people who will cheer you on when the going gets tough. We’ve created such an uplifting and supportive accountability community through this program! Communicate your goals to people in your life who will hold you accountable, help you overcome obstacles, and keep you from going crazy with extremes (no 30 day juice cleanses!) when it comes to reaching your goals. Im a big believer in investing in coaching, like the Strong Body Lifestyle Coaching program, as I have seen the rewards that investing in yourself can bring. It can help you overcome roadblocks, keep you moving forward towards the life you want, and give you constant encouragement and support. The secret to a life of lasting healthy habits is surrounding yourself with others who lift you up and keep you in check so you don’t become “obsessed” with a crazy fitness extreme that doesn’t work long term. Our group of Strong Body peeps is ready to cheer you on in making positive changes in your life and FOR your life. Join us.
• Don’t diet. Just eat HEALTHY. If you go ON a diet you will eventually have to go off a diet. Want lasting, healthy, positive change that doesn’t have a yo-yo effect? Improve your relationship to food and learn to nourish yourself. Don’t just eat salads — learn about nutrition and how to eat to feel amazing — it’s worth investing time in and will help you eat healthy for the rest of your life. You learn HOW to develop a positive relationship with food in my Strong Body Program — theres an entire section of our course dedicated to learning how to FUEL your body with love.
• MIX it UP. Routine is the enemy of results. If you do the same cardio, strength, or group fitness classes your body adapts and you burn fewer calories. Eventually your results — weight loss, muscle definition — will slow down. And repeatedly placing stress on the same muscles and joints could lead to an overuse injury. Also sticking to a super strict routine can cause you to become too obsessed with it. If you feel like you always have to run 10 miles a week or do yoga on mondays at noon, it might be time to force yourself out of your routine comfort zone. Heres your ACTION PLAN: Once a every 2–3 weeks, change one thing about your workout regimen. Take a dance class instead of your saturday run, or use a resistance band instead of dumbbells. Not only will you see better results with a varied plan, mixing things up may help you stick with exercise in the end. Refresh your mind, body, and spirit on a regular basis by mixing things up consistently. I’ll give you a ton of variety to help you avoid plateaus and prevent workout boredom in the Strong Body Program.
• Stop criticizing your body. Quit grabbing the skin around your waist and staring at it angrily in the mirror. Stop complaining to your friends about how bloated you are or how much you’d rather look a certain way. Stop! None of this is helpful. Obsessing over how great some model or over how you wish you had a different body part is only detrimental to your health. If you continue to beat yourself up over your imperfections, you’ll never be happy with yourself. You are going to be in your skin for the rest of your life — you might as well learn to love and get comfortable in it. I’ll help you do it through the Strong Body Lifestyle Program.
• Think beyond the shape of your outsides. FOCUS ON HOW YOU FEEL ON YOUR INSIDES. Getting into physical shape is great, but it’s so much more than how you look in your favorite pair of jeans. Eating clean and exercising regularly won’t just make you look good, a healthy lifestyle will make you feel better all-around. So while getting in shape might be a good starting point for your fitness journey, it shouldn’t be the sole reason for the changes you make to your lifestyle. Because of the culture we live in, we’re always going to be under-impressed with our own bodies. It’s human nature to constantly feel like we could do more and look better. But if your perspective is to focus on how you feel more than on how you look, you’ve got a much better chance of sticking with your goals and being fit longterm. Besides, feeling good is addicting! The more energized and happy you feel within yourself, the more you’re going to want to continue doing the things that contribute to your health. Work to live a life that feels good on the inside, not just one that looks in good shape on the outside.

Getting in shape is a great goal, but do it for the right reasons, the right way. Health is not a 30-day thing, a 60- or a 90-day thing. Fitness is not a fad or a one time fix. Its a lifetime journey and process. There are so many amazing things to enjoy in this life. Dont waste your days in diet and workout obsession trying to get to a image of body shape perfection that doesn’t exist. Love yourself, accept yourself, take care of yourself, and enjoy your life FULLY in health and happiness. Put your overall well-being ahead of any hyped up media “fitness fix”. You dont need anyone to tell you how to feel fit or be fit in your life. The better you feel about yourself, the better you take care of yourself, and the healthier you are for the rest of your life.

In the end, the real things haven’t changed. Staying in shape requires daily effort, work, and focus, but you don’t have to go to crazy extremes to do it. Its all about doing the work, staying consistent, and having the right mindset. I truly believe that if you do this, you’ll find yourself staying in great shape without losing your mind in the process.

Ready to stay in shape for life? Enroll in my Strong Body Program today and let’s do this.

Here to support you in all your goals,

Caroline

Other things to check out:

• How to build a strong body.
• Why the scale lies.
• Easy meals in minutes. Healthy cooking 101 for busy people.
• Why you might want to stop stretching….

Originally published at carolinejordanfitness.com on July 29, 2018.