When starting any new endeavour, setting in place some strong, solid habits help to keep you accountable, and guarantee your success long term.
Following are the top five habits that fit people live by, and how you can incorporate them into your daily life to reap the rewards!
1. Adopt a Long Term Mindset
Rather than viewing your current way of eating as a diet, and your current exercise as a plan or program you follow, view them both as just how you eat and move from now on. The idea of a diet, or a program, implies something short term; something we do for a period of time to achieve a certain result, before going back to our previous ways. These also generally imply some level of restriction and deprivation, which we are hard-wired to rebel against! Instead adopt the mindset that you eat in a way that nourishes you, and which is sustainable long term.
Our 12WBT Lifestyle membership is all about ensuring you’re living your healthiest life every single day, allowing you access to 12WBT all year round.
Secondly, flip the idea of movement as ‘exercise’, which can make it feel like a chore, and embrace moving every day as a way to look after your body. Find a way to move your body that you love, and put it into your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth.
2. Set Goals
Giving yourself something to work towards keeps the excitement and the energy alive, and keeps you focused on the attainment of the goal, rather than on a number on the scale or a dress size. Whatever your fitness goal, if you do what it takes to get there, you will see an improvement in your body, and the journey will be so much more enjoyable.
3. Change Your Routine
If what you are doing no longer excites or challenges you, mix it up! There are so many different and varied options available, from parkour to ballet barre classes, that there is no reason for you to not love what you do. Challenge yourself – try a new class every month and see the effect on your motivation, commitment, fitness and body. If you don’t like it, ditch it. If you do, keep it.
4. Bring a Friend
Having friends with similar goals will help you achieve yours. Most gyms will offer a buddy pass, so grab one, and get a friend to come along and have a workout with you. Plan social interactions around physical activities; instead of meeting for coffee, grab takeaways and take yourselves for a long walk along the beach. Take your friends trampolining instead of sitting around at a BBQ.
5. Cook And Eat At Home
Not only will this save you money, you also get to control exactly what goes in to your meals. Most fit people will do one or two big cook ups throughout the week, preparing meals for many days in advance, and then portioning them up in the fridge or freezer, for ease during the week. There’s nothing more tempting after a long day at work to order a pizza, but if you already have nutritious meals prepped and ready to go, you’re never caught out.
Hi, I am 46 years old and currently 12gs over my ideal weight. I used to exercise all the time until 4 years ago when I found out that I have arthritis in both my knees and now find it difficult and painful to do any exercise. I love the sound of your program but I am concerned that I won’t be able to do any of the exercises. Can you help?
Hi Annette – I’m sorry to hear about your painful knees. I can relate as I’ve had a knee reconstruction (a number of years ago now) and need to modify my exercises to keep them at low impact in order to prevent further damage.
Please don’t despair though, there is still plenty that you can do! What we recommend is that you check with your health care provider (such as a physiotherapist or osteopath) about these options and aim to include low impact options for all exercises:
• Swimming and/or Aquajogging – Hop in the pool and run or grab an aquabelt! http://www.aquajogger.com.au/
• Boxing sessions
• Indoor cycling
• Rowing
• Cross trainer
Once you’ve consulted with your health care provider we encourage you to then modify the Exercise Plans to suit your needs, based on the results of your health professional’s assessment of you. The comprehensive 12WBT Exercise Index is a great resource to help you in your modifications and you can also take copies of your Exercise Plan and options from the Exercise Index with you to your health care provider/s for more specific advice about individual exercises and alternatives.
The Move program is the entry level program for 12WBT and this is something you might like to consider in consultation with your health care providers. The exercises in its Exercise Plans are all low impact and low intensity, and the Fitness Program itself is comprised of 4-5 days of exercise rather than 6. The Move program is the perfect program for those people who have never exercised before, haven’t exercised in a long time or who have injuries and/or health concerns that requires them to introduce a fitness routine very gently.
While the Calorie Levels are higher for the Move program (as they are designed to be achievable for 12WBTers with a BMI >30) you are welcome to switch to a lower calorie level if you don’t have as much weight to lose. The good news also is that you can switch Fitness Programs if you start one and find it too easy or too difficult and you can do this via your own 12WBT Account Settings.
As your goals include weight loss, it’s important to keep in mind that weight loss is 80% nutrition, 20% exercise so even if you have to modify the Exercise Plans somewhat, by following the Meal Plans as prescribed, you can still achieve a great result.
If you’re keen to join us, now would be a good time to sign up as Pre-Season for the June Round has just recently started and the round kicks off on Monday 13th June. To join us for the June round please head to: https://go.12wbt.com/sign-up
I hope that this assists with making an informed decision about signing up and I wish you all the best with your health and fitness goals.
We’d love to have you on board if you feel the Program is right for you!
Susie
12WBT Support Crew
Mina, I am 40, the same weight and height as you and would also love to be 58kgs but just can’t get there. I had cancer and 6 months of chemo followed by radio last year. I am now in menopause. I work out for at least one hour a day, six days a week, high intensity like les mills Body step or body pump as per oncologists instructions. I have been doing that for six months and have not lost one kilo. I have changed my shape though and dropped a couple of notches in my belt. I eat about 1200 calories a day and haven’t restricted my diet to No carbs because life is too short, but when I did try to actively lose weight I had to restrict my carbs to 20 grams (6teaspoons) a day. That was the only way to get below 60 kilos for me. It doesn’t matter how Much or how hard you exercise, diet is the key to losing weight.
I think you are amazing. You are already doing way more than most and you are going through a pretty tough time in your life. Go easy on your self. I say do what makes you happy and feel good. I have found that I am about 4 or 5 kgs over my goal and the only way to do something about it is to reduce my p[otion sizes. That’s why I have gone back to 12 WBT. It just helps me remember the sizes I should be taking in. You are doing plenty of exercise. Good luck with the next 5 treatments. 🙂
I have cancer and done 7 chemo so far 5 to go, I am 64 kg 164 cm tall, I just want to be 58 kg. any advice, I am active , go to gym at-least 3 or 4 times a week, maybe less the week I am on chemo. I walk fast and go to crank classes
You are great. You must have determination to join up for 12WBT and do chemo.
goodluck – you will get to your goal.
Hi Mina, go easy on yourself! Chemo is tuff on the body and you may well need those reserves.