When many people start working out, they aren’t all that firm about when they will actually do it. In fact, just getting started can be a major chore. They’ll start tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. Or perhaps some time next week. Then, after they have actually done their first workout, they have only vague ideas about when they will do the next one. As a result, they often end up only exercising when it happens to cross their minds, which could end up being as little as once or twice a week.

Unfortunately, many of us fail to look at getting fit as a real goal. But that’s exactly what it is. Like learning to play the piano, getting fit is something you will have to work at over a period of time in order to achieve your desired result. You wouldn’t expect to learn the piano by practicing whenever the mood struck you. And the same applies to weight loss.

So set solid dates for when and how often you will work out. Will you work out 3 days a week? Or four or five? On exactly which days? And at what times?

Start looking at your workouts as dates you refuse to break. Set a workout routine and stick with it. And soon, exercising will become a habit that will help keep you on the road to weight loss success.  Check out our Team Beachbody Free Club and start your journey now.

Tracy Garcia

When you start working out, trying to get fit and lose weight, many of the people in your life will be happy for you. They’ll support you in whatever way they can, encourage you to reach your goals, and might even be inspired to start working out themselves.

Then there are the others, the ones who won’t be as happy for you as you would have expected. In fact, just the opposite.

These negative people I can think of a few other names to call them) will ridicule you for your efforts. They’ll scoff and roll their eyes when you mention exercising, or cutting back on certain foods. They’ll try to make you feel vain and self-absorbed for wanting to lose weight. (After all, only people who are full of themselves should care about their appearance, right?) They might even try to make you feel guilty for “wasting your time” on something so silly, when there are much more important things in to think and worry about.

There are all sorts of reasons why some people in your life might react this way to your attempts to get fit. But the important thing to remember is not to let them get to you. Don’t let their negative attitudes stop you from doing something that will have a positive effect on your appearance, your self esteem, and your life.

Tracy Garcia

Many health experts will agree that drinking more water will help give you more energy. (Read here from Michelle Schoffro Cook on why you should drink more water.)  In celebration of this week’s theme on keeping up your energy, here are my personal tricks on drinking more water.

* Make it a Morning Ritual. I once read in a magazine article that many of us wake up dehydrated, and the first thing you should do before you do anything else is drink two glasses of water. I’ve now made it a regular morning habit, and it inspires the momentum to continue drinking more for the rest of the day.

* Add Some Lemon. Back in the early stages when I couldn’t stand drinking water, I squeezed lemon juice into my water. At restaurants, I would ask the servers to provide lemon slices with my water–which makes me sound snobby, but most restaurants are willing and expected to provide this service.

* Keep it In the Clear. When your urine is clear, you are properly hydrated. When your urine is a dark yellow, you are definitely dehydrated.

* Think of How Pretty You’ll Look. I don’t know how direct the correlation is between having healthy, glowing skin and drinking a lot of water, but I’m not taking any chances. Whatever psychological trick keeps me hydrated!

* Do It Like It’s Hot. If you’re in the mood for a hot drink, drink heated water. Sometimes we just want the psychological pleasure that comes with having a hot mug cupped in our hands than the actual drink itself. Plus, coffee and tea contain caffeine, which is a diuretic and elevates the rate of water being expelled from your body via urination.

* Drink When You Have a Munchie Attack. Sometimes our hunger is thirst masquerading as fake hunger. Drinking a cup or two of water will make you feel “full.”

*Take Baby Steps. Don’t expect to go from zero glasses of water to the full 8 glasses overnight. Start with one glass of water in the morning and one glass of water at night, and build your way up from there.

* Cheap cheap. Water at restaurants are FREE!

* Always have a full glass of water near you when you are working. It will give you something to mindlessly sip on when you are brainstorming or need something to do with your hands.

Thanks Yumi

Yumi Sakugawa for Intent.com

What is negative self-talk?

Well, if you are like many people, you have this constant stream of negative dialog going on in your head a lot of the time. It’s the little voice at the back of your mind that whispers things like, “You know you can’t do this.” And, unfortunately, that little voice has a lot of power. Because, if someone tells you something often enough–even if that someone is yourself–you will eventually start to believe it.

If you have tried losing weight before with little success, the little voice will say things like, “You’re going to fail this time just like last time,” and “What makes you think you’ll do any better now than you did before?” And these little whispers can create doubts that can drain your enthusiasm, and make it harder for you to stick to your exercise goals.

So what can you do? Take away some of that little voices power. Start paying attention to your thoughts. And, the next time you find yourself having negative thoughts, put a stop to them. Or, better yet, replace them with positive thoughts, like, “I know I can do this if I put my mind to it.”

Replace that negative little voice with a positive one. When you tell yourself often enough that you can succeed, you will start to believe it.

It is fascinating to me why people continue to do the boring workouts and then use it as an excuse as to why their weight loss efforts failed.  I have seen people running/walking on the same boring thread mill day after day.  I have seen people running around and around on a track like a dog chasing a bone day after day.   How boring must that be?  Well, we are all different and have different preferences when it comes to what activities we enjoy.

I prefer more enjoyable workouts like P90X, and Chalean Extreme.  When I feel like dancing Turbo Jam or Hip Hop Abs will fit the bill instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off  (haha).

Choose an exercise plan that includes a variety of workouts with your favorite activity combined.

If you like and enjoy what you’re doing day in and day out add a little spice to your routine, you’ll be much more likely to stay on your fitness journey and have much success for your efforts.

Tracy Garcia P90X Diva