Look Fine in 2009: Your Resolution That Works!

Eat less, move more. It ain't rocket science. But if it is so easy, why doesn't everyone do it? That's the million dollar question and I could write volumes about it.

For many reasons, we just don't make healthy living a priority:
Exercise is boring
I don't have time
The couch is too comfy
I don't want to have to take another shower
that double whopper with cheese looked too good to pass up (but I did order a diet coke with it!)

I could go on and on. We all have excuses. What we need are reasons to keep going, even when we don't feel like it. I am going to help you with just that. Read on and I will give you all the reasons you need. This year your New Year's Resolution will stick!

Our program will have 4 cornerstones.
1. Fitness
2. Fuel
3. Friends
4. Financial Incentives

I was going to call the first cornerstone exercise, but that sounds like a chore. Fitness is something everyone wants. It sounds so much more fun.
Fun...hmmm...
I think I'm on to something. I don't care what you do, as long as you get moving... a lot.

Our plan is to get you to move 6 days a week for at least 30 minutes a day! You can find whatever kind of exercise you want. But find something fun! If you don't like it, you won't stick with it. If you like to walk, walk 6 days a week. If you like your treadmill, do that. If you prefer chasing after cars or roller skating with those old 4 wheel skates while dancing to ABBA songs, cool. You could even dig up your Richard Simmons tapes and start Sweatin' to the Oldies. Just remember 2 rules: 30+ minutes a day. 6 days a week.

If you need help finding a program right for you, I have several ways to help you find one. See the list of suggested programs below, e-mail me (my contact info is under my profile), or go to TheFitDoc website.

Go back and listen to the last few seconds of that video. The money shot when it comes to diet was right at the end. Tony talked about eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats. It really IS that simple.

The bottom line is that most reduced calorie diets will help you lose weight. Low carb diets help you lose weight faster at first, then you put it back on faster. Low fat diets take the weight off more slowly, but are easier to stick with, so you keep the weight off a longer. I have friends who swear by the zone diet. Others like the abs diet. Choose a diet that works for you. If you stick with it it will work.

Personally, I like to Keep It Simple. Like Tony said, if you stick to "clean foods" (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats), you won't go wrong. Why make things harder than you have to.

All my recommended Beachbody exercise videos come with a tailored eating plan that takes into account your basal caloric needs (based on your body weight) and the calories burned with each specific workout program. They make it easy by taking the guesswork out of your diet.

For those of you with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, Project:YOU! Type 2 is the only fitness program with a meal plan fully reviewed and approved by the American Diabetes Asociation.

To make your resolution last, you need help from your friends. Making a life change is tough. Having friends doing the same thing as you makes it more fun and much, much easier to stick with. Here are some great ways to find friends to help you on your way.

1. Start a Workout Group.

It is easy. Ask friends to meet at your house or co-workers to workout over lunch or right after work. Chances are they are thinking about losing weight this year, too. Why not help each other and make it a party!
You don't even need to go to a gym. Just grab your pedometers and walk out the door and don't come back until you've taken 10,000 steps.

Or pop Rockin' Body, Turbo Jam, or Hip Hop Abs into the DVD player or your laptop at work. Let Shawn T. or Chalene Johnson lead your group by video as you dance and party away the pounds!

2. Tell everyone you know!

This is a little scary, but SUPER EFFECTIVE! Send and email, make phone calls, put it in your Christmas/holiday cards, post it on Facebook. Let everyone know that you are about to melt away starting January 1st.

Be specific. Tell them that you plan to lose 20 pounds in the next 90 days using Ten-Minute Trainer and you'd like them to help be an accountability buddy. Ask your friends to do it with you. Ask them to start their own program, then email each other weekly for accountability.

Better yet, email your friends and post on MySpace your before pictures! Tell everyone to expect a new picture every 30 days so they can watch you shrink before their very eyes.

Just imagine that for a minute. If you do that, you are guaranteed to succeed. When you intentionally burn the bridge behind you, you have no choice but to get to the other side.

When you tell everyone you know that you are eating right and exercising and that you are losing weight even as you are speak, it means you have to do it. Showing before pictures is scary, but it is just the kind of kick in the pants that keeps you from reaching for the chocolate cake and makes you exercise when you don't feel like it.

It creates a circle of positive reinforcement. The expectations of friends makes you workout and eat right. That helps you lose weight. You get excited to show the next picture or write the next email report. That motivates you to keep making healthy choices which continues to speed up your weight loss. End result- your success.

3. WOWY online gym (free).

Schedule workouts with other people all across North America! It also has a great calendar and diary to help you track your progress.

4. Team Beachbody message boards (free).

Thousands of people helping each other stay accountable to their fitness goals. It has threads with people doing all kinds of fitness programs, as well as access to nutrition and fitness advisers. The Beachbody message board is great place to meet people with similar goals and get all your questions answered.

5. The Beachbody Online Club ($2.99/week).

For about the price of a Starbuck's coffee, you can get all of the above plus your own personal online coach, a 10% discount on all Beachbody programs and nutritional supplements to help you succeed, live online chats with celebrity personal trainers, a library of healthy recipes, a ton of diet and exercise articles and video tips, a really cool meal planner that figures out your grocery needs for the week based on the healthy meals you choose, and access to MDB-TV featuring the new show "Thin Kitchen."
There's a FREE 30 day trial, so you have nothing to lose (except the weight).

From the website: "Enjoy all these benefits RISK FREE for 30 days for only $2.99 a week, billed $38.87 quarterly in advance to the credit card you provide. You can cancel anytime during your first 30 days and receive a FULL refund, or you can cancel anytime thereafter to avoid future charges but keep your surprise gift valued at $20.00 just for trying."

1. The Million Dollar Body Game: it pays to lose! This free game is part of the WOWY online gym. When you log in to WOWY, you are automatically entered into the free game. You could win cash and prizes just for working out! They really do give away $ each day. I win $300 in July. My friend Traci won $1000 today!! (12/3/07) You were going to exercise anyway, right?! You might as well try to win some cha-ching while doing it!

2. The amazing The Million Dollar Body Success Story Contest. Club members can submit your Success Story for an opportunity to win the monthly prizes up to $10,000, and even the $250,000 Grand Prize!

3. Be a Coach. Don't just keep your resolution, make it your lifestyle. As an Team Beachbody coach, you'll turn your fitness into a business. When you have people counting on you for support, a great thing happens. You want to be a role model for them so you WANT to live a healthy lifestyle. Lose weight, make money and help others. It is a healthy living tri-fecta!