Will Power for Beginners

Month One: Confidence Building

...Explore 3 or 4 FUN activities for yourself.

...Have no expectations.

...This is an experiment for you to learn what activities are fun and enjoyable.

-For me I bought an adult hula hoop and hoop exercise video. (I started out doing it just 10 minutes a day.)
-On days I did not want to hoop I used an exercise trampoline and hopped up and down while watching my favorite T.V. shows.
-Other days, I simply walked trying to get 10,000 steps in. I really LOVE nature walks.

Tips to keep it FUN:

Start out with the bare minimum amount of time.
For me I did ten minutes a day, then I increased it to ten minutes twice a day.
By the third month I was having FUN working out 30 minutes a day five days a week.

Keep a daily journal/calendar and try to write just one positive thing you do each day. No matter how small it is.
Example:

Even if you don't get in an activity that day, you DID do something positive. It might not be directly related to weight loss. Whatever it is, if it's positive and in your favor write it down. (I did this and I also blogged about it to).

Don't give up if the scale doesn't move or EVEN when the numbers go up instead of down.
It's harder for women, especially the older we get. It takes time to get the pendulum to swing in the other direction. That is why I stress the importance of making it FUN! It took me three months to start seeing results on the scale. But, during that time I was feeling really good about myself and my confidence was gaining momentum.

For one month- Choose a bad habit you want to change and come up with alternative "healthy" options for a month.
Just ONE little lifestyle change can help you to lose an additional ten pounds in a year.
I started with soda. I replaced it with healthy alternatives.

I switched to:
Diet Green Tea
Water
Diet Dr. Pepper
Lite Beer
Diet Root Beer

Remember it takes approximately 21 days to get your subconscious mind to accept a new habit as your REALITY.
(For me three years later, I am 50lbs lighter and a soda drink is now a treat once or twice a month.) If you exchange just one un-healthy habit with a positive one you can expect to lose up to 30 pounds in three years. (Us 40+ somethings know how fast three years can go by!)