For better or for worse, the things we do in life add up; even the little ones that may seem minuscule at the time.
Doing 25 pushups every two hours is an easy task and may seem inept. However, if you are awake 16 hours a day and maintain those pushups every two hours, it adds up to an extra 200 pushups a day! Compounded over time, you will likely notice improvements in your physique by doing so.
On the flip side, adding an extra scoop of mashed potatoes at the dinner table could easily add 200 more calories to your daily diet, which could make the difference between getting leaner, maintaining, or gaining weight.
These are but small examples, but I want you to think about your daily routine if you have one, and the things you do throughout it. Do you reach for the candy jar at work? Are you taking the stairs in place of the elevator? Do you pass on dessert or indulge in seconds?
A lot of people go to the gym religiously and THINK their diet is solid. And sure, in the big picture it may be. But when you start to add up the dietary faults and the lack of positive movements in your day, it may begin to come together why your current fitness plan is failing and why frustration occurs.
Just Say NO!
Not trying to be the Diet Nazi here, but think about how many times throughout the day junk food comes your way. On the average, I would say most people have several accounts of this. You don’t need to order fries with that burger. You can bypass the jar of jelly beans at the office. Catch my drift? And if you just can’t say no to certain things, there’s always another way. Skip the 600 calorie mocha in the morning and opt for a regular coffee with some nonfat milk instead, which will save you around 550 calories. Multiply that by 7 days in the week, and you’ve just cut 3850 calories – over a pound of fat! See how easy that was? But more importantly, how easy it is to slip without even realizing it, and becoming a victim of hidden calories and a bigger waistline.
Most people underestimate the amount of calories they take in each day. That’s simply because they don’t take into account all the little things that add up to big numbers. Don’t mistake me here, I don’t want you to count every calorie you take in – you will go insane trying to do so. Instead, just be aware that calories count and add up whether you acknowledge them as part of your diet or not.
Snacking can become a dangerous activity if you don’t pay at least a little bit of attention. Putting a bag of chips in front of someone watching TV is a recipe for calamity. Mindless eating, coupled with inactivity, is an easy way to pack on unwanted pounds.
Be Proactive at Being Active
I think it’s in our blood to try and get the closest parking spot available – it’s like some sort of mind control! I will see people circle the parking lot five times to park ten feet closer to the grocery store. Come on guys! Think about how ridiculous this really is! I actually try and park a distance away from my destination now, and know that I will add a little more walking to my day. Walking ten more feet a day isn’t going to make me leaner, but it’s the principle behind it that matters. Adjust your mindset and your body will be rewarded. Making the active decision on a constant basis WILL yield positive results over time.
Think how many opportunities you have each and every day to be more active. You are probably constantly being presented with the chance to do so.
I live on the third floor of my apartment and always take the stairs. If I go in and out of my apartment three times a day, up and down, it adds up to 18 flights of stairs a day. Over the course of a year, that is an extra 6570 flights of stairs! I’m not sure how many calories that is, but I know it’s a better option than being lazy and taking the elevator.
These decisions are what you should be considering. Really – take a minute and think about your day and what you can change to be more active. Then think about how these choices will add up and you will begin to realize the logic behind it.
Move More and Eat Less = A Leaner Physique
It’s such an easy concept, but it holds to be the truth. If you want to lose weight, simply move more and eat less. By changing your daily habits in this type of manner, I guarantee you will begin to notice positive changes to your body.
I like to look at the big picture in life and not worry so much about the small stuff. But your body does not think that way. It will absorb those “inbetween meal-junk food calories” and add them to your physique, usually in the form of love-handles or a bigger gut, neither of which are desirable.
The main point to take from all this is simply to be more aware of your daily habits. Assess the things your do – the good and the bad – and adjust accordingly so you can live a healthier lifestyle. This is not intended to be a fad type of change. Only when it becomes second nature have you truly succeeded in achieving the lesson I’m trying to teach you here.