How to lose weight & the importance of mindset

It's so easy to get stuck thinking about your weight; how to lose it, how to keep it off, and even for some; how to gain it.  Whether you're a man, woman or teenager, we've all compared ourselves to billboards and fit-stagrammers. Our image-focused society focuses on appearance so much, it can seem inescapable. 

What actually works to help you lose weight?

Comparing yourself to others and shaming yourself every time you stray from your diet or workout regime is a bad habit, and leads to overeating, bad self-esteem, binging, trying crazy unrealistic diets and ensures a lifetime of fluctuating weight. But for some reason, we all do it.

Instead of focusing purely on weight loss though, it's been found that focusing on a positive outcome like better health is way more effective for long-term weightloss. Now's the time to stop making yourself feel bad about your weight, and start focusing on the end goal: Living a happier, healthier life. 

Focus on healthy habits for long term weight loss

When you focus too much on any outcome, you get exhausted along the way. If you focus on day-to-day goals though, you'll find you reach the same outcome without all the worry. Let's be honest though, it's easy to say you want to lose weight, but harder to stick to your strategies. So instead of putting excessive pressure on yourself like banning yourself from eating cheese and saying you'll run 15 kms every day, make your day-to-day goals more achievable. 

Instead of these negative goals:

- I'll fit into my skinny jeans in 4 weeks

- I won't eat carbs for 2 months

Try these positive, achievable, measurable goals

- I'll try to eat 5 veggies everyday

- I'll get moving for 30 minutes 5 days a week, even if it's just a walk down the street and back.

- I'll find new healthy recipes and plan 3 meals each week (leaving less time to eat fast food)

- I'll eat vegetarian meals 5 out of 7 days

- I'll have 5 alcohol-free nights a week

The goals above are weight-loss strategies disguised as wellness strategies! By aiming to enhance your health, you approach weight loss in a positive way rather than from a negative, self-punishing angle.

Goal setting & Technology

One of the best things about technology is it's ability to change our behaviour with cool apps and programs and this works for weight loss and wellness too. My favourite for goals setting is WOOP: Where you set a wish, outcome, obstacle and a plan. 

Eg. Wish: To be lighter and healthier

Outcome: I'll feel more confident in my own skin & with my partner

Obstacle: I don't have enough time to shop and cook healthy food

Plan: (when I encounter my obstacle, I'll....)

eg. When I don't have enough time to cook and shop for healthy food I'll...

-Order a weeks' worth of veggies and groceries online, and prepare 3 quick, healthy meals to freeze for the week.

The Woop app is an evidence-based way to stick to your goals, and find actionable ways to make them happen. There are plenty of other fitness and goal-setting apps, but I think Woop seems more authentic. It works with you and your mindset rather than using financial motivation, like apps such as Pact. It's amazing how goals pop into your head when you're using the app - things you didn't even know were important to you. 

Goal setting doesn't have to be a mission

The term goal setting sounds like boring terminology used in stuffy conference rooms and tedious hour-long meetings; but it doesn't have to be. Change the word 'goal' to 'ways for me to be healthier,' and the focus and accountability comes back to you. 

Weight loss for health not looks

Another important weight loss mindset change: Remember being in a healthy weight range is better for your body, it's not about looking a certain way. Carrying extra weight around your tummy is directly linked to heart problems, while generally carrying extra weight is hard on your joints and can accelerate osteoarthritis and joint degeneration.

What do you think are important aspects of weight loss?

Source

The 25 Best Diet Tricks of All Time

Back to basics

A new diet arrives, another fades away. Should eating habits really be as fleeting as fashion trends? Let's face it: The best weight-loss strategies are the ones that stand the test of time.

Here, we've gathered 25 classic tips from our favorite health and nutrition experts. These simple strategies may not be as sexy as the latest fad diet, but they're guaranteed to never go out of style.

Don't skip breakfast

"Eat breakfast. It'll energize you for the day and keep your diet in check."

Nibble, don't gobble

"Use the three-bite rule with dessert: Have three small bites and put your fork down."

Keep the burn going

"During your workout, rest no more than 30 seconds between exercises. This will dramatically bump your calorie burn."

Avoid late-night snacks

"Finish eating three hours before bedtime. Your metabolism slows down when you sleep so you shift from fat burning to fat storage."

Don't forget the dumbbells

"Increase the strength component of your workout. Adding lean muscle to your body not only tones, it also increases your metabolism."

Question your cravings

"Before you eat, ask yourself, 'Am I hungry?' Unless a craving comes from hunger, eating won't satisfy it."

—Michelle May, MD, author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat

Don't skimp on sleep

"Get six to eight hours of sleep a night. Without it, the appetite hormone ghrelin increases, which could result in weight gain. And schedule at least two three-minute breaks during the day to practice deep-breathing exercises. It will reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which builds fat around your mid-section."

—Manuel Villacorta, RD, author of Eating Free

Make your own lunch

Brown-bag it. According to a 2012 study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, dieters who eat out for lunch even once a week lose 5 fewer pounds on average.

Train your brain

"Be specific about your weight-loss goal. The brain detects a difference between where you are and where you want to be, so when you're specific, your brain throws resources like willpower at it."

—Heidi Grant Halvorson, PhD, author of The Psychology of Goals

Start with greens

"Eat in the right order. Eat vegetables first to naturally have more of them and ultimately eat fewer calories."

—Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD

Use tried-and-true methods

Take your cue from dieters on the National Weight Control Registry who've lost 66 pounds (on average) and kept it off:

• 75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
• 78% are breakfast eaters.
• 62% limit TV to less than 10 hours a week.

Snack away

"Eat every three to four hours so you'll be equipped to say no to temptations."

—Pamela Peeke, MD, author, The Hunger Fix

Be goal-oriented

"Set a tangible goal with a firm deadline—for example, schedule an 'after' photo shoot. It will help you stay motivated."

Steel yourself

"Expect some discomfort. You're leaving your comfort zone of old eating habits. Knowing that it can be uncomfortable will help you get through it."

—Anne Parker, Miraval Arizona Resort and Spa

Schedule a cheat day

"Resist cravings by postponing indulging to a future day when you're free to eat whatever you want."

—Jim Nicolai, MD, Miraval Arizona Resort and Spa

Take notes

Keep a food journal. Women who do lose six pounds more on average, according to a 2012 study in theJournal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Use your arms

"When you are doing a treadmill workout, add arm exercises with light weights to increase your calorie burn."

—Jeanette Jenkins, celeb trainer

Never shop hungry

Always grocery-shop on a full stomach with a written list and a cart (heavy baskets trigger instant-gratification decisions, research shows).

Say no to soda

"Put the soda down [and] step away. Regular soda drinking may make muscles less likely to burn fat."

—Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, via Twitter

Fill up on fiber and protein

"Enjoy so many nonstarchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and lean proteins that you're too full for anything else."

—Jonathan Bailor, author of The Science of Slim

Skip the salt and fizz

"Cut sodium and carbonation! Carbonation can bloat your stomach, making it appear distended for hours or even days! Sodium holds onto fluid."

—Erin Palinski, RD

Use the apple test

"If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, you're not hungry."

—Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules

Have a carb-free afternoon

"No carbs after lunch is one of the hardest (rules) to follow. But if you follow this rule YOU WILL lose weight."

—Bob Harper, trainer, via Twitter

Do the math

"Add a zero to your weight and use that to figure how many calories you should have if you're moderately active. If you weigh 140 pounds, aim to eat 1,400 calories."

—Jackie Newgent, RD, author of 1,000 Low-Calorie Recipes

Walk it off

"Take a 15-minute walk after each meal to burn a quick 100 calories."

—Bob Wright, Hilton Head Health spa

Comment below your thoughts and tips! Love hearing from you!

Source
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20645166,00.html

5 Simple Steps to Setting Goals and Achieving Them

Goal setting. It’s something that everyone tries to do, but only a few people can actually make it work. The challenge most people face is committing themselves to the desired outcome they like to have. As soon the journey begins, obstacles and hurdles come up, and this is where most people end up quitting. Goal setting doesn’t have to be that way. With a few simple tips and tricks, you can make goal setting work for you.

Brian Tracy wrote a great overview on goal setting in his book Flight Plan. He uses an analogy of a flight to explain the process of goal setting for personal success. Most flights will be off-course but they all reach their destination. Along the way the pilot has to deal with turbulence, crosswinds, storms, and lightning, which force him to make adjustments throughout the journey. That’s exactly how in real life goal setting works. You know your destination and you work towards it, but inevitably you have to make adjustments along the way.

This is where time management comes in. Your time management skills will determine how well you adjust and thus how fast you will reach your goals. Remember, productivity is the time you spend working towards your goals. When you make adjustments, are they aligned with your goals? For most people, knowing the destination is not the problem. What holds most people back is charting the destination, making the right adjustments, and sticking to it.

Here are some simple tips and tricks to make sure you reach your goals. In fact, you can break it down in five simple steps.

1. Determine what you want to achieve.
2. Break down how you will get there.
3. Write it down.
4. Make it stick.
5. Do one thing every day that brings you closer to your goals.

1. Determine what you want to achieve

This is the easiest part of goal setting. Just ask yourself, “What is it that I would like to achieve within one year?” One year is enough time to make a big goal a reality. To make it easy for yourself, stick to one big goal. If you have no clue where to start, pick one goal in one of the following areas of life:

• Health
• Wealth
• Relationships
• Happiness

2. Break down how you will get there

After you have determined what you would like to achieve, it gets more challenging. This is also the step where most people fall off the bandwagon. How are you planning to make your goal a reality? You need concrete steps to get to your destination. To fly from point A to B, you need to know the route. The same idea applies to goal setting.

A lot of people have the goal of becoming “a millionaire”, but then have no clue how to become one. Or someone wants to have a body like Zeus, but is clueless on what to do. That’s why new years resolutions do not work, because it is just wishful thinking. You need clarity (one of the essential productivity mindsets) by having the steps outlined.

Figure out your game plan. Start with the end in mind and break down backwards the steps it takes to reach your goal.

3. Write it down

To go from wishful thinking to actually achieving your goals, you need to write down your commitments. You have to tell your brain that you are serious about this endeavor by making it think there is an investment level. As humans, once we have invested into something, we hate losing our investment and we will do anything to keep it. By writing down your goals and steps, you have clarity but also you’re telling your brain “Hey, see, this is important to me and I’m investing in it so let’s not drop the ball on this.”

From my experience, writing it down on paper or on a whiteboard gives a stronger effect than typing it. So write down your goals and steps.

4. Make it stick

The destination is known, the map is clear, and the route is defined. All you have to do now is stick to the game plan. Unfortunately, this is another hurdle for most people that end up quitting on achieving their goals. The big key here is to keep reminding yourself of the goals you want to achieve. That statement is worth repeating.

Keep reminding yourself of the goals you want to achieve.

This is the process you want to keep up because it gives you momentum to keep going. Motivation is a limited resource but it can be fabricated to help you stay on your path. Reminding yourself every day helps with this process. In fact, make it inevitable so you get reminded every day of your goal and you can do that by setting up your environment. Here are five tips to help you making it stick.

• Setup motivation pages. Look at these every day. If you want to be a real Efficient Asian, you make it part of your morning ritual.
• Surround yourself with the right people that align with your goals. The closest people to you have a major impact on your productivity. Make sure they are conducive to you.
• Create your ecosystem that is aligned with your goals. Your environment, besides the people, also help making it stick. See #8 of our 10 essential productivity mindsets.
• Create a desktop background on your laptop or computer with the desired outcomes.
• On your whiteboard (if you don’t have one, you should get one), write down your big goals.

Setup your environment so that it is inevitable that you will never lose your eye on the prize. This does not take a lot of effort but will dramatically increase your chances of succeeding.

5. Do one thing every day that brings you closer to your goals

How do you make sure that you will reach your goals? Work on your them every single day. Yes, every single day. No matter if it is only ten minutes or two hours. Work on your goals every single day so it is inevitable you will get what you want. Use the compound effect in your favor; the earlier you start, the bigger the changes become as time goes by. And the more time you spend working towards your goals, the faster you will achieve them. If you want to be an Efficient Asian, you make them your most important tasks.

That is really it to goal setting. Implement these 5 simple steps and you will get what you desire. Let me ask you this, what are some of your goals you want to achieve? Leave a comment behind and we will help you achieve them.

Source
http://www.asianefficiency.com/goals/5-steps-setting-goals/