By Catherine McCurry
SO IT’S officially two weeks into the new year and the new health plan and it’s either go seamlessly or you’ve fallen off the band-wagon.
All the Christmas left-overs made up of selection boxes, bottles of wine and mince pies are still stocked up taking up too much space in the cupboards and the will to avoid them is challenging.
If you are giving into temptation then just throw them out or donate them to a charity, these calorie-laden foods are doing you no good and definitely not to be seen as treats or ‘rewards’ for doing well. There’s plenty of beneficial ways to reward yourself.
However, if all is going to plan you should be feeling a little less sluggish and more energised as well as being pleased with yourself that you have lasted the two weeks.
If you continue on this plan for the next couple of weeks then you will start to see some changes in your appearance and, more importantly, how you feel.
You can easily motivate yourself into doing something – all you have to do is decide you want to do it and then do exactly that. However, as quickly as it comes it can just as easily disappear so you have to learn to be disciplined and be strict with your routine and include these work-outs in what you do.
If you work on this, when the motivation is not there then you can rely on discipline to step in and help you, and after some time you will have trained your body and mind into wanting to exercise.
If you are able to train yourself to want to do something, it becomes easier over time and achieving your goals will be effortless.
The key is to force then train yourself into doing work-outs. The shock factor does help your body – get up half an hour earlier in the mornings and do a 20 to 30 minute exercise. This will take motivation at first but if you train yourself into doing this every morning then it will become part of your routine.
Remember why you are doing this and what motivated you to want to change something.
Don’t let that slip your mind when you want to skip the next work-out. Ensure you do a five minute warm-up first – a jog or quick walk will be enough to warm up your muscles.
Try these morning work-outs:
Jump squat: Start in standing position then follow into a squat with your arms straight out in front then jump and repeat this circuit for 15 times in three sessions.
Sumo squats: Legs are slightly further apart in a standing position then lower yourself into a squat but you will find yourself going lower than a regular squat.
Do this 15 times in three sessions. Bench jumps: In a standing position then lower yourself into a squat then jump up onto a bench a into a squat again. Do this 12 times in three sessions.
