To loose weight is an achievement that requires us to totally surrender to ourselves, to beat ourselves up enough that we are forced to take action. In loosing weight we need the right mind set to want to grab life by the hand and lead it into a new realm. People often set out to loose weight with a goal of loosing a certain amount of weight or looking a certain way afterwards. These people will achieve the results if they are focused and stubborn but will they maintain the results because once you achieve that set goal is that the end. Loosing weight needs to be about loosing the self you know now and understanding the new you who is just around the corner.

Every time people decide to loose weight they often concentrate on loosing weight, exercise and what they are eating but people forget to take time to think about how they are as a whole would feel and be if they lost this weight. Your not only loosing weight but loosing an identity, an identity that comes with being overweight.
So in order for weight loss to work this time round you need to challenge yourself in several areas so as to merge with the illusion of a new you, new body, new feelings a new lease on life.

NASA decided to help their astronauts by creating a 21 day challenge of which they had to wear eye glasses that turned their vision upside down. They underwent this exercise for 6 days on and 2 days off but over 21 days. They achieved the ability to actually without the glasses be able to adjust to the upside down lifestyle of space flight.
It takes 21 days to create a habit and for it to stick like glue. Although there are tricks within the 21 days that will help it stick firmly.

10 THINGS THAT WILL MAKE 21 DAYS WORK

1.Choose a time that is your best time

If you know that getting out of bed at the crack of dawn means an angry grumpy person who does not function then don’t trick yourself into thinking that you will get up and go running at that time. On the other hand if you are someone like myself i know that at the end of the day you don’t get home til late and going to do exercise in the dark is not the most enjoyable or safe in some cases.

2. Commit to doing something and anything the first 7 days

Work out what you enjoy doing when it comes to exercise, swimming, going for a run, hitting the gym, throwing on a dance or aerobics video….
If you have never enjoyed running or if you find it a real struggle you will never be able to commit to 7 days of running every morning. You will find every excuse under the sun to why you can’t get up, or during the run a stitch may arise or your ankle might get sore your mind will be fighting against you. So for the first week lets choose things we know that we can manage and succeed in.

3.Don’t use the word Try

If you are trying something it means you have already failed, use words that motivate you, tell people what you are doing, find a friend to do a walk with out of the week or even a different friend everyday for a different activity if it will mean getting you out there and enjoying it, socialise a bit.

4.You need to be realistic

If you have never gone to the gym 7 days a week or run around the block every morning then realistically you are not suddenly going to do this and maintain it. Sure you psych your self up that you are going to empty the fridge of all bad food, do exercise everyday and drink a litre of water everyday….BE REALISTIC. Start with 20mins twice a week.

5.Choose an ideal weight

Stop saying LOOSE WEIGHT change it to I want to be…….. not I want to loose weight. Get exact, own it! The more you have the ideal weight imprinted in your mind the more you will crave to have it and the pain of not being it will drive right up to the gate of your ideal weight and boot you out the car in no time. So when people say you trying to loose weight, Yes I want to be….. put it out there.

6.Get Upset

In life we are drawn to pleasure and away from pain. So make it painful when your jeans don’t fit, have a tantrum when the scales say your overweight, beat yourself up. Use the fuel of being upset or angry to propel you off the couch and into the gym. Drive to work and remember you could not fit your favourite black skirt and take the stairs. Fuel for Growth.

7.Throw away your scales

In fact take your scales and hide them somewhere even give them away. Muscle weighs more than fat and that is a fact. So If you are going to the gym and lifting weights you are building muscle which is great but the scales are going to be a lousy judge of were you are at. The best gauge is to find a pair of trousers that don’t fit and keep trying them on (obviously not every day ).

8.Stop eating when your full

This has got to be the biggest downfall we all have and we have had it drilled into us form an early age also “Don’t waste food, their are people starving in the world” . So come dinner time we pile the plate up and we keep going until it is clear because we would hate to waste any food or heaven forbid people may think that you have an eating disorder if you don’t gobble it all down. The body is an intricate machine it knows what it needs to fuel itself, it also knows when it is full, so listen to your body and stop when you feel full.

9.We are 90% water

Water is an amazing thing, not only does it satisfy any thirst, it is available everywhere and is arm lengths away at anytime. So no excuses for not drinking water! The way water works with reaching our ideal goal is to flush out the toxins, help hydrate the body, keep the body working and the metabolism racing. If you have water in your vision; sitting on your desk at work, a glass by your bed at night, a water bottle in your car or hanging out by the water cooler. You will find yourself drinking water all day if it is in your sight, you may even find yourself drinking more than you have ever before.

10.Have FUN!!

Exercise is fun, you need to find what exercise you find fun. Maybe breaking down the moves to your favourite hip hop video, dragging your partner to swing dance or simply taking a walk to your favourite cafe from home instead of using the car. There are so many ways to exercise that do not confine you to the gym, involve running or wearing lycra. Think outside the square. Do you remember the days of hula hoops and skipping ropes? what about letting the dog walk you for a change.

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