Reboot: Action plan to getting back on track after summer

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Reassess your ‘why?’

Last spring, your goal might have been to look good for summer, but now it’s different. You need a new deadline, a new goal, something that will keep you motivated to get you past those pesky hunger pangs and sugar urges. Maybe it’s a wedding this month, or maybe you want to look good in your Halloween costume. Whatever it is, make sure it’s within the next three months, so you have no excuse to monkey around. Write down exactly what you want to accomplish by this deadline and, as a reminder and motivator, write “Today, I accomplished my goal” on that date. It may seem like a silly thing to do, but it’s important in cementing your goal.

Unjunk your diet

Summer is full of sugary drinks and junk food. It’s time to rid your diet of this stuff. I’m not the biggest fan of cleanse diets, but when it comes to flushing your diet, sometimes a cleanse is what you need. If I wrote a cleanse diet for you it would look like this:

• Start your day off with a good homemade smoothie. Make sure you put plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in (you don’t taste them).

• Have fresh fruit for a mid-morning snack.

• For lunch, eat a fresh spinach salad with black beans (from the can), tuna, a bit of shredded cheese and a little vinaigrette to add some zing.

• A mid-afternoon snack would be a handful of raw almonds.

• For supper, eat have a small portion of salmon with a side of steamed veggies.

Sweat it out

Maybe you didn’t make it to the gym consistently this summer, but now is time to get your exercise schedule back on track. Autumn sets us up with perfect walking weather, so start out with walking for 30 minutes every night. Get back in the gym and do at least three days of strength-training and five days of cardio workouts. Find it hard to get back to working out? Consider joining a group exercise class. The awesome thing about group classes is you’ll be surrounded by people who have similar goals, and they support each other to push harder and stay motivated. It’s all about getting the best results, so consider getting a little help from a professional.

Take action

Starting over is by far is the hardest thing to do. Don’t get sucked into the “I’ll do it tomorrow” trap. Just do it now. Having a successful weight loss plan is all about momentum. Sometimes, you get knocked off track and you need to fight to get back on. Being persistent and continuing to put in your sweat equity is what will get you the results you want.

Tags: accent, updates, health, fitness