Chew On It: New Year, New Resolutions
After 40 years in the fitness world, the trend remains the same every year — many set their resolutions to be healthier by exercising and eating well.
Then many fall away from their goal.
The key to success is rather simple: develop new habits but do it gradually and sensibly. All too often, enthusiasm is high in the beginning. People overdo it and then find it challenging to maintain.
Set goals along the way that are reasonable and achievable with the mantra that something is better than nothing.
You would think that having been in the fitness world for so many decades that I would love exercising. But I don’t. In my younger days, I exercised for the purpose of competing in karate. Now I exercise to maximise my chance of longevity and remain healthy. Hence, I have set a program that is efficient and effective. And because it is not a chore, I have developed my habit of exercising three times a week consistently over the past twelve years.
Group classes are a wonderful way to develop the habit, as they are activities with an instructor to motivate, educate, entertain, and inspire you.
If you would rather do your own training, I highly recommend you engage one of our well qualified personal trainers to set you a program and ensure that your training is safe, effective, and efficient.
It’s troubling to see so many people using apps and learning from the web. Many online teachers don’t understand the physiology of exercise as they have learnt from monkey see, monkey do.
The understanding of exercise has progressed greatly but unfortunately it has not filtered sufficiently to most trainers. A popular or famous trainer does not necessarily equate to proficiency.
In our times of abundance, maintaining a healthy body weight is a challenge for many. And that includes me.
I was an obese child that had developed a bad habit of eating and an addiction of sugar. The key to healthy body weight is not exercise but what you eat or more importantly, what not to eat.
Every year, there will be some magical diet: Keto, Paleo, Mediterranean, Veganism, Intermittent, and the list goes on… It is far more sensible to develop a habit of eating that is sustainable, and your habit of eating will need to adjust as you age.
Those magical diets are not for everyone as everyone is different. What works for many others may not necessarily work for you and vice versa.
The smart thing is don’t go on some silly diet but develop a good habit of eating the right food for you. Seek assistance from sensible well qualified nutritionists to tailor what’s right for you.
We have two nutritionists at Elixr that can assist you.
Being Asian, I never thought it would be possible for me to eat a meal without carbs. But with the right help and plan, it has become a habit whereby some meals, I don’t have carbs.
A small miracle but achievable!
