As Seen in Authority Magazine: The 5 Things You Need to Do to Achieve a Healthy Body Weight, and Keep it Permanently
It was so cool to be interviewed for Authority Magazine to give my take on how to achieve a healthy body weight. In this video, I talk about 5 actionable steps you can take to reach your goals! Check it out!!
My Top 5 Tips to Achieve a Healthy Body Weight and Keep It Permanently
Before we get started, I want you to grab some paper and a pen so you can participate with me. Don’t just read these and say, “I’ll do them later”.
Decide you want to be better right now!
#1 You Need to Figure Out Your Why?
Why do you REALLY want to lose weight?
You have to know your why, and it has to be something bigger than “I want to fit into a pair of jeans”. I have my humans participate in the 5-7 “whys”. Grab a pen and paper and reflect inward – ask yourself “why” until you get to something that is truly meaningful. Something like, “so I can play on the floor with my grandkids and get up without any help or pain” or “to prevent dying from cardiovascular disease like my father”.
#2 Change Your Mindset
Change is hard. Our mind is often our biggest obstacle. Your brain has 2 main functions – to keep you alive and safe. A big part of this is automating behaviors that have worked in the past. NOT for doing the things we should be doing to lead us to success. Our brains repeat behaviors that have kept us alive, and often these aren’t behaviors that serve us in reaching our goals.
The thing is that our brains will self-sabotage us if we set goals that are different from what we have done in the past. Especially if those goals are big and scary.
#3 Discover What is Going to Get in Your Way?
I want you to figure out your top 5 roadblocks and then come up with a plan to deal with each one of these. Basically, how are you going to “decide in advance”? I call this “ 👊 your future self”.
As humans, when we want to make change, that self-sabotage is going to come up. So, I want you to decide in advance a plan to tackle all those excuses your brain is going to come up with.
#4 Take Action
Figure out what is the next SMALLEST best step? What can you do in 2 minutes towards changing your life? Then do it!
It might be just getting dressed in workout gear and swinging your arms 10 times. Now celebrate your 2-minute win.
Your mind will sabotage you if the goal is too big and scary. The only thing your mind wants to do is keep you from dying and keep you safe, and that means sticking to old patterns. I always tell my humans if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.
Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone. But with tiny 1% better changes every day you won’t recognize yourself in a year.
YOU HAVE TO TAKE ACTION, don’t just learn about this, GO DO IT!!! It is life-changing if you take action.
When you take care of yourself first, you are going to be your best self for everyone else around you too.
#5 Move Your Body and Eat Real Food
So, this one is actually 2 parts and I know it’s super broad and there are so many factors that affect nutrition and movement, but I’m quickly going to try to give you my philosophy on each.
Nutrition
First, if you want to change your body composition or lose weight, 80% of that will be done with food and 20% can be done with movement. So, focus on the food portion for weight loss.
I like to stick with that 80/20 rule. Make 80% good choices and 20% fun.
Lose the idea that there are good and bad foods. Some foods are just denser in crap. Eat less of the crap and more of the whole real foods.
Movement
I have 2 big suggestions:
1. Strength train at least 3 times a week, because this will help build your muscles which revs up your metabolism, and your body will burn more calories just by having more muscles. Plus, it will help you feel like a badass. If you don’t like strength training – suck it up and do it anyways or your health, we can’t love everything we have to do.
2. Find some movement you like to do. You are more likely to move your body everyday if you enjoy it. So, try it all, Pilates, yoga, walking, biking, hiking, working with a personal trainer, slacklining, swimming, trampolining, rollerblading, dancing, YouTube videos, keep testing out different things to find something you don’t hate. Recruit a friend and make a date to go for a walk. But move your body daily.
Check out the full article for exercises and actionable steps you can take to start changing your life right now!
Move at Work Challenge: Fall Upper Body and Back
Workout: Legs, Cardio, Core
Time: 60 minutes
Equipment Needed: Bench / Step and a Stopwatch
Warm Up: 5 - 10 minutes
Strength Circuit #1:
Complete 3 sets. Allow 1 - 2 minutes rest between sets.
30 seconds Lateral Lunges - left (stationary or stepping)
30 seconds Lateral Lunges - right (stationary or stepping)
30 seconds 1-Leg Reaches - left
30 seconds 1- Leg Reaches - right
30 seconds Suicide Push-Ups
1 - 2 minutes Rest
Strength Circuit #2:
Complete 2 - 3 sets. Allow 1 - 2 minutes rest between sets.
30 seconds Step-Ups - left
30 seconds Step-Ups - right
30 seconds Bench Crunches
30 seconds Plank
1 - 2 minutes Rest
Tabatas:
Perform 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds recovery for 4 minutes for each Tabata set.. Example: 20 seconds high knees, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds flutter kicks, 10 seconds rest, REPEAT until you reach 4 minutes total.
Tabata #1: High Knees and Big Flutter Kicks
Tabata #2: V-Jumps and Tuck Jumps
Rest 1 - 3 minutes.
Core:
Complete 2 sets. Allow 30 - 60 seconds rest between sets.
60 seconds Jackknives (switch legs after 30 seconds)
60 seconds Plank
30 seconds Quadruped (alternating)
30 seconds Opposite Arm - Opposite Leg
Cool Down and Stretch: 5 - 10 minutes
Workout by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by littlehenrabi from Getty Images
Move at Work Challenge: Hips and Balance Preview
Recipe: Lemony Haddock with Olives and Tomatoes
Simple, delicious and quick – this recipe is great for a fast weeknight meal but it’s also tasty enough to serve guests.
Little known tip, straight from the fishmonger: frozen-at-sea haddock often is fresher than other varieties since it’s frozen as soon as it is caught … and it’s often less expensive.
Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients:
1 lb haddock fillets
2 tbsp quality olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 clove minced garlic
Dash of Sea salt
1 cup green olives (avoid jarred olives if possible)
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and quartered
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Pat the haddock dry and place in a baking dish that’s been prepared with a light coat of oil.
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and sea salt. Drizzle over the fish.
Arrange tomato and olives around the fish. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Check fish for doneness – it should easily flake.
Recipe by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by jerrydeutsch from Getty Images Signature
Move at Work Challenge: Seated Core Sneak Peek
Move at Work Challenge: Breathing & Stretching at the Beach
Move at Work Challenge: Wall Stretch to Prevent the Computer Hunch
Workout: Cone Crazy
Time: 45 minutes
Equipment Needed: A partner and a stopwatch.
Warm Up: 5 - 10 minutes
Dynamic Warm Up: Complete 30 seconds of each exercise for 2 rounds total.
Body Weight Squats
Jumping Jacks
Butt Kicks
Reverse Lunges
Full Sit-Ups
Workout:
Set up 5 cones in a big square. Complete 50 seconds per cone, 10 seconds rest in between cones. Complete 2 rounds total.
Cone 1 - Jumping Rope
Cone 2 - Wall Sits
Cone 3 - Cross-Over Mountain Climbers
Cone 4 - Floppy Burpees!!
Cone 5 - Basic Crunches
¼ mile Recovery Jog
Partner Challenge: Obstacle Course
Set 4 cones up in a line. Complete 2 rounds total.
Cone 1 - Walking Push-Ups
Cone 2 - Double Jumps
Cone 3 - Grapevine - Left
Cone 4 - Grapevine - Right
Sprint back and tag partners hand
Plank Contest:
Hold a plank for as long as you can. Record your time.
Cool Down and Stretch: 5 - 10 minutes
Workout by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by roibu from Getty Images