“I have tried dozens of diets (including special nutrition programs) ─ I am of average weight. The problem is always the same: I break down and it becomes more difficult to start over. With training, it's even worse. I am a housewife, a small child, and there is no way to go to clubs. I tried to study at home - I don't see the effect. I know that many people lose weight and in such conditions ─ tell me how? What do you need to do to stay motivated and stop getting frustrated?"
Violetta (29 years old)
Fitness expert answer:
Everyone is writing about how to get started and go on a diet to lose weight for the summer / wedding / vacation / whatever. But few people say how not to break out later, having achieved at least some result, how not to abandon training and the notorious PP (proper nutrition). “Keeping up the fire” every day is another problem that almost 9 out of 10 women “break down” on. I want to tell you about the 5 most common reasons why many people quit studying.
# 1 Your motivation is "I hate my fat body."
She does not work. A woman usually starts training and dieting out of self-dislike: because she is “blooming”, “loose” and “ugly”. But this is a dead end. Decisions like “I can't have sweets until I lose at least 10 kg” are also a dead end. Such a war with one's own body is a terrible stress for the psyche. Your brain quickly convinces you to stop - this is a defensive reaction. When we begin to train in order to change and remake ourselves - the ugly one - training is not encouraging and is given through strength. You can do this solely on your own. It's good if you have it made of iron, but not everyone is so lucky.
How is it correct?
Don't fight the "wrong" body! Work with him with gratitude, take care of him. Think about how many opportunities you have simply because you have arms and legs. And if you, like many girls, start practicing exactly 2-3 months after giving birth, just imagine what a tremendous job your body did while carrying a child. Let the workout be your gratitude to the body: strengthen it, make it stronger and healthier day after day. Attitude: “I want to become more beautiful, change my life for the better, create a strong beautiful body, because I respect myself and take care of my health” - it works better and longer than violence and inhibitions.
# 2 No time for training now
And it will never appear. There are 24 hours in a day, and we will not change that. Anxiety, overload, and temporary chaos inevitably arise when new activities need to be built into your routine. A frequent problem for a beginner is trying to sleep less in order to get more done, or a constant feeling of guilt: you train, but the borscht is not cooked and the apartment is not cleaned … The result is overwork and stress from failed attempts to break out of this sticky web of household chores that have no end and end … In any case, you won't last long.
How is it correct?
To keep up with everything important, you just need to not do something secondary. Think about priorities and you will find that some of the tasks are really urgent, but some can be organized differently or not at all. For example, don't super clean every day. The house will not get dirtier, but you can safely use this time for training. Make body work a top priority. A healthy, beautiful and happy wife and mother are much more important to a family than a sterile floor.
# 3 "Stretch out in a split today"
It is equally bad and ineffective to do it once a week, but until you drop, and do it every day, but in fits and starts - either squatting with a stroller for a walk, then doing a bar while the child is asleep. Both of these approaches don't work.
How is it correct?
Start small, but move forward smoothly, progress. You need three weights a week for an hour and two cardio - at least 40 minutes. Move evenly, "grabber" always lose in the long run. It's not scary if you have to do push-ups for a couple of months, resting your hands on the edge of the bed, before you can push up off the floor at least once. Please be patient! Increase the load (working weight, number of approaches) gradually. And don't forget to rest - it takes time to recover after training. Regularity is more important than severity. You don't need to go for meaningless records - they will very quickly lead to burnout and breakdown.
# 4 "I'm on a diet, but I'm getting fat even from water"
You work for several weeks, even months, but you do not see significant changes. Miracles did not happen, the excess fat did not evaporate all at once, the cubes did not pump up - and disappointment comes. More precisely, not disappointment, but frustration: there was one picture of an ideal oneself, but life painted another picture. This is extremely demotivating and it seems that everything is in vain.
How is it correct?
You do not notice the result, because you see yourself every day and do not perceive smooth changes. It does not happen that you do something regularly, but there is no result at all ─ this is contrary to the laws of physics. To convince yourself otherwise …
- Write down the numbers. Take measurements of volumes and weighing every week, take pictures. Such a "diary" will help you navigate and see the differences before / after, even though you see yourself every day and it is difficult to notice changes.
- Ask your friends / acquaintances, and preferably the professionals. "Unsoldered", or better an unbiased view from the outside will mark progress.
- Look not only in the mirror. After I introduced sports and PP into my life, a lot of new pleasant impressions appeared. I stopped getting tired of trivial cleaning in the apartment, and walking with my child became a joy. Listen to how the sport improves your mood and gives you strength, and thank yourself for your efforts.
# 5 "I'll eat a cake for the night, and tomorrow I'll work it out"
Everybody breaks down. It's amazing how often girls can give up on anything other than sweets. The question is not how not to break down, but how to adequately respond to this afterwards not to spread rot and fail.
How is it correct?
- Eat normally. You can't starve for a long time or sit on one kefir. Your task is to make food healthy and not excessive, but varied and tasty. So that PP becomes your new norm for life. A few tips.
- Eat often, eat delicious! Eat 5 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks in between. Eat vegetables, fruits, pasta and wholegrain bread, fish, poultry, lean meat, dairy products, stop frying in oil and learn how to cook PP desserts - in a couple of weeks you will be surprised that in the absence of hunger and painful prohibitions on "tasty" weight is reduced.
- Make PP a part of family life. Cooking for yourself separately from your husband and children is a dead end. There are billions of delicious, hearty, simple, healthy dishes in the world that everyone will be happy to eat. Even without following special programs, you can find a ton of information and such recipes.
Natalia Kuzmich
Photo: Getty Images
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