LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN – basic steps to help you reach your body goals.

The body is a vessel that makes sure we survive in this world, so to thank it for this we need to take care of it. This looks different for everyone; some people desire to add a few kilos and others desire to lose a few and some just want to maintain their weight. Now it may seem simple that if you eat more, you’ll gain weight and if you eat less, you’ll lose weight, but those that have tried these methods know it’s not that simple. There is so much more that contributes to weight loss and weight gain. 

There are some basic steps that have been listed below and hopefully these can get you started and help you reach your desired goals. Further research, as well as medical advice, is recommended as the tips below are based on what I have found through my own experience and research.

The two C’s – Commitment and Consistency

Before getting started you need to mentally prepare yourself for this journey you are about to embark on. You need to make sure that you are ready to make some serious changes to your current lifestyle and be consistent with these changes. If you are not consistent you will find yourself feeling frustrated and disappointed. Like Marie Forleo said, “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.” These two C’s are definitely important and can be difficult to follow, however, all you have to do is find ways that can help you. What helped me when I started my journey was to wake up in the morning and watch motivational videos as well as to follow some motivational pages on social media platforms. This helped insure that my day started off on a positive note and made me more willing to do the things I had planned to do for the day.

Make a “map” to use on this journey

Just like any journey you may embark on, you need a “map”, a plan on how you will get there. This map can be in the form of a vision board or a Journal. This will help you visualize your exact goals and how you will reach these goals. This is a method that has been used by many successful people, such as Oprah Winfrey, in order to reach their goals. A study by Psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews found evidence that those who write their goals down accomplish more than those who don’t.

Track your calories

Whether you are trying to lose, maintain or gain it is important that you calculate how many calories your body requires. Although weight loss/gain is not as simple as calories in versus calories out, it is a good starting point.

The number of calories you will need will depend on many factors such as age, gender, weight, height, body fat percentage any many more (1). In order for you to maintain your weight the calories you eat, and drink must be the same as the calories you use throughout the day. for you to lose weight the calories you eat, and drink should be less than the ones you use throughout the day and finally to gain some weight the calories you eat, and drink should be more than the ones you use (2). You can learn more about calories here.

I know you’re probably thinking “how do I know how many calories I am supposed to eat for my goals?” well these days you can find almost anything online so here is a website that can help you calculate the calories you need to lose weight, gain weight as well as to maintain (Calculator.net)

After you find out the calories required for your body goals you can then start tracking your calorie intake using either a journal or the following apps:

Lose it!

MyFitnessPal

Nutrionix Track

Exercise

Physical activity is an important and powerful tool that can help you reach your goals. Not only does it have physical benefits but a study by Biddle S. has also shown that it also has mental health benefits such as reducing anxiety. Personally, exercising was the difficult part – I mean whilst you are doing it you literally feel like you’re dying but a way that I got myself to exercise was to exercise while listening to my favourite music. That at least kept me entertained. Essentially find something that makes you look forward to getting your workout done .

Image from Pexels

Now it is important to note that different body goals require a different set of exercises. In order to know which one you should do for your body goals you will have to do some research. I have found a few articles that can help you get started.

Weight loss

Weight gain

Final thoughts

These few steps should help you get started, remember this is just the foundation there is so much more to the process of weight loss and weight gain, you just need to use the resources available to you and experiment until you find what works best for you. Your aim here should not be to reach your body goals then stop doing what you were doing but rather to turn what you were doing to reach your body goals into a lifestyle. It is also important that you are embarking on this journey for a good reason as it will be more rewarding that way . Remember all bodies are beautiful and all bodies are worthy.

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