Getting Fit For Dummies

Getting Started...
1) Look at MyPlate

Generally, this is what a person's plate should look like at every meal.

As you can see, the biggest portion of this plate is vegetables.

If you're like me, you're thinking... UGH vegetables. If that's the case see #2 for a possible solution.

2) Categorize your food groups by writing foods you enjoy... or at the very least can tolerate.

Here's how I did mine: ⬇

3) Mix n' Match

The fun part

Create your meals every day by choosing 1 thing from each of these categories you created, and form your own MyPlate. You can get creative with it! If you're having a hard time, search for MyPlate recipes here.

4) Get On A Scale and Weigh Yourself

Find out what your weight is.

The find out what your weight should be according to your height + weight ratio.

Create a healthy goal and write it down.

You can find any healthy weight chart online. I found mine here.

5) Calculate Your Daily Caloric Intake

Basically... how much should you actually be eating a day? Write it down

Don't let the word "calculate" scare you away. You can find any calculator online and let it do the work for you. I figured mine out here at Healthline.

Influencing Factors:

Biological gender

Age

Weight

Height

Activity level

We need calories from the food we eat in order to have energy, but if we eat too much or too little... problems can occur.

6) Reach Your Healthy Goal Weight

Your daily caloric intake (calculated in #5) may need to be adjusted in order to gain or lose weight

• To Lose Weight: Losing 1-2 lbs a week is a healthy goal. Cutting 500 calories a day will help to achieve that goal

• To Gain Weight: Gaining 1-2 lbs a week is a healthy goal. Adding 500 more calories a day will help to achieve that goal. Try consuming more of nutritionally dense foods rather than foods like cake and cookies.

• To Maintain Weight: Keep eating within your daily caloric rang you calculated in #5.

You can download free apps to help keep track of your calories. I have been using 

MyfitnessPal, and it works great for me.

If keeping track on line seems too difficult, write it down in a notebook.

7) Exercise
Start small

Whether you are losing, gaining, or maintaining weight, exercise is essential to our well-being.

But UGH exercise... I hear you.

Did you know that exercise doesn't have to be running and lifting weights?

Have you ever considered going for a walk or stretching to be within the category of the dreaded exercise?

While activities like running helps you burn more calories (helping you to lose weight), it can be hard to start with. So work your way up!

Treat yo-self is my motto, and that motto exists even in my exercise routines.

Here are some things that I started out doing to get more active:

• Racquetball + tennis with my husband
• Evening walks
• P90x stretch videos at home
• Yardwork 
• Youtube mini workouts
• Jumprope

Hey... a girl's gotta start somewhere! 💁

Also remember that exercise should be a time separate from the daily activities.

For example, if I need to walk the dog every day, I can't use that as an excuse to call it exercise (even though it is a healthy activity)

But eventually, you'll start to find that starting small will encourage you to tackle the bigger thing (like running and lifting weights).

For me, even running has started out small (5-10 minute jogs around the neighborhood). That's what brings me to #8.

8) Don't Give Up

If you're like me, you'll have days where you don't even come close to reaching your goal.

But here's the key... KEEP TRYING.

Try again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day.