If you are stressed-out, rushing around, eating poorly and neglecting your exercise or workout routine, first I would like to say “welcome to the club,” then checkout these 5 tips to avoid unhealthy habits.
5. Skipping Meals – You’re busy and you need to make time–not breakfast: Bad idea!
– Solution: Missing meals can increase that lethargic, worn-out feeling and inhibit your ability to complete all of your daily tasks—let alone add in a work out. Eat at least four times per day to keep your energy level at a nice even keel, and keep some granola bars and snacks stashed in your car, desk, purse, etc. . Keeping yourself “fueled-up” with healthy meals and snacks ensures peak performance output from both your body and mind.
4. Lack of Sleep – Time is not on your side; your mind is reeling and it’s difficult to fall asleep.
-Solution: Limit your caffeine intake and avoid it all together in the evening. Give yourself 30 minutes to wind-down and relax with a book or some herbal tea each night. You will thank yourself in the morning.
3. Enablers – They are everywhere and ready to suck you into their excuse-fest that allows them and their cronies to eat, drink, be merry…and gain weight.
-Solution: Don’t give-in to peer-pressure. In fact, be a leader and help those around you by encouraging healthy habits. Create a common goal or competition to see who can keep-off or lose the most weight.
2. Neglecting Exercise– Life is stressful enough; don’t leave-out one of the best stress reducers available.
-Solution: Time for high intensity workouts that you can blast-out in 20 or 30 minutes. There are several group classes that leave you feeling great about your workout, while using up only minutes of your day. Don’t be afraid to approach a fitness professional who can assist you with creating a calorie burning super-circuit program. I know that they look busy at times, but trainers love helping people with their fitness goals!
1. Overeating– Let’s face it, you, me and the rest of the country face bountiful amounts of rich pastries, meats, cheeses and libations which all lead to inevitable temptations at parties, events and most of all when we go visit…”Mom.”
-Solution: Portion control, portion control…and did I mention portion control?! Have fun, enjoy the festivities, but be aware of the overwhelming amount of food and drink that confronts you when you leave your house to dine and drink. Remember that sweet drinks and cocktails with mixers, like margaritas, are incredibly high in calories—as many as 600 calories per drink!
There are many challenges that we face every day, and when you have a busy schedule it is important to remember how to stay healthy and energetic! Share with us your favorite healthy tips in the Comments section!
This is an extremely helpful reminder for me. Its so easy to lose sight of your goals when any of these unhealthy habits creep up on you. I think the key for me is learning to get back on the horse and keeping going…… Please keep posts like these coming!
I have no trouble with skipping meals. My prob is lack of sleep and night eating. All the exercise in the world does not help if I cannot limit what goes in my mouth.
For me skipping my exercise is what gives me an added stress that I don’t need. whereas if i follow my routine then i can enjoy that dinner and wine with friends without feeling guilty and also feeling good.
I’ve heard that it takes the body about two weeks to accept a new habit. If we remain vigilant about reversing our bad habits, everything will become easier (even if the first two weeks are tough). That’s how I felt about getting back to the gym! It was hard getting back into a routine, but it now feels as natural as brushing my teeth in the morning–now three weeks into my LA Fitness membership!
I agree on it all but is it possible to oversleep?
Very true – good reminder to keep youself on track!
I love the “3. Enablers – They are everywhere and ready to suck you into their excuse-fest that allows them and their cronies to eat, drink, be merry…and gain weight.” My friends give me a hard time when I limit my drinks when we go out, but then at the end of the night they’re talking about how they just drank (normally over) 1000 calories and I only had a few hundred … still not great, but better than the 1000! Not to mention, every drink I take I think “empty calories” … hahaha.
I know I need to pay more attention to my habits. I guess fnding an excuse is easier than actually sticking to it. I’m going to print this article to keep reminding myself that I need to focus on good habits rather than falling back into my bad ones.
This is so true, especially for those of us with careers in “overdrive.” I think that ‘easy-meals’ are another horrible temptation…Making lunches and packing healthy snacks in advance is a MUST in my book.
It’s easy to get forgetful about the most important thing…YOURSELF!
It’s all about motivation. We need to either pump ourselves up or have a partner of some kind to assist us in that matter. Without your health, you don’t have anything at all. There are all sorts of distractions, interferences, things to take you away from more healthy habits. If you are able to learn some self-control, if you can fine tune your focus, then there’s really nothing standing between you and your goals. These goals include staying ‘heathy’ in every area of your life.
Yes I do feel better and have more energy when I work out, just convincing my brain is the problem.
Enablers are so hard to tell no, but I’ve gotten both of my bestfriends using myfitnesspal with me! I love that app! It helps you know where you stand everyday as far as your exercise goals, water goals, and calories/ other nutrients I need to catch up on for that day! Good Luck Everyone!!!
I have a problem with eating in the morning so my trainer suggested half a protein shake, and this has helped me tremendously! It only takes a few seconds and it helps jump-start things. Lately my problems has been the “libations” because I enjoy a good beer. I am working to keep this at a minimum. I use the program my fitness pal on my phone and computer and it helps keep track of my calorie intake as well as proteins, carbs, sugar and fat. They have most foods in there, including beer! A healthy lifestyle is constant work for me, but I am hoping that one day I will reach the point where it is a more regular routine. Right now I enjoy my 4 days a week at L.A. Fitness with two to three of those days working with a trainer. It is what helps me keep on going. Thanks for all the tips!
Being in an accelerated nursing school and being healthy is very difficult to do at the same time. We sit in the same classroom for 8 hours a day with a 1 hour lunch break, so I always try to get out and walk around town to at least get the blood flowing, in addition to eating a low calorie high vitamin and mineral packed lunch. And on clinical days, I usually weigh between going to eat or getting to see this new learning experience (I have chosen the learning experience over eating quite a few times sadly). But I almost always have myself in bed by 11pm every night and I keep track of my caloric intake with My Fitness Pal iPhone App. I also go to LaFitness whenever I can to get my heart pumping, and of course studying while on the elliptical =)
I have trouble getting to the gym because LA Fitness hasn’t given me any “free swag” as yet…
I have to agree, weight loss is about controlling what you eat, and when you eat it. But being healthy, toned, and energetic are definitely all about the exercise, and at the base of every exercise is always a good nights sleep!
I always eat breakfast in the morning. I just wish I had more time for sleep and exercise. I think this article gives a breakdown of the basics you need to live a happy and healthy life.
Great advice, I needed this! Thanks
Pack a cooler of healthy meals and snacks
It’s the enablers for sure that I have to be aware of. I am surrounded by them. If I gave in to that “one time won’t hurt you”…everytime I heard it. I wouldn’t have lost the 30 pounds I have lost. I am feeling better than I have in a long time, and I think I am in the best shape in my life now, and it just keeps getting better… That’s with the help of LA Fitness and my trainer Stephanie…LOVE HER!!!!
I work in a restaurant so I constantly eat at off hours and it’s usually restaurant food. I like to make sure that I get a good meal in before work so that I not shoving those Timbits in my face that someone brought in because I’m starving at 12:30 or 6pm.
Also when eating out I like to make sure I choose a salad or veggies for my side instead of defaulting to fries, enjoy the main attraction of your meal but skip the side show. Another tip for eating out at any place that makes their meals fresh is to ask it to be made with low fat dressing/dips, less oil, less cheese chances are your meal will still taste great! and stay away from the salt shaker trust me when I say there is enough in your meal without it!
Plus determination and I love my workout journal. A trainer absolutley helps if you listen they may tell u something u didnt know that could help u!
I didn’t know about the whole hot dog thing. Turkey dogs have the same rep!? Ty for your tips la fitneSs. Ill be seeing you tonight in zumba!
Great idea about having snacks on hand. Do be careful with checking the labels, though. Lots of sugary junk out there. Nice portable snacks could include those mini bags of carrots or nuts, and apples. I think it has a lot to do with what’s available and easy, so a little planning helps to make healthy eating easy.
I’m from Europe guys, and I’ve just realized how hard is for you to stay healthy and eat healthy. You have even more challenges with all these unhealthy food then us, not talking about the distance (and time) what you have to drive if you want to get to job or to gym. And for me exercise is the most important solution: decrease stress, protect from overeating, helps me sleep and keeps in shape. Thanks for the post.
This is really helpful I think I’m going to try this out I always neglect eating in the morning and when I start to eat better I go a little over board.
This is a great article! It’s great that you offered us solutions to daily obstacles. Thanks for posting an article to help keep us in shape and on track!
Portion control is the hardest….
Common sense…maybe not so common?
Thanks for sharing this! 🙂
I like to keep whole fruits, such as bananas, apples, or tangerines in my bag for my on the go snack. It’s easy and doesn’t take much time to prepare.
Great article! I love the lafitness blog and tweets. I’m a first time gym goer and attempting a healthy lifestyle to lose weight I’ve had since childhood and la fitness has been great with advice and motivation. Thanks to hard work, la fitness, and my trainer I’ve dropped almost 25 pounds in 2 and a half months! Love it!
I don’t have problems with skipping meals…and most of my friends work out somewhere, so I’m actually encourage to keep active – – but the others can be issues for me. I’m glad to have re-joined LA Fitness and happy to have added their Facebook page. Hopefully seeing the posts and blogs will encourage me to keep exercising, eating better and getting plenty or rest.
Reading this information was very helpful. The eye catching habit that caught my attention was the missing meals. My goal is to build muscle, and I myself eat around 6-7 small meals per day not only to feed my body but also to boost my metabolism. Like i mentioned very helpful information.
i don’t think it’s the neglecting of exercise that gets most people, it’s not knowing how to exercise correctly that will get people. i’m glad i got a trainer at the gym because he’s been a great source of knowledge in a field where everyone around you thinks they’re an expert. when more than 1 trainer tells you the same thing, then you know they most likely giving you sound advice.
This really help me out.
These are all good tips, but skipping meals has always been my problem. Believe me it does not help you loose weight it just slows down your metabolism. I found that if I just take 5 minutes at night to prepare my meals and snacks for the next day, then I just have to pull out a bag of whatever I pack to eat and I tend to eat when and what I am supposed to. You also don’t overeat b/c you are not hungry since you have been eating your healthy snacks throughout the day.
Thats always my problem! It’s a work in progress. That’s why I need LA Fitness. I haven’t been able to do it on my own!
Very nice Adam, These are great tips to keep people on track. My wife and I started a diet on the 28th of November, I know, a little crazy right. starting a diet in the middle of the holiday season. But I am happy to say that even through the holidays we have lost every week. The one thing missing in our plan is the exercise aspect we need. I just scheduled an appointment with Albert M. for next week and I know we will be joining the LA Fitness family and getting the exercise we both need. It is great to see the comments on the website and reasurring to know we will get the support we need.
I definitely agree with these suggestions. Exercise is the best stress reliever !!
Thanks for your tips – they’ll come in handy the next time I face these troublesome habits of mine. Healthy, here I come!
THANKS FOR THE TIPS
Definatly going be hard to to make sure to eat and sleep appropriately but it’s possible never missing a workout not possible love LA fitness to much to miss a chance to work out there
Definitely great reminders! I have been known to be guilty… guilty… guilty! But I am back and today was my first day back to the gym with time scheduled with a trainer. It is time 🙂
I am going into the Army and really want to get in shape before I leave! I think I do… all 5… of these unhealthy and bad habits. I try to eat healthy but I also find myself back to soda and fast food. It’s expensive and awful, I know this, but I still consume it like it is my job. What are some tricks to convince yourself you DO NOT need that stuff.
Thanks for your advices, very helpful and one thing i want to mention it would be a good idea to mention what type of foods we can eat as much as we want and not gain any single pound!! like cucumber, jicama, brocoli, lettuce and some others and eat less sugar and less salt cause salt retain water and make it hard to loose weight:)
La Fitness is great…I not only am trying my hardest for myself but so that my kids see it too and can follow in my footsteps..Trying my best and man is it hard..
I work full time, go to school full time, and have to do twenty hours of clinic work for free every week. These are all things that are hard for me to manage with that lifestyle, but these are great options to help me out. Having everything in the world going on at once is stressful enough. Why choose to be unhealthy?
Thank you for the tips. I used to go to LA more often while I was in college. Every day I packed a bag and went – rain, sleet or snow, I was there. I knew if I skipped one day I would never go back. Sure enough, something happened to my car so I took the night off. At the time, I was overworking myself, and didn’t eat as much. Now, a year later, I’ve gone back and my cousin and I have set a goal to lose 15-20 lbs by May 20. Will we reach it? You bet we will! With these tips & the support at LA, I’m ready! – Love your Zumba classes – We all push each other & say “see you next time” with a smile as if the self-butt-kicking wasn’t enough!
i agree with you. I used to be a member of LA fitness , but due to my college and work schedule, i can barely workout. After listening to you I am planning to join LA once again.
I’m with Gwen. When you work late hours its hard to stop eating at 7pm like everyone says. Personally my day begins at 5pm. Night eating has been my biggest foe since i’m usually up till the wee hours of the morning. For now i’ve decided to get snacks that a little healthier (like dried fruit and 20calories Jello cups) until i can finally kick the habit.
Thank you LA Fitsness for exist, thanks to you and your friendly stuff, I’ve seen a change on me, not only fisically but also mentally, and thanks for posting this types of unhealthy habits examples so we can all learn and stop doing the wrong thing.
I used to fall into very unhealthy habits at work. Now I pack my lunch (meat, veggies & fruit) every day and I go to the gym during my lunch hour 🙂
Pat: My parents are 67 years YOUNG! My dad walks 3 miles EVERY day. He bikes all the time, eosmtimes 100 mile trips. They are on the GO constantly. They’re retired, 12 years now, and they’re busier now than when they were working. I think they are in better shape than me! I love visiting them because I am spoiled, like a princess. When I need a break from my hubby and sons, I go see Mom and Dad. It’s like a vacation because they live on 70 acres and I love nature so I feel like I’m camping, except I have luxuries.
I have such a busy schedule and I always make excuses to have an extra coke or to stay home and relax and not go workout. This article is very helpful. If I follow this advice I will be in the shape that I want to be…all it takes is me motivating myself and I know I can do it!!!
I love reading these atrceils because they’re short but informative.
These are tips that most of us already know, but routinely ignore. Reminders like this article are extremely helpful for getting back, and staying, on track. Thanks!
Its mostly about working hard at the gym and drinking plenty of water as well as learn how to eat in portions and also following your regimen to complete your goals. Also on the weekends if there’s time in your schedule hiking would be another way to burn to excess calories we get when we go out to eat or drink. You eat to live not live to eat and also life should be seen as a learning experience and that learning experience should be seen as a positive outlook so you can achieve your dreams.
Great advice!
I feel like this is my life in a nutshell..which is scary! With these tips I hope to turn my unhealthy habits around and focus on making myself healthy and strong!
At 65, I just started back exercising after 25 years. I tried a rowing machine the othe day for the first time and it was great. I also have done two zumba classes and found them to be really invigorating, To my fellow senior citizens – I would say “try it – you’ll like”.
Good ideas all of which I’ve been reading elsewhere for a long time. They work!
very helpful tips!! but it’s hard to leave food on my plate especially when dining out lol
Breakfast is really important!!! You don’t want to start out your day in a low blood sugar haze. I love Quaker’s Weight Control oatmeal – only 160 calories AND has 7 gms of protein and only 1gm sugars. The packet puffs up so much when you nuke it (or not) that I eat 1/2 for breakfast and 1/2 for a mid-morning snack. Adding raisins or any fresh fruit can make it a bit more filling if you need it, but I love the Cinamon even on its own. You could make it with hot water from a coffee maker; you don’t even have to cook it if the water’s hot enough and you don’t have access to a microwave.
Awesome advice
It a fantastic article. It summarized that we need to be focus all the time with our life. We need to be responsible n manage our time n food properly n be concious about the benefits of being healthy
That is good advise…breakfast is important, I always drink a slim fast optima when I’m on the run.
Thank you so much for these advices,it is so true!!!
I have joined La Fitness as part of my weight loss journey as an addition to my weight loss surgery-Lap Band. I have found that making this whole process a life style change vs just a diet and working out. I work on finding the correct meal choices of low fat, low salt, high fiber and high protein. Even with weight loss surgery, you need to work on life style changes. Such as better food choices, portion control, and exercise. I have even found that I miss going to the gym, this is something that I never would have thought would happen. I have gone from a Couch Pototoe to someone who enjoys working out, going on hikes and not just sitting on the Couch. I have had a few bumps in the road, but I have not lost focus on my weight loss journey. I am almost a year out from surgery and have lost over 90 pounds and have lost track of how many inches. My incentive is my new grandson. I want to be able to sit on the floor with him, run around with him and in general be active.
My biggest issue is eating at night and eating too much food. I have no portion control. This really disturbs me because I used to jog a lot and I even finished two LA Marathons in 2003 and 2004. I had a back injury in 2004 that lasted until 2006. My arthroscopic surgery fixed my back but it didn’t fix the 30 pounds I put on and have kept on. I’ve lost 10-20 pounds at a time, but I put it back on. I need help in a bad way. If I could lose those 30 pounds, I’d be the happiest person on Earth! I plan on stopping the night eating starting tonight, but it’s hard to do when my brain is screaming at me to eat something, anything. I do cardio on the elliptical machines, and I play tennis, but the food is sabotaging all my efforts. I’m damn sick and tired of it.
To an extent, enablers also make you neglect your workout. So 2 and 3 can be related. It helps to find a partner who can encourage you for your workout on days when you dont feel “up to it” and viceversa
Portion control is the hardest of all of these. It’s gets easier the more you practice as is everything you do to get healthy.
I normally don’t eat huge meals and I eat really healthy during the day. But I am a night snacker …if it’s not nailed down … Need to get in some healthy snack options! And my LA Fitness membership is helping me move more!
Good advice we all seem to know in the back of our minds but we need to be reminded.
My wife hates it when I say: you have to make time!
Excellent article Adam! These healthy solutions definitely summarize the key points in getting and staying healthy. Eating healthy throughout the day with smaller portions, getting the right amount of sleep, staying motivated, and exercising are all excellent reminders to us in order to maximize on reaching our potential in life!!!
Reminders and Tips like these are very helpful, they keep reminding me of my goals.
I started LA Fitness in late December after years of negleting my body, Now I actually enjoy going to the gym, something I find incredible since I have been such a couch potatoe for so many years, Now I watch what I eat, workout 4 or 5 times a week and feel great!
this article is great! i was having problems with these and it helped me get back on the right track!
I think these are great words of advice. I’d lke to add for me it is forefront in my decision to be healthier for me. It’s not about anyone but me and I’ve made a personal choice to put me first. That has made me more dedicated about working out and eating better. I use an online program to track what I eat and how much I exercise and I’ve stuck to it for over 6 weeks and have lost 16 lbs and feel better than I have in a long time. Make yourself a priority.
Great article. Yes, portion size is the real trick. Now, to stop being so hungry all the time!!
Sweet.
The basics- but great reminders. Even if you know these things, daily life sometimes prevents you from following what you know to be better. Thanks for posting!
This great advice and your solutions are accurate, at the present time I’m achieving great results following an almost identical set of rules. I have lost fat, gain muscle mass along with my stamina, and I have become more knowledgeable about nutrition.
Great points! Post your goals in Facebook and your progress and you’ll be motivated by your friends!!! it works
New to LA Fitness, just transfered from ballys. Loved this article! I will be trying out all of the solutions you suggested and keeping an eye out for more great articles!
I wanted to add to my March 5th comments that I have enablers that are more notorious than anyone on Earth, MY RECLINER AND TV! As soon as I sit down and throw my feet up, my “enablers” say, “How about a sandwich?” Before I realize what I’m doing, I’m at the refrigerator looking at the goodies. This behavior is embarassing and fattening. I pledge to do anything but sit on my recliner. I need to break these silly but powerful enablers.
I’ve been out of the fitness loop for so long. This post is a great reminder of the basic principles I need to stick to in order to be successful. I think I will print this and post in a place that will constantly remind me! Thanks for the tips and even more so the solutions!!
Love the 5-habits article. Great tips! I really want that bag-of-swag. Every new member should get one of those.
I ran across the article because I was hoping to find something on the website that would offer tips on what machines in the club to use or exercises that can be done to to target certain muscle groups. I have not yet been able to meet with trainor, our schedules seem to constantly clash. Maybe in the future you could offer helpful tips like this to members. Sometimes trainors do not seem eager to help.
since i started working out, i have to say, portion control is the hardest part, but if u keep ur mind mentally in tune, and tell yourself no, put it down, then you can do it!
Its very important to set goals for yourself. Write them down. This helps to keep track of your workouts and weight. FOCUS! on your goals.
Great Article! a great way to not neglect exerciser is riding or walking to work!
Great suggestions I believe in all of them!
What a great article!! very useful to me, everything said applied to my daily life! explains alot and gave me a ton of tips! I signed up for la fitness today actually! ive never had a gym membership before, right away I was impressed with your facilities, the staff, the honest goodness in it all! hoping to get back into shape and toned in no time! thanks in advanced la fitness!!! ps. I have already referred you to two friends just in today! and i havent even worked out yet.(prior comment had an error didnt know how to delete it:)..)
I need to remember these tips.
This was so helpful! Usually I skip a real lunch before working out because I feel like it’ll slow me down, but I wont anymore thanks to this article! So thankful for LA fitness. Lost 25 pounds in less than 6 months!
I like this one. A helpful reminder!