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How do you get motivated to eat healthfully and exercise regularly--and how do you ensure you'll stay that way? It's one of the toughest quandaries in the fitness business.

The best advice I've ever heard on the subject is this: Recognize that even when we make smart and necessary changes, we shouldn't expect them to feel good right away. Abandoning your usual habits and trying out new behaviors is often uncomfortable and disorienting, and it can take a while before the changes we make (e.g., eating fewer calories, exercising more) start to pay dividends.

Once you tell yourself it's OK to feel anxious or even temporarily discouraged about your new efforts, you'll be freed of the pressure of counting on instant success. You won't beat yourself up for not immediately loving a new exercise class or for wanting to indulge in chips rather than carrots. Most important, if you give yourself the lee-way to experiment to find what works best for you, you'll end up with better results (just keep the faith that you will succeed eventually!).

Likewise, it's tempting at this time of year--when we make lots of ambitious New Year's resolutions--to get a little too gung-ho. Although it may seem like a good idea to dive into a fitness and weight-loss program headfirst, it's really a road to burnout and disappointment. Anyone who is a regular gym-goer is familiar with the "January phenomenon": The first and second weeks of the new year, the gym is packed solid with new members. By the third and fourth weeks, however, few return, because they burned out or got injured by starting out too aggressively.

So how can you avoid being a January-resolution casualty? Take it easy. For straightforward ideas about easing into healthful eating and weight loss, see "The Post-Binge Diet" (page 138). It's a four-week eating plan designed to minimize the discomfort of building new habits and to avoid the torment of a crash diet. Then, to get started with an exercise program that's fun and simple to follow, check out "The Body-Sculpting, Fat-Blasting, No-Burnout Workout" (page 118).

Also see our two new columns: Get Energized (page 82) and ShapeOver (page 28) for inspiration on getting started--or back on track. As this month's ShapeOver astutely points out, one of the best strategies for getting yourself motivated is to just do something--anything--positive, and you'll find that your motivation follows as your confidence builds. As you see results--and you will, if you stick to our diet and exercise plans--you'll be even more committed to building on your success!

# posted by Medical Information : 3:12 AM