Well, it’s another year, and I’m a little older. It seems that this is the time of the year that people are most likely to set goals. Whether they are attainable, or not, is another question. Many of these goals revolve around weight loss. And as evidenced by the amount of commercials that are related to dieting, the advertising companies know this is the key time of the year for that subject.
I’m Not Twenty Anymore
I’ve never been great at keeping up an exercise routine, but I’ve always been pretty good about my ability to work out and get into shape when I wanted to. I’ve noticed that it’s not as easy as it once was. I’m now in my thirties and I find myself making the same complaints that I thought were once only muttered by older people. I have had to regroup and think about my exercise and diet plans in a more strategic way. Gone are the days that I cut out a few beers a week and go for a jog once, or twice, and see results. Now I’m counting calories and calculating my target heart rate.
Calorie Math
There are so many diets and exercise gimmicks on the scene. It seems there always has been. But, when you really think about it, it’s pretty simple math. You want to burn more food energy than you put in. This has to be done within reason, and I would advise you discuss any diet ideas with a doctor. One really useful tool in the diet game is the Harris Benedict Equation and your Body Mass Index. By taking your estimated Body Mass Index and applying the Harris Benedict Equation, you can estimate the amount of calories your body needs to consume to maintain your current weight, or achieve a target diet weight.
Willpower
As with anything worth doing, it’s going to be a difficult road. But, the little amounts of willpower it takes to do a little more exercise, or switch that frosty brew for a nice glass of water, will pay off in the long run. And the longer I wait, the more difficult it will be to lose weight. So, actually, this will be the easiest diet I can implement, all diets after this will be harder.
…now for some carrots.