Spring will be here March 20th!  This is the time of year I always used to panic because I had my "winter weight" going on.  Want to slim down for spring?  Here are some tips I have used successfully: 

1. Make a DECISION to lose weight in the next 30 days!

Make a conscious decision and BELIEVE you CAN DO IT!.  This is critical - the more determined you are, the better results you’ll get. Setting up a goal and sticking to it is the very first step to success.   Don’t get overwhelmed with thinking long term – focus on the next month.  How does losing 4% sound?   FOCUS ON AN ATTAINABLE GOAL FOR 30 DAY and then DECIDE you are going to reach your goal. And make sure that the goal is important to you – if not, you might be tempted along the way to waiver.

 

2. Get Outside!

Spring is coming, the sun is out – get yourself outside! Walk instead of taking the bus or the car or if you have to drive, park far away from the door  – the vitamin D from the early spring sun will be your bonus, along with extra steps. Make them count – go for 10 000 steps a day if you can. The more you move, the better you will feel and the better you feel, the more motivated you will be.

 

3. Be Prepared!

I can’t stress this enough!  Make sure you have the right food in the house to set yourself up for success.  Bulk cook so you always have something healthy to grab when you don’t have time to cook.  Or buy healthy prepared food!  Take advantage of salad bars.  Have healthy snacks available for grab-and-go; it is very dangerous to get too hungry as you will tend to then overeat.  Some nuts, an apple and peanut butter, a “clean” protein bar, a greek yogurt, a smoothie, cucumber or celery and hummus are all good snacks.

 

4. Spoil yourself with new gear!

Use the money you not eating junk and Starbucks lattes, and treat yourself to some new workout clothes. Just get yourself a little something new for this season – a sport band for your smartphone, a new tank top, a pair of good quality tights, or whatever you need to get you out the door or to the gym

 

5. Go the distance with a friend!

Look around you and you’ll probably will find a bunch of people just like yourself, with similar goals for this season. Train together! Challenge each other! Create teams and decide a distance and the amount of time and just go! Ex: make a team of 4 run a total of 200 km in one month.  Or join a DietBet and/or a StepBet with a friend!!!

6. Find something in your closet that is a little too small that you want to wear!

I used this strategy a lot – pick a favorite spring outfit that doesn’t quite fit now that you would love to wear in a month!  Be realistic and don’t go down too many sizes, but have a fabulous piece of clothing in one size smaller, hanging on your dresser wall as a cool – and a bit annoying – motivation. Trust me, it works!

 

7. Ditch gluten, dairy and refined sugar!

Gluten, dairy and refined sugars are naturally inflammatory for many people and inflammation can cause bloat and cause you to hold onto weight.   Also if you eat more “cleanly” and avoid processed carbs and bread, crackers, cakes and cookies you will find it MUCH easier to lose weight.  You can do anything for 30 days!  A lot of people find after trying this for days, they feel so much better that they continue leaving some or all of these items out of their daily diet.

 

8.  Track and reward your progress!

Put a mark in your calendar for every day that you made progress towards your goal. Those success marks will keep you motivated to continue. Make rewards for yourself for 5 day-strikes, 10 day-strikes etc. Make up your own rules and stick to them. It’s easier if you see what you’ve already accomplished rather than how far you still have to go.

 

9. Don’t try to skip meals!

Don’t ever try to lose weight by starving yourself.  It will only slow down your metabolism and make you feel deprived.  When you eel deprived you will tend to then binge or overeat.  Make each meal nutrient dense and eat a lot of vegetables, enough protein, and include healthy fats which will help you feel full and are so very good for your health!

10. Hydrate - Water, water, water!

80% of our bodies are comprised of water!  Water is essential for proper digestion, nutrient absorption and the nutrients our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream. Water plays an important role in the proper functioning of the your body and that includes the metabolism of fat.  Your kidneys rely on a certain level of water to function efficiently and when they are dehydrated, a significant portion of their workload is transferred to the liver which then can’t put all of its energy into turning fat to energy.  So, as the liver metabolizes less fat; you lose less weight!    You also need water to flush toxins from your body and keep your inflammation levels down.  Another good reason to drink plenty of water is if you don't drink enough, your body will hold onto water (aka fluid rentention!) to preserve the small amounts it has.  So drink up!  

And of course – join one or more DietBet Kickstarters!  Use the game to help you focus and get support from a coach and your peers.  I am a certified health coach and would love to be your personal coach for a month -  my next game starts 3/13!  Come join GET RESULTS 14 – Lose Weight with Marcie!  I would love to have you join our supportive community!  Here is the link: http://dbet.me/Dk33gx