New Year's Resolutions

What's your #1 health & fitness goal for 2013? Lose weight, healthier diet, get in shape, drop a bad habit? 

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The whole point of a New Year’s resolution is to start the year with a positive outlook and the hope for a better you. When you set goals that you can’t reach, the opposite tends to happen. Set realistic goals for yourself this year by following these tips. 

Be realistic. If you wake up on 1 January with a hangover and a strong urge for a double espresso and a bacon sandwich, is this really the day to begin the 'first day of the rest of your life?' Start on the 2nd, instead, and use the 1st to finish up the stilton and the Quality Street and to clear the cupboards of any other tempting food that is not in keeping with your new regime! 

Set a goal you can keep - take baby steps. First, choose a resolution that is attainable. Forget about losing 100 pounds or saving enough cash to buy a house. When you make goals that are unreachable, you set yourself up to fail. Instead, set small goals that you know you can reach. If you succeed, you can just keep going, and you'll feel great about accomplishing your goal. For example, set a time frame that within 3 months, you will lose 10 pounds. This would be a healthy way to lose weight, about 1-2 pounds per week. It is possible that you could actually lose more weight, which would make you feel that losing weight is easy. If you were trying to be healthier either through diet or exercise, set a more realistic goal. For instance, plan to exercise for 30 minutes 2-3 days per week, and gradually increase throughout the year. Set goals for the week or month. When trying to eat healthier, make small changes, such as eating one fruit per day, and increase as this becomes a daily habit.

Don´t go it alone - Get help. If you're setting a big goal, find someone to help you along the way. Want to lose weight? Hire a personal trainer or look for an workout buddy. Want to find a new job? Visit a career counselor. A professional who is trained to help you meet your goals will have an arsenal of tools to get you where you want to be. If you can't afford a professional, look for a friend, a websites or support groups to help you meet your goals. There you can motivate each other and share ideas. Most of life's challenges become less daunting when you aren't in them alone; working with a friend to reach your goal may mean the difference between success and failure.

Be patient. Fitness and weight loss don't happen overnight. That's why it is important to have a time frame for your goal. Set mini goals to work towards along the way - these give you something more immediate to aim for, and help you build confidence and faith in yourself.

Keep track. Spend some time formulating and writing down your health and fitness goals, ensuring they are challenging but realistic. Be positive and confident about your ability to achieve them. Keep a food and/or exercise diary to monitor your progress and help motivate you to stay focused on your goals. I use an excel-file for my plans and documentations of weight and training.

Make your health a priority Perhaps the most difficult thing to do is to make all of this work in your hectic schedule. It usually helps to maintain a list of things you need to do. To help with your cooking, try to plan a menu each week so you will know exactly what you need at the grocery store - and to minimize the possibility of ordering take-out. If you must eat lunch or dinner out, remember that healthy choices, such as salads or wraps, are better options. However, moderation is also OK. Occasionally having the dinner that you enjoy will not hinder your ultimate weight loss goal. As the saying is: Take care of your body.  It's the only place you have to live.  Jim Rohn

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In sum, don't try to put too much on your plate. Take each day as it comes, and do not get frustrated if you slip up every now and then. Don't be afraid to start again! Once you establish healthy habits, the rest will be that much easier. Treat yourself for reaching each goal or staying on track for a certain amount of time. Good luck with your resolutions!


As you know, I already set my cornerstones for 2013 so I don´t need a new year´s resolution. My plans and wishes are to be staying on track for reaching my goals of loosing weight, shaping and strengthen my body (with clean eating) and get into the best form of my body I ever have.

Take care!

The eat-clean principles – Part One

As already announced, since a few days ago I started to eat clean. For sure, at the beginning it won´t works for 100 percent to change completely your nutrition from one day to another, but I try to involve peux-a-peux the rules into my daily life. And I see, that it works from day to day even better.  

The following information are some excerpts from the book:  The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged: Lasting Fat Loss That´s Better than Ever! http://www.amazon.com/The-Eat-Clean-Diet-Recharged-Lasting/dp/1552100677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355309548&sr=8-1&keywords=the+clean+eat+diet+recharged

But, what does eat-clean exactly mean?

So, let´s start with the basics: To get a beautiful and healthy body, there´s a simple rule: You have to focus on the right nutrition (80%), clean and regularly training (10%) and have the right genetics (10%). You are certainly wondering, why 80% nutrition and only 10% training instead of 80% training and 10% nutrition? A popular quote is: “Abs were made in the kitchen, not in the gym!”

In some ways you do have to live with the genetic package your parents gave you, but nutrition is far more responsible for creating your shape and your health than you ever could have imagined.

Eat poorly and you become sick and overweight. Eat well and you become a glowing example of health and vibrancy.

I need to recognize that some “foods”, which I ate are “anti-foods” - and I  must work hard to avoid these. The improved food choices I make along with moderate amounts of exercise, mostly in the form of strength training, should be the catalyst for change.

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What to do:

• Eat more – eat six small meals each day (at the end of this blog you´ll find a sample schedule)
• Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising
• Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal (55% complex carbohydrates, 27% lean protein and 18% healthy fats)
• Eat sufficient (2-3 servings) healthy fats every day
• Drink 2-3 liters of water each day
• Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes
• Adhere to proper portion sizes (use your hands for the right portions)

What to avoid:

• Aviod all over-processed foods, particularly white flour and sugar
• Avoid chemically charged food
• Avoid foods containing presercatives
• Avoid artificial sugars
• Avoid artificial foods (such as processed cheese slides)
• Avoid saturated and trans fats
• Avoid sugar-loaded beverage, including colas and juices
• Avoid (or do your best to limit) alcohol intake
• Avoid all calorie-dense foods containing little or no nutritional value (=anti-foods)
• Avoid super-sizing your meals

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These principles are as easy to follow as brushing your teeth or combing your hair. If you decide right now to embrace just one of these principles you will be immediately living a healthier lifestyle. That’s because each one of these steps is empowering and entirely doable. Imagine what could happen if you cement in your mind that you will accept them all right now! Look out world – here you come!

Another catalyst for change is the right food at the same time with the right frequency: Eat six meals a day (every two-and-a-half hours to three hours). 

As promised, here´s a sample schedule:

7 am – First Meal = Breakfast
10 am – Second Meal = Mid Morning
1 pm – Third Meal = Lunch
4 pm – Forth Meal = Mid Afternoon
7 pm – Fifth Meal = Dinner
10 pm – Sixth Meal = Evening

You´ll get more information in one of my next posts!!

Stay healthy!