10 Tips To Help You Reach Your Health & Fitness Goals

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As a natural health care professional for the past 17 years, I have helped thousands who have sought 100% physical, emotional, and nutritional health. In order to help you reach your 2014 goals, I will share with you 10 of the most common myths/mistakes that I have experienced.

1. Health comes from a bottle.​

If you are one of those people who finds themselves taking pills (prescription OR non-prescription in order to relieve pain, it may be time to analyze what is actually causing your pain instead of covering it up. The body that made itself heals itself. You may be able to find a natural health care provider to help your body reach your true health goals.

2. Longer time in the gym equals more goals met.​

Doing the same exercise every workout and for long periods of time may make the body get “stuck” at a plateau. Changing workouts and interval training (short bursts of high energy expended) can increase metabolism and lead to more weight loss.

3. If I sleep less I will burn more calories and lose weight.​

High stress and not enough sleep can lead to increased adrenaline and cortisol levels. Adrenal burnout will make a person tired and unable to deal with life’s stress. High cortisol levels can lead to the inability to lose weight, especially around the waist. Making sure you get enough and good quality sleep can be key in weight loss. Meditation can be helpful in keeping your adrenals from working overtime and can help you cope better with stress on a daily basis.

4. I should weigh a certain amount according to my height.​

“It’s just a number!” our society tends to put so much emphasis on the scale. Get rid of your scale and start working on a leaner physique and healthier BMI.

5. If I lift weights, I will get big.​

Weight lifting burns calories AND increases metabolism. A person can lift weights to tone and not put on mass, if that is what they so desire. However, muscle weighs more than fat and healthy muscle to fat ratio can actually help a person increase the calories they burn daily.

6. I’m thin, so I’m healthy.​

If you have ever heard of the term “Skinny Fat” you know what I mean. Many times, the thinnest people actually have the most unhealthy body compositions. Those people (the model type bodies) have internal fat around their organs which can actually lead to more health problems. Being thin doesn’t necessarily mean healthy.

7. If I eat less I will lose weight.​

Limiting food intake and calories too drastically can cause the body to go into starvation mode and may actually lead to weight gain. Eating the right amount and combination of foods can be detrimental in weight loss.

8. All carbohydrates are created equally, all proteins are created equally, and all fats are created equally.​

A diet high in grains, an excess of dairy and soy, grain fed meat, unhealthy fats, and processed foods can lead to inflammatory diseases and unhealthy weight. If you are gluten sensitive or suffer from an inflammatory disease such as diabetes, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, ADD/ADHD, arthritis, (and many more), it might be time to assess your diet and eliminate those foods that cause inflammation.

9. I eat healthy, therefore I don’t need to take vitamins.​

Our food sources are not what they were 100 years go and our ground is nutrient deficient. Therefore, we all need some vitamin support from whole food supplements (not synthetic) in order to get the right vitamins we need. Seek the help of a natural health care provider for quality whole food vitamins.

10. It’s in my genes to be overweight and to have pain.​

Some people think that genetics play a big role in weight and health. Over the years, I have found that it is much more than genes that form our health. Families that live together tend to eat the same foods, drink the same water, and develop the same exercise routines. Analyzing your family’s past and current habits may show you some unhealthy patterns and therefore give you a chance to fix what you once thought was not possible.

Of course, there are many, many more reasons why people get “stuck” and can’t reach their health goals. The first step involves merely setting those goals and writing them down.