Sports Nutrition – New Year Diets

The top New Years resolution in 2014 was to lose weight, unsurprisingly. But how many people actually manage to see their resolutions through? Studies show that only 8% of people are successful in keeping their resolutions, and many people give up in the first week, especially when it comes to weight management. On average Britons spend £37m per year on wasted gym and slimming classes.

The truth is, many people lie to themselves. Missing out sly snacks when calorie counting, rounding a 40 minute jog up to an hours exercise or justifying calorific treats because you’re having a salad for tea. If you really want to get fit, you have to be honest about how unfit you are to start with.
To conquer a new diet or fitness regime you need to be realistic. Don’t force yourself to work out like a body builder when you haven’t actually been to the gym since last years resolution.

The trick is to make small changes, gradually. Don’t expect to lose 10lbs in the first week, or even the second. 12 weeks should give you good, measurable results and you’re less likely to suddenly regain any weight because you’ve stuck to a routine for a significant period of time. When you see the results you will feel a lot more motivated to stick at it.

Be kind to yourself, banning your favourite foods will only make you crave them more. Instead, have smaller portions, less frequently as a treat. Once you start losing weight and feeling fitter you’re more likely to lose your appetite for these foods and opt for healthier choices to keep up your hard work.

To be successful on a new fitness regime you need to work changes into your daily life. Attend gym classes or swimming sessions once or twice a week to begin and don’t expect to be able to go to the gym seven days a week, because lets face it, that’s pretty unrealistic! Amend your diet to eat healthier foods more often and unhealthy foods in smaller and less frequent quantities. Be wary of your portions sizes as this is an easy way to cut down your calorie in take without even realising.

You should aim to do 150 hours of exercise per week. This could be a long stroll, a gym session or a swim. Mix it up and keep yourself interested and motivated. Set realistic monthly goals to work towards and don’t expect too much from yourself. Remember to praise yourself when you’ve had a good workout or have lost a few pounds as positive rewards will help keep you motivated.

For a range of sports nutrition supplements and  accessories visit http://www.sportsdirect.com/accessories/sports-nutrition. Keep up to date with SportsDirect’s competitions and get ideas on staying healthy and fit at http://www.facebook.com/sportsdirectuk or http://www.twitter.com/sportsdirectuk.