We don’t realize the power that habits have over our lives because they are automatic. We eat a cookie, watch TV, and surf the internet without giving it much thought. Not realizing that our habits shape us. And though each habit means very little on their own, the meals we order, how often we exercise, and the amount of TV we watch, together these habits have a huge impact on our health and happiness.
The Power of Your Habits
Why focus on changing your eating and exercise habits? Teens today have very different habits than teens born 50 years ago. While teens used to spend hours playing sports and games with their friends, now they spend way too much time in front of the television and playing video games. Teens are also eating more fast food and high-calorie processed foods than ever before.
Our bad habits are literally killing us with over 400,000 preventable deaths every year. And rising diabetes among teens is leading the charge as 1 in 3 American teens is now considered overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. The good news is that adolescence is arguably the most important time in a person’s life to start developing healthy habits.
Tips for Long Term Success
Being healthy is really about being at a weight that is right for you. The best way to find out if you are at a healthy weight or if you need to lose or gain weight is to talk to a doctor or dietitian, who can compare your weight with healthy norms to help you set realistic goals. If it turns out that you can benefit from weight loss then here are a few tips to help you get started:
Focus on Nutrition. When it comes to losing weight studies show that nutrition is 80% of the work and exercise is only 20%. This is why you will see the biggest weight loss results when you focus on changing your eating habits. After all the secret to weight loss and keeping it off is not about dieting or counting calories but learning proper balance and portion control.
Get Your Family Involved. Ask your mom and dad for their support. The goal is to make diet or lifestyle changes that will benefit the whole family and plan your weekly meals together. Teens who have the support of their families tend to have better long-term results.
Don’t Rely on Willpower. Clean out your cabinets of all those unhealthy “trigger foods”. Keeping a stash of sweets in your cabinet will only tempt you to give into your cravings! And studies show that relying on willpower alone to lose weight adds stress and is not as effective as weekly planning.
Watch What You Drink. When it comes to building lifelong healthy habits, drinking 8 glasses of water is a must. That is why it is important that you do not replace water with juices or diet sodas. Water helps us stay hydrated and increases our metabolic rate which is important for weight loss and staying healthy. On the other hand, juices and diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners that are toxic and directly affect our hormone levels.
Start with Small Changes. Try making small changes rather than drastic ones. For example, drink 8 glasses of water a day and give up regular soda. When you have that down, you can make other changes, like exercising 3 times per week or eating more vegetables during meals.
Cut Your Portions in Half. When you slice your meal in half from the start, you’ll likely be surprised that it’s enough to fill you up. Pay attention as you eat and stop when you are full. Sometimes taking a break before going for seconds can keep you from eating another serving.
We Empower Teens to Be Fit
At Kalina’s Fitness, we are a lot more than just a fitness and weight loss center. Our mission is to give kids and teens (ages 8-18) the tools to transform their lives and build healthy habits that last a lifetime. We focus primarily on helping teens develop healthy eating and exercise habits because to transform their lives, our teens must first learn to master their habits. Their habits will control their destiny!
Over the past 16 years our program has helped over 1,000 kids and teens change the way they think about food and exercise. We are strongly committed to helping teens like you and it is the reason we created Kalina’s Fitness in the first place. So come by and give us a try. Schedule your Free Class today. You will be glad that you did! We will empower you with the tools to get fit and transform your life.