Use it or Lose it

How many of you out there are looking for a new start, or a way to make some small changes in your life that can make a big difference to your health and well-being?

 A Twitter user, @dsackr, has suggested a “One Month to LIVE” challenge, where people commit to making some changes to their lives in the short-term, which could have long-term results. 

 The challenges are:

• To swap TV for reading a book (or several);
• To swap caffeinated/sugary/alcoholic beverages for water;
• To get 7-8 hours sleep each day (naps included); and
• To burn an extra 500 calories per day.

Choose to work on one goal per week, one for the whole month or commit to all four for four weeks (4-4-4) - whichever you choose, head over to the blog where this all started and comment, setting out what you hope to achieve. So many people are signing up to this idea already, the motivation from the others could start you on the path to something that makes a real difference in your future.

I’m going 4-4-4 - what will you do?

For anyone struggling to get on track, maybe lacking some motivation with their New Year’s weight loss, there is something out there that may just help.

I, for one, feel more motivated to continue with something when I start to get immediate results. If I can’t see or feel anything happening then I am apt to give up fairly quickly. If I do start to notice a difference then I’m more inclined to continue and keep up the good work.

Obviously, there’s no quick fix when it comes to weight loss. It’s a process that takes time, particularly if you want to ensure that the weight stays off in the future. Nothing can replace healthy eating and exercise.

However, a quick start that may just give you the motivation to eat a healthier diet and be more active is the Special K Slimmer Jeans Challenge.

The idea is to have a bowl of Special K cereal for breakfast and another for lunch or dinner, and a healthy, well-balanced meal for the third meal. A small snack that is both low in fat and low in calories can be eaten between meals, with fruit, nuts, vegetables or Special K snack bars or bites suggested.

By doing this for two weeks, you should drop a dress size (although, of course, this is not guaranteed – different people will lose different amounts of weight). The plan should only be continued for two weeks, no longer, and should only be followed by people over the age of 18 with a body mass index (BMI) above 25. Anyone with medical conditions must discuss this plan with their GP before embarking upon it.

There is a website which is designed to assist with this challenge, creating an eating plan, suggesting balanced meals and offering support, but unfortunately it is unavailable at the time of writing. I suggest entering the relevant terms into a search engine to sign up.

Good luck to anyone who decides to try the challenge. I’d love to hear how you get on with it.

Readers of this blog might be interested to know that WeightWatchers UK are offering a two-week free trial of their online membership here.

This is a limited time offer and payment details are required upfront, but cancelling the subscription within 14 days will guarantee that payment will not be debited.

I have been a member of WeightWatchers Online in the past and they were very good about processing the cancellation promptly, so I wouldn’t have any qualms about giving them my details. In fact, I’ve done exactly that and signed up for the free trial myself!

The trial will give you the opportunity to try out the services they offer without any financial commitment. It includes access to the recipes, forums, weight tracker, points tracker and activity tracker. There are a number of great tools on the site which can be of great use to anyone looking to lose weight.

So, sign up for the two week free trial. You’ve got nothing to lose – except some excess weight!