Even people who are in relatively good shape often have one or two features they'd like to work on. People will have different weight loss and fitness goals, and each goal will require different actions to convert to reality. However, all of these fine-tuning programs follow the same basic steps.
Identify and Quantify
When it comes to fine-tuning any project, including your body-shape setting, defined goals is the first step toward success. The first part of this step is identifying the things you want to change: a thinner waist, larger arms or a tighter butt are common examples. Once you identify what you want to fine-tune, you then need to quantify what you want to change. "Get thinner" isn't nearly as good as "lose 15 pounds." Likewise, "add 2 inches to my upper arms" beats "get pumped biceps."
Measure and Schedule
Measuring and tracking your progress is the next step in your fine-tuning process. Using the same measurements by which you quantified your goals, learn and record where you are at the start of your project. Celebrity personal trainer Bill Phillips recommends checking your progress once per week. Measuring less often can mean wasted time when you don't realize you're off track. Measuring more often can lead to frustration, since natural body rhythms can make your measurements fluctuate from day to day. For this reason, Phillips also recommends measuring at the same time on the same day from week to week.
Identify Exercises
Although diet alone can often get you near your large-scale body changes, exercise is the key to fine-tuning your body shape. Only exercise can target specific areas for toning, shaping and bulking up. You can use one of many free, online resources to help you identify the best exercises for reaching your goals, or you can set up an appointment with a local personal trainer -- many health clubs offer a course of free sessions as part of their sign-up incentives. Once you've identified your particular exercises, you'll also need to plan a workout using them. Again, use online or local trainer tools if you don't have the personal knowledge to design this program.
Work Your Plan
This is the longest, and in many ways the hardest, step in a body-tuning plan. Success comes after weeks of dedicated effort long after the newness wears off your plan. Dr. Mehmet Oz, author of "You: On a Diet," recommends recruiting a workout partner to help make your workouts more fun, and to keep you coming on days you'd rather stay home and watch television. Phillips also notes that tracking your progress can help keep you on track as you watch your numbers come nearer and nearer to your goals.
Maintenance
According to health counselor Maya Paul, any body shaping program is incomplete without a maintenance stage. The maintenance stage is your plan to keep your body shape once you've reached your goals. Without this stage, most people put weight right back on as soon as they go off their plan. A good maintenance plan means living a lifestyle different from the one you had before making changes, but not as rigorous as the one that got you where you want to be.
References
- "Body For Life"; Bill Philips; 2006
- "You: On a Diet"; Rozien & Oz; 2008
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willett, MD; 2007
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, Oregon
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