The new year is upon us, and with it the inevitable resolutions to get in shape, drop a few pounds, and get healthier in general. The statistics are dismal, however, when it comes to peoples' ability to stick with their plans. This is often because the "plan" is more of a desire without any real thought put into the day to day realities of how to get anything done. The average person knows they should eat a little less and exercise a little more, so they set out with the best of intentions come January first (or, more often, January second after the post hangover meals of the first). I believe that the single biggest obstacle when it comes to obtaining ideal body composition isn't knowledge. It's accountability, or lack thereof.
Knowledge has its place, of course. I still run across people on a daily basis who think whole grains are good for you and so forth. But even if you're carrying around ideas about the details that are in error when it comes to losing weight and getting healthier the basics--eating less than you burn--are what will get you to where you want to go. The details can make things go a little easier, but the basics will get you there.
Having an accountability partner will help you make more progress, and for reasons that are easy enough to understand: going to the gym or doing some form of exercise is a lot easier to do when there is someone holding you accountable to do so. Eating well is easier to do when you just killed it in the gym. After all, why go through the hassle to work out and then blow it eating some of the leftover bagels sitting in the lounge at work?
Introducing Fitocracy.com. It's a social media site where you can learn a lot about fitness from some smart people, keep track of your workouts, and help others do the same. I've been playing with it for a few weeks now, and I've gotta tell you, it's addicting to enter your latest stats from the gym or track (or whatever--there's just about every kind of exercise you can think of there). You get points for different movements, and can "level up" when you acquire enough points. Cool. I've got a friend or two there already, and we watch each others' performance and even "give props" when warranted.
In the coming weeks I'll give you my opinion about several exercise related topics. In the meantime, drop us a line at the office (info@greggreendc@gmail.com) if you're interested in joining me on Fitocracy. I'll be creating a group soon for interested friends/patients so we can help each other out. Let's get over the idea that dropping a few pounds with a temporary diet modification is the answer to anything. I'm committed to a lifestyle of health and fitness. Let's do it together and teach each other as we go.
