It’s easy to start your journey to lifelong transformation, but staying on Plan, and achieving your goals throughout the year can be a challenge.

Spring is a great time to revisit your strategies for staying fit and reevaluating your plan of attack. Use these tips from Fitness Magazine when you do, to stay lean and trim throughout the year!

• The power of a positive mood. It all starts with a positive attitude. Get your brain programmed for your lifelong journey to transformation, one healthy habit at a time™. Set your goals carefully, and stick to them, taking one-step at a time. Stay upbeat and don’t be too harsh on yourself throughout your journey.
• No splurging! If you keep on track by staying on Plan each day, you are less likely to splurge for the rest of the week. And, when you work in your Healthy Habits, like 30 minutes of Healthy Motion, the same holds true. Be aware of your food choices throughout the day, and you are more likely to stay on track.
• Slow down when eating. Enjoy your food at a slow and steady pace. Because the more you stop and pause between bites, the more likely your body is to start breaking down those calories while you eat. Train yourself by putting down your fork in between bites!
• Get outside. There’s something about getting outside into nature for exercise. Refresh your daily routine and take your workout from the treadmill to an outside nature trail or walk around the neighborhood.

Making these personal investments every day is important in your quest for Optimal Wellbeing! Ask me, your OPTAVIA Coach, about other ways to stay fit throughout the year.

The truth is that strength training and cardio are equally important.

Cardio is a type of exercise designed to increase your heart rate, while strength training is designed to fatigue your muscles. 

When planning your daily 30 minutes of Healthy Motion, consider these factors about cardio and strength training.

Cardio

• Cardio requires sustaining a level of activity that keeps your heart beating quickly over a period of time.
• Exercises like swimming, yoga, biking, aerobics, Pilates, and walking, are great ways to strengthen the heart.
• Cardio exercise improves how efficiently your muscles use oxygen so it’s like strength training, but for the heart!

Strength Training

• Lifting weights stresses the bones, which helps to increase bone density and decreases your risk of weakened bones and fractures.
• A pound of muscle takes up much less room than a pound of fat so a fit, toned body will be smaller than an out-of-shape one, even if the two people weigh the same.
• Muscle also burns more calories, making it easier to control your weight.

The next time you’re outside enjoying the nice weather, mix it up! Set a goal to be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day. Include a combination of strength training and cardio.

If you are new to exercise, have certain chronic diseases, or are taking medications, you should contact your healthcare provider to determine the best level of activity for you. For those on the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan^® we recommend limiting exercise to 45 minutes or less of light to moderate physical activity per day.

There are many additional options to consider when considering your workout regimen. Ask me, your OPTAVIA Coach, about the additional benefits of cardio and strength training.

Breaking the Chains.

“I have been on the larger side all of my life and as time went on, the weight just continued to add up.”

For a long stretch of time, Brittany had no idea what she weighed, but one year after her 5-year high school class reunion, a friend of Brittany’s reached out. She was concerned about her health, and she wanted to help Brittany take the next big step towards freedom.

“At that point in my life I was just getting by each day. The smallest of tasks seemed like mountains. As a teacher, I could barely get by until the dismissal bell rang.”

Brittany began to wonder, “what do I actually weigh?” and went to her father's workplace to use an industrial scale (the scale at home could no longer weigh Brittany). It read 514 pounds.

“I stood in shock and knew it was time to make a change in my life. This was my turning point, my WHY. I needed to become a healthier me - it's what myself and my students deserved.”

That same friend that reached out to Brittany became her OPTAVIA Coach and helped her begin her journey to lifelong transformation with OPTAVIA on June 27, 2016.

Brittany’s life changed forever from that point on.

“Today, I follow the OPTAVIA Program. I continue to learn new things every day. I now have a new, can-do attitude, and I have more energy than I know how to handle. That’s just scratching the surface!”

As of June 12, 2017, Brittany lost more than 335 pounds* -- two-thirds of her total body weight!

Her mind has also cleared throughout her journey. “As one who struggled heavily with depression in the past, I feel like the dark clouds have now dispersed. I wake up each day, anxious and ready to see what life has in store.”

Brittany knows she doesn’t need to worry about the weight coming back because she continues to learn the necessary tools, from OPTAVIA and her Coach, to maintain her progress.

“I am breaking the mental chains that used to hold me captive. I am truly free to begin living my life!”

Brittany was recently featured on Megan Kelly TODAY on May 2, 2018 as a testament to her amazing journey and the weight she’s lost.

Please help me share her story with the OPTAVIA Community on social media – it’s a rich source of motivation for everyone working hard to achieve optimal health and wellbeing!

*Average weight loss for Clients on the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan® with support is 20 pounds. Clients are in weight loss, on average, for 12 weeks.