The importance of structure

There has been one recurring theme that I have noticed with my clients this week and that has been how important structure is to them.
Now that the kids have returned to school, many of my clients have told me how much easier it will be to follow my plan as they can return to "normalcy" once again. This has been something that they were unable to do during the summer months.

While I agree that the summer months can be especially hard, as the importance of eating healthy seems to take a hiatus during this time, I don't believe that it has to be that way. Unfortunately our bodies don't take a summer holiday and it's important to try your best to keep focused on eating healthy the majority of the time. In addition, it also means that exercise becomes more important. I like to call exercise the great equalizer as it can give people more flexibility with their eating. The problem is that during the summer months not only does eating suffer but so too does exercise. Poor eating and lack of exercise is a deadly combination.

Instead of looking backwards, however, I prefer to look ahead. Creating a positive atmosphere is the first step to achieving your goals. You need to ask yourself if you have all the tools necessary to complete the task at hand. In the case of losing weight this includes making sure that you have healthy foods available in the house. It also means scheduling in workout times throughout the week. I see so many people with electronic day timers but how many of these people pencil in their workout schedules in them? You have to make healthy eating and exercise a priority or you won't give it the attention it deserves.

Getting into a routine, where you know what time and day you will be working out will only improve the likelihood of you achieving your weight loss goals. In addition, scheduling your meals is even more important. I'm often asked what is more important working or diet. My answer to that is simple: Ask yourself how many times you consume food in a week versus how many times you work out in a week.
Sometimes planning a weeks worth of meals can help not only the person trying to lose weight but the family itself. Too many people come home from work with no idea what to have for supper. They are usually tired and will grab the first thing they see or make stop at a fast food restaurant. This can be avoided with some simple planning ahead of time.

Don't wait any longer to start creating your own structure it will pay off for you in the end.