Deja Lewis (DejaFitBeauty) is a Beauty and Fitness Vlogger, Entrepreneur and Personal Trainer. She’s here to share a few fitness tips to help us all reach our goals in 2018!
photography by James Burk -@youngestson_
Getting in shape and living a healthy lifestyle is everyone’s goal; But let’s face it, it’s not as easy as it sounds. There is so much information about losing weight and how to be healthy. Should I go vegan, low carb? Should I try the military diet, the grapefruit diet, a detox? What kind of workouts should I be doing? Should I lift weights, or just do cardio?
It’s no wonder so many people are stuck!
I’m DejaFitBeauty. I’m a Beauty and Fitness Vlogger as well as Personal Trainer, but I had the same struggle before I started my fitness journey. I was confused just like most people but eventually after a lot of trial and error (a lot!) I figure out what works for me to be able to sustain living healthier LONG TERM. I have condensed it down to 5 main things to know, so here are my 5 Tips to Living Healthier in 2018.
1. Make Small Changes First
When we first start our healthy journey, we are super excited and motivated so we want to make big drastic changes immediately. But what you will notice is that when we make drastic changes too fast you will burn yourself out really fast.
For instance, if you’re not used to working out 6 days a week, don’t just jump right into it. A good number to start with is 3 to 4 days a week for at least 30 mins to an hour. Let your body get used to the added stress of exercise before you dive into the deep end. When you feel comfortable with more workouts, add another day or increase the length and intensity of your workouts. However, you always want to have at least 1-2 days as a rest day so your body can recover.
–This goes for your diet as well.
If you are a beginner at eating clean, making small changes gradually will make it more likely for you to stick to it long term.
2. Set Realistic Goals
As a personal trainer, I get a lot of weight loss clients who want to lose weight really fast. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it is highly unlikely that the average person will lose 25 lbs. in a month. And it’s not necessarily healthy to lose weight that fast. I suggest aiming for 5-10 pounds a month. 15 pounds in a month in some cases is attainable (depending on body type).
We want to set realistic goals because if your goal is to lose 20 pounds in a month, if you only lose 7 you might give up thinking all the hard is not working fast enough. When in hindsight, 7 pounds a month is really good!
Now I must warn you that initially, you will lose about 5-10 lbs. really fast. That is mostly water weight. When you start eating healthier your body sheds excess water. After the initial water weight flush, you will typically lose about 1-2 pounds a week depending on your body type.
photography by James Burk @youngestson_
3. Find The THING That What Works for You
When I first started going to the gym I thought to get in shape I had to do a lot of cardio, so I would go to the gym and do tons of cardio on the treadmill or elliptical. The only problem with that is I HATE CARDIO. So, I would always give up after a few weeks because I hated it and I was bored (sounds familiar).
One day I stumbled across a group fitness class. It was a high intensity class, set to the latest music. It was the hardest I have ever worked thus far but I LOVED IT! Then, something weird happened. I started to actually look forward to going to the gym. I know, crazy right! That class literally changed my life. Two years after my first group fitness class I became a certified Group Fitness Instructor and started to teach my own classes.
I say all that to say, find your “thing” that you like about fitness. You may like cardio, or Weight lifting, Zumba, Cross Fit or kickboxing… whatever it is, keep experimenting until you find your “Thing”. It doesn’t feel like work when you’re having fun!
4. No More Fad Diets
For research purposes, I did a quick google search on Fad Diets. There are some weird diets out there! There’s a diet called the 5-bite diet, where you eat whatever you want but only take 5 bites of food per meal. Granted, you will lose weight by doing this, BUT you’re also starving yourself (who comes up with this stuff?). You should focus on total lifestyle changes instead of a quick fix. If the diet can’t be sustained for a long period of time it’s not a diet you should be trying. Personally, I usually stick to a low carb diet. It’s what works for me when I’m attempting lose weight or maintain. But everyone’s body is different. The best place to start is to just make healthier choices when eating.
I do have a free meal plan that you can use to get yourself started. It’s just a basic outline of how to set up your meals to lose weight. Check it out at www.DejaFitBeauty.com.
5. It’s a Lifestyle
If there’s one thing I can’t stress enough is that IT’S A LIFESTYLE. Being healthier and fit is an ongoing thing, not something you do for a few months to lose 10 pounds. Because guess what? as soon as you start making unhealthy choices again, you will gain the weight right back. Think long term when it comes to your health and fitness.
Every now and then (once a week or every other week) its ok to have a cheat meal. You actually lose more weight with a SMALL cheat every once in a while. Having a pizza or piece of cake is fine in moderation. After a cheat meal, you are mentally and physically recharged and ready to get right back on track! So don’t be afraid or guilty to have a little cheat.
photography by James Burk @youngestson_
I know this may sound like a lot but trust me, after a while eating healthier and exercising regularly will become natural and you won’t even have to think about it. I read somewhere that it takes at least 21 days for something to become a habit (I have tried this and it actually works). So, if your reading this and you’re ready to kick start your healthy lifestyle I challenge you to try for just 21 days. 3 weeks of consistency that’s all! I’m almost positive that if you can do this for 21 days your life will be changed. Let’s start 2018 off with a bang!
I welcome anyone to email me at Dejafitbeauty@gmail.com with any questions and to follow me on youtube for more fitness and natural hair tips!