Getting in Shape Fast —
Try small steps and a vegetarian diet

Two questions if your goal is getting in shape fast: do you want that fitness to happen quickly, or do you want it to last? No, they do not have to be mutually exclusive, but for many people they sometimes seen to turn out that way.

Why? Because, for many, getting in shape Fast seems to dictate a crash diet AND frequent strenuous workouts. If you're one of the "many," you may find such a regimen impossible to maintain over the long term (as who would not?). So, when you kiss off the monster diet and also ease up on the workouts, what generally happens? That weight you so arduously lost comes right back...and often brings along some buddies as well.

Now, you may be further from your goal than when you began, not to mention discouraged and terminally pissed. So—maybe consider “Plan B": small but steady steps that nonetheless can help you move toward that great body. Although you may not be getting in shape Fast, you're taking a route that you can sustain.

Small Steps Rock

Here’s how a series of small steps could help you lose weight. Let’s say, for example, that you've chosen two strategic elements to pursue: diet and exercise. Using the "Plan B" approach, you might set one long-term goal for each of those:

Diet. Perhaps you decide to work toward a vegetarian diet during the next six to eight months, since people often slim down when they eat that way. (Click here for a discussion of a vegetable diet to lose weight.) Maybe you also set a weight-loss goal for that period.

Exercise. You also decide that within six to eight months, you’ll be walking/working out for at least forty minutes five or six times a week. And you’ll be doing it without gasping for breath.

 Using a Vegetarian Diet to Lose Weight

One way to move closer to a vegetarian diet? Gradually begin adding more veggie servings to lunch and dinner—and even to breakfast now and then. Vegetables can aid weight-loss efforts significantly. (Click on the link to read about using a vegetable diet to lose weight.)

Also, you can refresh your veggie memory and maybe learn about some new ones at these pages: green and leafies; fruiting and flowering veggies; podded veggies. And on days when you just want somebody to do it For you, pop over to this page for some weight-loss meal plans.

 Creating an Exercise Program

So, about that exercise plan. Because you really want this weight-loss effort to work, perhaps you kick-off with a single modest goal: maybe exercising for ten minutes a day. (If exercise is not a regular part of your routine.)

You can probably find time for ten minutes of exercise, don't you think? Maybe you march in place while you watch television or perhaps stand at a counter reading. After four or five days, maybe you step it up to fifteen minutes and then to twenty and then to.... 

Raising the Bar
Working in ten or so minutes of exercise every day may not be that big a deal. But adding more time and more vigorous exercise might be something else. How might you squeeze in another half-hour or so for exercising? Here are a few thoughts:

Get up earlier, perhaps, and exercise in the morning? You’d probably need at least an hour to exercise for thirty or forty minutes (eventually), shower, and dress for work. Can’t imagine getting up that early? Set your alarm one minute earlier every night for four to six weeks, which let's your body gradually reorient itself. Works like a charm for certain people: maybe one of those will be you.

Join a gym. If your finances permit, perhaps you could join a gym and work out in the evenings and during weekends. True, you might be tired in the evenings, plus the dues could stress your budget. And, if you have a family, you may not want to sacrifice that time with them. Worth considering, though, if you know you’d actually use your membership.

Exercise at home in the evening and on weekends. This one could be a winner—again, if you do it. Cheaper than a gym, this plan also doesn't require you to get up any earlier in the morning. Perhaps invest in some exercise clothes, as well, to help put you in the proper mood. And maybe you could get hold of an exercise video targeted to your level. (This one is sounding better and better...)

Now you’re on your way to getting in shape “fast” but also doing it in a way you can sustain with both diet and exercise. And sure, this was an example, while you’re operating in real time. But the principle remains the same: set your target and then start taking steps. The turtle knows!

Living Vegetarian the Easy Way
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