New Year Resolutions That Worked

by Stew Smith

Here is one of many emails from people who stuck with my 45 Day Beginner Plan, free to readers, and have built a habit of fitness and motivation to carry to the next level. Give yourself a few weeks and you too can feel like this gentleman:

I just completed Day 35 of the 45 Day Beginner Plan.......and all I can say is WOW! The plan has made a huge improvement in my everyday life. I feel better, stronger, have more energy, and my kids notice as well......they say, "Daddy it looks like your "bulk" is going down...".......that's what they called my rather large middle......I haven't really been watching my weight that close, but I would say I have lost somewhere between 12 and 15 lbs....I think the most important thing is to feel better and look better.....and  I know the weight is coming off as well....Thanks so much!

This week is not about tooting my own horn, but I'm hoping to help readers realize that if you follow a plan (ANY PLAN) of walking more, stretching, drinking more water, and watching what you eat (limiting excess sugar/fat calories), you can be well on your way to improving your energy level and getting in shape.

Other stories: 

Quit Drinking Soda: My own father, not a particularly fit person, decided to quit drinking sodas and switch to water instead. Over the course of 2006, he lost 25 lbs by ONLY adding water and subtracting sodas. Now, he feels better and has added a fitness component to his life - walking and stretching 20 minutes a day. I know 2007 will be a better year for him.

Water Retention: A gentleman - who weighed more than 320 pounds and could not wear his watch, rings, or shoes that he wore the year before - loses 20 lbs of retained water in one week. He did not sweat it off in a sauna - which is dangerous (see Weight Loss Myth Article), he actually added water to his current diet (which was dehydrating him). He started drinking water throughout the day - up to 3-4 quarts of water and basically urinated all of the retained water and toxins from his body. In one week, he could wear his watch, ring, and shoes. After consulting a doctor upon this weight loss, he had a clean bill of health and the reason for his water retention was high sodium / low water diet. His body went into camel mode and stored water and quit metabolizing fat at a normal rate. Now he is on a path of basic fitness losing about 2 lbs a week. Want to lose weight? Just add water!

Swim Workout Progress: On another level of fitness, a young aspiring SEAL purchased the Combat Swimmer Stroke DVD in January and dropped his effort in swimming the 500yd swim for the Navy SEAL entrance exam by 50% (went from 12 to 6 stroke per 25yds) and decreased his time from 10:30 to 8:30.  Subsequently, since he was not as tired after the swim, his scores on the remaining exercises of the BUDS PST improved as well (1.5 mile run, pull-ups, pushups, sit-ups). See the CSS Article for more info.

If you have fallen off the wagon from January 2007 resolutions, time to get back up and try again. Click the 45 Day Plan above and get the FREE starter plan, or go to the Military.com eBook Fitness Store and find a level of fitness suitable to you and your goals - whether that goal is to ace the Army PFT or go Special Operations in the Navy.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle - check out the Military.com Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive at Military.com. To contact Stew with your comments and questions, e-mail him at stew@stewsmith.com.

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