Try the month to month resolutions challenge, to achieve a healthier weight and lifestyle for 2011!  Here are some ideas that will help rev up your metabolism one month at a time!  Once you have mastered the monthly resolution, you must continue with it and then add the next month’s lifestyle improvement to maximize your weight loss!

 [Example- Once you have completed January’s challenge, being able to jump rope for 15 minutes every day (for 30 days), then continue jumping roping daily but add February’s activity – doing sit-ups and jumping jacks during commercials. After you have mastered January and February’s activities, keep doing them and add March’s goal, and so on.]

Now, here comes the fun part – weight loss! For each monthly challenge you complete there is a corresponding possible weight loss. The net weight loss listed for each challenge is what you may lose EACH month you successfully complete that action.

You may lose up to 50 ¾ pounds after 6 months!

[Example- January you jump rope for 15 minutes a day and lose 1 ½ pounds. February you jump rope (lose 1 ½ pounds) and do sit-ups and jumping jacks during commercials so you lose an additional 1 ½ pounds. During the month of February alone, you would have lost 3 pounds. When you add these 3 pounds to the 1 ½ pounds you lost in January, then you would have lost 4 ½ pounds in total (i.e Year to Date).]

So, in summary… make small, doable changes and achieve big results!

Ready to get started? Just follow the plan below.

Month to Month Resolution Challenge

January:  Jump rope 15 minutes everyday – burns 5,115 calories, net weight loss 1 ½ pounds

February:  Sit-ups and Jumping jacks during commercials – burns 5,096 calories, net weight loss of 1 ½ pounds – Year to date -4 ½ pounds

March:  Take your lunch to work – saves 12,250 calories, net weight loss 3 ½ pounds – Year to date -11 pounds

April:  Eat 6 small meals daily – saves 12,000 calories, net weight loss of 3 ½ pounds – Year to date -21 pounds

May:  Eat 3 fruits everyday – saves 11,160 calories, net weight loss of 3 ¼ pounds – Year to date -34 pounds

June:  Drink more water (rule of thumb, your weight divided by 2 to get goal fluid ounces of water per day) – saves 12,250 calories, net weight loss 3 ½ pounds – Year to date -50 ¾ pounds

By Emily Barr, MS, RD, CNSC

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