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- 7 Tools You Must Have to Stay Organized for Weight Loss and Fitness
Use these 7 tools you must have to stay organized for weight loss and fitness.
I can get it together in other areas of my life, so why can’t I get it together when it comes to fitness and losing weight?
Have you ever said that to yourself about your weight loss? I have.
- You are successful at your job.
- You are a good parent.
- You start fitness plans and can’t seem to stick with them for the long haul.
Why is weight loss such an ongoing battle?
This was me 10 years ago, before I lost 100 pounds. I didn’t understand why I could have it together in other areas of my life, but I was totally out of control when it came to eating.
Here is an important lesson I learned:
You can organize yourself into weight loss.
If you are organized in together in other areas of your life, GOOD.
What lessons have you learned? What traits have you refined there that you can put to use here?
As I shared a few days ago in the post 7 Ways to Stay Organized When You Are Super Busy, humans are creatures of habit.
Carefully craft your habits so that it feels weird NOT to eat healthy and work out.
When I lost 100 pounds and started working out regularly, I hated exercise. I mean I seriously hated it but I love to eat, so I knew I had to work out.
I built in every possible routine so that exercise was part of my habits.
- My workout clothes were laid out the night before.
- I had my workouts circled on the calendar and told my husband about them.
- I asked a friend to meet me at the gym.
- I paid for races well in advance.
- I invested in running clothes and shoes.
Be so boring and routine with this, you feel like you need to pull out the Mr. Rodgers sweaters and slippers.
Here are 7 tools you must have to stay organized for fitness and weight loss. You exact tools might be somewhat different from mine, but the point is to get them and use them. Plan ahead and make it part of your routine.
7 Tools You Must Have to Stay Organized for Weight Loss and Fitness
Use these 7 tools to stay organized for weight loss and fitness.
1.Calendar
Whatever calendar system you use, it’s important to write your workouts on your calendar when you start your week.
For years now, I’ve been sitting down every Sunday night and writing out my workouts for the week. I circle them, so I can see at a glance all my workouts. My husband and I talk about our weekly calendar too, so we know plans for the family.
My workouts are a priority and I treat them as such.
I LOVE the Erin Condren calendar system and have been using it for several years now. I also am a fan of the products of DaySpring’s Agenda Planner, which is a similar calendar with a faith perspective.
2. Measuring Cups & Food Scale
Set up your kitchen for healthy eating success. Clean out the clutter and junk food. Get rid of bags of half-eaten chips, or at the least hide them in a back cupboard where you won’t see them.
Put fresh fruits and veggies front and center.
On the weekends, shop for the week ahead. Plan meals and chop produce. Boil eggs and make a huge pot of healthy soup.
You need a good set of measuring cups and when I was starting out my weight loss journey, I used them often. (By the way, my measuring spoons actually have Mickey Mouse on them, a fun reminder of our Make a Wish trip.)
I also used a food scale. We use ours for our son’s diet with his metabolic condition, but a food scale is just as helpful when you are learning proper portion control.
I know some dietitians feel this leads to obsession, but at least in the beginning, I found it helpful. I still measure out certain foods like nuts and trail mix, because I tend to go way overboard when left to my own devices.
3. Pinterest & Dropbox for Recipes
You need a way to keep track of healthy recipes.
Side note: Did you know there is a “Save” feature on Facebook for posts you like? It’s in the top right corner of every post. I save recipes that way when I see them on Facebook.
I have Healthy Recipes boards on Pinterest.
I also recommend trying to go paperless with recipes by scanning paper ones and saving them to Dropbox. Click here for directions.
The app I use for saving recipes is Paprika. It does cost but it’s very inexpensive and has been totally worth it for me.
4. Instant Pot
Here is information about what an instant pot is and why you need one in your life. I have been amazed at how much faster I am cooking meals (half the time) and all the ways we’ve used ours since we got it. Watch the blog for an upcoming post with links to healthy recipes.
Healthy recipes you can make:
- Bone broth
- Paleo meals
- Soups
- Hard Boil Eggs
- Rice
- Big batch cooking days
- Ethnic foods
- Steel-Cut Oats
Recently I started using Once a Month Meals to organize monthly freezer cooking, and my friends it’s amazing! They have everything done for you, right down to what to chop and labels to print for your containers. They have diet and Paleo meal plan options and even list Weight Watchers Smart Points for most recipes. You can get a free mini-menu of your choice (Traditional, Paleo, Instant Pot) by clicking here: Once a Month Meals
5. Fitbit or Other Fitness Tracker
You may have heard me promote the benefits of a fitness tracker before, but I am a fan of keeping track of your fitness efforts. During my weight loss, I lost 80 pounds during the first year, then I hit a major plateau. Using I fitness tracker, I was able to change things up and lose the last 20. Sometimes a fitness tracker will show you some things you’d rather not know (I sit too much during the day) but it’s worth it to change things up in a positive way.
There are so many fitness trackers these days. The best one for you depends on your goals. In this post I go over which fitness tracker is right for you based on if you are a beginner, want to track sleep, need to swim with it, are a runner, on a budget, and more:
The Best Fitness Tracker for You
6. My Fitness Pal (Food Tracking App)
When it comes to weight loss, studies have proven that keeping a food log is one of the most effective strategies for success. We live in a day where all the hard work of calculating is done for us. Type in the food or scan the label and boom, there it appears.
When I was losing 100 pounds, I kept a food log. For years after, I kept a food log. Now, I don’t log every day, but when I find my weight creeping up, it’s the first strategy I go back to to keep the pounds in check.
Some of my favorites:
- My Fitness Pal
- My Net Diary
- Lose It
7. Map My Run (Workout Tracking App)
Map My Run is a fun app because you can track your route if you walk, run, bike, hike, or engage in other fitness activities. You can see other people’s routes and follow along. They have featured challenges, training plans, and more available too, all for free.
Other helpful apps:
- Runkeeper
- RunDouble
- JEFIT
If you have a fitness tracker you can use that, the app it came with, or sync with these apps. The Health app that comes with the iPhone is another great option, as well as the Apple Watch.
Keep in mind many of these will run down your phone battery like crazy, so charge up before you head outside for your workout and plan to charge up again when you get home.
Many of these apps have the wonderful component of connecting you with other people who are on the same fitness journey as you, which is such a helpful encouragement. Be sure to check out our online fitness program for women, Faithful Finish Lines, and our 5 Week Weight Loss workbook for additional resources.
What tools have you found help with your fitness and weight loss success?
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- 7 Tools You Must Have to Stay Organized for Weight Loss and Fitness
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