Normally, I am not one for New Year’s resolutions. I really don’t think that it’s this magical day that you wake up and just decide to fix something you don’t like about your life. Really,  you should have that gumption when you are sick of tired of something and ready to change regardless of the day!

Alas, this year I decided to throw that cyncism out the window and join the New Year’s bandwagon. Last year was such a rough year for me mentally and physically. I really needed a fresh start. Thanks to injury progress and doctor’s clearances, I am now willing and able to clear out the fog and get excited about getting back in shape.

One of my favorite quotes is “a goal without a plan is just a dream.” There haven’t been truer words. You are probably wondering why I am getting all philosophical on you. It’s because your fitness and weight loss goals are just a pipe dream unless you have some really good tools in your arsenal.

To help build your arsenal, I give you Crunchy’s top 5 tools! (You saw that coming didn’t you?) You need to memorize, tattoo to your forehead, or whatever other method will get you to remember this list! The best part is everything on this list is something that you can find in my favorite application, My Fitness Pal!.

1. Food Diary: It’s really important to write down EVERYTHING that you eat. You will be amazed how many calories can sneak in when you miss a bite here or a bite there. With My Fitness Pal, there is no guesswork! They have an amazing bar code scanner that makes it really simple to add thousands of foods to your food diary! If the food isn’t in their database, there is even a spot you can scan it and add it!

2. Support Team: Weight loss and fitness goals are definitely more successful when you have a strong support system. This can be a group of friends or family that want to see you succeed or a group that is trying to meet the same goals you are.

My Fitness Pal is like a built in support team. You can get your friends and family to join with you. They can leave positive notes when you meet goals or stay within your calories. They even get sent reminders to kick you in the butt when you haven’t logged for a few days. That feature is one of my favorites!

3. Exercises that you love: Forget what all those “fitness experts” tell you. The key to fitness and weight loss is to just move more! Trust me, you don’t  want to start out too hard too fast or you will have workout injuries like I did!

My Fitness Pal has a great list of exercises and daily activities that burn calories. I have yet to find something that isn’t on there! Do you garden or do yard work? Count it! Yoga or rock climbing? Yep, it’s in there too. Give yourself credit where credit is due and count up all that activity!

4. Rewards System: To stay motivated, you need to reward yourself. Whether it’s an extra long bubble bath, or a gift card to your favorite clothing store, you need to tell yourself how awesome that you are! Every little step counts towards meeting your goals.

5. Tape Measure: You are NOT a number! That’s why a good tape measure is your BEST friend. Sometimes those pesky pounds may not be budging, but you are still losing inches. A tape measure will help you see the progress you are making even when the scale says you “aren’t”. Just remember it didn’t take you a day to put it all on, so it’s slow and steady that wins the weight loss race!

Now isn’t that simple? You know you are ready to rock this! Crunchy Frugalista and My Fitness Pal are here to support you along the way! To get you motivated, here is one of my FAVORITE upper body workouts! It’s something to keep your blood pumping and it’s simple enough to do it at home. Just do it 2-3 times a week, and you are sure to feel leaner and stronger! All you need is your own body and a set of hand weights!

Please consult a physician before starting any fitness program

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Compensation was provided by Welch’s via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Welch’s.