Shaping Up As A Lifestyle Makeover

When it comes to diet and exercise, we've all tried and failed several times. It is part of the learning process and often the only thing holding us back is a way to recognize the problem and the tools to fix it. There are several reasons for not being able to get the swimsuit shape you need. The three categories below will help you pinpoint your weak areas and offer some proactive solutions so you won't be doomed to repeat the past. If you change the action, then you will change the results.

1 Not having the right fitness and nutrition plan for your body type. This is a straightforward issue, with a simple fix! If you feel that you deserve better results for the amount of effort you spend on your workout, double check the effectiveness and design of your workout program. Make sure it is created for your specific shaping goals.

2 Behavior modification. A lot of times our behavior is not on the same page as our goals. For example, everyone knows that we should be eating for the purpose of creating health. However, if you find yourself eating for emotional fulfillment, you will likely sabotage your competition goals and reinforce unhealthy habits.

Do you find yourself eating in reaction to emotions or situations such as celebration, frustration, boredom or stress? Eating when you aren't hungry? By recognizing what triggers your emotional eating, you can focus your intent on altering the behavior pattern that usually follows. Plan ahead to do something outrageously different as soon as the pattern exhibits itself so the usual behavior is stopped dead in its tracks. The key is to plan ahead.

Sometimes the behavior that began as an emotional crutch has simply turned into a habit that needs to be broken. Either way, until the undesirable behavior is changed, you cannot move forward.

3 Lifestyle. Your lifestyle reflects your priorities. One look at your daily schedule reveals what things are true priorities in your life. It's crucial to design your daily schedule to support the priorities you have set. You must consistently do the things on a daily basis that contribute to your goals. The popularity of the Nike slogan supports the power and necessity of taking action. After all, the multimillion dollar slogan is "Just do it," not "Just think about doing it."

Summary. By identifying your weak areas and applying the information you've read, you will be able to remove the obstacles that get in the way of your success and start taking steps towards your goals today. But why reinvent the wheel? A big time saver is to see what works for others.

FITNESS PROFILE Kandace Krueger, Miss Texax USA 2001, Miss USA 2001

Here's how Miss USA Kandace Krueger planned her training.

Kandace Krueger, is proof that persistence and dedication play a big role in winning a national beauty title. What Does A Body Good? Favorite lower body exercise: Lunges and leg extensions. Days per week do you exercise? Six. Favorite snack food: Grapes or tuna salad. Favorite cardio equipment: Stairmill. Least favorite exercise: Seated cable rows. Motivation to stick to a fitness program: Seeing results and especially visualizing myself on stage in the swimsuit competition. Best butt firmer: Walking lunges. Favorite food discovery: Premixed tuna salad in a can. Biggest eye opener: I found that some of the inner thigh exercises I was doing were making them bulkier which is not attractive for swimsuit competition. What you learned: To mentally think through the exercise and really feel the muscles working instead of just going through the motions.

Juliann McDaniel, a graduate of Texas A & M University, is an internationally certified personal trainer with ACE (American Council on Exercise), AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America), and other fitness associations. Juliann, the author of Balanced Fitness, is also the official fitness consultant for the Miss & Teen Tennessee USA, Miss & Teen Texas USA, and the Miss United States Teen pageants. As a nutrition specialist, she enjoys helping her clients learn to make healthier lifestyle choices and incorporates a unique mind-body-spirit approach for total balance in health and fitness.