Are You Ready to Commit?

It seems this new year that almost everyone says they are committed to adopting healthier habits, and then there are the undertones of defeat and self-recrimination. You fall off the health wagon. You think you will never succeed and write yourself off as “a failure.” You’re self esteem and self worth crumble because you’ve victimized yourself. What would happen if you changed your dialogue?  Instead say, “I had a failure, now let me learn from it to do better and move on.”

We have to face reality: maintaining healthy habits can be extremely difficult. We are constantly tempted to make unhealthy food choices. Walk through any grocery market, drugstore, airport or go to the movies. Processed junk food is the majority of what we see. So, how do you create a new reality for yourself that help you maintain the life you profess to want?

First, that new reality comes from having an honest, introspective conversation with yourself. Take the time to go deep with the questions. What would you like your life to be like 5, 10 or 50 years from now? During this introspective conversation with yourself, address the value of full functionality- physical and mental.  Ask yourself how you’d like to interact with the younger generations – with your children and grandchildren.

The answer of course is in healthy habits. You change habits and build confidence when you decide what is really important to you. If all these things are important enough, you’ll establish new habits. Every day you maintain them increases the likelihood they will stick.

You’ll begin to feel the difference. You’ll like the feeling, and after a few weeks you will feel like a new person! Commitment is embedded and the habits are formed. After that, you won’t think about exercising four or five days a week and eating healthy food because it is a part of your normal routine.

Are you ready? It’s up to you to make the commitment. Plan for the future you want to have.

We can direct you down the right path – you still have to walk it.

Limited Time to Workout

Do you struggle to find the time to exercise?  It can be challenging to balance daily responsibilities and staying healthy, without spending an hour in the gym each day. If you want to make exercise a priority, take the time to map out exactly when you will workout.  This is a strong starting point to focus your weekly calendar in line with your goals.  When time is limited to 20-30 minutes, go for maximal intensity with interval training.

Reducing the amount of time you spend in the gym means performing shorter bursts of activity with greater intensity.  This way you can schedule 2-3 workouts a week.  To boost the efficiency of your workouts, try using compound exercises that require multiple muscle groups.  These are exercises such as pushups, squats, deadlifts and lunges.  You can perform a total-body routine in a short amount of time by incorporating the arms, legs and core into one exercise.  These are exercises such as squats to overhead presses, deadlifts to reverse flys, lunges with biceps curls, burpees and plank variations.  Begin with a 10-15 exercises, moving from one to the next, for 30-seconds to 1-minute at a time.  Performing your exercises with little to no rest in between will burn more calories.  See how many times you can repeat the circuit (aim for 3 x in 30-minutes).  Not only will you feel the burn in a short time frame, it is a wonderful way to keep your workouts fresh and fun.  My individualized workouts and specific packages are designed to help you fit exercise into your busy schedule.

Dear Hard Work…

I came across this motivational piece and just had to share it with you!  I hope some of the lines resonate with you and inspire you to work hard toward the best you that YOU CAN BE….

“Dear Hard work,

I used to dislike you. Not in my work life, but when it came to working out, eating right, and achieving a healthier, fitter body. When you called my name I ducked away from you. When I knew you were coming I used to hide from you. When you had others talk to me I used to make excuses to get away from you. Afraid of the pain, afraid of failing. Who are you to make me afraid of you? Reflection in the mirror, shadow behind me, I take one step and you’re still ahead of me. Sweat in my face, tears in my eyes. You tell no lies. You turn the poor to rich, F’s to A’s. Is there anything you can’t do?

Now look at me. You made me who I am today. Because of you I have this never giving up attitude.

Quitting? That’s not in my vocabulary. When they quit? I keep going. When they say I can’t, I show them I can. When I tell them of my dreams and they laugh? I laugh last.

I’m a dream chaser. That means I chase my own dreams and no one else. Only I can defeat me. It’s me against the work you put on me. There is no quitting. Quitting? I will not quit.

I came this far and I am not stopping now.

Oh hard work, my Dad was right about you; you do pay off. Because of that, I love you. I’m no longer hiding from you. I’m waiting for you. I need you.”

Mini Goals

Goals help us stay on track with our workouts and keep focused, but establishing a goal can be tricky. Sometimes we fall short and get stressed out because we were aiming too high.  The best solution is to set daily, weekly, and monthly goals. This allows you to enjoy regular accomplishments and stay focused on the next step.

Establish a daily routine- organize your gear, know your workout, and stick to the same time of day so no matter what you get your workout in. In the last five minutes make sure to end on a high note and do something pleasant like stretching or cooling down with peaceful music you enjoy.

Every week get three workouts in as a minimum to maintain your fitness. Don’t focus on how long the sessions are;  just get moving. To improve your fitness be specific with the workouts- did you increase your weights by three or five pounds, or add a minute or two to build cardio endurance?

Every month hit a new target by extending the distance or length from the month before. You will feel empowered pushing past your endurance barrier. Have an event on the calendar to keep you motivated, like running a race. It is a great motivational tool and a way to meet new friends.