Appreciation

I'm often asked to teach classes on nutrition, fitness or just general health. And believe me, I LOVE it. I love teaching and empowering people, and helping them realize small changes do make huge differences, and that they can become better. I love seeing people make the changes and realize just how much better they feel when they take a little extra care of their bodies and minds.

That being said, spending time in this industry also leads to hearing a lot of negative self talk and frustration and anger. People get an idea of what is the perfect body and that is what they want. And while losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight is important...our bodies are much more than that. And when I teach, I hope that is what comes across. That our bodies are miraculous - and appreciating them could get us much farther than just spending hours on the treadmill.

Our bodies have...
...206 sturdy bones
...more than 650 dynamic muscles
...12 perfectly synchronized organ systems
...over 10,000,000,000,000 life-giving human cells.

Every day...
...your heart beats over 103,000 times
...your respiratory system powers 25,920 breaths,
...your body produces a consistent 98.6 degrees of heat
...your body produces almost 200 billion new blood cells each day

All day every day your mind, body and spirit are working together to make you who you are...to let you do the things you need to do like work and exercise, move and take care of family, go to church and spend time with friends. This body that does so much deserves more appreciate. It deserves whole foods that nourish it. It deserves time each day to move and get stronger and stretch and breath.

So today, make a choice. Make a choice to appreciate what you have, and use what you have, to better your own life. You won't regret it.

Wild Wednesday

Between a vacation last week and getting back into the groove of things with work and then a holiday yesterday (only in Utah...), I've neglected the dear blog. Sorry about that. I'll be back to writing again soon! Until then, here are some recent finds I thought you might be interested in!

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chunk Cookies - Who wants to try making these with me?!

 

 Is healthy food really more expensive? - or is that just an excuse?

 

This medicine ball interval workout looks pretty dang awesome!

How hard do you push yourself? And can you go harder?

 

Chips and salsa has always been my favorite food...and this combination of salt & lime and strawberry salsa seems to scream summer!

 

Catch ya later!

 

Write It Out

In the recent issue of Tennis Magazine, the psychology section had a pretty interesting article on the importance of writing as preparation for any big event - such as running a race or playing a tennis match.

The article was written by Sian Beilock, a psychology professor at The University of Chicago. I'd recommend getting your hands on the whole article soon...but here are some of the highlights:

*Some new psychology research shows that spending 10 minutes writing about your thoughts and feelings before a high-stress event can boost performance.
*Despite what some might think, putting negative thoughts down on paper downloads them from your mind, making them less likely to pop up and derail you in an important moment.
*Scientists recently discovered that people facing an upcoming pressure-filled situation can benefit from getting their worries on paper in the few hours immediately before they perform.
*Worries regarding performance are problematic because they can deplete a part of the brain's processing power known as working memory. This working memory comes into play when planning game strategy or trying to predict what shot an opponent will attempt next.
*When worries creep up, we are robbed of the brain power necessary to be smart on the court (or road!)...writing down these worries ahead of time helps get that power back.
*Why writing? It reduces the tendency to ruminate because it not only provides us with an opportunity to express our concerns, but to re-read them and gain insight into the source of our stress.

Pretty interesting, right? I think it is definitely worth a try...and I think we can all use a little help in the mental aspect of our training!

The Perfect Equation

great workout + healthy diet + consistency + accountability + motivation = healthy, fit body...right?

Maybe not.

You may have figured this out by now, but you can have all the right ingredients, but your psychological approach or behavior tendencies can throw everything out the window.

In this article, they make a goal to revamp how we look at dieting and becoming healthy. In fact, they give a new equation. Here's a recap of their tips, but be sure to read the whole article:

1. Determine Your Why

If you simply focus on your 'why' for getting into shape, that will be the first step to overcoming the overwhelming feeling of being judged or falling back into old, bad habits, says LIVESTRONG.COM fitness advisor Jim Smith, C.S.C.S., founder of Dieselsc.com. The "why" could be anything: Maybe you want to lead a healthier life, spend more time with your kids, move better, feel better, have more energy, or to just have a better quality of life.
"As you discover your why, you must make sure there's a strong enough trigger to drop the hammer and launch the missile far enough to make an impact, says LIVESTRONG.COM advisor and nutritionist," Alan Aragon. In many cases, people 'think' they’re ready to make distinct, permanent changes in daily habits, but they soon find out that this desire to make changes lasts only a week or two, and the reason is that the motivating trigger was not strong enough, says Aragon.
Here's how to make it happen: Your why is all about you and not other people's judgment of you, says Smith.  "Someone once told me that they stopped worrying about what others thought of them when they realized people rarely thought of anyone but themselves," says Smith. That's not to say that you shouldn't care for others. It just means that sometimes you need to prioritize your own goals--especially when it comes to your health--in spite of what others think, because odds are they aren't thinking about what you're doing.

2. Establish Clarity

“I’m going to lose some weight,” “I’m going to start eating healthy,” “I’m going to give up junk food.”
All of these are fine goals, but they’re nebulous at best. They still leave too many questions and ambiguity that can cause you to fall off track. Lose how much weight? When do you want to lose it by? Define eating healthy? What constitutes junk food?
If you come at a lifestyle change without a clear, focused idea of the things you need to do, chances are you won’t do them. When you have too big of a picture and not enough specific action steps, it makes you feel like you're taking on too much, adds Ashley Borden, a fitness and life coach. "This is the first step that leads to defeat," says Borden.
The solution? "People should write down their goals in the form of a list, and then, write out sublists consisting of definitions of those goals, and the action steps needed to be successful," says Romaniello.

3. Take a Step Back

Once you have your focus, the next step is teaching yourself patience. "The biggest mistake I typically see is people diving into things head first and overreaching," says Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, M.D., founder of the Bariatric Medical Institute.
It's been said many times, but it can't be stated enough: "Healthy living is the world’s longest ultra-marathon," adds Freedhoff. "Sprint out of the gates and chances are you’re not going to be hitting any finish lines."

4. Focus on Progress, Not Perfection

 

Finally, always think "progress, not perfection." 

You have to think of the amount of time it took you to get out of shape and realize that it will take a comparable amount of time to get you back where you want to be. You don't have to be perfect or have the perfect program.  Instead, you need to focus on sustainable changes that you can replicate over time. This can be anything from consistently exercising three times per week to even logging what you eat--even if those meals still aren't health. Success is built in habits.