How are those goals coming along? Are you feeling frustrated that you might not be progressing as quickly as you would like, only to be frustrated when warm weather rolls around? It’s easy to stop trying and go back to old routines, but when the mercury starts climbing, and those goals you set for yourself in January seem not so long ago we begin to ask ourselves, “If only I had started sooner!”
The best way to protect yourself from a regret-filled spring is to set a deadline and start now. Yep, right now. Deadlines are powerful motivators. Without a deadline, you really have no set-point toward which to work. You have nothing to pushing you and we need to be pushed. Deadlines create a sense of urgency. They help you position yourself to succeed, because that final date is always staring back at you. It forces you to prioritize and strategize. Otherwise, you will let things slide, you will keep putting off the workout or healthy food choices, and insisting that tomorrow you will start eating better. Without a deadline, tomorrow never comes. If you keep doing what you have always done, you will get the results you have always gotten. It’s time to do something different. Ask yourself this question: If I keep doing what I am doing right now, will I achieve what I want to achieve? If you answered no, then it’s time for a change. Go get your calendar out and decide when you want to see your first wave of results. Be realistic and make sure you give yourself time to really dig in and see changes happen. But challenge yourself, too — make it a little tough so you can take full advantage of the power of urgency. If you have tried that before, then a deadline may not be enough. Why? Because you may be tempted to move it. Deadlines are not supposed to be moving targets. The best way to prevent deadline-creep is to get competitive. Entering into a competition or contest is a sure way to give you the edge you need to keep yourself on track and finish strong. There is something very motivating about competing with others. Just knowing that your effort and results are going to be measured alongside others really will give you an extra boost in motivation. This is a time when a little peer pressure can be helpful. And you will find that those with whom you are in competition will also be your biggest cheerleaders. They know exactly what you are going through and will be there to encourage you to keep moving. Deadlines and contests form the perfect combination to assist with your health success so put them to work for you. Spring is close enough to give you a push, but still far enough away to ensure that you have enough time to get some serious work done. Plan now to greet spring and warmer weather with no regrets. Want to do this? Join my February Healthy Living Challenge. You do not have to be a training client to join in. Everyone is welcome!
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Congratulations. You survived Christmas weekend and all the craziness that goes along with it. Now I am sure you are starting to think about the new year to come. It is approaching fast. Well, technically it is here.
What would I like to achieve this year? Where would I like to go? How should my life be different this year? So many thoughts and ideas on what I want to achieve in 2016. Time to set a resolution. You might think that it is weird that I encourage people to make a new year’s resolution. Especially since most people fall off the horse within a couple of weeks. However, I choose to promote realistic resolutions. No starvation diet plans or unrealistic leanness goals, please. Making a new commitment is important and healthy as long as you think about it. Think about how to add this new behavior into your “real life”. Your real life can be crazy and hectic at times. Perhaps you have a kid or two to feed, clothe, and interact with, a job to manage during the day, a household to care for and maintain and maybe even some animals, too. Real life is busy and active and just about the time you want to go for a walk another life situation stops you dead in your tracks. Therefore, this new year make a resolution that fits your “real life.” Really take a moment to think about what you want to achieve or how you want to live. It does not have to be an all-or-nothing approach. Truthfully, I discourage those types of resolutions because usually you end up with nothing, not all you desired in the first place. Maybe that fitness goal needs to be a bit more flexible with where it happens or striving for one healthier meal a day instead of an entire week of healthy meals. In order to fit this resolution into your real human life you must be prepared for hurdles. It may not be easy, but if you make a realistic goal, set a plan, and continue to move forward while being flexible great things will happen in 2016. I can feel it. Happy New Year! The same old same old. I tend to gravitate towards the activities that I am good. Why? Because they are easy for me and I enjoy them the most. Strength training and just about any physically active thing outside is what I prefer to do. It is engrained in my head and their is no struggle to complete once or twice in my day. This is healthy right? I am active. I do something every day. Is this enough? Well the answer is yes but no!
As human beings we are creatures of habit. We gravitate towards the same, comfortable activity all the time. Does that mean it is the best thing for us. Absolutely not! It means that you are comfortable with your routine. Maybe that routine is eating a pastry for breakfast everyday. While yes eating breakfast is important, however a pastry item may not be the most nutritious option for daily consumption. If you are looking for health improvements then maybe making a change or adding more variety to your breakfast will assist you in reaching your health goals. Trying something new takes time. Time to adjust your routine and make it second nature. This new routine can really enhance how you feel and act. The same goes for exercise. The same routine you have been doing to 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or maybe even longer might be doing as much harm as it is good and yet you still gravitate towards it. Why? Because it is comfortable and easy. It requires little thought or energy to complete and is part of your routine. I do the exact same thing. It is normal to do this, but lately I have been trying to expand and try new activities. I want to challenge my mind and body. I want to move my body in ways that I have never moved it before. I want to work on my weaknesses versus focusing only on my strengths. I want to add these challenges to my day, month, year, and life all the time. Stepping out of my comfort zone is hard. I am worried that I may not be good enough. I start to compare myself to others. I have to tell myself to stop, breathe, and just focus on me. Focus on my plan, progression, and personal goals all while supporting those around me as well. Over time this new challenging activity starts to become a normal part of my day or week and more familiar. Part of what I do as a trainer is help guide people through this process. You are not alone. I am here to help you as well as other dedicated health practitioners in town. I practice yoga to slow down and focus on each movement and clear my head of negative thoughts and feelings. I trail run/walk instead of road run to get away from the hustle and bustle of the word into the peace and quiet of nature. I also would like to relearn how to cross country ski this winter because it sounds fun and it has been a while since I have done it. Step out of your comfort zone. Sign up for a new class, learn a new exercise to incorporate into your routine, learn a new sport or activity, and better yet invite others to join in with you. There are plenty of opportunities for you. Take a step outside of your comfort zone and explore! Well it is official. The holiday season is here and it begins with Thanksgiving and Black Friday and moves into Cyber Monday, sending holiday cards, buying gifts, and the list goes on and on. As we move into December you may have more holiday parties and family get-togethers to attend as well. All of these extra events and tasks can add a lot of stress to your day and cause sleepless nights. How can we continue to move forward with everything we have to do and feel our best when it seems like a never-ending pile of stuff. I am not going to sugar-coat it. Life can be tough and hard to juggle at times. Let’s accept that and move forward with a plan of action. Here are some things that help me stay on task and motivated when I am feeling overwhelmed.
Sleep. It is one huge factor in how well my day is going to go. If I get my 7-8 hours I am a happy camper and my day seems to go by without any major hiccups. Even if their might be struggles, my ability to manage the stress and chaos of the day does not seem to overwhelm. I deal with it and move on. On days that I had 6 hours or less, watch out I may explode. OK maybe not the dramatic, but little things seem to really get to me. Even though I know they are not a big deal and life will be fine. Getting plenty of sleep at night is an important time for your body to recover from the day’s activities and reset your mind for the next day. Get those ZZZZs and you might start feeling better. Activity. When my schedule becomes crammed with things to do sometimes I forget about my workout. I get all caught up in everything else that I end up coming dead last. This is terrible. Because without me, none of these things would be completed. I prioritize my list of things to do and physical activity happens to be number one or two. I schedule it earlier in my day to complete it and get it out of the way or maybe I sign up for a class or plan a workout date with a friend. I feel so much better knowing that it is done and I can move forward and not have a lingering thought in the back of my mind. Write it down. Keeping a journal is something that I enjoy doing for many reasons, but I like to visually be able to see what needs to be done. It flows out of my head and onto paper therefore it does not float around in my head all day disrupting me. On the list I like to give each task a deadline of when it absolutely must be completed and I stick to it. I feels good to check it off once complete, too! Learning to say “no”. This is a very hard thing for me. I want to help out, contribute, and attend functions that I am invited to in order to support my friends, colleagues, or the community. I find that I am always saying “yes, I will do this” or “yes, I will attend that”, and then I feel like I am being pulled in too many directions. Sometimes you need to say no and saying no does not mean that you do not care. Saying no means that you have another higher priority task that needs your attention. I have learned that saying no is ok and at times makes me feel better even though it is hard to do. You are not always going to be able to be there for everything or do everything and accepting that is important. Above all commit to placing yourself higher on your priority list. Take the time to care for yourself first and then take care of those closest to you. As my mom says, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Today's workout consists of 3 short treadmill sessions spread throughout my day: morning, lunch, evening. Only 15 minutes each! Yippee, sort of. This gets me off my butt away from this computer and provides a nice escape from all the stuff in my head that needs to be completed.
I don't always have a full hour or more to complete a workout. This is why I split mine up into multiple, short, & Intense ones throughout the day. This energizes me throughout the day and I find I get more accomplished when I do this too. It is fun to kick ass for 15-20 minutes and give myself a little praise for it being completing it! Treadmill, Bike, Rower, outside...complete wherever and using whatever you have available: 5 minute - Increase intensity every minute 1 minute - Sprint (pick up the pace, should be breathing hard at end of this minute 1 minute - Slow it down (walk, or stop completely, breathing should slow down) Repeat 1min x 1min four more times Try to complete this once, twice, or three times today. After all, it's only 15 minutes. Time. Don’t you wish you had more time? I sure do. Now that daylight saving is behind us and the daylight hours are becoming shorter and shorter, I especially wish that I had more time. Let’s be real for a moment. We all have time, even me, but do you manage your time in the most efficient manner? Not only that, but what priorities come first? How do we make the most out of the time that we set aside for self-care, learning to become more efficient is important.
Where am I going with this? One of the biggest barriers for not exercising is, you guessed it, time. Or at least people think they do not have time, when the reality is that they do. Perhaps exercise and healthful eating has not yet become a priority above other tasks or events in your day. If you schedule 15 minutes of exercise at two different times per day and experienced health benefits would you continue doing it? We all have an extra 15 minutes here or there to spare. I can almost guarantee it. How do you experience the most benefits in the least amount of time? Interval train. What the heck is that? Interval training (also known as high intensity interval training) involves alternating periods of hard physical work with periods of relatively easy work or rest. The variety of this form of training allows you to break away from a redundant and monotonous routine of steady-state exercise. Don’t get me wrong, that is good too, but we are talking about efficiency here. The great part of interval training is that it requires less time because you will be working at a higher intensity. Besides time, there are many benefits to this style of training. Fitness studies have demonstrated that interval training may improve VO2 Max and muscle function. Also, greater abdominal and total fat loss is associated with interval training compared to moderate intensity continuous exercise. Keep in mind that these benefits are based on intensity. Interval training challenges our bodies, takes less time, is fun and exciting and provides proven results. Isn’t this what we all want? In addition to the benefits I have already mentioned, interval training can be tailored to almost every person, anywhere, and anytime. There are endless possibilities for work-rest ratios to suit your needs. What you might not realize is that you interval train all the time, you might not notice because the activity is something you do all the time and is not intense enough to cause labored breathing. If you are just beginning a routine, don’t work yourself so hard that you become extremely sore and never want to move again. As with all fitness programs, start slow and gradually increase the intensity. Take time and get to know your body and what activities work for you. Think basic such as climbing a few flights of stairs or quickly jogging in place can do the trick. If you have a more consistent exerciser, try sprinting and walking instead of your normal steady paced run. If you want more information or need help figuring out a successful fitness plan, seek out an educated fitness professional about incorporating new or different types of activities and training into your daily regimen. We are here to help. I was chatting with my nephews on the phone this week and out of nowhere they asked me, “what do you do all day?” I immediately laughed and asked, “what do you mean?”
“Well, where do you go to work and what do you do at work.” I explained to them that I encourage and motivate people to live a healthier life through healthy eating and exercising. Their response, “so you exercise all day?” Well, I don’t actually exercise all day, however I do have an active job that requires me to lift heavy things and move my body around in various ways. This got me thinking about how much exercise is enough? How much exercise is too much? What types of exercise is best for your particular health fitness goal. These are all questions that clients, friends, and family members ask me. There is not always a simple answer, which is what we all really want to know. Long periods of sedentary behavior (such as sitting at a desk or watching TV), are considered a detriment to our health even if we are active outside of this time. American College of Sports Medicine’s basic recommendations are categorized by cardiorespiratory exercise, resistance exercise, flexibility exercise and neuromotor exercise and are as follows: Cardiorespiratory Exercise:
Resistance Exercise:
Flexibility Exercise:
Neuromotor Exercise:
After reading all this, you may be thinking that this is a lot of information and even a lot of exercise. If you are beginning an exercise routine or trying to incorporate more or a new style of training into your routine. Start small with 10 minutes 2-3 days per week of the activity and build from there every week. Try to keep a journal of your exercise and/or keep track using an app. That way you can track your progress and adjust your program based on what is working or not working. Last of all have fun! Get moving and encourage others to do the same. |
This is me, Liz. I am an, instructor, personal trainer, exercise physiologist, dog-mom, loving wife, little sister, coolest-aunt ever, and now blogger living in Libby, Montana.
Welcome to my blog! This blog follows my life and my interests in fitness, adventure, food, and healthy living. The Girls, Katy & Madi, and I. We have spent a lot of time together the past few years. I appreciate them for their quirks and how they love me unconditionally. They help me appreciate the small, simple things in life. Archives
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DiclaimerThis is a personal blog created and maintained by Liz Whalen. My blog posts document my life and sometimes highlight the food I eat and workouts I perform. I do not have professional medical training, nor am I a registered dietician. I am an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist, while the content you see on my blog aims to bring you along on my health & wellness journey. The published information may not be right for you and should not be viewed as guidelines in any way. Seek counsel from a medical doctor when looking to incorporate or change your physical activity and/or dietary habits.
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