Ageless

I recently read an article about loving yourself at any age and finding your beauty at any age.  I'd like to add finding health and fitness and your abilities at any age-- just because you are 30ish, 40ish, 50ish on up doesn't mean that it's too late to change your health and fitness habits.  Health and fitness habits can be changed (or found) at ANY age.  It's way too easy to use age as an excuse.  Have you ever told yourself, "I'm too old to do that or learn that?"  No way!  As you age, your body maybe can't handle the same intensity or speed, but if you progress slowly, you'll surprise yourself at what you CAN do.

In the article about aging, it talked about setting goals to be "appropriate" for your abilities.  The example used was by the author who happens to be 59 years old.  She said that now, she can't pull her leg above her head like she could as a former ballerina, but she certainly could go play tennis for 2 hours.  The point is to set realistic fitness goals for the current and future YOU, not the former, younger version of yourself.  Push yourself a bit.  Ask yourself, "What do I want NOW?  What can I try?"  Chances are, you'll come out the other side saying, "I can't believe I can (still) do that!"

A personal note: I never thought I'd be in the BEST shape of my life at age 38.  I can do things that I never imagined myself doing! I plan to keep pushing myself and just keep going.  My advice to everyone would be to look forward, not backward. Continue to set goals at any age, at any ability. 

Love yourself and believe in yourself during the journey to achieve those goals, no matter what age you are.

Travel Plan

It's summer.  That means vacations....being on vacation means that it's harder to eat well and exercise.  The solution?  PLAN AHEAD.  I went away with a friend for the weekend and we had a plan that we would exercise each day and bring healthy snacks and water bottles to have with us at all times.  It really helped to talk about it ahead of time and know exactly what we were doing.

It's easy to plan for a weekend away, but what about extended vacations?  Same thing, but on a bigger scale.  Here's a quick "Vacation Plan Ahead Checklist" that will help you stay on track:

1) Look at how long you will be gone and how many meals you will eat out versus how many you will cook

2) Figure out a rough menu for the meals you will cook (Include lean protein, veggies, healthy fats)

3) Check out the available restaurants in the area you'll be in and look at their menus online ahead of time.

4) Bring healthy snacks and bottles of water for each day. Drink a lot of water!

5) Eat every few hours to keep your hunger regulated.

6) Do some research on fun ways to be active in the area.  Is it near the water?  Try canoeing, kayaking, swimming, or the latest trend of stand up paddling!  How about bike trails?  If you don't want to bring your own bike, look at places that you can rent one.

7) Remember to get some decent sleep on vacation.  Your body recovers and repairs itself when you sleep.

8) Plan in a few "cheat" meals.  It IS vacation, you know.  Not every day needs to have a cheat in it, just a few meals or snacks.

9) Have a body-weight-only workout handy to do in your hotel room.  You could also scope out the fitness center in your hotel.

If you do even a few of these things on vacation, you will feel so good!

Judgement Day

I ran into a friend at the gym yesterday and as we were catching up, the conversation turned to comments that we've encountered recently from others and whether they were appropriate or inappropriate.  You see, we have both worked really hard to have strong, fit bodies.  She said she felt "judged" by others sometimes because she is very fit.  She felt as if sometimes people look at her differently because of the shape she is in.  My response to her was that I have felt people looking at me, looking at my body, but that we should both be proud of our hard work and what we have accomplished.  Never feel bad about achieving your goals, even when others around you are feeling bad about themselves.   I told my friend that those people may or may not be looking at her with envy or negative feelings, but that she should use that situation as an opportunity to inspire those around her.  I encourage her to keep being her friendly, approachable self and "shine her light."

Isn't it funny how we can feel judged at any size?  That we can be judgmental to others no matter what they look like?  Have you ever looked at someone and thought, "They are TOO ___."  You fill in the blank:  too fat, too thin, too FIT, too tall, too short, too muscular, whatever.  Of course you have, we all have.  Especially if you aren't happy with yourself.  You don't even have to say the words, all it takes is a look or an awkward pause.  Instead of judging others, focus on yourself, what you want, and how you will get there.  We can all learn from each other, so if you see someone that inspires you, go up to them and ask them about themselves and how they got where they are.  I tell people at the gym all the time that I like what I see them doing and if someone looks great, I tell them that too.  You can make someone's day by doing something simple like that.

If you aren't where you physically want to be, start working on it.  As your body changes, people will notice.  Don't be afraid of that attention as long as it's appropriate.  As the layers get peeled off, don't hide your new self. Own it and be proud of it!  Inspire others and be inspired by other.

Talking to yourself

That little voice in our heads is very powerful.  It tells us what to do or not to do every day.  It can keep you safe and comfortable, but how many times does that little voice talk you OUT of doing something?  Doing something that you should try....could try....maybe even have fun doing?  Talk you out of something that is JUST outside your comfort zone?  Talk you out of doing your workout at all because your "just too _____" (fill in the blank).

Are you guilty of talking yourself out of trying something new?  I have been guilty of this in the past and even now.  Or maybe I've tried it and felt like I wasn't good at it at the time and haven't revisited it.  When that voice calls to you in your head and says, "No, that looks too hard, you can't do that," or "I wouldn't be good at that," do you listen?  It takes courage to mute that call to safety and give whatever it is a try.

Here's an example that just happened recently in my HIIT class-- a gal that I hadn't seen before decided to stay for my class to "check it out."  I think she was going to just watch in the beginning, but decided to give the first round a try.  Guess what?  She DID IT!  She wasn't even struggling.  As we were getting ready to start round two, she picked up her water bottle and headed to the front door.  I walked over and said, "Oh, are you leaving?"  Her reply was that she just needed to "ease" into this new class before doing the whole thing.  BASICALLY, SHE TALKED HERSELF OUT OF IT.  I was so bummed out that I couldn't stop her and encourage her to finish.  I knew she could have finished and felt that sense of accomplishment.  She would have realized that she COULD do it, but the voice won.  I hope to see her back again.  I hope to help her step over the line out of the comfort zone and away from the "can't do it" chatter.

I hope that next time I try to talk myself out of something, I just go for it anyway.  

Juggling Act

I read "The Five Balls" in a book once and have never forgotten it.  It is a simple way to look at your life and goes like this:

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called WORK, FAMILY/FRIENDS, HEALTH, FAITH, and INTEGRITY. And you're keeping all of them in the air. One day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls- family/friends, health, faith, integrity- are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life."

A lot of times when we get ultra busy with our lives, we "drop the ball" on something.  We lose touch with special people in life, we drown ourselves in our work to MAYBE get ahead.  We stop knowing what we believe in and stop believing in ourselves.  Amidst all the juggling and busyness, we stop taking care of ourselves and our health.  I love the story of "The Five Balls" because it is such an easy visual for everyday life--- lots of juggling things around.  Honestly, we do it to ourselves.  We speed through our days like time is running out.  Guess what- we DO have the power to make our lives simpler by cutting things out that really don't matter.  We can make our lives better and healthier by focusing on moving our bodies like they were meant to be moved and by eating "real" food.  Don't make it complicated, make it simple.

Our world has turned into a world of "stuff."  We work to have the stuff and work more to pay for it.  Then, you don't even have time to enjoy the stuff you wanted so much.  Clear out the "stuff" that is cluttering your life and your schedule and instead of juggling 20 balls in the air, cut it down to the five I listed above.  You'll then find time to care for yourself, your family, and your friends.  You'll change not just your life for the better, but all of those that are connected to you.