Change of Seasons

Labor Day weekend is here, which marks the end of summer.  If you are like me, things change around our house when seasons change.  I change the way I cook, the clothes I wear, our schedule changes with the kids going back to school.  Soon, as the weather gets colder, we'll change how much we can be outside versus inside for activity and fitness.

The end of the summer is also a time to look at your summer health and fitness goals and re-assess.  First, did you set some summer goals?  I hope so-- and if you did, ask yourself these questions:

"Did I reach my goals?"  If yes, "What is my new goal?"

"Did I at least get closer?"

"Do I need to change my goals?"

Re-assess and set your sights on the end of the year.  What will you work on from now until December 31?  I follow a company called Precision Nutrition and love their fat loss and life philosophy of "change ONE habit at a time."  Pick one habit and work on it for 2 weeks.  Then, it should be automatic in your life and you can move onto a new habit.  Small changes lead to big results over time!  What you choose to change must be something you are confident in.....it must seem almost easy.  Think of a goal and say, "I CAN DO THAT!"  Confidence = success.

For example, my current habit change is replacing greens for grains.  I've slipped back into having more grains/starches in my day that I really need.  So, I'm going to back it off.  Something I really, really need to work on is not eating after a certain time at night.  That is a struggle for me.  But, do you know what?  I'm not feeling confident that I can do that right now, so I'm going to choose something else to work on that I know I can be successful at and work on the other habit when I'm ready.  If you are ready, you will do it and you will feel successful.

So, where do you want to be by December 31?  Write it down, start working on it, and you'll be there before you know it!

Mental Coach

I ran a 5k today with my girls, who are ages 7 and 11.  It was something we'd been training for the latter part of the summer, as it was my 11 year old's summer goal to complete a 5k.  I honestly wondered how my younger daughter would do....it seemed like a pretty far distance for her.

During our time running those 3.2 miles, it became pretty clear that she needed some "mental coaching" from mom.  She needed me to tell her to keep going...to ignore that inner voice that tells you to stop when you are tired, versus pushing through.  I told my girls that we always have more energy, we just have to dig it up!  It's interesting that it's not just adults that have to be mentally tough during a physical challenge-- it's kids too.

We chose points along the course where she could speed walk for a few paces, then pick up the jog again.  Sometimes, we held hands and she paced with me.  It was a lot of, "Come on, you can do it!" from me.  My oldest daughter just ran quietly, not a word of complaint.....maybe just the fact that she's a bit older has given her that mental grit.  That, and she's just a natural born runner who genuinely enjoys that sport.

Next time you do something hard and your mind says, "QUIT,"  push that thought away and remind yourself to KEEP GOING.  One more step, one more rep, one more minute, whatever.  If you don't have someone beside you telling you to keep going, you have to be your own mental coach.

We all completed the 5k without a problem.  It made me so proud!  Oh, and my 7 year old-- well, she was the one that sprinted ahead of us at the end across the finish line.  (I knew she had the energy in there somewhere.)

Back to the Future

We all have things in the past that we wish we could have done differently.  We all look forward to the future and wonder what our lives will be like.  You can't control the past now, but you can learn from it.   For the purpose of FIT, what would you change about your past exercise/nutrition habits?  What advice would you give your past self now?

Switching to the future, what would you tell your future self about your fitness journey now?  Where do you want to be in your journey one year from now?  How about 5 or 10 years from now?  Hopefully, you'd want to be closer to your goals and not stuck or in reverse.

For me, I would tell my former self of even 4-5 years ago that it's okay to take time for myself....that it's not selfish.  That I would be a better mom and a better person if I took an hour or so to take care of myself mentally and physically and had a stress drain.  I would tell myself that I'm stronger than I think I am.  Lastly, I would say that I can have my best body and be in the best shape of my life at any age, even after having kids!

To my future self, I would advise to stay the course-- find time for my workouts, keep pushing the limits, and find innovative ways to work out so I don't get bored and keep seeing results.  I'd tell myself to eat the best food possible to ensure the best health that I can control.  I'd also remind myself to give myself a break when I'm not perfect.  Future self, you still need to know that you are stronger than you think you are!

Think about it.  What's your dialogue?

Who is YOUR personal trainer?

I'd like to hear from some of you as to what qualities you would want in a personal trainer, should you decide to hire one.  What are the most important traits you'd look for?  What DON'T you want? When you are at your gym observing the trainers on the floor, what makes you say either, "Cool!  I'd hire that gal/guy," or "Oh man, I wouldn't work with THAT person."

If I hired a trainer for myself (that's right, trainers need trainers too, sometimes), I'd look for these qualities:

-Knowledge
-Experience
-A good personality, friendly
-A motivator.....someone that can push me a bit
-Someone with innovative ideas and workouts
-Someone that cares about what I want

What would you add?

The Spectrum

There are "Stages of Change" that describe your readiness for fitness and habit changes in your life.  I wrote about them awhile back.  You bounce through these stages all throughout life depending on what is happening.  Once you get to the "active" or "maintenance" stage, I like to describe a gamut of feelings that you can experience as-- the spectrum.

The spectrum has two ends to it.  One end says, "I don't want to do this anymore."  The other says, "I want to keep going."  Anywhere in the middle is just trying to find your way forward.  When you are facing each new day, that voice in your head and your overall confidence and attitude will propel you toward one end or the other of the spectrum.  It's often one step forward, two steps back!

"I don't want to do this anymore" is you trying to talk yourself out of these new life changes because it's getting hard.  It's taking more effort than you want to put in.  Or, maybe you aren't seeing the results you want or you are bored with what you are trying and don't know how to change it.  Maybe you aren't getting the social support you need to tell you that you CAN do it.  Simply, you've hit a wall.  This is very normal....in fact, I was telling a client the other day that even I have fleeting thoughts occasionally that I'm tired or worn out and feel like I've hit a wall.  What do I do when I step toward this end of the spectrum?  I pick myself up mentally and physically, take a rest day and give myself a break, and then keep going forward.  I remember how hard I've worked to reach certain goals and use it as my fuel to get back on track.  I remember where I used to be and how I used to feel and know that I never want to go back there again.

You see, to keep facing the other end, the "keep going" end, you have to not only build a physical toughness, but a mental and emotional toughness as well.  We are so hard on ourselves and give up on ourselves so easily.  If you've lapsed in your routine, start over.  Forgive yourself and begin again.  If you are tired, rest.  Need direction? Ask someone for help.  Be your own best cheerleader if you don't have the social support to pull and push you along.  You'll be stronger through every layer of your being and you'll be equipped to coach those around you through the same thing as they too travel this journey.

Where are you on the spectrum??