Lots of words get thrown around when you think of wellness…healthy, holistic, youthful, exercise, diet…etc. I often get hung up on the idea of wellness being physical…but it’s so much more than how you look!
It’s easy to catch yourself in a mirror and begin to pick yourself apart for physical appearances alone. Why is it that we don’t look in the mirror and say to ourselves that we are amazing? Why aren’t we concerned about our emotional health? Why is it alright for us to tear ourselves down? Imagine you have a daughter and she comes home from school and says to you that someone told her “those jeans make you look like a real fat ass!”. What would you say to her? Would you encourage her and tell her she’s beautiful and strong and not to worry about what other people think? Would you secretly think to yourself, “Well that kid is no prize, why are you worrying about what they think?”. So why are you the one looking in the mirror saying those things to yourself and how did you get into that habit anyway? Wellness despite popular opinion does not just mean healthy and free of disease, it’s multi-dimensional! It refers to a well state being in all facets of your life, emotionally, physically, spiritually, occupationally socially, and intellectually! There’s no cookie cutter to being well because what works for one will certainly not work for all! What have you done for your overall wellness lately? Do you have any habits you want to kick? Do you find yourself wishing that your life felt more care free? My rules for wellness are pretty general because you will have to tweak certain things to fit your scenario…start following these and guarantee you will feel a shift in your life!
That title about sums it up. Yep, it’s been a bad week. I mean a knock-down, take the wind out of my sails, kind of week. I really have no words to describe the trauma of the past seven days. Life changing events that you wish you never lived through, and you hope you never have to again. Plus, I had the flu.
I’m not going to dive into the terribleness that was this week. Reliving it is defeating. Talking about it isn’t ‘therapy,’ and hanging onto the vivid memories of it just makes me feel bad. While I know it’s in our human nature to oddly want to know the depressing details about the lives of others, I’m going to take the higher road and explore this week from a helicopter perspective. When it rains, it pours. Sure does. Life sometimes just seems to slam you from all directions, all at once. One blow after another. “C’mon!! Pick on someone else for a while!” are the words screaming in my head. I also then go through periods of stomping my feet, like a child having a tantrum. “Why? Why me! Why! I don’t deserve this!” Then comes the sad, “feeling sorry for myself” stage. And, WHY so often does the sky come falling down just as soon as you begin a “new”, positive routine or habit?? Happens all the time! I feel like the Universe is mocking me at times! You know. You’ve been there. Where the constant string of crap just never seems to end. Where you hesitate to pick up the phone, check your email, or look outside because surely the next crazy thing is waiting to pop out from around the next corner and trip you up. Where you’d much rather just build a blanket fort and crawl inside. What’s amazing to me is that the healthy routine I’ve worked so hard to build often seems to go down the tubes during these times. It’s amazing to me because, why does something I value, do every day, and feel so invested in, just slip away in any moment of chaos or crisis. That, in and of itself, seems deflating. Because once the clouds clear, there I am, starting “all over” again. Well, “all over” is quite dramatic. It’s really just restarting the same good habits and routine I had prior to the s*&t show that seemed to recently overcome my life. But, why does it seem to take some much effort? And, why do I so easily let my normal routine fall apart? How does negativity so easily breed more negativity? It takes so much power to build yourself up, and one little tiny pin prick to have it all crash down sometimes. I suppose that’s the journey of life we are all on. Ups and down, rollercoaster. My good habits aren’t far away. They are just at arm’s reach right now. But, as the clouds clear, it is up to me to pull those habits in closer and to get back to business. We call that relapse. It’s actually even part of the curriculum I teach in my community college personal trainer course. What we teach is so true – relapse isn’t a “bad” word. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It just means you’re off course for the moment. As a Trainer, I wouldn’t think to judge a client that relapses. It’s actually pretty common. So, while it’s no one’s job to judge another, in the same respect, I have to stop beating myself up for relapsing as well. No one is perfect. In this type of job (well, I guess in a lot of professions), we try hard to be positive role models, live clean lives, and appear to have it all figured out. We don’t. We are people, too. Relapse happens. But, it’s hard to live in that bubble of having it all figured out because it’s not reality. I think it’s more genuine and real to be honest with people, show your true self, and let people see transparently that life is not perfect. No one has it all figured out, we all fall off the wagon, take breaks… relapse. The secret to relapse is ending it. The sooner the better. Stay in touch with yourself. Check in with how you are feeling, and acknowledge that today may not be the day you’re pulling up your bootstraps, but that you’re going to have to do it soon. Very soon. As in tomorrow. Even if tomorrow doesn’t pan out to be a complete relapse reversal, it’s a start of getting back to your true self. Congratulate yourself on everything you’re doing RIGHT, even if seems silly (btw: it’s not silly at all, and even if it was, being silly is fun and we all need a bit more fun in our lives :). Let’s be honest, that positive routine you had before the s$%t show struck is the “real” you. It’s okay to lose touch now and again. Just check in with yourself, have the hard conversations, and I’m betting you’ll be back on track pretty soon. It’s when we let the s$%t show spiral, that we – as in our health – also spirals. Then it’s a hell of a mess to clean up. So, I had the conversation with myself today. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new week. The bad week is behind me. Back to the normal me. Life goes on. I, once again, remember why I chose the healthy track. It’s a daily reminder, but personally, I hate cleaning up s%^t, so the sooner I’m back on track, the better! Cheryl Give it Time
I’ve recently adopted a pet. A puppy, to be more specific. He is a very good looking fellow and he is the third dog in my household. Part Plott Hound and part Wimerwiner. Ty is now the younger brother to Trooper and Simon. Ty was in need of a foster home. He was pulled from the shelter by a rescue the same day he was scheduled to be euthanized because they didn’t have enough room for him. My best friend sent me his picture to ask if we would be interested in fostering. My husband and I had been discussing getting another puppy as a playmate for my other 2 dogs, but mostly Simon, who was only four and a half and bursting with energy. Trooper, my oldest, turned thirteen this past November and is really slowing down. So we agreed to foster Ty, with the idea we would really adopt him into our family. I was anticipating needing to properly introduce Ty to the two older guys, slowly and letting them get used to each other and the new routine. I’ve always had to properly introduce all of my dogs to other dogs, especially Trooper. So that wasn’t surprising. What was a bit surprising is that Trooper seemed more accepting than Simon. Simon was a little unsure. Well, more than a little. Simon hadn’t been introduced to many other dogs, and I think he wasn’t sure of how to react. But, I really had it set in my mind that we were going to adopt Ty, so it would need to be ok. Plus, the idea of acclimating Simon to another dog seemed unappealing, mostly because I have nervousness about it. Next thing we knew, we had to bring Ty to the emergency vet! He had blood coming out of both ends of him. Luckily, he was negative for some really serious stuff and ended up with a diagnosis of tapeworm and hookworm, both of which he probably picked up on his journey to us. Plus the stress of being in a new environment and new food (really, eating food at all seemed to be new to Ty, as he was severely underweight when he arrived with us), his stomach and digestion were a mess. But, we were staying the course that we were adopting Ty. There had been a couple scuffles between the puppies, but I was noticing that Simon was appearing to get more comfortable and playing with Ty. Trooper was a bit of a grumpy man at times, but I was hopeful. There were some really tough days, emotionally, because I couldn’t imagine not adopting Ty at this point. Through some of my tears, I would ask my husband if he thought it was going to work out, and why can’t they just get along all the time? I really, really want them to love each other and be brothers, etc. I kept asking and hoping for them all to get along all of the time and love each other. And I would find myself upset at the times when there was a scuffle and a problem; I’d be worried that this wasn’t going to work out between the puppies, and why was it was taking so long?? I think this situation that I’m currently in can be translated to many everyday situations. How many times have you wanted results now or wonder why this just won’t work into my schedule without a bunch of other issues arising? You’re not the only one! I think for so many of us, giving something time is a difficult concept. There are definitely situations that we know will not happen overnight, like when you plant a garden. We know that when we wake up the next day, we aren’t going to able to pick from our garden we just planted. So, not everything is going to have the same time frame. It seems an unreasonable idea to have unlimited patience. Who has time for that? :) I think what we need to realize is that things are meant to happen in their own time. Some people would call this divine timing. There is likely to be some sort of lesson in the waiting period. That time we are so eager to pass away at a quick pace. In the situation above with my puppies, I think part of my lesson is the recognition that I need to give certain situations time and that I can’t expect results overnight. I’ve been lucky with my dogs and them getting along and loving each other. But if I really think about it, every time we add a new dog to our family, there has been an adjustment period for the dog that has already been part of our family AND for the dog that is entering our family. This is the first time I have had 3 dogs at the same time and this isn’t the same situation as adding just a second dog. Perhaps that’s part of the lesson as well. While the situation may be similar, it’s not the same and I can’t expect the same results. Ty has been officially adopted for several weeks now. There are still some instances that get me worried or where I need to be stern about their behavior towards each other. But since I have recognized my impatience with giving them time to adjust to each other, I don’t feel quite the same concern or worriment about them getting along. I know they will have their moments of scuffles or irritation with each other. Hey, what brothers don’t? But now I feel much more relaxed about it. And I know they will love each other and enjoy all their time together. The secret was to give it time. ~Lynn This is the blog I have been afraid to write. Seems pretty dramatic, doesn’t it? Well, in my head, it sort of is. I don’t even recognize my life anymore. Everything is different. New baby, new business. It’s all great changes, all positive, yet still leaves quite an impression on my personal wellbeing.
I’ve learned in psychology class that every change brings about another change. This change can be good or bad, doesn’t matter. Either way, there will be a cause and effect. It’s the Butterfly Effect; if a butterfly flaps its wings on one continent, the effects can be felt clear across the world. Well, all of these changes I’ve made are bigger than a butterfly flapping its wings and clearly the impact is much more local (as in happening in my living room and everyday life). So why am I afraid to write about this? Because I don’t want anyone to think I’m ungrateful for all of these wonderful life changes. These were all good decisions, and I’m happy to bring it all into my life. I wouldn’t want anyone to think I have second guessed any of these choices. But the reality is that I bet a lot of people go through the same emotional and logistical roller coaster that I am experiencing. I feel like what I used to know as “my life” and “my routine” has been stripped down to some bare bones model and replaced with features that are very foreign to me. My schedule is no longer really “my” schedule, and a little being has been inserted into my already busy daily calendar. Yes, yes, yes. Before you judge me – I understand that I signed up for all of this. Yes, I know parenting is challenging. Yes, I understand my child comes before me. I get it. All of it. I’m not asking that it be any different. But I am trying to recognize my life. When do I eat? Shower? Sleep? These were the original struggles of the first couple of months. In terms of hierarchical needs, we are talking about someone who was nearing the top of Maslow’s chart of self-actualization, being bumped down quite a few rungs to the bottom, survival mode. And when I say bumped, I mean crashing down each level square on my butt, like sliding ungracefully down a set of stairs. Being part of an interstate adoption meant that we were physically displaced from our home for 2 weeks – with a newborn – our first born. We clearly had a learning curve. It was a shock to the system. Time has now passed, and we are in a new season. I’ve now (re)evolved to eating more than just take out or snacks that I cobbled together as a meal. Showering is now a regular occurrence again. Sleeping is still suspect, but this department has improved. So, all back to normal then?? Not so much. Now comes the questions – how do I get the things that I require for ME back into my life? Workouts, cooking healthy meals, meditation, a massage, reading a book, writing…. None of it seems to fit anymore. I can see how parents just put themselves on the back burner – all the time. Frankly, it’s pretty hard to figure it all out, and while I make a plan to incorporate even a few of these things in my routine, if they actually happen is a whole other level of accomplishment. I feel as if the struggle becomes even more intense because I’m unwilling to give up on the idea that I, too, can have a balanced life. Even with a kid. It’s a mind blowing concept. I’m still working through how to do this, and I mentally crash and reload on a daily basis. But, I feel as though if I’ve learned anything over the past several years, it’s that I matter. My health does matter. My needs are important. Not in a selfish way; in a “I’m not invisible” and “I have a purpose here” (beyond being a mom) kind of way. This concept hit home when a dear friend of mine sent me a care package a couple of months after the baby was born. When this amazing box of food and treats arrived at my doorstep, I was in awe. Wide eyed, I wasn’t sure what to do other than stare at it in sheer joy, as if I’ve never seen a gift basket before. Then I read the card. My friend writes that she waited a bit to send her gift, until we were home and more settled. She then added that she was quite sure we probably had enough 0-3 outfits to last till our child turned 10 (she was correct), and this gift was for the new parents. She was confident that we were meeting the needs of our newborn (of course we were), but wanted to help us meet our own. I started to cry. She was right. Of course we taking care of our baby, with everything we had emotionally, financially, and physically. We would have it no other way. But, in doing that, sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. She was right. And I love her for that. I love her for pointing it out to me before too much time had passed to the point where I would, too, feel like throwing in the towel on my own personal life journey (or maybe just putting it on hold for 18 years?). So, while it’s really, really hard most days to wade through where I fit into this new life I’ve created, I’m not giving up. I do it because I love myself. I love my son. I love my family. If I don’t do these things for me, I cannot be there for them. If don’t do these things for me, I will look back and regret losing myself along the way. If I don’t do these things for me, I’m not honoring my own value system and my own journey here in this dimension. Just as we’ve already experienced, seasons change. I’m confident things will become “easier” again… then harder… then downright-hair-pulling- challenging. It’s the ebb and flow of life. I’m okay riding this wave, so long as I’m on top of it, and not drowning under it. That climb to the top is tough. It’s hard to balance up there, and surfing has never been my sport. But, darn it, I’m going to learn how to get good at it. - Cheryl Thinking of movement… Our challenge this month is to post pictures or videos of yourself in motion on our facebook page! Don’t over think this! Do you have a dog to walk? Do you go to a gym? Do you like to hike? Do you walk around your neighborhood? Have you been to a playground with the kids…or alone (no judgment)? Do you purposely take the stairs at work? Honestly, we wouldn’t even know if you’re telling us the truth! So grab that water bottle splash some water on your face and fake sweating your ass off all over our facebook page! You could win a massage at Aspire Wellness or $25 towards a massage in your neck of the woods! Why I Do It
I have been presented with the question about how I came to open my business numerous times since we have opened. It’s a pretty logical question and I would probably ask it of another person if they had opened a business as well. It’s a pretty easy question to answer, generally. Quite often, in the rush of daily life, there is a scripted version of the answer I can follow. I’ve given it a bunch of times. And while rushing seems to be the norm these days, it seems to be nicer when the answer can come from my heart rather than my script. So, why do I do it? For quite a while now, if you were to ask me how I felt, on a general basis, I would probably say I was fine. If I was being honest, or just wasn’t giving a stock response, I’d say that I really don’t feel good. There are many symptoms that I tend to deal with on a regular basis, and for a long time, I just ignored them and plowed through my day. I don’t usually like to complain or talk about myself, ironically. But when I compared “how I felt” to “why do I feel that way”, I felt more confusion than any kind of answers. I did go to different doctors to try to find the answers that my body was requesting. The short of it was the doctors didn’t really find anything wrong that was obvious. And surprisingly to me, there wasn’t a lot of additional testing offered or direction as to how I could feel better. So, I kept plowing through the days, expecting to wake up one day and just feel better. Well, that day didn’t magically happen. But the more I continued to experience the not feeling good, the why behind it kept hanging out there. I started to think that maybe this was just normal and how I should expect to feel forever. After a while of that, I decided that was a silly thing to think. That it wasn’t ok that I should just accept that I would never feel good again. So at the same time I’m thinking this, I’m seeing people around me, people close to me, my husband, my best friend, my parents, and I’m seeing a similar trend with them as well. There is a pattern of people not feeling good and not knowing why and not finding answers. How can this be? Isn’t that what happens at the doctors? We keep digging until we figure it out? Not all the time. It turns out that there were several things wrong with me, one of them being a chronic auto-immune condition where my body is fighting itself when it shouldn’t be. If there hadn’t been a time when I turned to holistic approach and started investigating on my own, I wonder if I would have discovered what was wrong with me by now. If I’m seeing this pattern with people that are close to me, I thought, there must be many other people out there that are feeling the same way. Lost, not sure where to turn next, expecting to wake up not feeling good every day, not to mention it sets a negative tone for the rest of that day. It doesn’t seem right that this is more the norm than not. And then, on the vision of my best friend, the idea of the wellness center was born. A center that could offer people an alternative to something traditional. A place they could come to for help, or for direction, or for relaxation, or for information. It became important to me, my mission, to be able to offer services to people that centered on health and wellness, in a holistic atmosphere. I want to help people feel the way they are meant to feel. I want people to feel outstanding and if there is something I can do for them, then I want to do that. So when asked why do I do what I do, it’s simply, I want to help. ~Lynn Of course it did. Who has a chronic illness that hasn't affected every facet of their being?? For those of you that know me, you know that I have a crazy health story. I’ve talked about it, blogged about it, and I’ve been pretty open about it. As a quick recap – I have PCOS, lost over a 100lbs, ran a couple of marathons, did a few mud runs, got bite by a stupid tick, contracted lymes disease, Epstein Barr, and a whole host of gross stuff that goes with all that.
For a long time, I struggled in silence, secretly scolding myself for my body’s chemistry, biology, or whatever you want to call it. You see, I’m a “mind” person, and while I don’t have a degree in psych, every job I have ever had pretty much says I do. I don’t mean that do downplay the importance of a degree, please, I have enough of them to go around (“You get a degree, and you get a degree, and you get… oh wait, this one is a certification” ;)), but as a teacher, college advisor, personal trainer, health coach, I’ve heard a lot of stuff and worked with a lot of people. I should just add bartender or hair stylist to my name, and I’d be all set! In working with people, my role has traditionally been to help folks achieve a goal; or at the bare minimum, get them somewhere they currently are not. I’ve long since come to accept my role as a behavior change specialist (oh, yeah, I have a certificate in that too… somewhere…in a pile). What does that even mean?? Well, it means that I’m fascinated with people’s behavior, their choices, and the decisions they make – and WHY they make them. In most instances, once you identify triggering behaviors, and are willing to change them in some way, you’ll illicit a different result. You have to really dig in to find out what makes people tick, what motivates them, what drives their impulsive (or not so impulsive) decisions. Deep down, what’s important to them? In other words, I like to meddle in your head. Just kidding. Maybe… So, how did chronic illness change my life? Well, I’m a results driven person, and, as I stated above, I’m really connected to the idea that if you change behavior, you change results. Therefore, I’m not afraid of changing things up a bit. I realized long ago, I could always change back if I wanted to. Few decisions are really un-doable. The “undo” button really exists in your brain just as much as the “send” button. Well, chronic illness really scrambled the message when I hit “send”. What used to work, suddenly didn’t. What should have worked (behavior change), doesn’t. What all those courses in science taught me as far as how everyone’s body works… well, they just don’t add up! Super frustrating! This rocked my entire world of understanding the certainty of behavior modification. I spent a long time really beating myself up. I felt terrible physically (and mentally). I was gaining weight. I was changing everything upside down and inside out trying to make it stop. I wasn’t letting this happen! I could control it all with my voodoo mind powers! Mind over matter!! No pain, no gain!! I can do it!!! I’m a walk the walk, talk the talk type of person! Augh. I felt like a hypocrite. What was going on?? No matter my behavior, I couldn’t “will” myself better. That doesn’t mean I should just go off the rails, be reckless with my health, and do whatever I wanted, either. I still have to work and try and move in the “right” direction (and we all know what direction that is… I’m not buying the ignorance of “oh I didn’t know cake wasn’t good for me…” No, no, no.). The truth is, I’m still figuring it out – figuring out how to live in my own chronically ill body. I still haven’t developed a formula that sure fire works for this shell I live in. I secretly think my body wants a permanent vacation on the beach in Hawaii, but who’s doesn’t?? So chronic illness changed it all for me. What I thought I could “control” with food, hitting it hard at the gym, and my ability to change my choices and behaviors, I really can’t. All those things I knew oh-so-well were all back firing on me, and in some cases, making me worse! While I can control my behavior, I cannot quite control what crazy stuff is happening on the inside. You see, the illnesses and pathogens themselves have their own mission, and we while we live in the same body, we are not on the same page. I’m learning that maybe it’s okay that I can’t control “it”. I don’t have to enable it, but I don’t have to feel like a loser because I can’t get my body to do things that other healthy bodies can do. I’m opening up to all different avenues of healing. I’ve grown leaps and bounds in understanding the metaphysical world that’s actually not tied to physical bodies at all. I’ve opened up my mind to new ideas, new perspectives, and new realms that are more than just focusing on what I eat when and what weight I lift. Don’t get me wrong, I still “like” that stuff, but I see myself as more than that now. So, while chronic illness is a total bummer, it’s actually been pretty enlightening. No way would I have ever gone on this particular journey of health and wellness if my body functioned like “normal”. Why would I have even bothered? I was perfectly content in my pre-lymes (non) spiritual life, lifting weights and eating salad. While most days, I just wish my body felt great, I have to remember that I’m grateful for all other things this experience has brought into my life. It’s shaped me in all new ways, personally, professional, and spiritually. It’s easy to get down on yourself. Trust me, I do. But, life isn’t really about being down. The vibration is really low down there. It’s about elevating yourself. Learn, grow, expand, live, breathe. Great things happen at the top! And while I’m not ready to settle in and say I’m okay with how I look or feel, I am okay with the journey I’m on to feeling, and being, outstanding! - Cheryl -Sometimes the start is the hard part. I always find myself feeling judged when I start something new…but typically I am the one holding the gavel! If you had to start something for yourself today that you have always wanted to but you think is silly or unattainable what would you start? As you start things in life, especially if they are for yourself or your personal gain it’s so easy to talk yourself out of it. I always wonder if I have eaten a very small negative woman as I gained this weight. I hear her voice echo so often throughout every ounce of my body. She often says “what makes you think things will be different now?”, “You really think this is going to work?”, “Would you look at yourself, you can’t do that!”. I have let her win so many of my inner arguments because despite knowing that she is misinformed and knowing my spirit is stronger than that, I am just tired when it comes to proving her wrong just for my benefit. She can’t tell me anything about my husband, my kids, my family, my students or my friends without me sending her blessings as I pray her away and speak positivity over every situation that comes our way. But as soon as I attempt doing something for myself it seems as if this fake voice becomes amplified and I am suddenly comfortably submissive. She’s really the best manipulator I have ever known. She even turns triumphs into question if you don’t keep her in check. Weighing over 300lbs I signed up for the Disney Half Marathon, almost on a whim. A few close friends were going down for a marathon and I thought “I want to run”. I was actually working on a project at the time for weight loss with a reality show and working with two trainers. One of the trainers felt very strongly about me not training at all for the run because of risk of injury. So I never ran prior to getting to the start line that morning. It seems ridiculous to even say that right? All of my training for the run was walking with my kids in a double stroller and visualization. I got to that start line that morning and couldn’t help but feel intimidated. I very vividly remember thinking that Nike wouldn’t make running pants in my size if people my size could not in fact run! I had no faith in my competitive nature or natural athletic ability; I was very in the natural that morning. If the pants fit I must be a runner! I ran for five miles without ever breaking stride. When I got to mile marker five I felt like I really needed water so I sort of tiptoe ran through a water station (talk about something you need to practice, the first cup landed all over my chest, I slowed down and became a little more purposeful with cup number two). I remember thinking that I needed to just keep moving forward. I didn’t care if I was the last one to cross the finish line; I just wanted to cross it. So move I did. But around mile marker seven I saw the women with the balloons. They were the people I needed to keep up with if I wanted to keep running, if they got out of Magic Kingdom before me that meant I could no longer run. I watched them pass me and I felt so crushed. In crept that voice “Ha, I told you so!”; I wanted to lay down and cry. I kept moving though because I thought I had a chance that maybe they would let me go past the check point if I looked like I was still going for it. Well I crossed mile marker eight and there were buses and vans waiting for us to get on so they could drive us to the end. It was the only time in my life I didn’t want a ride and here it was flashing at me while security blocked the road forcing me to get on. I was so sad. My husband, who ran by my side the entire time, kept saying that he couldn’t believe I ran five miles without stopping for anything. I believed him that it was a great accomplishment, so on the outside I was faux proud of myself. On the inside that voice was killing all my half attempts at finding joy. When we got back to the hotel I showered and cried myself to sleep, woke up and cried again because I felt like I wasn’t good enough. I am not sure who I wasn’t good enough for; I was the only one who suggested that I run in the first place. In hindsight, who the F starts their relationship with running by attempting a half marathon anyway? The truth is that voice was wrong. She was quiet for the whole race until I was convinced I wasn’t going to be allowed to finish. Up until that point she was scared and intimidated. I was proving her wrong with every step I took that day. She easily flipped the script and fed off of the steps I didn’t take and used them to chip away at my joy. Sadly I have never run any measurable distance that day. I really just gave up and tucked that experience away as a loss. It’s been 6 years which seems like an incredible amount of time to have passed. I have learned to harness my thoughts and command them to the positive. I have also learned that it’s really okay to pray for myself and ask for things that I have no reason in the natural to believe that I can achieve. When I look back now think of all the steps I took! I haven’t met too many people my size that know without a doubt that they can run five miles without hesitation. I know I can. I am lacing up my sneakers again with purpose and learning that every step I take is a meaningful one. What are you going to start doing for yourself to silence that voice today? -Eileen Rev your engine…the holiday season is here!
It’s very easy to drive your goals right into a ditch during the holiday season. There are so many stressors around to be dealt with or seemingly ignored depending on your personality. For most there are deadlines for the end of year at work, dealing with family drama or perhaps a sense of loss during this season. When you pair that with endless baked goods lying around, parties to attend every weekend, colder temperatures and less hours in the daylight your goals can get lost in the traffic. With emotions running high, a lack of energy and poor food choices at every turn it’s very easy to crash. One of these alone would be tough enough to notice and address but once you’re in the ditch it’s hard to see your way back on to Wellness Avenue. Step one is to put yourself first! If you are responding yes to parties that make you break out into cold sweats, just say NO it’s okay to skip it. If you can’t go out for drinks after work because that means you miss your workout it’s okay to be honest. Say something like “I would love to come and spend time with everyone but I have an appointment I can’t miss”. If parties make you throw eating limitations out the window go in with a plan. Bring a safe appetizer with you so you know you have something to pick on. Remind yourself that you are there to visit with people not food. I know that sounds ridiculous but in all reality it’s very easy to consume a full days worth of calories inside of two hours if you’re not careful about choices. If you know that you have zero will power and can’t manage to control the eating at the very least always opt for water. I have never been to a party where water was not being served. Water can save you thousands of calories throughout a night by both filling your stomach to give you the temporary satiation you’re seeking and by replacing sugary options like alcohol and sodas. When you are at work feeling stressed try to avoid the staff lounge. I know for myself the lounge will hold what I call “unnecessary calories”. What I mean by unnecessary calories is food that will bring you no real benefit. Cookies, cakes, donuts, coffee, pretzels and the like do not support your body function in the way you want it to. I am all for indulging but do it with high quality ingredients, make sure you really treat yourself. Bring your lunch to your desk every day or take yourself out to a place you know you won’t go wrong. But don’t put yourself in a position to make poor choices. If you were a luxury car that required premium gasoline would you pull up to the pump and fill it up regular? Your body is far more important than any car on the market and is meant to last a very long time. Stop filling it with regular products and make sure you invest in yourself by making a few decisions every day to put yourself first. Even during the hustle of the holiday season please don’t forget your own importance! -Eileen |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
April 2019
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