Life has this sneaky way of slipping and throwing curved balls left and right. Life will always happen. There will always be a busy day at work or family problems or ups and downs in relationships or sick children. Once the conflict arises, it seems that the health and fitness routines go haywire. We are looking for comfort food or we just don't want to move. These are the things that help us stay clear and balanced in body and mind! So what do we do when a conflict hits us in the face (and it happens to everyone so if you are reading this - you are not alone)? Avoiding conflict is not reasonable as we cannot always control what happens to us. Determining how to navigate through all the problems is what has to happen to stay on track.
I think so many times we approach our health and fitness goals with an "all or nothing" mindset. For example, you might think your day wasted because you gave up your diet with an unhealthy meal or snack. Or, you decided not to train today because you couldn't do the allotted 60 minutes that you had planned. Instead of doing something, you may have chosen nothing at all. You gave up on the second day of 30 days of clean meals. Do any of these sounds sound familiar to you? It doesn't have to be all or nothing and something is better than nothing. My tips below could give you an overview of how to reach your health and fitness goals even when life throws you a curveball.
My philosophy is nurturing, movement, state of mind. If we can work to nourish our body, move it consciously and maintain a healthy attitude, we can function a little better day by day, week by week, month by month and finally adopt healthy habits regularly than we have to reach total body balance.
1. Feed.
Focus on one small thing at a time. Just start and work from there. Do not expect to change your eating habits overnight. Small changes made day after day, week after week and so on can lead to very big changes. So choose a small nutritional action and practice it for one to two weeks before adding a new change.
Examples: work on portion control (regardless of the quality of the food), add a colorful food to each meal, take 15 minutes to prepare the healthy food of tomorrow or omit your sweet snack after dinner (replace it with a healthy alternative). You can eat slowly and chew your food completely or focus on balancing your meals so that you have protein, carbohydrates and fat with each meal. Omitting processed foods from one or two meals a day is also another great option. These are just a few examples, but it's up to you to determine what small step you can take to improve your nutrition.
2. Movement.
Take advantage of the time you have. Create space in the small pockets of your time. We are obsessed with time so often that we don't realize that a little bit is always better than nothing. For example, it is easy to think that you should train in 30 minutes to 1 hour. Wouldn't 15 minutes of this workout be better than nothing? The answer is yes! They are in a hurry and what you can, when you can.
Get unconventional. Maybe you don't have time to train. Do what you can with what you have. Maybe you take the stairs that day instead of the elevator. Park in the parking lot furthest from the building (gasp!) To take a few more steps. Get up from your desk and take a walk for one minute every 15 or 20 minutes. Run to the playground with your children. The movement doesn't always have to take the form of a 30-minute HIIT workout. It can be moving and active - outdoors or indoors. In what ways can you make more movement?
Move in full awareness. Pay close attention to your body and what it is trying to tell you. Your body and energy levels will fluctuate from day to day, so enjoy more vigorous workouts when you can and also add active recovery, lighter workouts or even yoga or stretching if necessary.
3. State of mind.
Don't give up. Don't throw in the towel to eat well and move your body. It seems easy to take the "all or nothing" approach but it is not necessary. Something is always better than nothing, don't fight! Life ebbs and flows for everyone. See where you are right now and what you can do right now.
The most important thing is to honor where you are. Only you know what you are capable of at this stage of your life. Make sure that the small steps you take are 100% achievable for you and your lifestyle. Small steps in time can make a big difference.
I think so many times we approach our health and fitness goals with an "all or nothing" mindset. For example, you might think your day wasted because you gave up your diet with an unhealthy meal or snack. Or, you decided not to train today because you couldn't do the allotted 60 minutes that you had planned. Instead of doing something, you may have chosen nothing at all. You gave up on the second day of 30 days of clean meals. Do any of these sounds sound familiar to you? It doesn't have to be all or nothing and something is better than nothing. My tips below could give you an overview of how to reach your health and fitness goals even when life throws you a curveball.
My philosophy is nurturing, movement, state of mind. If we can work to nourish our body, move it consciously and maintain a healthy attitude, we can function a little better day by day, week by week, month by month and finally adopt healthy habits regularly than we have to reach total body balance.
1. Feed.
Focus on one small thing at a time. Just start and work from there. Do not expect to change your eating habits overnight. Small changes made day after day, week after week and so on can lead to very big changes. So choose a small nutritional action and practice it for one to two weeks before adding a new change.
Examples: work on portion control (regardless of the quality of the food), add a colorful food to each meal, take 15 minutes to prepare the healthy food of tomorrow or omit your sweet snack after dinner (replace it with a healthy alternative). You can eat slowly and chew your food completely or focus on balancing your meals so that you have protein, carbohydrates and fat with each meal. Omitting processed foods from one or two meals a day is also another great option. These are just a few examples, but it's up to you to determine what small step you can take to improve your nutrition.
2. Movement.
Take advantage of the time you have. Create space in the small pockets of your time. We are obsessed with time so often that we don't realize that a little bit is always better than nothing. For example, it is easy to think that you should train in 30 minutes to 1 hour. Wouldn't 15 minutes of this workout be better than nothing? The answer is yes! They are in a hurry and what you can, when you can.
Get unconventional. Maybe you don't have time to train. Do what you can with what you have. Maybe you take the stairs that day instead of the elevator. Park in the parking lot furthest from the building (gasp!) To take a few more steps. Get up from your desk and take a walk for one minute every 15 or 20 minutes. Run to the playground with your children. The movement doesn't always have to take the form of a 30-minute HIIT workout. It can be moving and active - outdoors or indoors. In what ways can you make more movement?
Move in full awareness. Pay close attention to your body and what it is trying to tell you. Your body and energy levels will fluctuate from day to day, so enjoy more vigorous workouts when you can and also add active recovery, lighter workouts or even yoga or stretching if necessary.
3. State of mind.
Don't give up. Don't throw in the towel to eat well and move your body. It seems easy to take the "all or nothing" approach but it is not necessary. Something is always better than nothing, don't fight! Life ebbs and flows for everyone. See where you are right now and what you can do right now.
The most important thing is to honor where you are. Only you know what you are capable of at this stage of your life. Make sure that the small steps you take are 100% achievable for you and your lifestyle. Small steps in time can make a big difference.