Call it Recess

Moving the body is just as important as moving the mind.  When we were kids, we loved it.  It was play, and we had excess energy to burn, so it made a whole lot of sense.  As adults, it can feel very different when responsibilities and jobs and mortgages get in the way.

This is not ok, because the benefits of exercise are enormous.  Exercise is a great break for your mind.  Stepping away from all the cognitive "heavy lifting" that you do on your device makes you more productive when you return.  Exercise helps relieve stress.  Exercise gives us more body confidence and body positivity.  Exercise can lift the mood and regulate emotion.  Exercise is simply a part of a healthy lifestyle.  And, the good news is that it all counts.  Steps, washing the car, cleaning the house, raking leaves, dog walking, aqua aerobics, Walk 15, etc.  It also adds up.  Every ten minute burst is a boost in the right direction, so that by the end of the day you can add it all up and feel a sense of accomplishment. 

Why not make exercise feel like recess?  Why not call it recess?  When I teach yoga, I often tell my students that their yoga practice IS recess.  It's our fun time to be in our "play clothes" and move around in a group of like minded people.  It even sounds like recess.  If you can make it fun, you can look forward to it.  Then, you are much more likely to keep it up.

We are life long learners, and we can also be life long exercisers.  Define what that means for you, and commit to it.  Commit to yourself.  Make time for recess, and when the bell rings, you go have fun.

Puzzle Your Problems to Reset Goals

Goals are the reasons why we do things.  We want certain things like income and benefits, so we seek employment.  We go to work even when we feel less than optimal, because we are highly motivated to get paid, to support ourselves, our family, our lifestyle.  Even on those occasions when we aren't feeling 100% great about our job, we are always feeling 100% great about getting paid for doing our job.  

When it comes to other things, simpler things like house projects or going to the gym, we may have good intentions, but when it comes time to execute the plan, something unexpected can get in the way.  Maybe you don't feel great, so painting a bedroom is not going to happen this weekend.  Maybe you are especially stressed after work, and you forgot to pack your gym bag, so you go home instead and then get comfortable.   

We plan and set goals when we envision our very best selves taking over.  We are optimistic and forward thinking.  However, a lot can happen between the time you set your goal to the time you are supposed to act on your goal.  What often gets in the way is friction--unexpected obstacles.  The solution to this problem is to unravel the circumstances and consider exactly what got in the way.  Not trash talking to yourself is critical.  The more you focus on the fact that you didn't do what you set out to do--the worse you feel--the less motivated you are.  

I think one of the toughest truths to accept with goal setting is that it is harder to execute a plan than it is to make a plan.  Think about a goal of eating one slice of pizza when everyone else is indulging.  That's hard.  That goes against natural instincts--eat with the tribe--do what your friends are doing--be cohesive.  That piece of the puzzle doesn't fit or feel good.  The only way we can execute that plan is if we focus on what we want more instead of on what we want in the moment.  We must remember our "why" for what we are doing.  We also can't be too hungry, otherwise all bets are off when primal instincts take over.  We also have to have a strong plan to fill up on salad, eat the one slice of pizza and get away from the rest of the pizza.  Whew... that's a major feat.  

This week, take a look at one of your goals (eat less sugar, exercise three times a week, track daily, no snacking after dinner, etc.) and consider what is it that is making it so difficult to achieve.  Keep puzzling this through until you get to the honest answer.  That answer may be--I just don't feel like it.  Then, reconsider what a more achievable goal might look like instead.  A "Plan B" might be executed more often than a Plan A.  And that's A-OK.

Fruits and Veggies

Eating with the seasons and eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is always going to be the healthy way to go.  Unfortunately, most people around the world--yes, the world--are not getting enough.  In fact, it is recommended that most adults double their fruit and veggie consumption.  

With so many options, it can be a simple matter of getting frozen and fresh vegetables in the house every single week.  Trying a new preparation, like roasting vegetables or fruits like peaches and pineapple can make eating the rainbow more appealing.  Adding new spices or herbs can also make a common veggie like carrots seem more appealing--e.g. roasting multi-color carrots with dried thyme.  That's one of my favorites.  Furthermore, it is so easy--sheet pan cooking.

This week I am committed to trying something new.  That means dragon fruit for the first time for me.  I encourage you to pay more attention to this food group.  Increase your servings of fruits and veggies.  Discover a new recipe or preparation.  Snack on jicama with a low point or zero point dip.

See what it does for you, your energy level and your sense of fullness.  

Stress Less

Everyone feels stress, and we Americans feel it more than others around the world.  Maybe it is our work ethic, our on-demand culture, our Mc-Quick-have it your way attitude?  Whatever the reason, this is a health problem that can lead to weight gain, sleeplessness and sickness to name a few.

While we cannot eliminate stress entirely, we can manage our reaction to it.  This is where the power is.  Personal power.  For starters, consider the situations, times of day, people in your world who bring stress.  Consider how you react presently, in these circumstances.  Consider what you have ever done in the past to calm yourself down, self regulate and manage your stress. 

Many of us, including yours truly, have managed stress by eating sweets or high calorie carbs in response to stress.  Stress makes us crave junky food and retain belly fat. There's always junky snacks available, and it's socially acceptable to eat practically all the time.  Except, now that we are looking for self improvement, weight loss or maintenance and good health, this doesn't work.  We cannot continue to use food to stuff feelings, manage emotional situations or deal with loss and disappointment. 

Exercise is my favorite way to relieve stress.  It is a physical thing I can do with my body to get out of my mind.  By exercising regularly, I am automatically pre-managing my stress.  After sixteen years of doing this, I can honestly say the grouch in me comes out if I haven't been able to do my workouts and practice yoga and play qi gong. 

Meditation, as in breathe in deeply through the nose and out through the nose, is an internal switch we all have that tells the body to stop producing cortisol and adrenalin and slow down.  This is the antidote to stress, an engagement of the parasympathetic nervous system.  Traffic, hospital situations, waiting in long lines--these are all places where the power of the invisible breath can take over.

This week, really consider how you can channel your energy into a positive response to a stressor and make a plan.  See what it does for you.  See how many calories you can save yourself by not eating to cope.  See how it makes you feel, and then give yourself credit for making a change!

Take Stock and Rewind

Our days are made up of so many choices.  Some of those choices we can be happy about because they align with the person we want to be, our values, our intentions.  On the other hand, some of those choices we may not be happy about because they keep us stuck in old patterns of thinking and doing.  They detract from our quality of life.

The trick is to rewind the tape and identify where are things going right and where are things going wrong?  Then, rewind the tape even more.  How did that good decision about going to the gym early in the morning even happen?  Maybe you went to bed earlier the night before.  Maybe you promised a friend you would meet at the gym at a certain time.  Maybe you set out your gym clothes and work attire so that you would have no excuses for skipping the gym...  Then rewind the tape again and realize how you felt having done what you intended to.  How did it make your day go?  What was the payoff?  Repeat!

Alternatively, hitting the rewind button works for bad habits too.  Consider the nightly dinner challenge.  What are we having?  What is there to make?  How long will it take?  The time to plan dinner is not at dinner.  The time to plan is over the weekend during a big grocery shopping trip or when making a food delivery order.  Rewind to discover how that planning may have broken down?  Rewind again to notice what circumstances led up to it?  Maybe you went out of town and were too tired to grocery shop when you got back and now you've been doing take out for three days since.  STOP.  Consider what you can do now--knowing that when you are tired and away for the weekend when you normally shop or order, you need to have a PLAN B in place so that you can be successful with dinners.  That's it.  Promise yourself that next time, you will follow through on your PLAN B so that you can be more successful.

I am breaking a bad habit I've developed at the grocery store by using this rewind technique.  I realized that even before I go to the grocery store, I give myself permission to buy a small baggie of bulk candy.  I don't want to be buying bulk candy every time I am there, so I am consciously NOT giving myself permission when I go.

Pick one thing this week to focus on, and find yourself being more successful, happier and more fulfilled.  Then REPEAT.