Hi Reader,
Springtime is here. Well, for some of us it is. Sorry to those of you who continually get snow even though it is APRIL!
With the arrival of spring comes the desire to work in the yard, be more active outside, enjoy more community or family events, plant those gardens or plants in the ground.
I know we are looking forward to finding new trails to hike, bike the trails around us, tending to some beautiful flowers and get out on the waters around us to kayak. We are also looking forward to chilling out at a few new restaurants we have been wanting to try, checking out area events and hanging out with friends.
Being able to want to do all those activities in the spring/summer keeps us working hard at staying conditioned and strong all year long. We choose to consistently go to the gym even though our lives can be super busy. We choose to make the time for our health so when the time comes our physical fitness will be challenged we are ready.
The best thing about exercise? Even if you haven't chosen to exercise or take care of your health over the past year or years, it's NEVER too late. You can start right now!
You absolutely CAN start now, be ready for your summer fun plans and then be really ready for next year's springtime activities.
What will you choose?
Now for your 1% better ideas for your
physical, nutrition and well-being aspect of your life.
Physical
Get out there for that walk. I know I keep mentioning it but this is something that will keep you moving well into your aging years.
Remember Newton's first law of motion? An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
Yep, applies to our bodies and minds too. If we do not move our bodies, they will stop moving. We get stiff, sore and achy like an un-oiled tin man every day. I know some feel like that and you DO NOT have to.
Aim for a minimum of 20 minutes per day. If you can only start at 5 min per day due to physical reasons or time reasons- do 5 min. Gradually work up based on your capabilities. I know it seems finding 20 minutes is tough but the alternative is to start to feel rusty, creaky, stiff and sore.
Do you need to say- no I cannot help right now but I can in 30 minutes?
Or get up 20 minutes early (yes even if you don't feel like it) and go for a walk, it will help your day go better overall.
Do you get caught up in work and don't move out of your chair? Set a time for every hour to walk around for 5 min. Your brain needs the rest.
Take your kids with you, they need to walk too!
Don't have a place to walk? Walk in your home, walk at the mall, walk in the halls at work, walk anywhere you can.
Are you sitting there watching TV?- Get up and go for a walk.
There are always ways to get that walk in BUT you have to make it an intentional thing, it isn't going to just magically happen.
Nutrition
Spring is the time of year we start to think about gardens(or not if that's not your thing) but it is the time of year we get our fresh veggies going. This week, let's work on getting 1 more cup of vegetables than you normally do in a day.
You can have your veggies raw eating them as a snack
You can add a salad for dinner, eating a little less of that potato and more veggie. FYI, your salad should consist of more than just iceburg lettuce. Iceburg lettuce has very low nutrient value so try for Romaine- it has the same texture and crisp with many more nutrients. Add some leafy greens in for even more nutrient value- if you don't like the leafy feel- try chopping it up into small bites, it helps.
I have used this for years to cut up my lettuce and love it
If you are one of those who hates veggies, and yes I do know a handful of people who will not eat a vegetable, there are options for you. This option isn't ideal but if you struggle getting the nutrients you need that come in veggies you can take a greens drink. You can add these to a protein drink to make them more palatable, you can get flavored kinds that take that "Greens" edge off.
Remember, adding just that 1 cup of greens will help you get in the right direction of feeling better just 1% each day.
Well-Being
This week pick 3 days you get 10 minutes of YOU time. Alone, quiet- NO PHONE OR TV or other distractions. This could be at your lunch break, this could be right before bed, this could be getting up 10 min early and sitting quietly. It could be sitting in your car in the parking lot before you leave work.
These 10 minutes are incredibly important to keeping your sanity, your calm, your mind. When my clients work on this as part of the program, they ALL tell me how much they enjoy it, they look forward to it and realize how important it is.
If you struggle getting 10 min 3 times a week, we need to assess why. Do you have too much on your plate, are you saying yes to people and things that can either be put off for another time or maybe even be said no to?
We tend to overbook ourselves as a way to not think, when we are stressed, we add more so we don't have to deal with the stress. When we are sad, we numb our minds with distractions so we don't have to think about the sadness.
We eat too much because we are not mentally feeling well. Or are we saying yes to everyone so we feel needed/wanted. It is ok to say no to something that may put you over the edge, not allowing you to take care of yourself.
All those feelings and emotions get buried and then all of the sudden erupt one day, or we bury ourselves away from the world because we feel too overwhelmed. Things start to feel like too much to deal with so we just don't deal with it.
When we take 10 minutes to sit and be quiet, our brain has time to process through (and yes this sucks sometimes) so we can be our best for the rest of the time.
Lets get out there and be the best version of ourselves this week.
Have a great day Reader,
Get That Goal!
Until next time friend,
Thank you for telling your friends and family about
Goal Oriented Health & Fitness so we can help them too!
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