There are a lot of “F” words in our lives, but the focus of this newsletter is on one of my favorites, FITNESS!
If you’d like to see me talk about this live, and gain the opportunity for coaching or group support and results, I am pleased to announce the Your Life – Live it Well Health and Nutrition Transforming Boot Camp on June 27, 2009 at the Chicago Hilton/Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, Illinois.
We’ve all heard the expression, “less is more.” Sometimes less is less and more is more. Sometimes when we lose something we gain something and vice versa. The key here is balance. Balance is individual, that’s right, it’s not a math problem! Balance is an overused way of saying that our lives should be allocated according to our needs and wants. For the purposes of this newsletter, we are focusing on fitting in more fitness for more health. The “balance” equations today would look like the following:
- More FITNESS = More HEALTH
- More FIT = Less FAT
- Come to class and lose your a** (I couldn’t resist! I had to add this one because it was the favorite motto for my famed “Butts and Guts” class when I was in the fitness biz)
One great example of less is more is in connection with clutter. It’s been about two months since my “Spring Cleaning” newsletter hit your mailbox. Have you taken the time to “de-clutter” your physical and technical space and breathe? If not, take the opportunity to continue and to reinforce the habit of cleaning your space. That’s right, less clutter = more space. What’s not to like about that? This transformation of your home or office will literally transform your life! Your expanded space will provide you with more than you realize. It will provide additional energy for adding fitness to your equation. Now that you’ve cleaned your place, you probably even have more room for exercise and meditation. Positive mental food!
We are spirits having a human existence. How are you treating your spirit and the vehicle that your spirit is travelling in? What kind of physical and mental food are you feeding yourself? Just what is the recipe for physical and mental fitness? How would it feel to be more energetic? How would it feel to be inspired, rather than depressed, when you look in a mirror? How would it feel to be free of asking the question or wondering, “Does this make me look fat?”
Welcome to my Fitpiphany™! Let’s talk about what I call fitgredients to becoming healthy and fit both mentally and physically. First of all, you should know that mental and physical fitness are dependent upon each other and that getting fit is as much about what you give up as what you add, both mentally and physically!
Think of your favorite recipe, if you change just one ingredient, it’s likely to change the entire quality of the dish! What is currently in your recipe book? Where do you begin? Your thoughts, that’s where!
As you may or may not know, we life-coaches are personal trainers for your brain. Lucky for you, I have a split personality! I’ve been both a personal trainer (I formerly owned and managed 2 fitness studios) and I am now a life-coach!
Brain Training for Success
Let’s talk first about mental fitness. But first, some things to keep in mind:
- The way you think and feel about yourself is what determines your level of personal power and energy more than any other factor.
- Successful people think about what they want, most of the time. What are you thinking about, most of the time?
- Successful people are generally optimists. Optimists have a couple of wonderful qualities.
- They are unrealistically optimistic and they have a higher expectation of success than do less optimistic people.
- They are willing to try far more things than the average folks. It’s like magic, the more you try, the more you succeed. Just ask someone like Michael Jordan. While he is one of the most phenomenal hoop-men of our time, he also holds a record number of missed baskets!
- Optimistic thoughts are positive and therefore, anabolic. Negative thoughts are catabolic. Your biochemical reactions are directly related to your thoughts. Quite simply put, positive thoughts empower you and make you stronger. What’s not to like about that?
Here are some ways to change your focus to the positive:
- Gratitude-By focusing on the things that we are thankful for in life, we are automatically focusing on the positive. The universe loves a grateful heart. Create a gratitude journal and start or end your day by writing new things to be thankful for each day. You might be surprised by how blessed you are.
- Forgiveness-By unloading the weight of the past, you are already freeing yourself! Those grudges and resentments that you may be carrying add a great deal of mental “weight.” Put your life in fast-forward mode by practicing forgiveness of everyone. Most of all, forgive you!
- Goals-By establishing goals, your focus becomes on those the things that you want. Start a goal list and add to it each day. Think about questions like:
- What do you really want?
- Why do you want it?
- Where do you really want to go?
- What do you really want to do?
- Who do you really want to be?
Physical Training for Success
And now for the physical side of the equation!
Perhaps one of the goals to include your goal list is a goal to live a long and healthy life. When you change your focus by establishing such a goal, you will automatically move toward the actions that you need to take in order to live a long and healthy life. Sounds simple enough, but depending on how you are living now, it may be a little work.
Give it Up!
It’s time to know what you need to give up, the habits you need to kick, in order to get healthy. That’s right, it’s the less is more, or in some of these cases, none = more in terms of overall health and fitness levels.
The first step is evaluating what you are consuming and what you are doing and if those habits need to change for you to achieve your optimal body shape and weight to become healthy. Here is a short list to guide you:
Cigarettes
How about those cigarettes? We’ve heard the excuse, but I’ll gain weight if I quit. News, smoking, along with being a stinky, disgusting & expensive habit, is downright unhealthy. It has been proven to cause cancer, alter your body chemistry, and totally change your taste buds. It could be one of the reasons you are eating a not-so-good diet!
Alcohol
Guess what else you need to eliminate. Yep, you guessed it, alcohol. Habitual drinking equals empty calories, acid and FAT.
Junk Food
This is no surprise. Junk food becomes more attractive by the second. Don’t think you can get skinny on junk food, regardless of a “fat-free” or “low-fat” on the package. What do they replace the fat with? You guessed it, sugar and chemicals.
Sugar creates an acidic environment in your body. Your body creates fat cells in response to its acidic environment. Hmmmm….aren’t you trying to reduce fat cells?
Being Sedentary
Last I checked, a sedentary lifestyle does not lend itself to losing weight! You’ve gotta’ move it to lose it! While eating properly will dramatically improve your health, your body and all other aspects of your life, when done in conjunction with a solid exercise program, sensible supplementation and support, you will be in 7th heaven every time you look in the mirror! It’s time to give up the couch and start shaking your groove thing!
Sleepless Nights
I know, on one hand I am telling you to get up and move, and now I am telling you to sleep. It’s a bit confusing, isn’t it? There are some really dramatic studies that link not getting enough sleep to obesity. We are beginning to realize that the quantity and the quality of our sleep affects our appetite in ways that we never dreamed! When you are sleep-deprived, your body produces low levels of leptin and high levels of ghrelin, two hormones that affect how full you feel. Once you begin sleeping 7 to 8 hours every night, you will be much less likely to overeat and you will lose weight!
Add it!
In making the right choices, you will notice obvious physical changes. You will notice the psychological and physiological changes as well. Expect:
- a decreased body fat percentage,
- increased lean muscle mass,
- increased metabolism,
- increased sense of well-being,
- an abundance of energy,
- lower bad and increased good cholesterol levels,
- decreased risk of heart disease, and
- the most important change of all… increased self-confidence.
If you would like to derive the benefits listed above, along with positive, healthy thoughts, you must add the following fit-gredients to your mix:
- Focus on Fitness (think about what you want, picture yourself having more energy or going shopping and getting a smaller size)
- Exercise (Cardio and Resistance Training)
- Nutrition (quality food intake and right supplements)
- Sleep
- Support (either a coach, friend, family or a group)
Reaching your fitness goals will take effort and dedication. You must have the right mind-set. If you have goals to lose or to gain weight, the attainment of those goals is up to you. If you need a support group or person to stay motivated – get one. Commit to doing whatever it takes to become healthy. Find a positive and supportive individual or group that you can depend on to work with you every step of the way. One where you know you’ll receive expert nutritional and fitness guidance, while being motivated and held accountable to stay focused as you progress through your program. However, it is important to realize that ultimately, only you have the ability to make sure you follow your program to the best of your ability in order to experience maximum results.