- Fail to plan – plan to fail. This should be straight forward. If the daily menu and exercise plan is not given consideration prior to the morning that you want to exercise then other daily life events can seem to take precedent. Put it in your phone as an appointment. You’re important! Treat your schedule accordingly.
- Set realistic goals. The weight gain didn’t come on in 2 weeks so losing it in the same time is not practical. Hoping to run a marathon in 2 weeks without prior training could end in a hospital visit.
- Keep yourself accountable or find a support system that will help. Use a friend, spouse, personal trainer, or whomever you think can help. Even some Facebook groups can help keep you on track. Motivational podcasts like can also keep the focus where needed. Apps can serve as reminders.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself. If a goal isn’t reached learn from it a move forward. Persistence will win out.
- Spend at least 15 minutes a day doing something you love. Many of us fill the day with doing things for others and put our needs last. Will this eventually show up as a food/alcohol binge as it is ‘deserved’ for all you have done for others?
- Complete avoidance of food you love will eventually result in failure.
If it doesn’t show up in an eventual binge of that food then another similar outlet is usually sought. Getting healthy shouldn’t be synonymous with torture and deprivation. - Keeping blood sugar level may require eating every 2-3 hours. No need to feel ‘hangry’ and lethargic.
- If you train hard then rest hard. Hard exercise has an inverse relationship with rest. The harder the exercise then the less frequent you do it.
- Listen to your body – it has no capability of lying. Chronic headaches or muscle aches are not a medication deficiency. Do you need to rest? Exercise? Go to bed? See your doctor?
- Follow the 80/20 rule. If you are on track 80% of the time with regards to nutrition and exercise then the body can handle the 20% when you are not.
- Don’t ‘find’ time for exercise – MAKE time. Design it as an appointment like any other business or medical appointment.
- Eat quality food. If you wouldn’t give the food to your 5 year old then why are you eating it? You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken sh!t.
- Just because its ‘normal’ in society to have low energy, poor sleep and live in pain don’t mean you should. Sure there are periods throughout the year where energy and sleep may not be optimal but majority of the time should be
- Working out should help and improve life not define it. Feeling guilty because you missed one workout may be more problematic than missed workouts. Exercising should enable you to do the things you enjoy without hesitation.
- Your body is plan A – there is no plan B.
- Sleep is when the body heals and repairs. Slow healing equals fast aging. If it makes up a third of your life it’s important not to sabotage it. Night time reality shows shouldn’t determine your sleep schedule. Make sleep a priority.
- Try not to skip meals, especially breakfast. The body interprets this as starvation and slows down metabolism accordingly. you may know the kitchen is close but you body does not.
- Take ‘peace points’ during the day. In other words take time for yourself to mentally and physically recharge. This could be a walk in nature or just listening to some of your favorite music. For those of us with small kids getting up 30-60 minutes prior to the kids can serve as of a time of mental vacation and uninterrupted focus.
- Be mindful when you are eating. Eating in front of TV, computer or on the phone can create a detachment with food. With detachment you can lose the concept of amount and enjoyment of the taste itself.
- Try new things. Talk to people with different opinions than you. Every encounter can change how you look at life and with that it will change how you view past events. Being able to take a 360 degree view of problems that arise will allow a broader ability to handle them.
