This popped up on my phone. I don’t even know how I got this data on my Garmin.
But hey, I’ll take it! Made this 52-year-old pretty happy.
Consistency Over Intensity
fitness
Le Corps
Don’t ever – ever – take your health for granted.
Form dissolves over time. It is inevitable. But take care of your body as much as you can because it’s the only vehicle for your soul.
Antidote to Complaining
I do like Under Armour’s motto.
A Clean Diet
There’s lots of talk about “clean diets.” If you want to start eating well, but don’t know where to begin, look to the Mediterranean Diet. It’s one of the most universally agreed upon regimens for feeling good:
Key components of the Mediterranean diet*
- Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts
- Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
- Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
- Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month
- Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week
- Enjoying meals with family and friends
- Drinking red wine in moderation (optional)
- Getting plenty of exercise
(I would add: limit caffeine, sugar and fried foods).
*From The Mayo Clinic
Sunday Suggestion
Joined the gym with my teenage daughters today
They both told me they wanted to start exercising (!)
We ran on the treadmill, lifted some weights…shared some laughs
Over dinner, Josie (16 and perenially anxious) said, “Wow, I feel so relaxed.”
So my suggestion today is to do something different with your kids. Put work aside and talk, laugh and move.
If Only…
The 15-year-old daughter says, “I want to start going to the gym.”
Incredulous, I ask, “Are you sure you want to go to the gym?”
“Well, I want the effects of going to the gym. Is there a pill out there that tastes like watermelon Jolly Rancher that will make me look like I work out?”
Things That Are Good Bruised*
“A bad day for your ego is a great day for your soul.”
Jillian Michaels
*(and bananas for banana bread)
Appetite
My husband of twenty-one years decided to lose weight. At 6′, he was at his all-time high of 220 lbs. The impetus for change? He saw a picture of himself that a friend took and didn’t like what he saw.
There are several ways to slim down: cut calories, increase physical activity (exercise!) or both. Hubby is choosing to cut calories. Through research, he’s discovered that in order to reach his target weight of 180 lbs, he cannot go over 2,000 calories.
2,000 calories to a man who has eaten anything he wanted whenever he wanted is a drastic change.
In the past two months, he has stuck to this limit most of the time. He’s now down to 204 lbs. and finds the sacrifice worth it.
As with most things in life, what you do consistently will yield results: both good and not so good. When he chooses to eat a big slice of cake or ice cream, he foregoes dinner.
Doing the right thing is most painful when we think of our appetites in terms of what we are sacrificing, but we usually succeed when we focus on what we “gain.”
The Body
Sitting around or lying around all day makes you weak. (Livestrong.com)
With the pervasive use of screen time, people are being increasingly physically passive. I heard this quote the other day that rang so true to me:
The body will become better at whatever you do, or don’t do. You don’t move? The body will make you better at NOT moving. If you move, your body will allow more movement.
— Ido Portal
Exercise, we all know, is good for the heart and the bones. It keeps your blood pressure in check.
As we train our newly adopted pitbull mix, I wanted to ensure we handled aggression in her properly.
“Dog exercise burns the dog’s excess energy and helps maintain the dog’s healthy state of mind. This is important because, in order to talk to the mind, you need to remove the energy from the body.”
Cesar Milan
I can totally relate to this! I need to exercise and (re)move energy in my body so that my mind can work better as well. Perhaps more humans (especially in cars and on the Internet) would be less aggressive if they exercised daily.
In the end, you only have one body and it’s your sole vehicle for moving about in this world. Help your body take you where you want to go.
Guilt as Motivation
I’ve noticed that I have been using guilt to motivate myself to exercise. It didn’t dawn on me until recently that this could be different.
The moment I wake up, I feel a bit of dread and (sub-consciously) give myself permission to feel good only AFTER I work out. But can I train myself to look forward to working out?
When I spoke about this to friends and family, most responded with, “Of course, that’s the only way it can be when it comes to doing tasks what we don’t enjoy!” However, I suspect it’s not the only way…
Changing my motivation to a more positive approach would also help me with willpower in general. If I positively anticipate training, then I utilize no willpower, which is a limited source. I can then apply willpower to that piece of cake in front of me.
Kismet 