It’s almost the New Year which means many of us are thinking about stepping up or restarting our workout routines. Before you hit the gym or running trails, I’d like to share a story and a few tips to keep you moving all year long – preventing those pesky injuries that knock us off our game.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Al at the YMCA. I call him Bendy Al because he can do the splits and lay his body flat on the floor… At 62 years old!
In our first conversation, Al told me a story about his last trip to New Orleans; while in a crowd watching the parade he found himself suddenly on the ground. At first, Al thought the overweight man behind him fell on him. To his surprise, Al looked back to see it was a mid-size SUV. Thanks, in part, to his flexibility Al did not sustain any major injuries and just a few bumps and bruises.
A few tips to keep you bendy and injury free:
Workouts include a warm-up and cool-down. Simple movements such as marching in place, arm circles or light jogging can get you get your muscles ready for more intense exercise. Stretching! I tend to recommend warming up your muscles before stretching. Be sure to allot at least 5 minutes of your exercise time to stretch the upper and lower body, holding each stretch for 15-30 seconds. Know your body and be nice to it. If the exercise hurts, listen to your body and modify or stop that movement. Some discomfort is expected. It takes time (and maybe a couple ibuprofen!) to learn how to distinguish. Ease into the program. If you’ve completed p90x or Insanity you are amazing! Those are intense workout programs and not something I would recommend to people just starting or restarting an exercise routine.
Food for thought: Whether you’re thinking about getting active or amping up your workout routine I highly encourage including the tips from above.
Here’s your chance to write down your action plan! How will you be moving this week?
A wise man once told me:
“If you want to make someone happy, do something nice for them; if you want to make yourself happy, do something nice for someone else.” -Andrew Sessions
Now that we are on the other side of Thanksgiving, the holiday season has officially begun!
Starting with Black Friday shopping, followed by small business Saturday and cyber Monday there are many ways to get into the holiday spirit. I am personally most excited for the newest addition in the holiday season: Giving Tuesday.
Tomorrow Tuesday, December 1st is Giving Tuesday, which encourages people to refocus on what the season is really about. They call it the gift of giving because it feels good to give something to someone who wants or needs that gift. Nothing like watching a young child open the long-awaited (enter toy-of-the-year) gift to see the look of sheer delight on their face. Or the words of appreciation by the hungry families at the local food bank. So many ways to give.
Here’s a few ways to give back this Giving Tuesday:
Sharing time –We have so much pulling us in different directions taking our time and energy. When you choose to give some of that to someone that might benefit from a friendly smile or a pleasant conversation you are sharing a generous gift.
Sharing talent – I believe each of us is blessed with a special talent. I was blessed with an enthusiasm for health and fitness, which I try to share with as many people as I can. You have special powers too. How are you sharing them?
Sharing treasure – One way is to donate money to a foundation or nonprofit that you want to support. Or give clothing, shoes and gently used household goods to a donation center or family in need.
Food for thought:
When you go out for holiday gift shopping this season remember the gift you are receiving with each person you celebrate with.
In 5, 10 or 20 years it is unlikely your sister, mom, dad or hard to shop for brother-in-law (not you Jamie!) will remember what you bought them. Instead, it is the memories of the time together and special moments shared.
What is a unique holiday-of-giving tradition you’d like to start with your friends and family this year?
Tis the season to put everything else above your own health. As humans and especially women, we have a tendency to take care of other people’s needs first.
The caretaker mentality does not always translate into taking care of our own needs. While walking in the woods I think how wonderful it is that everybody else on the trail is using this time to take a walk and and do something good for themselves. Ultimately this benefits not just their own health but that of everyone they encounter.
How?
The adage goes, we need to put on our own oxygen mask first in the event of an emergency…
This holiday season I’m going to offer the thought to make time to address your own physical or mental health – not for yourself – but for all your loved ones that need you.
A few strategies to stay well this holiday season:
- Put the workouts on your calendar – Then no matter what parties come up, potlucks at work, church events, etc; you will have this appointment already in the calendar to be able to graciously say ‘thanks for the invite but I’m busy’ OR ‘yes, would love to but I will be an hour late.’
- Practice saying no – One holiday party per weekend is probably enough! Prioritize and be okay with not making it to every event.
- Don’t be a statistic – The average American gains 1-2 pounds over the holiday season.Ask yourself, “is that calorie really worth it?” You can skim off the extra calories by mindfully deciding to eat more before grabbing seconds (or thirds!).
Here’s a link for more ways to be a healthy holiday eater: Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain.
Food for thought:
As we enter the holiday season it is easy to let ourselves get swept up in the hustle and bustle this time of year.
You may already see the calendar filling up and making less time for a workout or preparing healthy food to take to work.
This week, I challenge you to take 30 minutes and decide how you are going to take care of you over the next 6-weeks.
Every day we wake up with the opportunity to change our lives. Stepping out of the box or going against the grain takes us from the expected to the unexpected.
As Darren Hardy summed up in Darren Daily;
Remember that doing what scares us is not only good, it is essential. If you want to step away from average and mediocrity, you have to do what you are afraid of.
Professionally, that might mean talking to your boss about a raise. On a personal note, it might mean trying a new food or restaurant you are unsure if you will like. (more…)
In a spin class I found myself in the “not wanting” mentality. The music was not upbeat fitness tunes. The instructor did not believe in doing anything “wild and crazy” such as coming out of the saddle to climb a hill (all of which only makes since if you have taken a cycling class). The minutes seemed to drag on longer than 60 seconds.
You get the picture.
As I sat there peddling and pouting, it occurred to me I thought I was going into class without expectations; however, that’s clearly not the case.
I have taken spin classes before and therefore I expected this one to be like the others. Then I realized having expectations also sets us up for having disappointments. For example, a client of mine made the effort to eat well for the whole weekend and did more than normal physical activity only to hop on the scale Monday morning and find that she had gained 3 pounds – how frustrating!
When I noticed my bad attitude I decided that was bad energy and may be negatively affecting my fellow classmates.
I changed my attention on the things I am grateful for; such as having the time to go to class as well as having my health and physical ability to do spin and other exercises. This led to me taking time to be grateful for the things that I’ve taken for granted lately. Before I knew it we were cooling down and stretching.
Food for thought:
What isn’t meeting your expectations? Better yet, who isn’t meeting your expectations?
If you’re feeling disappointed in your body or yourself, I suggest you take a moment and think of five things about your body you are grateful for. Do you have 2 working legs? How about those gorgeous eyes?
This simple act can get us out of the negative feedback loop or the “I just don’t care anymore” attitude.
You do care. So do I. And for the record, I’m really proud of you.
