Finding the time to workout
It takes a certain degree of self motivation to get moving for a workout every day. Not to be harsh, but it starts with you. Everyday I hear women tell me every single reason why they need to start a fitness routine NOW, and every day I hear women tell me an excuse of why they should wait until next week. I'm not meaning to be discouraging, on the contrary. When you hear me talk about this scenario, if you were to give advice to these women don't you think your advice would be "just start friend!" Totally. Just start. The only workout you regret is the one you didn't do. The only program you regret is the one you didn't start.
Okay so you've now started a fitness routine, how do you find the time daily to squeeze in the workout? You've got to make it a priority. You have heard that statement "there's no such thing as being too busy, if you want it, you'll find a way." Or how about "no matter how busy a person is, if they care for you, they will always find the time for you." It's the same with a workout. You've got to make it pretty high up on your list. And don't CANCEL ON YOURSELF!
Tips
1. Set an appointment with yourself. You're the boss. And bosses don't cancel. You wouldn't cancel a doctor appointment of it was important, don't cancel on yourself. This IS important. This is your health. Nothing is more important.
2. Get your workout in Early! Once it's done, it's done. And nothing gets in the way if it's done early. If you wait until later in the day, life will inevitably "happen" and you'll put it off.
3. Don't overstretch your schedule. Plan out 30 minutes everyday for you and your workout. If this means you need to say no to things so you don't over commit yourself, then that's what you have to do. Your workout is a priority. Don't plan something else that will take its place.
4. If you have small children who can workout with you, get them involved! They really love it, have fun with it, and look forward to it. It's great quality time and you're teaching your kids a valuable life strategy. My daughter even asked for a set of weights at 3 year old! And when I couldn't workout, she really missed it. She motivated me as well- "mommy!! We have to do our workout today!"
5. If there's a day where you cannot find the 30 minutes, find 5! Everyone has 5 minutes! Try these 5 minute workouts when you can't get the entire 30, but the trick is to do something! Everyday, something. Because the more you cancel on yourself, the more often you will find that excuse.
How about you, any strategies that help you to find the time?
YOU GREW A HUMAN!
I'm my GET MOMMY FIT group, we've been focusing a lot on weight loss, because that's the goal of the participants. But I passed this message along and I think others need to hear it as well! Moms, please remember that you grew a human! I'm the first one to tell you this is a HARD concept for me to grasp. I'm only 7 weeks Post Partum and itching to get my figure back. Where does this pressure to lose our baby weight as fast as possible come from? Society? Ourselves? Why do we feel like crap about our stretched skin, oversized uterus pooch, extra weight? Because that's not beautiful? Who said that? Society? Ourselves? No really, who the heck said that?! .... WE GROW HUMAN BEINGS INSIDE OUR BODY! We gained weight because that is BIOLOGICALLY what is supposed to happen! Too little, too much, who makes that determination?! Every body is different. We'll put the weight on differently, and we'll lose it differently. No need to compare yourself to someone else or to some 'standard' of pregnancy weight gain/loss.
We carry these babies around for 9 months as they stretch our belly to its breaking point, literally. They change our body type.... Child bearing hips anyone? I've got them! Then, we then go through the pain of delivery where we miraculously squeeze that human out from a hole that it has no business being squeezed out of! Hole is too small, baby is too big, but it works, somehow, a true miracle. That, or have our abs sliced open and stretched apart to literally pull the baby out of us! And then that recovery is just peachy.
Then by another miracle we give that baby all the nutrition needed for survival... Again, FROM OUR OWN BODY! We then battle sleep deprivation, loss of energy, lack of time, and a whole host of other yucky emotions including the self loathing we feel about our new body figure... All the while loving that little baby more than words can describe and knowing that he/she is worth every bit of it.
Ladies! We are absolutely remarkable in every way! If you don't think that's remarkable, you have a screw loose.
Let's give ourselves a break and start loving ourselves for the truly incredible beings that we are! Let's focus on fitness as a health journey, not a "lose weight quick" journey. Let's lose this weight so we feel better about ourselves, but let's do it the right way, slow and steady and using the right tools... give ourselves a break on losing it as fast as humanly possible, or even faster! And during the journey, let's focus on feeling good about ourselves for who we are... The women we are, the mothers we are, the wives/girlfriends we are. We rock! The weight does not define us, yes it may make us sad/frustrated, but we can use that as fuel for the flame of our health journey... and we'll get it off. I KNOW we will. And you have to KNOW that too. Believe in yourself. Giving life is a miracle, but there is no miracle that will give us our bodies back, only hard work, dedication, determination, and healthy habits. I WILL GIVE YOU THE TOOLS, and you CAN do this. It won't be tomorrow, but it will be soon enough.
Your salad is hindering your weight loss more so than that cheeseburger
Wait? A salad can have more calories and chemicals than a cheeseburger? Yup.
A salad is often eaten as a healthy alternative to other foods... But when you douse it with store bought dressing it could be stopping you from burning fat and losing weight, it could even be making you GAIN. And I know what you're thinking, you don't douse it, but truth is, most people do not use the recommended serving size, which is usually just 1-2 tablespoons.
Most pre-made salad dressings contain chemicals, manufactured food. You're thinking to yourself, "I'm using low fat and low calorie dressing, so I'm good." When actually, the fat in full fat dressing is much better than the fake food that is poured into that bottle of low fat, low cal ranch. What light dressings lack in calories and fat, they make up for in sodium and sugar. And not just regular sugar, high fructose corn syrup, which is basically a man made sugar that is difficult for the body to process. It spikes insulin, a hormone that stores fat, so you tell me, do you wanna eat that?!
And, low-fat salad dressings prevent the body’s ability to absorb and utilize the good stuff that your salad provides, carotenoid antioxidants in salad greens and tomatoes, so you're not even getting all the health benefits from your salad. Nutritional studies have found that certain healthy fats, like those in olive oil, were necessary to absorb the full benefits of the other vegetables in the salad.
So remember, low fat, low calorie dressings are generally a no no for those trying to manage weight.
"I’m not about to eat my salad plain," that's what you're thinking. I'm with you! Without dressing it can hardly be called a salad, just a bowl o' raw veggies. I'm a health coach, I still don't want to eat that! I certainly don't expect anyone else to! Yuck. So what can you do? Well, you can look for store bought dressings that have the least amount of ingredients, and ingredients that are recognizable (i.e. No weird chemical names) or you can make your own very easily and very inexpensively. BOOM!
Here's my favorites!
Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons of honey (more if you like it sweet)
Dash of each: chili powder or paprika, pepper, oregano, and granulated garlic.
Small squeeze of lime.
Taste and adjust according to your taste!
Balsamic Vinaigrette
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey (or more depending on your taste)
1-2 cloves of minced garlic
Sprinkle of sea salt and cracked pepper
Mix all ingredients and drizzle on salad or vegetables. Salad Dressing will stay fresh in an air tight container for several days. Stir it before using.
21 Day Fix Creamy Herb Dressing
1 medium avocado, cut into chunks
1-1/2 C nonfat plain greek yogurt
4 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 dash of white pepper
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
Place all ingredients in blender, except for the olive oil. Blend until smooth. Slowly add in the oil and blend well. Store in the refrigerator, tightly sealed/covered until ready for use. Serving Size: 12 servings, 6 tsp each serving.
