Has the steady slew of holiday events started to take it's toll on your workouts or eating yet?
While it's easy to believe that falling off the wagon is just par for the course this time of year and that you'll pick things back up in January- this doesn't have to be your story.
Benjamin Franklin must have had this in mind when he said, "Don't put off until tomorrow what you you can do today".
You have the ability to decide you will do with the moments you are given, and you are constantly making choices that either take effort to make happen, or that you allow to happen so that you don't have to make as much of an effort.
I became a dedicated exerciser when I was 13 years old and joined the cross country team. By that following summer I was hooked and was running consistently on my own...for fun.
Since that time I have had my ups and downs with my connection to consistency and workouts, so I have become a student of what makes my own ability (and that of others) to stick to their regimen remain a constant, even when life gets chaotic.
The number one thing I know for sure about what keeps me going back to working out even when I don't feel like it is that I appreciate workouts more for what they do to my heart and soul than what they do for my physical body. For this reason I pick workouts that challenge me, connect me to my heart, and that lift up my spirits. Tai chi has been a new thing for me and I absolutely love it!
Second, to ensure I get my time in to move I have to stay organized and intentional about scheduling time to do it. If I wait until I want to or until I might have time, the moment is never right or something always gets in the way. The additional benefit is that when you commit to a specific routine you know exactly what to do when, where, and with whomever you can find to hold you accountable.
Third, successful worker-outers follow a prescribed and specific routine. There's no guessing or wondering what might feel good that day. Here's an example of a great workout week: Monday is running and core, Tuesday is yoga, Wednesday is running and lower body body, Thursday is Yoga, and Saturday is a long run plus upper body.
Fourth, people who workout consistently identify with being an athlete or at least athletic. Movement is simply a part of who they are in the world, not just something they do. This is about their mindset or belief in themselves. They don't need other people to justify it, but they do love to be acknowledged for their dedication to move.
So what's the point twiddling your thumbs and waiting for one of the best parts of your day to begin?
Movement is more than exercise, it is a way to take care of your needs so you can share your love and overflow to create a ripple effect of generosity. (This is on the Restoration Fitness Manifesto you can access here or see below).
I challenge you to do some sort of movement every day for the next 5 days. Send me a pic of your activity on Facebook and I'll send you a workout video to do at home over the holidays!!
I'm with you every step of the way!
XO, Nicole
P.S. I am putting the final touches on my Holiday Gift to you. I promise you this one is going to a game changer!! Be on the look out next week for how you can get yours.
Fitness Beyond Definition
As many of you know, I have been an avid runner since the age of 13. In fact, I can’t remember ever feeling particularly out of shape since I first started running. So it’s not surprising that I recently told someone that I haven't been this out of shape since I was 12. After laying low to try to get pregnant, and then the restricted activity while pregnant, and then the recovery time, I have gradually turned to mush. This is a tough reality to swallow for a girl whose life work is all about healthy fitness. The bright side is that I have two beautiful and amazing little boy munchkins that are a great trade off, I get to empathize with my clients a little more, and I get to redefine what fitness means for me.
Fitness and being “in shape” comes in all shapes and sizes. I have always known there were different varieties and levels of being fit because even within my own beloved sport, I was a distance girl, and didn’t train to sprint. I also played basketball, but put a softball in my hands and I was all thumbs. Which is to say, what does being in shape mean to us? Is it all about aesthetics, the ability to participate in particular sports, the way our fitness levels our stress, or how we improve our life expectancy?
Ideally, fitness is a multicolor coat that can change and evolve and become what we need it to be. In order to birth my two little boys, I needed to be fit mentally, emotionally, and to have a huge sense of calm and endurance in my body. Still, I long for that runner’s high after a long day on the path. But now that I am a mom, I am forever trying to squeeze one more minute out of my day, and one more ounce of energy to put toward my workouts. If I do get the chance to workout, it feels completely different, and it is definitely much harder than it used to be!
To keep my motivation up, I recently stumbled across some winning fitness blogs that were ranked by Fitness Magazine and its readers earlier this year. Their “Fitterati” blogger awards are broken into great categories like best healthy living blog, best running blog, or best nutrition blog. My favorite so far is MizFit and The Body of a Mother. But don’t take my word for it, check out the list and see if one of these bloggers catches your eye. Or, just keep reading here…I am passing on all I learn to you every day!