Intentional Health: Exercise with a Purpose!

It's been said that successful people don't wait for things to happen to them, they happen to things.  I like to think of this as good old fashioned doing things on purpose.  Specifically, doing things on purpose to benefit YOU!  In case you haven't caught on, I'm talking about getting healthy. :P  This week is about intentional health.

Intention is something I talk about a lot around the holidays because it is one of the four tools in my healthy toolchest.  Unless you're doing something intentionally every day to achieve your wellness goal, you're only going to experience a mediocre level of achievement. Since we're all busy and need to get the biggest bang for our healthy minute, I don't see any purpose in not giving each one of them the full effort.

Today we'll focus on intentional exercise: choosing a workout that is going to be the best fit for what you want to do in life. Exercising for function is just smart, and it makes exercise a lot more rewarding because you're not only working towards getting healthier overall, but you're preparing your body for something else you want to do.  For example, if you have a hiking trip coming up and don't want to be winded, you should intentionally do exercise that mimics that activity. Walk outside or on a treadmill on varying inclines and terrains, do step-ups to strengthen your legs and mimic climbing a hill or over a ledge, and gradually increase your distance and intensity over time. As a result, your lungs, legs, and cardiovascular system will be ready for your trip and you'll be healthier overall.  Exercise with a purpose. Intentional health.

For me, one of the hardest parts of living in my pregnant body is letting go of my beautiful, sculpted arms. I knew my midsection would go, of course, and my legs and bum as well.  It just goes with the territory of storing fat for the little one. But my arms too?  Really?  I've worked so hard on them, it would be nice if I could keep the guns looking lean and mean a little bit longer! I've turned to intentional exercise: I'm swimming three times a week, doing compound upper body exercises in the gym, and purposely looking for ways I can challenge my arms without lifting too much weight.

A good way to find out if your workout is intentional is to channel the curiosity of a four-year-old child and start asking why. Even little kids know that even the most mundane chores are more fun (and bearable) when there is a purpose. If you're not sure what exercise would be the most intentional for your life goals, inquire with a certified personal trainer (like mio).

Health is more fun when you do it on purpose. Now get out there and be healthy!

Rise Against the Wind

Yesterday in my Daily Dose; a morning health affirmation that I send via Twitter, email, and post on my Facebook fan page; I posted the following:

A kite rises against the wind that pushes it. When you use your wellness challenges as agents for change, you can soar too! Try it today!


It occurred to me later in the day that using a challenge as a change agent is one of those things that are easier said than done.  Nice idea, Healthy Heather, but let's get real!  Well, chillax people, I'm going to explain what I meant right now. 
 
When I use a challenge as a catalyst for change, I first dissect it into smaller pieces that are easier for me to handle.  Then, I take each piece and find a way to either make it work for me or eliminate it. 
 
For example, let's say you want to want to increase your cardio, but you don't think you have the time.  I might start by asking myself some honest questions about why I am not making time for it now, such as:
 
1. If I had an extra hour in my day, how would I spend it? 
2. If "cardio" was not my first response, why is that?  What would I rather be doing instead?
3. What is it about cardio that is preventing me from finding the time to do it?
 
Ideally, the answers to these questions are going to help me get to a place of reality about why I am not making time for cardio.  They may include, "I'd spend that time running errands," or "I'd rather spend time with my family," and "treadmills and ellipticals are boring, I am too busy for that."  All valid responses, and all helpful for figuring out how to use these challenges as change agents. 
 
People make time for what's important.  If getting extra cardio is important to you, then you'll find a way to take these challenges and make them positive.  Here's how:
 
Challenge: I have errands to run during the day that prevent me from doing extra cardio.
Positive Spin: Since I am already out and about, I can put on my exercise clothes before I leave and make a scheduled group fitness class one of my stops for the day. 
Reality: Most of the errands we run each day can be consolidated or eliminated with some smart thinking, leaving time for exercise. Half the times I go to Target, I don't really need to be there.
 
Challenge: I'd rather spend time with my family than exercise.
Positive Spin: I can be an example to my kids and spouse by making the time to take care of my health.  We can exercise together on some days, and other days just be more active.
Reality: You'd be suprised how many calories you can burn just kicking or catching a ball at the park.  Or, buy some inexpensive phys ed cones and challenge each other at feats of speed and agility.  After 20 or 30 minutes of yukking it up, you'll have the extra cardio done.
 
Challenge: I have better things to do with my time than walk on a treadmill.
Positive Spin: I can get extra cardio from a wide variety of sources including group classes, cycling, boot camp, kettlebells, or a walk in the park.
Reality: Sometimes cardio can be mundane, but you'd probably be suprised to find out how much variety there is in your town for mid-day cardio.  A spinning class is definitely going to keep you awake!
 
The point of this exercise is to see challenges in positive ways and to inject some reality (without pity) into our excuse-making habits.  The reality is that we make time for what we really want to do.  The excuses we make are just our lazy brain's attempt at self-preservation.  Don't take your challenges at face value! Find out what they're really all about, and massage them until they are nicer to you...and I think you'll find that you feel like a kite rising against the wind, soaring above what you thought was possible.
 
Try it today! 

Pulling the Weeds

It's Spring! Or at least we're pretending it's Spring! And if your yard is anything like mine, it's pretty trashed.  Winter ran amok in my backyard and while some plants have survived the pillaging, most of it looks overwhelmingly bad.  I actually ventured outside yesterday and looked at my "garden" in the harsh sunlight of day, and decided to just embrace the clover lifestyle.  Maybe I can even find a four-leafed one in time for St. Patrick's Day.

I need to pull some weeds. I don't want to, but I worked hard on that garden last year and if I want it to be something that makes me proud again, I need to get my butt out there, suck it up, and do it.

Naturally, I saw an immediate parallel to wellness.  Our wellness can be like a garden at times.  We have to cultivate it, tend to it regularly, and if we are consistent in our attention, we get to appreciate the beauty of it.  But, we also have to pull the weeds.

My biggest weed right now is my left Achilles Tendon and the overuse injury that flares up when I go running.  I've rested it, iced it, strengthened my calves, avoided hills, changed my shoes...and finally decided to just pull the weed altogether and cross-train.  I've reduced my running and incorporated other forms of exercise, like biking and swimming, to replace the cardio.  Running was a weed that was keeping my wellness from going into full bloom.  Hopefully when it comes back, it will be in the form of something that is welcome to stay a while!

Are there weeds in your wellness garden that need to be pulled? Maybe some bad habits you picked up over the winter...or a nagging seed of doubt that you can pull off the next level of intensity in your workouts? It's time to pull the weeds, toss them out, and start fresh for spring!

Good day!

Sustainability and Fitness? Why not?

Yesterday I talked at you about doing a gut-check on whether my fitness goals are achieved through sustainable activities that are developed based on my own personal success and failure lessons.  Today, I want to talk at you again about how we can make sure they are!

"Sustainability" is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days, usually by a soft and gentle but kinda condescending voice telling us what new wonderful thing a big evil corporation is doing to be more energy efficient and convince us that they've cared about natural resources for years and years.  And that's cool.  But it can also be applied to our own lives and goals. 

For me, having sustainable fitness goals just means two things: being able to keep doing them without injury and learning from my successes and failures.  Ultimately, only my own actions are going to get me to my goal, right?  So I try to consult what I know about my typical actions before making any goals just so we're on the same page. 

Goals are temporary, but the things we do to reach them can be based in behaviors that are permanent.  So first off, I want my goal to be sustainable by making sure that I am doing things I can do forever: exercising on a regular basis, eating clean, and getting enough recovery time.  The mode of exercise may change, but the habit of getting regular exercise should not. What I eat will change, but the quality of my nutrition should not. The sleep thing is pretty non-negotiable. I need more.

Second, I want my goals to be sustainable by accepting my personal truths, which is a fancy way of what's gonna happen and what's not.  Taking an honest assessment of what's worked and what hasn't in the past helps me tweak my expectations and goals for greater success the next time around.  Call me superstitious, but if I've done something the same way three times to rave reviews, you can bet I'll do it again. The reverse is harder to accept but also true: if it hasn't worked at least twice, chuck it.  It doesn't matter if so-and-so loves it or your best friend swears by it. If it hasn't worked for you, it's out. 

For example, if you haven't successfully gotten to a morning exercise class in two months, register for one that you will realistically get to, even if all of your friends go to a different one. If you loathe running, don't sign up for a race, even if so-and-so keeps telling you how running is the best exercise to do.  This isn't about negative thinking about what you can't or won't do, it's about being realistic about what will work for YOU and what you will do!

In my world, its time to make some spring goals.  Join me in applying these ideas to your goals, too!  I hope you find them helpful and that your fitness goals are not only achieveable, but achieved.

Good day!

Hard Work = Success? Mostly!

Do you ever find yourself wondering why you're working so dang hard and not getting anywhere?  I do. Here's why: hard work doesn't translate to success. 

Nope, sorry!  Being a hard worker is admirable, but unless you're busting your butt on a good plan, it's just nice to know.  I get that reminder at least every few months when I ask myself why I'm so tuckered out but have only inched toward my health goals.  It's not that I'm not working hard enough, it's that what I am working so hard on isn't a good plan to begin with.

I'm notorious for maxing out on my energy every single day. I'm a real martyr that way, I love ending the day feeling like I sucked out every bit of life it had to offer.  What I'm not good at is recovering from all of that work.  So I end the day exhausted, then I wake up uber early to get a strong start on doing it all again, then I end the next day exhausted, and the cycle continues until I hit the wall, crash and burn, and wake up to my husband telling me he told me so.  That is not a good plan.

I'm also really good at forgetting that what works for one person isn't necessarily going to work for me.  Namely, splurge food moderation. Eating decadent food in moderation is a very sound way for 99.99999% of people to get well-balanced nutrition and have satisfaction in their diet. But I'm not that kinda girl. I try to give in and indulge in rich foods from time to time, but I suck at it every single time. It's not a good plan.

I'm also impatient.  When I set a goal and begin working on it, I want to see results immediately. Who doesn't?  But that makes it easy to fall into the trap of a get-slim-quick plan like fasting, crash dieting, or excessive cardio.  I do not do this, just so you know, and want you and everyone you know to stay far, far away from anything that sounds too good to be true.  Not a good plan.

So what is a good plan, then?  It's different for everyone. But when I feel like I'm spinning my wheels, I stop in my tracks and ask myself these questions:

1. Is what I am doing healthy in the long run? Translation: can it be sustained? Can I still be doing this in six months without turning into an angry and manic she-devil?

2. Am I staying true to my personal truths? Translation: am I expecting someone else's tried-and-true to work for me? Or am I applying my own experiential knowledge and learning from my own mistakes and successes?

More often than not, if I'm worn out but not getting anywhere, I've violated one or both of those rules. When I re-center myself on sustainable activities that are developed based on my own personal success and failure lessons, things get better right away.

Which is awsome, cause I like things to happen right away.

Some things never change. :)
 

Good day!

Injury Prevention: Not just for muscles anymore

I've got a half marathon coming up on Sunday, and I've got a sore achilles tendon. So I've been resting a lot this week, which has made me feel kind of ornery and blobby. I don't like resting.


I also have a wonderful friend who sent me this helpful article on preventing common running injuries. It has some good examples of exercises you can do every day to strengthen the muscles that usually get hurt while running to prevent getting sidelined. I've already started doing some of them and I hope they work!


And thinking about muscle injury prevention made me start thinking about goal injury prevention, and the things I can do every day to protect my goals just like I should protect my muscles.  The same things that happen to our muscles - strain, overuse, or just bad form - can jeopardize our goals, so I came up with these strategies to keep myself in check:


1. Stretch, don't strain! Stretch goals motivate me because I like to challenge myself to do more. But creating too many unrealistic goals is just a good way to make sure you get a lot of things done just half-way and don't ever really achieve anything great for yourself. I have a tendency to make unrealistic goals in the hopes that they will motivate me to be more amazing, but really they just make me mediocre. I say go for a stretch goal! A stretch goal. Singular.


2. Don't overtrain!  Just like muscles, goals need a rest sometimes.  It can be liberating to go for a period of time without a goal, even. I usually last about five minutes in that environment, but I think it is important to give your brain and your body a rest. Once you've achieved a goal, just live in that success for a while before jumping right back into something new. A friend of mine once called it, "goal fatigue." Give your goals some more time in the spotlight before replacing them with something bigger and better!


3. Use good form! As you'll remember, effective goals are SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Action-based, Realistic, and Time-bound. Apply these criteria to any goals you make and it is really hard to go wrong.  This also applies to the environment you create for your goals to live in. Are you creating environments where you can thrive, or expecting your goal to rise above unrealistic circumstances? Are you going into each situation with a clear head and focused on a successful outcome or just hoping for the best?  


2011 is a year of excellence, I can feel it. My goals are coming true and yours can too! Just make sure to protect them, strengthen them, and keep them safe from injury.


Your brain is a pretty powerful muscle, too. Use it!


Good day

The Power of Positive

I realized yesterday that I spent the first 18 years of my life playing by everyone else's rules and accomplished pretty mediocre things. The next 16 years I played by my own rules and did some really awesome things. I think I am going to stick with my rules.


Last week two awesome things happened thanks to my rules:


1. I was featured on FitJunction.com as their Profile of the Month, which tickled me to no end because not only was I flattered, I actually use the site to read up on fitness trends, nutrition, workout ideas, and other fitnessy stuff.  So I was super stoked to be interviewed and I hope you'll check it out.


2. I also finally, after years of procrastinating and making excuses and chickening out, I took and passed my ACE Certified Personal Trainer exam. Hundreds of people get certified as personal trainers every week, so it might not seem like that big of a deal to some. But its something I've been working on - albeit verrrry slowwwwly - for a long time.  I am official!  I can't tell you how happy I am to have that behind me!


As I thought yesterday about everyone else's rules versus mine, and I reflected on last week's relative awesomeness, it became pretty clear pretty quick what the difference was between the two:

positive thinking

My number one rule in fitness, health, goal setting, whatever is to visualize positive outcomes.   Visualize yourself acting consistently, recording your data, being accountable, and acting with intention and you will increase the chances of success exponentially. I've used visualization for everything from test taking to just completing a long run and I truly believe that if I can see it, I can do it. 


And if I can't see it, if my vision is cloudy, I tweak the circumstances until I can and go from there.  That's the great thing about fitness goals - you own them and you can change them!


Last week was a good week, and I could not have experienced it without a lot of consistency, data, accountability, and intention...and without the positive people and visualization in my life each day. Thanks for being part of that!


Tomorrow - lessons learned from one of my favorite positive thinkers, the late great Jack LaLanne.


Good day!

Fitness: What you see is not what you get

One of my resolutions for 2011 is to be nicer to myself.  Like many American women, I forget sometimes that the vast majority of the images portrayed by the media are designed to instill powerful emotions of urgency to change something about ourselves. Whether its a new car, a new investment broker, or a new body, the media powers that be are dead-set on convincing us that whatever we currently have is not nearly as good as it could be.

And as a continuous improvement kind of gal, I think there is some truth to that - almost anything can be improved upon. Fitness is the kind of hobby where you can always make advancements, and that makes it fun for me.

But sometimes its easy for those messages to cut a little deeper and make us feel bad about what we have when what we have is actually pretty awesome.  Yesterday I talked about how sometimes I feel like my flesh-and-blood image doesn't always reflect the amount of effort I put into my fitness, and how focusing on the other benefits of health helps me remember that looking fit is not necessarily the same as being fit.

Today I want to put some muscle to that thought with some ways to do that:

1. Track it. My favorite - log the numbers!  When I spend too much time looking in the mirror, I get out my notebook and start paying attention to something I can manage: the numbers.  I can't control what my body looks like from day to day, but seeing "ran 5 miles" on my calendar this morning felt really good.  Whether I am putting my smiley face stickers on my calendar, jotting down what I did for exercise every day, or posting my workouts on Twitter, seeing it written down is a visual reminder that I am doing something every single day to be healthy. 

2. Internalize it.  So many people kvetch about how they've been working out for two whole weeks and nothing has happened.  Baloney!  Nothing has happened in the mirror, but amazing things have happened inside your body. Your heart is healthier, your brain is working better, your joints are stronger, and your muscles are stronger, not to mention the fact that you're probably less stressed and overall happier.  So quitcherbellyachin and keep moving!

3. Trust it. My Daily Dose today (did you know I can send you a pesky email every morning with some healthy vibes?) was about how fitness happens: if you put in the work, fitness will happen.  Maybe not on your time schedule, but it will happen. Trust that if you eat well and exercise, fitness WILL happen.  It's science.

4. Get over it.  I know someone who will not go to the gym until she loses some weight because she is embarrased about how she looks.  I get that, but you know what?  Its been years and she's never done it.  Get over it.  No one else cares what you look like and besides, they're all too preoccupied with how they look to worry about you.  I promise.

I believe that when it comes to fitness, what you see is not what you get.  The mirror lies, and so does the scale a lot of the time.  Your body, however, is a finely-tuned machine designed to respond positively to good nutrition, exercise, and adequate rest.  Do those things, and fitness will come.

It just might not look how you thought it would. :)

Off you go!