Give me a few

A few weeks...that is.

Science indicates that it takes your brain and body two weeks to nearly a year to acclimate to "new adventures".  Not everybody is the same when it comes to forming new habits, especially when those habits are replacing old "bad" but beloved ones. What would your adventure be? Well....hmmm... you are the driver of that. Maybe you want to tighten up your nutrition.  Or, maybe it's your tush you wish to tighten.  I am here to encourage you to hang with it for the short (or long haul), just suck it up buttercup. Mind over matter. In short time you will find your body responding to a new norm with less cravings or inklings of falling back into your old, not so wanted, habits. 

This is a challenge, I will admit, but there are ways to navigate through it.  The key seems to be this: repeat, repeat, repeat. Complex actions or behaviors such as exercise may take longer than something as simple as drinking more water would.  Expect setbacks along the way, they will happen. Stop beating yourself up, no one is perfect. We all deserve a break or even a splurge once in a while. Do try to take notice of why your setback occurred and arm yourself with tools to overcome it that next time around. Recruit your friends for help, a support system is essential in any behavior change. Tell others your plan so they can help hold you to "it" in those times when you need it the most.

One of the tricks I use to tighten my nutrition is drinking plenty of water all day long.  Water is essential to, well, every bodily function I can think of.  It is great for your skin, hair, heart (circulation), kidneys, liver, brain to name just a few.  Drink, drink, drink.  Find a way to make this work.  Give up your soda for 2 weeks....and drink good ole H2O.  Also, eating a small handful of nuts or a spoonful of nut butter is another trick that works for me when cravings hit.  Man she is nuts. Ha, well yep, I admit it.  There.  I am talking about good old fashioned nuts such as raw almonds and walnuts.  Nuts are a good fat source, in moderation, that can be extremely helpful to you as you tough it through a starvation mode.

Metabolism shifts happen and eating every 3 hours or so can be quite an effort...so make it easy on yourself. Get prepared.  Stash healthy snacks such veggies or  small handfuls of nuts in baggies in your vehicle and handbag.  Make sure these are single serving size so you don't gorge when that "I'm starved" mode hits you.  Natural snack bars such as Zing Bars are another great idea to have within reach.  Believe me, hunger hits when you are least expecting it.

Gleefully trekking to the gym? Here's a habit we can all use. This one happens to be one that I have down pat but that is because fitness has been a lifelong activity of mine. I have been a sports enthusiast of sorts as long as I can remember.  If you prefer sinking into your couch instead of  schlepping your body to the gym studies indicate you are in for a longer turnover period before this becomes a habit. Just know that and prepare for it. These studies indicate changing complex behaviors takes one and half times longer to accomplish.  Whew..that could be bad. The key here could be a buddy system and mixing up your fitness activities, not just sticking to the same activity day in and out. BoRINg.  Even I would rather poke a hot stick in my eyeball than do the same thing everyday at the gym.  Variety is the spice of life.

So September is upon us. The season of change. I purpose we all get busy and change up the bad habits we have for some good.  Are you in??

Be Well

Rev Up Your Engine - what do you say?

Monday equals: do over day, back in the saddle cookie, start over, think again.

This is a offshoot of my previous posting Rev Up Your Engine. Uh, actually, it's an assignment. Time to get busy and pick your madness. 

What am I ranting about?

I want you to pick one thing from the list. What list?  Take your little mouse and hover over Rev Up Your Engine above to see.  Pick the item from the list you can stick to, I mean stick to like glue! for 2 weeks. I am asking you for two weeks of 90% compliance. ( Ok, now I'm sounding like I am at my day job - on Bug Patrol.)

Seriously , what's it gonna be? Don't go for two, only one. If you can only give me 70 to 80% effort on this one, stop reading now and go back to your couch. 

I will post more about my favs in the weight room another day. Today it is all about making a new habit.  So what did you choose.  You are beautiful and strong, invincible...so get to work on fine tuning your life one step at a time.  Hey, you don't believe me, head over to Model Per4mance and check out one of my other favs in this world, my trainer Jodi and her wise side kicks. 

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...I almost forgot, along with your one habit change, please considering doing two, no... three other things for me.

Grab a notebook and start journaling your nutrition (everything you eat a day, and I mean everything right down to the 3 mini snickers you stole from your kids Halloween stash....opps, that was me!), your exercise, your emotions, your day. Do this for 2 weeks, and I promise in return I will post some little tidbits about why.

Take a multivitamin every day and throw in an Omega-3 fish oil supplement too.

Want a recap?

1.  Pick one habit you will stick to for two weeks and just do it.

2. Start a journal, nothing fancy, any notebook will work.

3. Take a multivitamin and fish oil daily.

Be well.

Rev Up Your Engine

I'm sure you have heard this all before, nothing I am about to say is new or even remotely news worthy. What I hope is, that in reading this each of you will choose to incorporate at least one of following into your life and own it. I mean own it, make it your mantra, your gift to yourself. Rev up your engines, it's time to go.

How to Become a Metabolic Machine

(Rev up your metabolism)

• Eat breakfast
• Eat every three to four hours
• Eat veggies and protein with every meal
• Skip drinking your calories
• Eat good fats
• Have a daily nutritional game plan
• Stick with your nutritional plan 90% of the time
• Eat minimally processed foods
• Drink tons of water
• Get adequate sleep
• Find an exercise program that works for you
• Exercise daily or at least every other day for at least 30 minutes
• Take one day off from exercise each week in you're an avid exerciser
• Incorporate resistance exercise into your workouts

All of this said, keep in mind that change takes time and to be successful, cut yourself some slack, knowing that there will be occasions when things completely fall out of whack.  Stop right there, admit it, and get back into the groove.  90% of the time means there will be days, meals, or workouts that are not perfect.  Ok, it really is ok, that is what life is about. There's a saying, 'when you least expect it, life happens'.

Tip: Do not to let 'life' happen two days in a row.

Protein: lean sources of fish, chicken, turkey, beef, and pork, no processed meats please

Carbs: select with care (starchy carbs) and limit them to early in your day

Veges: these non starchy carbs, eat as many as you like, anytime

Fruits: 2 a day please

Protein drinks: limit to 2 a day, eat real food, meat

Fats: can act to help decrease body fat and boost your immunity. Choose good fats like olive, flax, avacado

Water: drink in ounces 1/2 your your body weight   (weight 120lbs, drink 60 oz)

Eliminate sodas, energy drinks, and creamy sugary coffees or use them only as your cheats (10% of time)

Fuel your metabolism with food and watch it grow.  Avoid skipping meals, this will KILL your metabolism instantly! Be prepared, always have a stash of good snacks available for those times when you least expect it and you need to grab something fast. This may be a strange concept for some, but believe me, as you feed your metabolism, you will know when it's time to eat...just be prepared and eat the right things!

Be well.