Tag: goals

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Goals Health and Wellness Self-care

Finding Balance

Balance…the word brings images of peace, calm, and stability, yet it also feels so far away from our lives.

As a mom, there’s the balance of taking care of your kids and yourself. Add in a job and a working mom must balance work, kids, and self.

In relationships, we often strive to balance others emotions and our responses.

Health-wise, we need a balance of foods that give us energy and help us and foods that can cause inflammation (you can have your cake and eat it too…just not all the time!). With exercise, we find ways to make our bodies stronger and have better breath capacity without breaking ourselves down, leaving us injured or immobile.

Where are you needing balance in life?

I shared recently that for this year, I’m not setting a bunch of goals. I’ve learned that balance, for me, is taking one day at a time. When I set lofty goals for my business, I can push so hard and do so much that I burn out.

I love to eat healthy and stopped eating sweets over 5 years ago. Yes, I don’t crave them, but I also fear even taking a bite and trying something. Yes, it sounds ridiculous, so I’m working to find balance having a piece of dark chocolate every once in while without the fear that it will start controlling me. 😉

I’ve spent a lot of my life closed off from people, resisting community, and compartmentalizing my life. I’m learning to balance my relationships by opening myself up to others and allowing them to invest in me while I also invest in them.

Where do you need balance? Work? Relationships? Health?

Start with one area and start making changes. Remember, small changes over time make a big difference.

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Goals Health and Wellness

Goals That Stick

For many people, New Year = New Goals. And, as we know, most people only last a month or two before giving up on them. Having goals is great, however, most people give up because it is unattainable, they don’t have a plan to meet the goal, or they are looking for quick results.

There is nothing wrong with coming up with a list of goals for the new year…as long as you realize that it might take all year (or even longer) to attain them. Most won’t get achieved in one month — which means that you can’t give up after January if you haven’t met your goal AND you can’t wait to get started until November or December. Start right away with the knowledge that anything great worth doing is worth the time and effort.

It’s helpful to have smaller goals as you reach for your big goals (which I like to call my Dreams for the year). Dreams are the big picture, but you need multiple, smaller goals to reach your big goal/dream. So, you may have a big goal of losing 30lbs, but your smaller goals may be to lose 1-2 pounds per week, add one vegetable to your day, etc. You may want to get into an exercise routine again, but you can’t just go run five miles. Your smaller goal may be to do 10 minutes of movement per day for one week, etc. and then build from there.

Another reason people fail to meet their goals is that they don’t know how to make goals. You need to make SMART goals.

Specific: Goals should be clear and state specifically what you wish to be accomplished.

Measurable: You need to be able to measure your goals so that you can see your progress.

Attainable: Goals should be realistically attainable.

Relevant: Goals need to be relevant to your particular needs, interests, and abilities.

Time-bound: Goals need to have a timeline for completion.

Your smaller goals may only be for a week or month, then once you meet that goal, you create a new one to move you toward ultimately completing your big goal. When I decided I wanted to stop eating chocolate every day and quit sugar years ago, my original goal was to go just one day without sugar! After I did the one day, my goal was one week. Then it was two weeks, then one month, etc. I started with a super small goal and then built on it.

If you read my previous post, you know that I’m waiting to set any goals for the year and just taking it one day at a time. (Focusing on the daily, is in itself a small goal!). You might not have goals you are working on now, but these are some tips that will help whenever you choose to create a goal.

Need help with your goals? Feel free to reach out and I can give you some other tools and resources to get you going and offer accountability.

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Goals Health and Wellness Self-care

Super Summer

Most people think of January 1st as the best time to start working on their health goals (new year, etc.), however, the summer is a great time to get healthy!

With the warmer weather and longer days, there are so many more ways to move your body and keep active. And the summer also means a larger selection of yummy fruits and vegetables to snack on to help your reach your nutrition goals.

So, now that summer is in full swing, here are some ways to make the most of it (health-wise):

  • Let your body get up with the sun and go for a nice long walk before it gets too hot outside. It’ll wake you up and get you ready for the day.
  • Stock up on fruits and veggies. Even better…find a Farmer’s Market near you and support their businesses, get the best fruit and veggies, and enjoy the fresh air while you shop!
  • Got a sweet craving? Buy a watermelon and have it sliced up and in your fridge to grab whenever you have a craving. (Tip: I cut my watermelon in half and cube one side, then put saran wrap on the other half. After I eat the cubes, then I cut up the other half. I find that none of the watermelon goes bad that way.) Another great grab and go option are grapes.
  • Drink your water!!! Remember, you are to drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. If you are sweating a lot, then drink more!
  • Working out in the yard and sweating a lot? USANA just released a watermelon electrolyte replacement drink that is great after a long workout or on a hot day (and doesn’t have all the chemicals that is in Gatorade, etc.). You can find it here: https://danan.usana.com/s/VdbJR1

Summer is the best time to get healthy inside and out! Need more suggestions and/or accountability? Send me message and I would love to help you reach those goals!

Here’s to a healthy, safe, and fun super summer!

Categories
Goals Health and Wellness

Setting Your Goals

It’s a new year, which often means new goals and dreams. Most people come up with a resolution or goal, but often give up because it is unattainable or they are looking for quick results. There is nothing wrong with coming up with a list of goals for the new year…as long as you realize that it might take all year to attain them. Most won’t get achieved in one month — which means that you can’t give up after January if you haven’t met your goal AND you can’t wait to get started until November or December. Start right away with the knowledge that anything great worth doing is worth the time and effort.

It’s helpful to have smaller goals as you reach for your big goals (which I like to call my Dreams for the year). Dreams are the big picture, but you need multiple, smaller goals to reach your big goal/dream. So, you may have a big goal of losing 30lbs, but your smaller goals may be to lose 1-2 pounds per week, add one vegetable to your day, etc. You may want to get into an exercise routine again, but you can’t just go run five miles. Your smaller goal may be to do 10 minutes of movement per day for one week, etc. 

Another reason people fail to meet their goals is that they don’t know how to make goals. You need to make SMART goals.

Specific: Goals should be clear and state specifically what you wish to be accomplished.

Measurable: You need to be able to measure your goals so that you can see your progress.

Attainable: Goals should be realistically attainable.

Relevant: Goals need to be relevant to your particular needs, interests, and abilities.

Time-bound: Goals need to have a timeline for completion.

Your smaller goals may only be for a week or month, then once you meet that goal, you create a new one to move you toward ultimately completing your big goal. When I decided I wanted to stop eating chocolate every day and quit sugar 5+ years ago, my original goal was to go just one day without sugar! After I did the one day, my goal was one week. Then it was two weeks, then one month, etc. I started with a super small goal and then built on it.

There is a lot more I could write about how to set goals, but perhaps another time. 😉

2020 was a rough year, but don’t be afraid to dream big and make 2021 amazing! Just be sure to set those smaller SMART goals along the way to help you have success with your dreams.

And if you’re looking for assistance on any health goals, feel free to reach out to me! As a certified Health Coach and Group Fitness Instructor (with an M.A. in Exercise Physiology), if would be my delight and pleasure to work with you!

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Health and Wellness

Down the Road…

I started feeling pain in my right glute starting in July 2019. I stretched and foam rolled to try to make it get better, but I continued with my daily runs and workouts. One month later and the only way to not feel the pain shooting down the back of both of my legs was lying completely flat on my back. As someone who is always active, this was a big wake up call. I decided that I needed to do things right (not just take a break for a few days and then try running again), so I started Physical Therapy and stopped running or working out.

Gotta admit, on top of struggling to stay still, one of my first thoughts was “how will I not gain weight if I can’t workout?” Then I reminded myself what I tell clients all the time: wellness is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. I took a look at my nutrition and made sure I was eating good foods and not mindlessly snacking. Not only did I maintain my weight (even lost a few pounds), but it helped me reshape my mind-frame on exercise. 

I’ve worked in health and fitness for a while and I always hear people talking about working out so they can eat tacos or donuts or pizza or ____. The thing is, you can’t out-exercise a poor diet! Yes, exercise can boost your metabolism and burn calories, but if you continue to eat poorly, you will continue to be disappointed with what you see in the mirror and constantly be weighed down with guilt. Nutrition is the key ingredient to the physique and abs (and other health factors) that you desire.

So, if nutrition is the main motivator to losing weight, why bother to exercise? I have seen plenty of people jump on the latest diet trend to lose weight and most of them don’t incorporate exercise. Yes, you’ll lose weight, but there are a lot of reasons why it’s still important to focus on the other 20% (exercise) to reach total 100% health.

1. Exercise boosts your mood. Feeling tired and run down? Go for a walk. Take in the scenery, pray, listen to music or a podcast, and relax. One of the big things I learned during my recovery was the benefits of a good walk. I put in my earbuds, turn on some worship music, and go for a nice long walk to pray, calm my thoughts, and melt my stress away. Exercise boosts your endorphins and decreases the presence of stress hormones.

2. Exercise is good for your heart. Your heart is a muscle, so aerobic exercise helps to keep that muscle strong and more efficient as it pumps life-giving blood and nutrients throughout your body.

3. Exercise is good for your brain. Exercise has been found to help memory and slow the progression of memory decline later in life.

4. Exercise supports your immune system. Regular, moderate exercise stimulates immune activity so you are less likely to get sick or infections.

5. Exercise helps your sleep better. Just moving 20 minutes per day will help increase your quality of sleep.

6. Exercise keeps your joints healthy. Regular movement and exercise keeps your joints from getting stiff and reduces aches and pains now…and as you age.

For me, one of the biggest benefits to regular exercise is that my body is able to keep up with my active kids. Not just the day to day activities, but playing basketball with my 10-year-old and having dance parties with my 8-year-old as well. I love having the energy and ability to keep up with my children and engage in what makes them happy.

Down the road, how do you want to feel? Do you want to be able to travel with your spouse, chase your grandkids, have less pain? What you do now — both with nutrition and exercise — effects how you’ll feel down the road. How are you preparing for your future health?