Why is it soooo hard??
I’m sure you know what I’m talking about and some of you may be saying, “Is she talking to me?” It’s so easy to get stuck in the same vicious cycle of bad habits…not drinking enough water, not moving your body, not fueling your body the right way, not getting enough rest, drinking too much alcohol and I’m sure there are many other bad habits that people can get stuck doing as well, but I’m going to focus on the ones that have hurt me in either the present or the past.
Water…are you consuming at least 80oz per day? Our recommendation for our athletes is at least 1/2 their weight in ounces per day; more so if they will be doing a workout that day. I usually don’t have a problem with this one as usually always have a water bottle in tow, but I can see where it can be a problem with some people. Those who are at a desk most of the day and only get up occasionally and during lunch. Something that may help is to set a timer on your phone and get up, walk to the water fountain/cooler and fill up your water bottle…at least 10oz…do this at least 5 times per day and you already have half of your quota taken care of! I’ve used this “vision” before and it may sound gross, but do you want your organs to look like a flank steak or a dried up piece of beef jerky?? Your body NEEDS water so get it in! No Excuses!
Exercise…do you move your body at least 30 minutes per day? It doesn’t have to be intense…It could be 3-10 minute walks. I bet you could do this on a break at work! You could even park further away from the entrance and take stairs! The idea here is to develop a routine and habit of just moving. Have more specific goals for building strength and endurance, well that’s another topic. I just want you to move for 30 minutes per day. Not only does the physical activity help your entire body, it helps with your mental health as well! Starting the day off right with some movement is definitely something that can help you get out of a rut!
Nutrition…do you eat “clean” at least 80% of the time? Does half of your plate at lunch and dinner contain veggies? Are you including lean protein, a starchy carb, veggies and a healthy fat at each meal? Do you know how many calories you should be consuming each day? Do you KNOW you consume too many calories? This piece right here is what gets most people down (including me!). They think it’s complicated, but it really isn’t…most people KNOW that eating ice cream every night will not help them reach their weight loss goals, but they do it anyway. Why? Because they are addicted to the sugar and they don’t have anyone holding them accountable for their goals. There are many times throughout the year when I just crave the crunch, the salt, or the sweet and it gets away from me, but I’ve found that if I have someone who knows what my goals are, I am more apt to saying no to the “bad” stuff and filling my plate with more healthy options! This gets me closer to my goals and having the accountability keeps me out of that rut! I KNOW the nutrition piece is hard…I’ve lived it. Not every day is easy, but how bad do you want to change?? That bad, huh? Well, then do the work AND if you need help, we have the tools and means to help you reach your goals faster! I attended a workshop this past Friday, and one particular thing that made a lot of sense…“Do you want to lose weight fast, or do you want to lose it forever?” Forget the fad diets and pills…we can help you reach that goal…just book an appointment with one of our nutrition coaches –> Nutrition Coaching (You do NOT have to be a member for these services!)
Sleep and Rest Days…do you get at least 7 hours of sleep or just shrug off resting your body telling yourself that you can handle just 5-6 hrs of sleep? Many ask how many hours do you really need; there are lots of studies out there and your body functions better when you get between 7-9 hours of sleep. Adolescents and children need much more so if you have kiddos, make sure they are getting adequate rest. Especially if they are athletes and need rest and recovery from practices. Rest days…it’s okay to take them, in fact we encourage athletes to take at least 2 rest day per week; this doesn’t have to be “do nothing”, you can still do an active rest day like a walk or hike or even some bike riding. But your body does need time to recover from the weight lifting or high intensity exercise that you place on it during the week. So Rest and Recover! ๐
Lastly, one that tends to rear its ugly head is alcohol consumption…I like my beer (and wine on occasions) especially in the summer when you just want to hang out and have a couple to chill. However, these empty calories can certainly add up and guess where it adds up…your gut and butt ๐ So the best thing to do here is plan your drinks out ahead of time if possible. Push the protein and eat as healthy as possible early on so you can enjoy the adult beverages without feeling guilty about it. You can also put a limit on consumption so you don’t have any ill affects the next day ๐
If all of us were to be on the same page with all of the above things, meaning everything on the positive, we would definitely be staying out of those ruts and funks. The physical and emotional toll that these so called ruts take on a person is terrible and I hate to see anyone there. So if you need help or just need to know where to start, let me know or follow our CrossFit Unstoppable Facebook and Instagram pages for inspiration and motivation. I want you to succeed and I definitely want to see you Better Than Yesterday! Have a great week!
Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!
