Make Your Health a Priority

Do you have trouble fitting a workout or run into your busy schedule?  Does it seem as if everyone is fighting for your time and attention?  If so, you are not the only one.  In fact, I venture to say that many of you feel this way.  Therefore, you must commit to making your health a priority.  Just reading this blog is not enough to keep you motivated for any significant length of time.  Below is the process that I use to make my health an ongoing priority and fit regular workouts and runs into my busy schedule.

1. Create a vision for your overall health.- For example, my vision for my overall health is, "Stay fit, eat healthy, and have fun doing it. Mix up your workouts in order to keep your body guessing and improve your overall fitness."  I look at this vision on a regular basis and it helps to remotivate me when I feel like slacking off or putting my workout on the back burner.  Take your time creating a vision and don't be scared to tweak it over time.
2. Use this vision to motivate you to create an ongoing workout regimine with specific measurable goals.-  I have no medical or fitness training, so I would recomend talking to a physician prior to undergoing a new workout regimine.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.  By sharing your vision and goals with a health professional, he or she should be willing and able to help you establish an appropriate workout regimine for your specific level of fitness.
3. Once yuou have a workout regimine in place.  Insert it into your calendar.- I mean this literally.  For example, if you use a blackberry to manage your day then block off time for your workouts as if they are a scheduled meeting or appointment.  
4. Take ownership of your workouts and don't ignore them when they pop up on your calendar.- This is the final and hardest step of the process.  It is easy to treat your workouts as optional and move on to something that seems more pressing.  In truth, there are very few things that deserve more attention than your health.

This process has worked for me, and I venture to say that some form of it can work for you.  There is an old proverb that states, "A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools."  Like I have said before, living a healthful life is not easy, but it is rewarding and fulfilling.  Don't neglect your health.  Make it a priority and follow through.  Enjoy the journey!

Change of Scenery

Do you run the same route everyday, or do the same workout routine on a continual basis?  Are you a creature of habit?  Most of us are, which causes us to lose interest in our workouts.  Thus, we start putting them off or ignoring them completely.  It is hard to avoid this trap, but a conscious effort to mix things up and the occasional change of scenery will keep you from going insane.  Below are 5 simple things you can do to create a change of scenery and bring the excitement back into your workouts.

1. Reverse the order of the exercises in your normal workout routine.  
2. If you always run the same loop, go the opposite direction today.
3. Run or workout at a different time of day.
4. If you are scheduled to run 7 miles today, have someone drive you 7 miles away from your house and drop you off. 
5. Next Saturday, take a day trip to run, bike, or walk a trail that you've never experienced.  It can be as far away or as close to home as you want it to be, but the simple change of scenery will add some much needed excitement.

I encourage everyone to make a conscious effort to avoid becoming a creature of habit.  It prevents you from seeing and experiencing the simple pleasures of life.  Please comment if you have fun, creative ways to mix up your workouts and avoid boredom.  The above image was published in the May 4, 2008, NY Times article entitled "Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?" http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/business/04unbox.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=habit&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

 

Getting and Staying Motivated to Live a Healthier, Happier Life

Living a healthier, happier life is often easier said than done. Thus, this post is intended to help you get motivated and stay motivated. One of my favorite quotes is by Ryan P. Allis and it states, "A positive action left undone loses the magic benefit of time: compounding. Do it now." Below is the six step process that I follow and recommend to people looking to live a healthier, happier, more fulfilling life.

1. Set Healthy, Motivating Goals- Setting healthy, motivating goals begins by creating a vision of how you view your overall health. For example, my vision for my health is as follows, "Stay fit, eat healthy, and have fun doing it. Mix up your workouts in order to keep your body guessing and improve your overall fitness." Once you have established your vision, you must create goals and milestones that will enable you to "live" your vision. These goals should be difficult, yet attainable in order to avoid becoming discouraged. The final step to setting healthy, motivating goals is to write them down. This simple action will set you apart from most people and will give you a greater likelihood of achieving your goals. Especially if you post them on your refrigerator, next to the TV remote, or other potential "areas of weakness." When creating your vision and setting your goals it is important to remember that everyone's body is created differently, so I would recommend that you consult with your physician prior to making any drastic changes to your diet or workout routine.
2.  Share Your Vision and Goals- Now that you have created your vision and goals it is important to share them with as many people as possible. There is no greater motivator than having people ask about your progress. Plus, you may unintentionally motivate someone else to take action as well.
3. Start Living Your Vision- This step is rather self explanatory. Take action! The hardest part is getting started. The following quote by Confucius sums this up by stating, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Take the first step! 
4. Record Your Progress- Many people have good intentions and they begin to follow through with their initial goals, but their failure to record their progress prevents them from eventually achieving their goals and living their vision. Fortunately, technology has made it easier and cooler to record your progress. Active.com has a free training log that is similar to a traditional log, except that it is on the internet. Meanwhile, dailymile.com is more like a combination of twitter, facebook, and your traditional training log. I just recently started using the dailymile, and I am very impressed. Not only can you record your progress, but you can build a network of supporters to help motivate and hold you accountable.
5. Review Your Progress- I recommend that you treat your training log much like a bank statement, meaning that you should review it on a regular basis in order to know whether or not you are on track to achieve your goals. This will allow you to see what is and is not working and make adjustments to your workouts and daily habits according to your progress.
6. Reward Your Progress- Reward yourself for reaching various milestones along the path to living your vision. I'm not saying that you should go to Hawaii after every breakthrough or achievement, but you should set aside time to reflect and reward yourself for a job well done. Be creative with your rewards!

This six step process should help to provide some guidelines for getting and staying motivated to live a healthier, happier life. It is important for you to know that there is no easy route to getting and staying healthy, but it should be fun. View your journey with optimism and hope, attempting to seize every opportunity that presents itself. Good luck and enjoy the journey!

 

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

Life and running alike are filled with highs and lows.  Two weeks ago, I was diagnosed with IT Band Syndrome in my right knee.  It was the result of months spent training for the Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham.  According to the doctor, there is very little that can be done to speed up the recovery process.  Understanding that I was currently training for a half marathon, the doctor informed me that the best way to recover from IT Band Syndrome is to avoid running and focus on cross training while the pain subsides.  As an avid runner that depends on the daily endorphins, this was not what I wanted to hear, but the pain was unbearable once I was about 15 minutes into my runs.  Upset and frustrated, I decided to stop training for the half marathon and seize the opportunity to focus on getting stronger and healthier by mixing up my workouts and eliminating running until my knee fully recovers.  After many long, cold hours of training this was a hard decision to make, but one that should prove beneficial in the long haul.   

To all the runners out there that are trying to grind it out and ignore the pain, I encourage you to step back, make the tough decision, recover, and rejuvinate your mind and body with fresh workouts.  View this as an opportunity as opposed to a setback.  The last two weeks have proven to be unpredictable and exciting.  I am swimming, rowing, and riding the stationary bike to maintain my cardio and using various total body circuit training workouts to build strength.  Also, I am currently practicing Yoga to help strengthen the the stabilizing muscles throughout my body and provide me with the endorphins that I crave from several years of running.  I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, even injuries.  I had fallen into a routine that lacked diversity, but this injury has provided me with a new vision of a healthful lifestyle.  I encourage everyone to enjoy life's highs and to view life's lows as an opportunity rather than a setback.  Enjoy the journey!