New Year's Resolutions

Happy (almost) New Year!

It’s that time of year again.  Most of us are recovering from our holiday celebrations and now find that we are ready to set resolutions.  But how do we do this in a way such that we don’t dread the process?  This year I suggest a more positive approach to resolutions so that you look forward to achieving them.

Set aside one or two hours to set your resolutions.  Go to your favorite coffee shop or library, find a quiet space and get yourself a cup of tea.  Then choose some motivating tunes or calming music, open your laptop or notebook and start writing.

To start, do a review of your year, focusing on your achievements.  Did you start a new job, have a baby, move to a new house?   Perhaps you managed a stressful situation really well or you comforted a friend in time of need.  If you are reading this blog, then you have taken interest in your health and wellness which is an accomplishment!  Write all of this down and then congratulate yourself for your successes.  

Next, think about what you would like to achieve in 2011.  Perhaps you want to lose weight, eat better, run a 10K sleep well or just feel happier.  Write this down.

Now, phrase these goals in terms that are measurable, achievable and positive.  You don’t want to set goals that set yourself up for failure!  Instead of only focusing on a number of pounds, think about losing body fat or dropping a dress size.  Also, make sure that your goal is within a healthy range.

Then write down how you plan to achieve these goals.  This is the key to success!  To lose weight you will want to change your diet, increase your activity and mobilize your support networks.

And there’s one more step in the whole process.  It’s all in how your phrase things.  Keep your resolutions positive! Let me give you a simple example:

Resolution: I resolve to eat less chocolate:

Rephrase as: I resolve to choose snacks that are healthy and nourish my body.  

How I plan to accomplish this:

1. Buy healthy snacks to keep in the house.
2. Choose chocolate that is high quality and eat in small quantity
3. When the urge to eat chocolate occurs, ask myself if chocolate is what I really want - perhaps a moment of meditation or calling a good friend will be more nourishing.

Resolutions can be a great way to set in motion positive changes in your life.  Don’t feel burdened by them but rather excited by the possibility of enriching your life.  If you would like to discuss your resolutions and how to phrase them in a positive way, please feel free to contact me.

Be well.

Maintaining Fitness

I love this article about maintaining fitness!  But the catch is that you have to have a base of fitness to start.  For one thing, it is reassuring during crazy weeks or even months - as long as you continue to do some sort of physical activity at least once or twice a week, you won't lose all of your gains in strength and endurance.  Of course, it wouldn't be ideal to continue that over an extended period of time but in the short-term, it's ok.

The last few weeks have proven challenging for me to get to the gym!  And when I'm there, I often have only 20 or 30 minutes to do some sort of workout.  Today I was able to get in a longer workout and was pleasantly surprised that I'm pretty much where I left off a couple of weeks ago.  So, I am living proof - as long as you do something you can continue to make progress once you get back into a regular program.

Be well.

Great tips from The Happiness Project

Wow, what a crazy time of year.  I have exciting news to share in the The New Year but for now, enjoy this post from The Happiness Project.

Be well.

Becoming a fit parent

There is so much pressure on parents.  We are constantly being bombarded with information that our children are inactive, undernourished and overfed, disengaged and stressed.  But we must ask ourselves, where are they learning this?  What do we teach them when we live our lives in an unfit way?  Of course, we would like the schools to have more activity, better nutrition and less testing but what are we  modeling at home and on the weekends?

Are we, as parents, teaching them to live a fit life?  

How can being fit make us better parents?

By not taking the time to care for ourselves we are not modeling behavior that we need our children to develop.  Not just for their health now, but for their health as they move through the challenging stages of their lives. We need them to learn from us how to incorporate fitness into their lives and how to live a full and fit life.  

I'm not a fan of affirmations, but this one literally just came to me.  

When I move my body,

I have more energy for my child.

When I build my muscles,

I have more strength for parenting.

When I nourish my body,

I am better able to nurture my child.

And when I engage my spirit,

I am an engaged parent.

Before I incorporated fitness into my life, I was not the parent I wanted to be.  My patience with Lucy was limited.  While she played outside, I sat, exhausted, in a fold-up chair. I was tired.  I was overwhelmed. I was a bit lost.

When I started to exercise, eat better and reach out to friends who could support me, I found that I became a more patient parent.  I took the time to listen to Lucy and respond to her in a respectful way.  I set boundaries that were healthy for both of us.  And I had the energy to play with her. I took the time to cook with her and teach her about food.  Of course, I'm not perfect and I get frustrated when I shouldn't and I occasionally check-out while scanning facebook, but overall, I feel that I am better parent and model for my child.

This is not meant to put more pressure on us as parents but rather to remind us of the old term that when we take care of ourselves, we are better able to take care of others.  So I encourage you to take care of yourself.  When you incorporate fitness into your life, you become a more fit parent, pun intended.

Be well.