Whatever it is--write it down! Your goals, your workouts, your food intake (aka--food diary), cardio... You will be surprised what you will find when you write things down. For instance...you might just find that you have been eating way more calories than you thought. When you write it down--ALL of it. Those handful of nuts, a couple of Hershey's kisses here and there... You really don't realize what you are putting in your body until you write it down. And don't forget what you drink too. We drink a lot of calories that we don't even think about--tea, energy drinks, soft drinks, beer, wine, sports drinks. All of that adds up.
Your workouts. If you don't write it down, you don't know how you are progressing. You "think" you remember but you don't. You can keep up with the exercises, the weights, the reps and even make notes on how you feel on that particular day. I make notes about my wrist, elbow or whatever else is bothering me on that day. I also keep up with my cardio on my planner. I used to write down what type of cardio (walk, bike, elliptical) and the time. Now--I just circle the day when I do my cardio. Then I have a little contest with myself and note how many days this month I have done cardio. Just another little motivational tool I use myself.
The best way of documenting your progress is taking pictures. People say they don't want to have pics of them at their worst but...you will definitely be able to see the fruit of your labor if you take some pics. You should try to take them at the same place with the same outfit (bathing suit, shorts/shirt, etc.). If you keep them and date them, you can see the progress much better than just looking at yourself in the mirror. A picture gives you a different view. Looking at yourself in the mirror isn't really an objective view. Pictures really tell the story--good, bad and ugly.
So, now you have some new things to think about while charting your progress to a healthier you. I hope you will start doing some of these things and use them to make adjustments and progress toward your goal of a longer, healthier life.
Change your body, change your life!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Other things...
In addition to changing your diet, exercising and doing some cardio, there are a few more things that I recommend...stretching, chiropractic and massage.
If you have animals, you will observe that they get up stretch and then do whatever else they have in mind--usually to reposition and go back to sleep. However, they stretch a lot. You have probably noticed that you aren't quite as flexible as you were when you were a child. But, you can become that flexible again. All you have to do is stretch. A few years ago, I started doing a little night time, candle light stretching routine every night before bed. It was great. I felt better and it was a great way to unwind before bed. As with lots of other things, I got out of the habit... During this time though, I did feel much better. Trying to get back in the habit of it and want to encourage you to do the same. It doesn't have to be a big deal but if you start doing a little each day, you will reap the benefits.
Another thing I am a big believer in is chiropractic. I had never been to a chiropractor before I had an injury after a powerlifting meet about 10 years ago. Oh my gosh! I was in soooo much pain. (It turns out that one of my ribs had somehow gotten out of whack.) I realized then how easy it would be to get addicted to pain pills. They say that back pain is the worst--I can believe it! If your spine is out of line, it messes everything up. It is kind of like having a tire out of alignment--it wears wrong and won't perform at it's best. Ditto for your spine. The goal of fitness is to have everything running in it's peak condition. Getting yourself aligned is the start because if you are out of line, it will affect your entire body. After my first visit, I had to go several times to get myself straighten out. Since then, I go once a month for an adjustment--every month, without exception. You would not believe the difference!
Massage is another therapeutic thing that can not be overlooked. And when I say a massage, I don't mean having someone rub lotion over me--I can do that myself. I mean having someone get down in there and get those knots and kinks out of my muscles. I normally get a deep tissue or sports massage. Once upon a time, I traded out massages for workouts and got them weekly. Ahh. That was awesome! However, that deal ended some time ago and I'm back to the real world of paying for them. Weekly massage is the best but I know that most people can't afford that (I'm included in that group myself). If you could get them monthly or at least quarterly, it would make a difference.
All of these things together work toward making your body run at it's best and that is the goal--look good, feel good, live a longer more productive life.
Change your body, change your life!
If you have animals, you will observe that they get up stretch and then do whatever else they have in mind--usually to reposition and go back to sleep. However, they stretch a lot. You have probably noticed that you aren't quite as flexible as you were when you were a child. But, you can become that flexible again. All you have to do is stretch. A few years ago, I started doing a little night time, candle light stretching routine every night before bed. It was great. I felt better and it was a great way to unwind before bed. As with lots of other things, I got out of the habit... During this time though, I did feel much better. Trying to get back in the habit of it and want to encourage you to do the same. It doesn't have to be a big deal but if you start doing a little each day, you will reap the benefits.
Another thing I am a big believer in is chiropractic. I had never been to a chiropractor before I had an injury after a powerlifting meet about 10 years ago. Oh my gosh! I was in soooo much pain. (It turns out that one of my ribs had somehow gotten out of whack.) I realized then how easy it would be to get addicted to pain pills. They say that back pain is the worst--I can believe it! If your spine is out of line, it messes everything up. It is kind of like having a tire out of alignment--it wears wrong and won't perform at it's best. Ditto for your spine. The goal of fitness is to have everything running in it's peak condition. Getting yourself aligned is the start because if you are out of line, it will affect your entire body. After my first visit, I had to go several times to get myself straighten out. Since then, I go once a month for an adjustment--every month, without exception. You would not believe the difference!
Massage is another therapeutic thing that can not be overlooked. And when I say a massage, I don't mean having someone rub lotion over me--I can do that myself. I mean having someone get down in there and get those knots and kinks out of my muscles. I normally get a deep tissue or sports massage. Once upon a time, I traded out massages for workouts and got them weekly. Ahh. That was awesome! However, that deal ended some time ago and I'm back to the real world of paying for them. Weekly massage is the best but I know that most people can't afford that (I'm included in that group myself). If you could get them monthly or at least quarterly, it would make a difference.
All of these things together work toward making your body run at it's best and that is the goal--look good, feel good, live a longer more productive life.
Change your body, change your life!
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