Category: Fitness Tips

Motivation To Reach New Goals

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It’s hard to stay motivated (long-term), especially now when our lives and sense of “normalcy” has completely changed.

Below are 2 strategies that I find to be very helpful ways to stay motivated and follow through on your most challenging tasks.

1.  Artificial Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a principle of human behavior that says that a behavior is more likely to happen & will continue to happen, when it’s followed by something enjoyable or rewarding.

For example: 

Suppose you want to stick to a goal of running two times a week for one month.  Each time you accomplish your run, give yourself a small reward-like 15 minutes of reading time, a piece of dark chocolate, or your favorite smoothie or juice from a local juice bar.  Each time you complete your run, reward yourself in a small & healthy way.
At the end of the month-think of a larger reward to give yourself for reaching the goal of completing the entire month, like a new outfit for the summer or a pedicure.  (Ok, for now that pedicure might have to be done on your own, but you could include a bath & make it extra relaxing!)

I know we usually think of this reward system as something for kids, but you know it works for them-so try it for yourself and see what happens!

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2.  The Ulysses Pact 

This pact is named after the hero of the Trojan war & is a technique for holding yourself accountable to stick with a goal, even when it is hard.

The key in this pact is that we make a choice in the present that binds us to perform an action in the future.

For example:

Suppose you want to stick to a plan of making a healthy dinner for your family 5 nights a week.  Or, you make a decision to workout with a buddy 3 times each week.  You could write your good friend or even your child a series of checks for $20 each and instruct them to cash one of these checks and use the money however they want, if you skip out on meeting for a workout or don’t meet your 5th dinner for your family for that week.

The Ulysses Pact helps you maintain a high level of motivation when things get tough by locking in a future behavior ahead of time.

I personally thought that these techniques are good ones for setting new goals and sticking to them.  Hope you give them a try and strive for something bigger and better in the future!

Family Health While Stuck Inside

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During uncertain times like these, it is important to find ways that you can stay mentally and physically healthy and strong so that you can be there for others when they are not.

Check out some of my tips below so that you can use this time to slow down and build a more positive, healthy environment for you and your family!

 

Molly Woods Pose

I have composed a list of ways in which you can keep yourself and your family as healthy as possible, while you are stuck at home right now:

1.  Weather permitting-get outside and be in nature

  • Living close to nature and spending time outside has significant and wide-ranging health benefits.   Recent reports reveal that exposure to greenspace reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, stress, and high blood pressure.
  • Can’t go anywhere but your back yard?  Create a scavenger hunt for your kids, do yoga on your back lawn, have a picnic in the grass, or involve your family in a game of kickball.

2.  Write down 3 optimistic people you would like to hang around with sometime in the near future. Writing it down will actually help you get closer to your goal. 

  • Can’t physically visit with these people right now?  Call them up or write them a letter!  Now is the time to connect in ways that we haven’t when we were busy running around during the normal rat race of life.

3.  Keep a gratitude journal and write down 5 things that you are thankful for each day.  I recommend starting the day with this, so these positive aspects of your life are fresh in your mind first thing.

  • Get your kids involved in this daily exercise and have them write down what they are thankful for each morning for breakfast!
  • The more grateful we are, the more opportunities we find.  Hope is built on gratitude and opportunities.

Family Amelia Island

4.  Set a time each day to unplug from electronics and enjoy the company of your family

  • Unplugging can help us live in the present moment. We are more connected to our devices now than ever before and this leaves us less time for meditation, self-reflection, and connection with others.
  • TURN OFF the news when your kiddos are around.  We made the mistake of playing the news while the kids were in the room last week & it really scared them.  We are all facing uncharted territories right now-it’s best to keep your kids feeling safe and secure by keeping them away from the media as much as possible.

5.  Get in physical exercise & involve your whole family!

  • It doesn’t even need to be explained but spend time each day to move your body to increase energy, improve mood, reduce stress, lower your risks of a multitude of diseases, and more.
  • Involve your WHOLE family!  Check out this free family workout by yours truly right HERE.

6.  Keep Up With Your Healthy Eating Habits

  • Try some new healthy recipes and use this time to sit down with your family and enjoy meals together!
  • Eating a variety of lean proteins, healthy fats, and fresh produce will keep your brain and body functioning at its’ highest level.
  • Don’t allow your kids to snack on junk all day!  Encourage your family to eat a rainbow of colors at each meal.

 

I hope that you find these tips helpful for you and your family.  I am trying my best to find ways to help others virtually right now, so please reach out to me if you think of an idea on how I can improve others lives’ from afar or if you just have a question for me!  Thanks for reading!!

 

Creating & Keeping Healthy Habits

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You don’t have to wait until the new year to start setting a couple of new goals or develop a new positive habit.

Here are some ideas to help you out:

1.  For any healthy habits to stick, you need to figure out your “WHY” for making positive change.

Ask yourself WHY you want to build a new healthy habit or change a bad one. Write it down. And hang it up somewhere you can see it every day.

2.  RECRUIT ALLIES: find a friend or group of friends to build the habits with you.

Studies show that people with weight loss goals that start them with a friend or group are 70% more likely to follow through than if they did it alone.
*Remember, those first few weeks are the toughest, which means they’ll require the most effort to get started.*

3. Never miss TWO in a row!

What happens if you miss a day? Who cares! One day won’t ruin you – but two days often times will-because 2 becomes 30 in the blink of an eye.
As pointed out in a research summary: “Missing the occasional opportunity to perform the behavior did not seriously impair the habit formation process: automaticity gains soon resumed after one missed performance.”   But, more than one missed opportunity and things start to go downhill…..

4) DON’T PICK HABITS YOU HATE

“Hey Sally, I know I should run so I’m trying to build a running habit even though I hate running.” STOP!  You can get the same results with a different habit, such as dancing or swimming. Pick a habit that isn’t miserable for you and you’re more likely to follow through on it.

*At the same time, there are tons of success stories from people who went from hating exercise to loving how it feels. It’s because they made the habit part of a bigger picture: “I am exercising at the gym because I am building a kick-ass body so I can start dating again!” It’s because they had a BIG enough why to overcome their initial dislike of exercise until they learned to love how exercise made them feel.

5) TRY TEMPTATION BUNDLING

Consider combining a habit you dislike with something you LOVE, and you’ll be more likely to build the habit. For example, allow yourself an hour of watching Netflix, but ONLY while you’re on the Elliptical. This is called “temptation bundling” and can be a powerful tool for positive change.

What temptation bundling does:

It reduces the amount of time that you devote to temptations. After all, you’re limiting the situations in which you’ll allow yourself to engage in the temptation.
It increases the likelihood that you’ll engage in desired behavior. That is, it makes it easier for you to adopt positive habits.
READY TO BUILD A NEW HEALTHY HABIT?

Start small: 1-2 habits to begin. For example, if you want to start exercising: instead of setting a goal to do it every day, start off with 2 days a week of 15-20 minutes and then slowly add on when you are ready.  Or if you want to eat healthier: start off by cooking one healthy meal per week and then add another meal the next week.

REACH OUT TO ME HERE IF YOU’D LIKE SOME HELP!

Naturally Boost Your Metabolism

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Metabolism is a term that describes all chemical reactions in your body.  It often is used interchangeably with “metabolic rate”, which is the number of calories you burn.  The higher this is, the more calories and fat you naturally burn off and keep off.  In addition, having a higher metabolism can give you more energy and make you feel better.  Who doesn’t want that?

Here are 7 ways to naturally kick your metabolic rate up so that you can burn more fat:

1.  Eat Protein At Every Meal: Eating protein raises your metabolic rate by 15-30% and can make you feel fuller longer, which can keep you from overeating.  Eating protein also keeps you from losing muscle mass, which is a common side effect of dieting.

2.  Do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): I know you’ve heard this before-intervals of quick and intense bursts of activity during exercise has been proven to help boost your metabolism and burn more fat than steady cardio and it still works long after your workout is over!

3.  Lift Heavy: Having more muscle on your body allows you to naturally burn more calories and fat in any given day.  Lifting heavy weights vs light weights is more effective in helping you increase your muscle mass and improve your metabolic rate.

4.  Drink Green or Oolong Tea: Both of these teas have shown to increase metabolism by 4-5%.  They are low in calories and may help promote weight loss and weight maintenance in certain people.

5.  Get a Good Night’s Sleep: Lack of sleep is linked to a major increase in the link to obesity.  It is also linked to raising blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, increasing your hunger hormones, and decreasing the hormones that make you feel full.

6.  Drink Coffee (yay!): Studies have shown that coffee (like green tea) can boost metabolism up to 11%.

7.  Stand Up More:  Sitting too much is bad for your health and can cause you to gain significant amounts of weight.  (Not to mention the bad effects it has on your heart!)  If you have a desk job-set an alarm every 10 minutes that will remind you to get up, walk around, and get the blood flowing in your body.  (This will also help you refocus and get more energy as you continue working.)_MIR8203

Burn More Fat During Exercise

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We all want to know how we can get the most out of our workouts in the shortest amount of time possible.  I’ve never been someone who enjoys exercising for hours a day; I prefer to get in & get a super-effective workout quickly so that I can move on with my day.
Want to get the most out of your workouts and burn more fat during exercise?  The following are ways that you can start burning more calories and increase your lean muscle mass during your workouts, starting today:

1.  Focus On BIG Movements
Multi-joint exercises engage maximum muscle tissue, increase the calories you expend, and raise your metabolism.  These exercises target multiple muscle groups instead of isolated muscle movements.  Examples: squat with shoulder press, lunge hold with bicep curls, push-ups with weighted donkey kicks.

2.  Use Heavier Weights With Shorter Rest Periods
Research shows that training with heavier weight helps raise your metabolism higher & for longer than training with light weights.  Also-researchers from the College of New Jersey reported that people who rested between sets for 30 seconds vs 1-3 minutes burned significantly more calories.

3.  Intensify Your Rest Periods
Instead of sitting around on your bum in between weight lifting sets, try skipping rope or doing a round of mountain climbers.  Doing little “bursts” of cardio in-between your strength moves adds up to serious fat burning and also improves endurance levels!

4.  Perform Fast, Fun Cardio
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been proven to be a way better method for burning fat compared to long, slower paced cardio.
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity compared individuals who did steady-state cardio for 40 minutes to those who completed just 20 minutes of HIIT training, both for three times a week. The HIIT group lost a significant amount of body weight and body fat compared to the steady-state group. The steady-state group actually saw a 1 pound increase in fat mass!  Try to choose different forms of cardio-the more variety, the better!  Examples: intervals of sprints, rowing machine, stair stepper, elliptical, bike riding, plyometrics, etc…

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Barbells in CLT

If you have questions or would like help in creating a more fat-burning workout routine for yourself, message me HERE.