Helpful Tips To Stay Active & Sane This Winter

1. Practice Breathing & Meditation Techniques at least 10 minutes a day. Try using Youtube Videos, join online yoga classes, or simply plan some time for yourself everyday to focus on your inner thoughts.

2. Turn off the TV, Tablet,Phone, etc.- Do yourself a favor and unplug from all of your devices everyday for at least 30-60 minutes. Nowadays there is too much tech noise all around us. Take some time away from your devices and go for a walk outside and reconnect with nature.

3. Commit to Being Active Everyday- Set goals for yourself every week and try and reach them. For example, try going for a walk for 15 minutes everyday, or riding your indoor bike 30 minutes for 3 times a week. Be specific. This helps you organize your thoughts and focus more on the present moment.

4. Plan Local Excursions with Family- Try and get out of the house with your family a couple times a month. Plan some fun hikes, walks, or local road trips. Catch up with your family and do something everyone in the family would enjoy. Experience everything your local community has to offer.

5. Create a Supportive Team Around You- Make sure your surround yourself with positive and motivating people. With all the negative things happening in the world right now, there is no room in your life for people who don’t support your healthy lifestyle. Join online fitness communities on Facebook, listen to uplifting Podcasts, or start a community forum with like- minded individuals. Make sure you distance yourself from the naysayers out there.

Be The Change

Did you know that research shows that literally just taking care of your health for a few DAYS drastically improves your immune response?

That’s right – healthy food, getting exercise, sleeping enough, and managing your stress for even a few days shows positive impact on your overall health and ability to fight disease.

Given that we’re living in a time where people are more acutely aware of their health and immune systems than ever before, I want you to know that it doesn’t take years or even months to turn things around.

Although no one likes living in times of a global pandemic, my hope is that people begin taking their health more seriously than ever before.

From the food they choose for each meal to the amount they’re moving their bodies each day.

It’s so easy to let life pull you in every direction with its chaos and busyness.

The gift given to us in all of this is the opportunity to slow down. To prioritize what’s important.

And my hope for you and your loved ones is that, like me, you value your health more than ever before.

That we all step up to take care of ourselves in ways that will not only strengthen our immune systems for immediate times but so that we can extend our lives and increase the quality of them for many years to come.

Work-Life Balance Is A Myth?

There’s this concept of work-life balance floating around for years now.

 It’s this idea that there’s a magical ratio of work hours to home life hours to relaxation.

 And it’s elusive to most people because it doesn’t truly exist. Like everything else in life, your perfect balance is something YOU have to create.

 What does exist, however, is our ability to take ownership of our time, to schedule what works best for us, and to honor our commitments to that schedule.

 What will work for one person and make them feel balanced will be entirely different for another.

 So, to create some order in your life and give you a better sense of balance and control, here are a few suggestions:

 1.     Utilize a calendar. Literally everything from sleep time to workouts to downtime goes in that calendar. You won’t have to do this forever – just until the routine feels freeing, natural, and “balanced.”

2.     Don’t cross work and down time. This means bringing your work home with you. When there is no separation between work and home life, you always feel like you’re on the clock.

3.     Ensure you schedule doing things you LOVE every week. Interestingly, so much of our free time gets wasted with things like social media and TV, but including things that you really love and set your soul on fire will make you feel far more rejuvenated.

 Instead of hoping the mystical work-life balance finds you someday, try the above instead and see how much more productive and energized you find yourself!

Thoughts Chronically Fit People Never Have

There are very distinct mindsets that differentiate those who are chronically fit and those who wish to be, and I want to call them out here.

This isn’t to make anyone feel bad but rather to create an eye-opening conversation that can help you shift your current thoughts.

So, check these out and note any differences that you might be experiencing:

1. They don’t dread their workouts. Even fit people aren’t super excited for every single workout, but there’s no sense of dread or pain around the idea of exercise. They appreciate what their bodies are capable of and the feeling of getting stronger.

2. They don’t put pressure on themselves to suffer through hours of cardio. Unless, it’s personal preference or they’re training for a particular event, fit people know fat loss occurs best with strength training and they have also developed very efficient workout routines that don’t require hours of effort.

3. They don’t believe in restrictive calorie counting. Because that stuff just doesn’t work in the long run anyway. Instead, they find a way of eating they can sustain forever that encompasses all foods they love and prevents binging.

4. They don’t place blame. Whether it’s blaming a slow metabolism, family members and their diets, or busy schedules, fit people look for solutions so they can stay fit forever. Because there is ALWAYS a solution.

5. They don’t use their love of food or alcohol as a reason they’ll never be as fit as they want.

They know there’s a way to have it all, and they’ve found that balance.

You see, staying chronically fit doesn’t come down to a specific gene or being wired a certain way.

Most of us are on an even playing field and are given a fair shot when it comes to achieving fitness – it’s the mindset and effort that is different.