Eat clean to train hard...don't train hard to justify just eating more!

Is the lack of time or lack of focus?

The biggest excuse I hear about people not getting regular exercise is that they don't have time.....Excuse me...I live in the real world right along with you...work a full time job with a long commute, have 2 kids and I find the time...I make the time. Take a minute and really assess your productivity, how many hours are you wasting stalking people on FB or watching TV. Don't get me wrong I watch TV but never sitting on the couch. Tape it, DVR it do what you have to to watch it while you gets some cardio in . I don't remember the last time I grabbed the remote and sat down to watch anything unless the seat had peddles. Too tired? Hit the off switch, sign off the Internet and turn off the light, get to sleep earlier, drag your butt out of bed earlier and start the day with a sweat session, then no excuses as the day goes on, already got it done.
Short rant over....

Seriously, this is your life, your health and the health of your children we are talking about. Make exercise and healthy eating a priority, schedule an appointment with yourself before you overbook your days!   Take a look at how effectively you use your time. The effectiveness of multitasking is debatable....but try organizing your day making a 'priority list' and just get started! Look at the ultimate time eater...running errands...plan ahead and complete these geographically, save time and gas and maybe hit the gym if the days paths travel by... :)  

Don't know about you but the to-list haunts me...never completed and often overwhelming. Stop worrying about finishing it just get started, amazing how much better I feel after just checking off a few things, fueling the fire to continue on with a productive day. On the topic of to-do lists,  the daily workings of life and a household can often clog up the to-do list as they are a rolling daily requirement...laundry, meals planning and preparation, dishes, cleaning etc. Try leaving them off the list, stay with me....make them part of routine....laundry basket full? Toss the load in, don't wait for laundry day and waste a Saturday in the basement. Same with dishes, wash them or get them directly to the dishwasher after every meal, no one wants to look at a  sinkful of dishes when they get home from work.  Meals and dishes...spend a little extra time once to save time overall by preparing meals ahead. Pots dirty once, lunches prepacked and... ready for this one? You've already made healthier choices for the week, no more running out to buy something quick and greasy because you didn't have time to make lunch. Sounds like  a win, win, win to me.

Clutter....another clog to the household to-do list, always something where it doesn't belong, in the way of something else and before you know it...sloped corners in all the rooms and slanted horizontal surfaces everywhere you look. Overwhelming and stress inducing! Create a system....again a  little time investment initially but saves in the long run. Junk mail...recycle immediately! Do not start a pile, anywhere at anytime...they multiply! Stuff....everywhere...try this:everytime you make a pass across the room, take something with you, return it to it's proper place, the little bits along the way make for fewer overwhelming tasks eating up your weekends!

My lesson here.....KEEP UP, STOP WASTING TIME TRYING TO CATCH UP! Allowing things to get out of control lands you with overwhelming tasks that lead to stress and avoidance and tasks that are even more overwhelming. Same is true for starting tomorrow on your plans to be eat healthier and start exercising, the longer you wait, the more overwhelming it can be, slowly the pounds continue to creep up, the poor diet just feeds upon itself. Stop the cycle now! Dig in your heels, get started, make the time to get organized and get healthy and in the long run in more than one way you will have given yourself the gift of time!

We all have the same 24 hours to work with, this difference lies in how you use it!

Presciption for Health and Fitness

Too often the medical community is filling people's medicine cabinets with prescriptions/medications for illnesss and to manage consequences of poor lifestyle choices. How about writing 'prescriptions' for healthy food choices and daily exercise; these 'medications' only have beneficial side effects...

• increased energy
• improved self esteem
• improved health
• fat loss
• decreased medical costs
• general improved ability to live life!

1. Choose clean healthy foods for everything you put on your plate! The less ingredients on the label the better. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it! Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains!  Be consistant with fueling your body, eat small meals every 3-4 hours to keep the metabolism burning and keep cravings to a minimum. Avoid sugary snacks and avoid energy crashes!

2. Exercise Daily: exercise can take many forms...just move! An exercise program should have variety to keep challenging muscles. Include cardiovascular training as well as strength training. Cardio burns calories and strengthens your heart and lungs, while strength training scuplts your body and increases lean muscle mass that in turn increases your resting metabolic rate. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue...build more to burn more calories! What ever you choose, make it fun, enjoy it or you will never stick with it and that is the key!

3. Hydrate:  Pure, clean water is essential to keep all systems going, flushing out waste products of normal cell metabolism, assist with good oxygen transport to cells and reduce water retention. Check out this great post for even more benefits of good clean water. Even the slightest amount of dehydration can contribute to decreased enery levels. Thirst is not a good indicator for maintaining good hydration levels as thirst generally indicates an already slightly dehydrated state. Drinking water throughout the day keeps good hydration levels and may help keep you from snacking, drinking water prior to meals may result in eating less at meals.

4. Most importantly-critical to your success: change your attitude and priorities: view new healthy habits as a change in lifestyle to change your body and improve your health. Healthy food should be viewed as fuel and exercise needs to be a part of your life and identity not just one more thing on your to-do list. Think of time spent now on improving your lifestyle an investment in quality and quantity of years ahead.