Ding! Lightbulb just turned on!

For those of you in Wisconsin, you know that it was up in the 90’s for a few days this last week. Since it was so hot, I decided to not make my green tea.  I am not a fan of drinking something hot when it is hot outside or drinking something cold when it is cold outside.  So I sort of unconsciously decided that I didn't need to drink my green tea.  I like my tea, but honestly kinda felt like it wasn’t that big of a deal if I was still going to be eating the food I was eating.  For a couple days I was noticing that I was getting hungry between breakfast & lunch and that my banana (morning snack) was not holding me over for as long as it normally had.  I was trying to figure out why I was getting hungry more now than I was before. 

This is where journaling comes in great and why I emphasize this in my class.  I went to my journal and looked at what I had been eating and drinking each day.  I realized that I wasn’t drinking the green tea that I had been drinking with my banana (morning snack).  And even after I found this out, I was still thinking to myself, "could one 8oz mug of green tea really help keep me that much fuller for that much longer...?" 



 

The answer... YES!  I started drinking my green tea again the next day with my banana.  It helped that it was about 60 degrees outside again.  That morning before lunch I felt so much better and was not nearly as hungry as I had been in the days earlier.  Green tea can help curb hunger but there are many other benefits to drinking green tea.

So what did I learn from this experience...?

It is amazing what the simple addition of something that seems so small can do for you and how you eat.

Journaling is VERY important, especially in the beginning because that is when you are forming new habits.  Not only does journaling make you realize what you are putting in your body, it also can tell you why you are feeling a certain way when you look back at it.  I am sticking with my green tea!

What have you learned lately?  What do you think about Journaling?  I would love to hear what you are doing.

No More Excuses...Get Your Mass Moving!

"I don't have enough time to workout."    "Gym memberships cost too much."

"Workout equipment is too expensive and too big."



Have you heard heard or more importantly, used these excuses before?  Be honest with yourself.  These are lame excuses for not being active and working out.  I am not speaking to you from an ivory tower...I have said these very same things before too.  You are not alone.  So let's get rid of the excuses together.

"Excuses are well planned out lies." - Dani Johnson

So let's quit lying to ourselves and make a change.  I use very little equipment (tennis shoes, 5lb dumbbells & a stability ball) and have a 900 sq ft condo that I workout in.  If I have room, than I am sure you have room too.

The key to starting something different is to start small and work your way up gradually.  I say this from my own experience.  I used to be a collegiate athlete, so for most of my adult life I was used to 3-6 hours of strenuous workouts 5 days week.  So when I wanted to get going again after I graduated I pushed myself hard for a full week and then the next week I would be lucky if I worked out once.  I did this back and forth, over and over again.  I finally realized that this was not working and that I was not a collegiate athlete anymore.  I came to the conclusion that I needed to start slowly and work my way up.

So when I started again I simply began by walking for 20-30 minutes or doing a 10-20 minute dumbbell workout.  I planned to do this 2-3 times per week.  I get bored easily, so that is why I gave myself two different options.  The other great thing is that I love being outdoors and my walking takes place outside and my circuit is inside.  This takes away the excuse of "the weather is crappy."

As with my last post, having a plan is the best way to set yourself up for success with your workouts.  The better you plan the better your outcome will be.  Schedule workouts in your day timer, that way you know when you will do it and you don't have to think about it.

I am now going for a walk/run and doing my circuit 3-4 times per week.  This workout plan still takes me less than 45 minutes to do and I am feeling healthy and strong.  The key is to stay consistent.

Whay are your excuses?  What are you going to do to get rid of the excuses? What is your favorite exercise?