Race Day

Since I made the decision in September to get healthy I have been very focused on different ways of exercising including running. I remember running when I was in school. We had to do it, but I have never been a runner in my adult life. I have tried it a few times but it just didn’t take. But I knew I needed to get into shape and running is a great way to do that.

So, I started the couch to 5 km program which starts you off alternating between walking and running and slowing increasing the running and decreasing the walking. I was doing okay with it but with no goal in mind I was really not fully committed. Then in late September I got a challenge to sign up for a race. So, I did.

That kicked things into gear a bit. Starting the last week in September with 3 km running I committed to every second week adding a kilometer to the distance which would get me up to 5 km before the race. It was not easy. It was a process. And I wanted to quit MANY times along the way. No one would have known or cared, except me.

What did I learn through this experience?

The mental game: I don’t know how often I would be out running and I would think – “Oh I will run to that tree and then I can walk for a bit.” Followed by another thought: “Hang on – why do I have to walk? I am not that tired!” This back and forth would go on and on. My body is quite capable of running 5 km. My mind on the other hand likes it when my body is lazy and relaxed and will do just about anything to keep it that way. Running like many things in life is a mental game! You have to push past it.

Practice makes perfect: You need to actual get out and run in order to get prepared. You have to practice. The lesson practice makes perfect is fitting in many circumstances. Most of us, can’t just get up one day and decide to do something. You have to train, to learn, to practice. They say it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at anything.

It is easier to commit 100% than 90%: Sometimes, actually always, it is easier to make a decision I am going to exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes. Not 4 days a week or sometimes or this day or that. It’s too easy to say I’ll do it tomorrow or I’ll do something else instead if you give yourself some wiggle room.

Don‘t believe your own crap: Sometimes you have to do something just to prove to yourself that you are capable of doing it. To get over that hump. We beat ourselves up about so much that we actually start to believe our own mental crap. Occasionally we need to shake things up and do something that shows we are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

Today is a good day to start.

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Tools to help you get into physical shape:

Tone it Up

Couch to 5K

Tools to be successful:

Planning for a successful 2012

Submitted to Creative Dream Journals.

Healthy Choices

Making Healthy a Priority

If given the choice you would want to be healthy versus the alternative – sick, right? Yet, all to often we don’t make healthy choices. Every day, multiple times per day, we are faced with choices – what we eat, how we move, how we react, and more – that can support our health or not. And more often than not, we don’t make the healthy choice.

At least most people in North America don’t. If we did, we wouldn’t be faced with the current health crisis. I have family members that are getting older and aren’t healthy enough to enjoy their “twilight” years. This has really made me look deeply and honestly at my own life. I want to live a healthy life now and in the future.A healthy life for me has many components that I am working towards:

Mental Health

• Learning new things
• Meditation
• Creative work

Physical Health

• Eating right – for me that’s raw vegan with lots of fresh fruits and veggies
• Movement daily (running, walking, hiking, swimming, dancing, yoga)
• Strength training

Spiritual Health

• Gratitude
• Giving back  – being of service
• Joyful moments

Community

• Supportive friendships
• Loving Relationships
• Surrounding yourself with like-minded souls online and offline

Financial Health

• Savings
• Reduction in debt and buying patterns – living with less
• Fulfilling career/work

These things need to be a priority in your life. That’s usually where we fail.  If these items are a priority, our choices shift and we start to make healthy choices.

I belong to two great online communities that support my health objectives: Raw Food Rehab led by the amazing Penni Shelton and Tone It Up! with Katrina and Karena. If K&K can’t motivate you to move your butt, I’m not sure who can.

Image by Digital Native on Flickr

Finding Balance

I have struggled with finding and maintaining balance in my life. It has been a focus for me this year. I tend to sway to my career; greater time and priority given to it over other things. But in order to get healthy and maintain a healthy and vibrant life, things needed to get more in balance. I am committed to living as close to my ideal life as possible.

First, it is essential to understand what is really important to you – your priorities – and to let go of those things that aren’t. This is difficult. I had to stop doing some things that I enjoyed to allow myself more time to do the things I had to do. I have missed it, but I know it’s for the best as I am not as stressed with time. It has allowed me time to get to the gym, dance class, and yoga class every week.

Second, understand where your time is being spent every week. Are you actually spending your time on those priority areas? We never seem to have enough time yet many of us spend much of our time on time wasting activities. Think you don’t have time to go for a 30 min walk – don’t watch that TV show. It’s a choice. Unfortunately there are only so many hours in the day and I knew if I really wanted to see change I need to focus and commit to those priority areas.

Lastly, I am sure many have seen these things shown in different ways like spokes in a wheel, but however you show it rate how you are doing today, this week, this month on your priorities.

My priorities are:

1. Relationships (family and friends)
2. Mental Health
3. Physical Health
4. Spiritual Health
5. Career – Financial Health
6. Environment
7. Play/Fun

In my planner pad, I have these listed at the end of each week. It could be on a sticky note on your calendar or wherever you see it regularly. By doing this, it is a constant reminder of my priority areas. At the end of the week, I rate each on a simple scale -1, 0 and +1.

• -1 being not good/absent
• 0 being okay
• +1 being great

Then I total it. How did I do in each area and overall? If I notice that one area is -1 over a few weeks I ask myself if it is still a priority. If so, what can I do over the next week to improve it? It shows me at a glance what is out of balance.

I’d love to hear your thoughts:

• Do you live a healthy lifestyle?
• How do you find time in your busy life?
• What keeps you motivated?
• How do you motivate your loved ones to be healthy?

Note: This was also posted on my other blog.