How about New Year same you? Anyone else feel like the new year sets motivated people up for failure? Why is it all about what you need to change about yourself? How much weight you need to lose. The amount of body fat you need to shed. What you can change about your appearance. The list goes on and on. What would it look like if the world started focusing more on overall health and less on appearance? What would happen to the diet and fitness industries?
Transformations
Over the last 30 months I have made a number of transformations. Crazy part is, the most important ones have NOTHING to do with how I look. I left the corporate world in the cushy accounting field. Jumped head first into fitness after years of riding the fitness roller coaster. Became a home school teacher (with everyone else) at the height of the pandemic. Got diagnosed with celiac disease, which was never even on my radar. And finally, upended my nutrition.
While some of these things were my decisions, others were thrust upon me. I have done my very best at navigating my new normal, and even though it is not perfect, it is me. Even though I know that life is not one size fits all, I thought that if it were helpful to even one person to share what worked for me, then it would be a successful blog.
What worked for me…
Focus on what you can add to your life as opposed to what you need to take away from it.
New year same you… more water
- More plain old H2O. As we all know, drinking more water is scientifically proven to provide endless health benefits. I listed a few below:
- Hydration – which maximizes physical performance.
- Aids in digestion.
- Stabilizes the heartbeat.
- Cushions joints.
- Flushes bacteria and other toxins from your system.
- Regulates body temperature.
- Boosts your metabolic rate, which helps with weight loss.
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is just drink more water.
New year same you… more movement
- Moving my body daily. While this is something that will never look the same for 2 people, you should do what you can where you are, with what you have. Consistency is key in turning a habit into a routine. Tools I currently use to keep me on track:
First, the Sweat app is geared more towards women and offers a number of different ways to move your body including yoga, low impact HIIT, high intensity strength, barre, Pilates, etc. The app also offers 14 different trainers to choose from, so there should be a training style for everyone. This is not meant to be an advertisement, just information about a good fitness app you can use from anywhere.
Next, Le Sweat is an app that I found via Instagram during quarantine. The founder, Charlee Atkins, was a Soul Cycle Instructor who branched out and created her own app. During 2020 she offered a number of free live workouts on Instagram and I was hooked. Again, not an ad just a good option for at home fitness.
Third, Transform is an app I also found during quarantine which offers a number of trainers and workout styles. Y’all have also seen me post about their protein shakes, as well as their boost supplements.
Lastly, I found and leaned on accountability buddies to keep me on track on the days I just wanted to lay on the couch all day. Active kids (especially boys) are also helpful for not letting me rest.
New year same you… better nutrition
Adding in daily fruit and vegetables. I LOVE sugar and sweets. In fact, I would eat candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and sometimes do… not perfect – remember). I will keep it short, the more whole foods you put in your body the better off you will be. Processed and modified foods are not ideal and do not offer near the benefits that whole foods do. Stick to the things you know and can pronounce and you will be a lot better off.
On that note, I am always here to help. I post a fitness calendar monthly on Instagram @life.after.numbers and would be more than happy to be an accountability buddy for someone in need.
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Until next time!