It is my intention to take better care of myself.
As a fitness professional who is committed to helping others improve their lives through better health, I do not always do a stellar job of putting my own health at the top of my list of priorities. Almost every single day, I struggle to keep my own health needs in check, because it feels completely overwhelming to consider the list of things I would have to push aside to accomplish my goals of getting a healthy lunch and a workout in.
Over the past 4 months, I’ve recommitted myself to exercising 5 days/week (which, I am aware, is a huge, and perhaps unrealistic, goal for many people). I’ve done this by starting and completing The Amazing 12 program and then restarting it three weeks ago. I plan my workouts in my calendar, so that I can set time aside for myself, and workout with a buddy or two to help keep myself accountable. Not every planned workout has happened, but for the most part, I’ve been very consistent.
This consistency has only happened, because about 6 months ago, I began prioritizing my own personal development. I started spending time every week checking in with myself physically, mentally, and spiritually and doing activities that help develop me in those areas. I’ve started to reach out and ask for help from my support network. I’ve started to let less significant things fall by the wayside, in hopes of accomplishing larger tasks that will lead to more forward movement.
This introspective journey has been a challenging undertaking, but it has proven to be an important one and a true blessing, at that. I want to share my progress and pitfalls on this journey, because I believe it may be helpful to you and I hope it will help keep me on this path.
My biggest struggle has been eating consistently. You could say I’m unintentionally doing intermittent fasting. I don’t mean that literally. What I really mean is that I’m not eating enough food on a daily basis and that I often skip meals when I find myself unprepared or feeling too busy to run out and find something healthy.
I consider myself to have a good relationship with food and a healthy relationship with my body. I know how to portion my meals and what kinds of food to eat for a balanced meal. I wouldn’t skip meals if I could pause time and reach into a magical fridge full of healthy meals. I’m not skipping meals because I think it will make my body look better or benefit my body in any way. Actually, I believe I would feel much fitter if I ate lunch more consistently.
NOTE: I am sensitive to the fact that by mentioning that I sometimes skip meals I may trigger anyone with a personal history of disordered eating and/or raise red flags for many people, including those who have suffered the heartbreak of watching loved ones struggle with eating disorders. If me being honest about my eating habits makes you uncomfortable, please do what you need to to protect yourself. I am only speaking from my own experiences and do not want to encourage anyone to pick up unhealthy behaviors.
What I’ve realized is that I have an unhealthy relationship with time and would do well to improve my time management. I run a business and wear all the hats. I have a husband and a dog and family and responsibilities and managing all of that makes it easier for me to justify letting my own health slide when I feel short on time. My long-term goals are to better honor my time blocking on my calendar and to develop healthier habits around nutrition. If I can be consistent with my meal prep, I should be in good shape with both of those goals. These are the areas that I hope to work on through the nutrition coaching program I am putting myself through, Precision Nutrition’s ProCoach. I know the benefits will be huge and am looking forward to more energy, increasing my muscle mass, and reducing my stress, but for now I’ve got to focus on baby steps.
Today, I’m starting the 3rd week of ProCoach. It’s been going decently so far, which is probably why I’m okay sharing this deep stuff with the internet. If it were going horribly (let’s be honest), I would most likely refrain! That being said, I do want to be forthcoming with you as I share this journey and I will do my best not to gloss over the struggles that will most likely come up from time to time.
My goal this week is to have a healthy, delicious lunch, every day.
Here’s what I’ve been doing the past two weeks to find more success in sticking with my intention of taking better care of myself:
- Getting up after the first alarm goes off (instead of hitting snooze) by using Mel Robbins’ 5-Second Rule
- Drinking a glass of water first thing every morning to re-hydrate and tracking it in The Fabulous app
- Tracking my heart rate during my workouts using the Under Armour Record app so that I can use the data to motivate me
- Listening to audiobooks during my workouts to kill two birds with one stone. Just finished The 5-Second Rule and am about to start the The Five Voices
- Following along in my lessons in ProCoach
I hope to detail more specific strategies that I’m following as I move forward, but, so far, these small things have added up to a dramatically positive shift for me.
Thanks for listening and please let me know if you have any insight or advice.
Lots of love,
