Live Life for Health

The days are long but the years are short. Don’t waste them.

Having a chiseled body, and zero body fat can be a wonderful dream, a source of jealousy, and something to strive for. But at what cost?

It is a lot of solo hours in the gym, skipping meals out with friends to stay on track, and turning down fun events. Some of the fittest people are some of the loneliest and saddest. There are extremes.

Having a balance is key. It is important to know what your priorities are in life. Is it important to you to be super lean and strong (think bodybuilders) or is it important to you to hang out with friends every weekend? You don't have to have one or the other, but understanding the importance of each aspect of life is going instrumental in guiding you to success.

I like to suggest this 5 step [mental] exercise to people:

Step 1: make a list of all the things you have participated in over the last 30 days. Think work, sleep, watching tv, reading, dinner with friends, events with kids, etc. Take inventory. (Set this to the side).

Step 2: list the things in order of frequency/hours required. So work is probably going to be number 1 and be realistic about tv hours or screen times!

Step 3: make a separate list of things you wish you were doing more of or things you are striving for. For example, workouts or weight loss might fall on this list.

Step 4: from your frequency list and your wish list, put a number (1 being the highest priority and 10 being the lowest) next to each item. So work might be 1 and then you might take weight loss off the other list as 2.

Step 5: See how those priorities fit in your step 1 list. What might need to change as a result so you can fit it in? Maybe you need to cut back on screen time or spend one less evening with friends a week.

By following this 5 Step process, you are able to see what you are doing currently and how it might be harming your wish list. This also gives you insight into what you find important in order to live a happy life. Mental health and happiness are factors in accomplishing health and fitness goals.

I also like doing this with clients because we often know what is necessary to be healthy like getting more sleep, eating better foods, working out more, and reducing stress. However, we don't always know how to do these things. Seeing your life in front of you can give you a clear picture of where you might be creating stress and not prioritizing the right things.

Once you take a look at what you are doing currently, and have a better understanding of what you want to be doing, you can start making the right changes to have success.

Live your Life Confidently.

Jen