For the first part, I identified many things I was doing well and some things I need to improve. That was not the case a couple years ago though. A couple years ago, I was getting very little sleep, rarely eating breakfast, eating out several times per week, drinking lots of diet soda with caffiene and drinking NO water. No wonder I never had energy! I used to see those things as choices with minimal effect on my overall health. After focusing on overall health and balance, I have incorporated some excellent habits (like drinking lots of water, reducing my stress through life balance and putting things aside when they interfere with my sleep). Afterall, I want to be as healthy as possible and live as long as possible, not to mention be a shining example of health for my kids and clients. It is so important to re-evaluate periodically though.
Habits of health don't stick with you unless you practice them
correctly. This is like evaluating your
form periodically during exercise.
Exercise is healthy for your body, but doing it incorrectly may be worse
than not doing it at all. So, while I
may incorporate many healthy habits in my life that I have learned, this
challenge brings me back to the basics and helps me understand what else I can
do to improve my health, and potentially what things I need to tweak to correct
my form. I have eliminated the habits of
disease from my life (yay!), but I will add and improve my already-incorporated
habits of health through this challenge.
Here are some habits of health you might incorporate into your life and
habits of disease you might want to elimate or reduce:
- Eating a substantial breakfast every morning
- Using the stairs when possible
- Parking far away from the store and walking (that's where the empty parking spots are anyways)
- Taking a short power nap (5 minutes) when tired
- Exercising 5-7 days weekly (That word may be scary, so work up to that. Start with one day each week and the next week, add a second.)
- Choosing a salad with chicken instead of a hamburger (Remember your goals!)
- Getting 7-8 hours of sleep
- Eating fish at least 2-3 times a week
- Eating more fruits and vegetables
- Keeping a health journal (Record your exercise, fuelings, hydration, thoughts, sleep, etc.)
- Drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day (Half your body weight in ounces of water is best)
- Choosing healthy-minded friends (It's easier to choose a healthy habit when you're not the only one making that choice)
- Wearing a pedometer daily and tracking your steps (Can you work up to getting 10,000 steps every day?)
- Monitoring your weight weekly
- Planning ahead for your body’s daily fuel (and allowing the time you need to do so. If you don't have time, can you cut out an unhealthy habit and replace it with this one?)
- Eating 5-6 small, low-fat meals daily
Habits of Disease (avoid these!):
- Having three meals a day (Best to eat every 2-3 hours)- Having only coffee or orange juice for breakfast, or no breakfast at all
- Watching TV after 10:00 p.m. nightly
- Taking a nap in the afternoon
- Eating more pasta and rice
- Enjoying eating out at least 4-5 times weekly (We lose control of ingredients when we eat out)
- Getting 4 hours of sleep (Best to get 7-8 hours)
- Finishing your meal with dessert
- Drinking more caffeinated drinks
- Drinking more diet soda than water
- Having a midday candy bar to get you through until dinner
- Wearing clothes with elastic waistbands
- Choosing potato chips for a snack
For the second part of the challenge, I am happy to report that I had
one high salt ingredient (a bit of ham in my egg white omlet) and the rest of
the food I ate was very healthy!! Yay!
And then comes the part about Day 3 of CrossFit (Ugh!). I was so sore, but probably about the same as
Day 2. I still needed a lot of help, and
I didn't understand what most of the exercises were called. But, I did notice that my muscles are
actually getting trained and things that took so much work for me on Day 1 are
now feeling more comfortable. I still
need correction, but certainly not as much as Day 1. (Thank goodness!) I even added some weight to the bars today
and lifted 50 lbs.!! My form is getting
better and I am learning. I came home
not listing excuses about why Day 4 wasn't going to happen, but instead was
looking forward to having less instruction and correction. Also, my many years in elementary school
jumping rope during recess paid off. My
form for single-under jump rope is flawless!
Ha, take that! So, it is
definitely getting better. I am sticking
this out!
Are you ready to challenge yourself to be healthy? Email me at HealthyandFitLife@gmail.com and I
can help you get started on the path that fits you.
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