Commit to Physical Activity

As a wellness coach, one of the most common excuses I hear from people about why they can’t: lose weight, lower their cholesterol, be more flexible, or be more active is, “I don’t have time!”.

This excuse, and “yes” it is an excuse, generally comes immediately after this person has given me a detailed rundown of the 6 episodes of “Yellowstone” they watched over the weekend or spent 20 minutes griping about how everyone on Facebook is saying this, that, or the other thing.

Here is the bad news, if you have time to spend hours sitting in front of the TV or scrolling through social media, you have TIME to exercise! The fact of the matter is you don’t WANT to exercise, so you make up an excuse that you are soooooo……..busy with soooooo…..many important things that you simply cannot squeeze 30-40 minutes of fitness into your day.

Sure, we all have days where work, family, and social obligations take up the majority of our day, but for most of us that is the exception, not the rule.

Now, here is the great news, you don’t have to block off 45-60 minutes 4-5 days a week to go to the gym to get some of the benefits of exercise. By simply being active throughout your day you can help improve cognitive function, improve sleep quality, lower blood pressure, and reduce muscle tension and stress. Even doing 3-4 minutes of physical activity every hour can yield benefits.

Let’s say you are awake for 16 hours each day, if you were physically active for 3 minutes every hour, by the end of the day you would have done almost 50 minutes of physical activity! That’s over 5 hours every week! I guarantee you can find a least 3 minutes every hour to do a little something.

This week commit to doing at least 3 minutes of physical activity every hour you are awake!

So, what can you do?

• Sit down and stand up from a chair, repeatedly for 3 minutes (or do body weight squats)
• Take 5 minutes and walk up and down a flight of stairs
• March in place for 1 minute, do jumping jacks for 1 minute, do butt kicks for 1 minute
• Step side to side while pushing your arms overhead for 2 minutes and heel taps with arm circles for 2 minutes
• Take 3 minutes to walk around your house picking up and decluttering
• Or any activity that gets your heart pumping and your blood moving

More is better here so if you can do 5-10 minutes during some hours all the better!

If you have a goal to lose weight or improve your health, you may still need to hit the gym 3-4 days a week for some purposeful workouts in order to reach your goals. But, just think how much easier it will be to hit your goals if you add 30 minutes of activity the other 3 days. Even if you are a total gym rat, extra physical activity during the day can provide a much needed mental and physical break from a sedentary work environment.

So banish your, “I don’t have time”, excuse and get moving! It only takes a few minutes every hour and your mind and body will thank you!

Keep Your Exercise Momentum Going

A few weeks ago, I shared a tool I like to use called an adherence chart (Be Accountable to Exercise).

The adherence chart in that post challenged you to get 3-4 hours of purposeful exercise a week. Click here to learn about purposeful exercise.

This week I would like to encourage you to stretch your boundaries and increase your weekly workout sessions to 5-7 hours per week.

Here is your new adherence chart:

purposeful-exercise-adherence-chart-2.pdf

Good luck and have fun!

Be Accountable to Exercise

In last week’s post I stated that in order to achieve your health and weight loss goals you need to engage in 5-7 hours of purposeful exercise each week (click here for a reminder).

This week I want to give you a little tool to help you get on target with your exercise routine and stay on target. It is called an adherence chart and using it is very simple. For each day you complete the behavior listed, give yourself an “X”, smiley face, or gold star. This gives you a visual reference as to how successful you have been in following your new behavior.

This type of chart can work for any new behavior you want to implement whether it is related to health, fitness, relationships, career, etc.

If you have not been exercising regularly, jumping in to 5-7 hours per week can be a bit too much to handle, so for this week’s chart I recommended 3-4 hours of purposeful exercise each week for the next 3 weeks. If you have been pretty consistent with a workout routine, and are ready to kick it up, feel free to reflect the change you wish to make.

So without further ado, here it is:

purposeful-exercise-adherence-chart-1-3.pdf

Download it, amend it, and use it as it works best for you. And don’t forget to leave a comment to let us know how you are doing.

Check back in a few weeks for an updated version to help you progress ever closer to your goals.

Have a happy health day and don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook.

In last week’s post I stated that in order to achieve your health and weight loss goals you need to engage in 5-7 hours of purposeful exercise each week (click here for a reminder).

This week I want to give you a little tool to help you get on target with your exercise routine and stay on target. It is called an adherence chart and using it is very simple. For each day you complete the behavior listed, give yourself an “X”, smiley face, or gold star. This gives you a visual reference as to how successful you have been in following your new behavior.

If you have not been exercising regularly, jumping in to 5-7 hours per week can be a bit too much to handle, so for this week’s chart I recommended 3-4 hours of purposeful exercise each week for the next 3 weeks. If you have been pretty consistent with a workout routine, and are ready to kick it up, feel free to reflect the change you wish to make.

So without further ado, here it is:

purposeful-exercise-adherence-chart-1-2-1.pdf

Download it, amend it, and use it as it works best for you. And don’t forget to leave a comment to let us know how you are doing.

Check back in a few weeks for an updated version to help you progress ever closer to your goals.

PS-This type of chart can work for any new behavior you want to implement whether it is related to health, fitness, relationships, career, etc.

Have a happy health day and don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook.

Exercise to Achieve Your Health Goals

If you truly want to lose body fat and get healthier then you MUST, MUST, MUST engage in some form of purposeful exercise 5-7 hours every week!

What is purposeful exercise?

Purposeful exercise is any form of exercise/activity that elevates your heart rate and makes you sweat (at least a little).

Examples of purposeful exercise include:

• Jogging or running
• Brisk walking
• Lifting weights
• Swimming
• Rowing
• Taking a dance class
• Cycling, indoors or out

Find an activity (or 3) that you enjoy that gets your heart pumping and commit to spend 45 minutes to an hour every day to purposeful exercises. Keep in mind, you don’t need to do all your exercise at once, you may lift some weights in the morning and then swim laps after work or take a morning spin class and go dancing with your partner at night.

We all work hard and taking a break during your day to have fun and exercise is a great way to control stress and recharge.

So, lace up your sneakers and get moving!

Until next time, have a happy healthy day!

Learn more about nutritional coaching

If you have set a goal to lose weight, improve your health, or get in shape this year, you may be realizing that you need a little bit of help and support to reach your goals.

Watch this video to learn how hiring a nutritional coach can help you reach your goals and help you maintain your success.

Now that you know how a nutritional coaching can help you finally achieve and maintain your health and wellness goals, visit our website to sign up for our 12 month coaching program. You will receive daily lessons designed to guide you through the process of learning how to stop dieting and start creating healthy, balanced, and fun lifestyle changes that get you to your goal.

Get started NOW!

Get Moving

A few weeks ago I encouraged you to get 15 minutes of physical activity everyday .

This week I am asking you to up the ante by increasing your daily physical activity to at least 20 minutes each day.

Remember, you don’t have to do it all at once. If you can’t carve out 20 minutes at once, aim for doing 5 minutes 4x through out your day.

This article from MyFitnessPal has some terrific ideas about how to increase your physical activity by walking, 50 Ways to Walk More. Give it a read and a try! You’ll be glad you did!

Until next time, have fun, get moving, and have a happy healthy day!

Take time to Be Active This Week

• Take a walk on your lunch break
• Play tag with your kids
• Start your day with a short morning jog
• Ride your bike to Saturday morning coffee

Choose activities you enjoy and have fun!

Remember being physically active is good for your mind, body, and spirit!

Have a happy healthy day!!!!

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Don’t Let the Hectic Holidays Get in the Way of Your Fitness Goals

As we enter the holiday season, it can be difficult to stay on track with your workouts. Shopping, holiday parties, and travel can all get in the way of your normal fitness routine.

This season make a commitment to maintaining the health and fitness progress you have made. Make it a goal to do some form of exercise at least 4 days per week. Remember, you don’t need the gym to stay in shape and you don’t need to spend hours training.

This article from Precision Nutrition details a terrific whole body workout that can be done in as little as 10 minutes at home (or on the road) with minimal equipment:

how-to-stay-in-shape-when-you_re-busy-infographic-tablet.pdf

The big key through the holidays is to keep moving. You don’t have to be perfect just do a little each day!

Until next time, have a happy, healthy day!

Tuesday Tip of the Week – Have a Gym-Free Workout Plan

We all have days when we do not have the time or motivation to go to the gym, however that is NO excuse for skipping a workout.

Having a set of gym-free workouts on hand can ensure you beat the gym time blahs.  Whether it’s a body weight workout on YouTube, an outdoor boot camp, a kickbutt Spin class, or a restorative yoga class, having a few backup ideas can keep you on track with your fitness goals regardless of time or motivation restrictions AND keep fitness fun and stress free.