Fitness – Golden Ave Literature

Don’t Give Up

April 30, 2021June 18, 2021by JanieLeave a Comment

Being consistent is the biggest part to any success or change that is acquired. Without finding a path to consistency the results you desire will never show up or they will slip away. When trying to lose weight or build muscle people will express to others how they have changed the type of food they eat or the amount of activity they do each day and also state that they do not feel any different, cannot see any change, or maybe that their results were temporary. They don’t always mention that they quit before the results could show up or before they could recognize a difference and they don’t always mention that the results were temporary due to old habits creeping back in. These are some of the real reasons the desired results do not appear or last more than a few weeks.

I have been in those positions with the same kind of responses. Feeling as though my efforts were useless and maybe I should try something different or just accept what I was not accomplishing. At times I felt good, but I didn’t see the changes in my body and skin that were obvious to others and thought that what I was doing was not working. Hearing others say that they could tell my lifestyle changes were working kept me doing my chosen routine long enough for my own mind to see the improvements and benefits of my new lifestyle.

For several months now I have been focusing on changing what I eat. I tried the 30 days of whole foods (recommended by my physician) during that last quarter of 2020, and I have worked toward making those food choices a normal daily routine. In the beginning it was difficult to remove sugar from processed foods from my food choices but replacing the cravings I was having with fruit helped to curve my cravings for sugary foods.

I have ice cream or some type of dessert once a month or even more rarely than that, but it is not something that I crave anymore. Anything processed I do in moderation if I must go that route. Knowing what to eat has only been a small part of getting the results I desire, actually making the choice to choose whole foods at each meal is the consistency that brings the results. Not giving up after a few weeks has allowed me to feel and see the change in my body and health.

Change cannot be rushed and it will not happen or continue without action. Sometimes you want to give up before you have given yourself a real chance to see what you can accomplish with commitment, consistency, and a new mindset. If you feel like giving up, consider the why.

Have you put in the work long enough, have you taken a good look at yourself to see what others can see? If so, then maybe it isn’t your effort or mindset that needs to change, you may need a different plan designed for your exact situation. When I wanted to change my eating habits I went to my physician with a problem, and she was able to help me with a solution. Don’t give up on you, figure out your problems and reasons and move toward real solutions.

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Taking a Different Path

September 28, 2020by JanieLeave a Comment

Day after day the air in my area was either filled with smoke from the wildfires, very unhealthy or simply not good for a person with any type of breathing or lung issues to run indoors or outdoors. It hasn’t been great for anything that requires deep breathing or being out for a few hours.

I was not able to accomplish all the running goals I planned for September. Even with a mask on I could not run indoors or outdoors for 6 to 8 miles three or four times a week and not feel the discomfort of the poor air quality. Disappointment set in quickly, but I still had to find a way around my disappointment each day and get active. That is exactly what I did.

Every morning I would open the weather app to check the air quality and determine whether or not I would run for the day or try doing something that did not require deep breathing. I felt deprived once again not being able to lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement whenever I wanted to. The days that the air was good were my run days or vigorous activity days. I did not take any of those days for granted, I didn’t have any to waste or to spend sitting around the house wishing things were different.

The first couple of weeks of the month I had to choose an alternative to running. Although I really wanted to work on increasing my running mileage and time, I did not mind a switch up in my workout routine. I was able to use my weights more and focus on different ways to strength train each week.

The last couple of weeks have been better for running and being outdoors and I have made them count. I have been getting in enough miles and hours of running each day and staying as active as I possibly can. I didn’t get the mileage each day that I set out to accomplish for this month and that leads me to revisit my 6 to 8 miles three times a week plan. I cannot skip this step in my running goals and try to jump into 8 to 10 miles in October. I believe in pushing pass limits to grow and become stronger, but there must be levels or steps to get to the finale. I am willing to be patient and work through whatever nature hands out.

I’ll be working on increasing my mileage once again in October and exploring what has worked well and what has not. Living well doesn’t come to an end it is a lifelong choice that is adjusted as needed. Adjustments may need to be done weekly, monthly or even yearly and you make those adjustments so that you do not quit on yourself. Keep moving forward, I am.

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Time

September 24, 2020by JanieLeave a Comment

In Seven days, the month of September will be over our shoulders and we will enter into the last quarter of this year. Some look at November as the last month of the year to get any real work done that will bring results. December is seen by many as a time to slow the work and look at what the year has been. It is also used as a time to reset and prepare for the upcoming year. Looking through the eyes of wellness, slowing the approach or coming to a stand-still if only for a couple of weeks can have an undesirable outcome especially if a new routine is not yet a habit.

Think about the times that you decided to change your diet, your daily activity, your thoughts or reactions to experiences. You had to actively work at making these kinds of changes until they became unconsciously made choices. Until the automatic decision making for the new life you are pursuing kicks in slowing the approach or skipping important habit building days can lead you back to the path you struggled to get off from.

You definitely need a time to recover and pan over what you have achieved you just have to pick the right time to do this. That time will not always be aligned with the norms of the world, it will align with when you started, your goals and your plans. Evaluate, plan, and adjust as you need to. Consider the day to day choices you make, those choices will connect and add up to some type of result. The actions you take or do not take today will show up in the weeks to come.

I have the opportunity to close this month out the way I desire to and you do too. Nothing is holding me back and there are not any obstacles that cannot be overcome. Have you thought about your obstacles and how you will get through them? I will not wait until the 30^th and try to eat seven healthy meals in a day, write for seven hours straight, or run until I cannot take another step. I will work on each area of my life I desire to change for a reasonable amount of time each day and adjust according to what is or isn’t working. When the second week of October arrives, I’ll put into action the gain I would have achieved by then from the next seven days of September. That gain will sure up my confidence and take me to the next level.

Becoming faster, stronger, healthier, more knowledgeable, more understanding, more of anything will depend on what is done now. Closing out this month with actions or acquired information toward your personal achievements will show up in the next weeks or months to come. If you have not executed your plan or adjusted your thoughts and actions to align with the change you are awaiting do not expect the desired results to land in your hands ready to be unboxed.

Take it all in. The past, the present and your vision for the future. Give yourself some time to know what you want and how it should be acquired. Your plan, executed according to your ability and your daily choices. Rest when you need to, gain some insight and never give up.

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Fueled and Satisfied

September 14, 2020by JanieLeave a Comment

How are you living? I am living well. I am eating the food I need to fuel my body for exercise, and I am eating for the best daily health I can acquire. A path to physical strength and endurance has to include a food intake that is nutrient packed. This week I am trying a beet, cucumber, celery, and pineapple blend to drink a couple of times a day along with the other healthy selections I have each day. I am also working to cut the foods that are worded as nutritious, but really are not the best choices for me. I have heard people say you are what you eat but will also eat the wrong kinds of food. Some have been eating this way since childhood and the choices made for them as a child are now adult habits that they are stuck in. Breaking any habit takes daily work and a commitment, sometimes you may even need to reward yourself for progress. Being healthy and not dependent on daily medicine is a great reward for a few of the people I have talked to about their conditions.

I have never figured out how some people can eat just about anything and go without illnesses however it lets me know that I cannot always eat what my sibling or co-worker is having. Working at a very large office complex led me to consider this often. The office atmosphere I worked in was typical and every other week there would be a food day or two. There would always be a small percentage of nutrient rich food and the rest would be some type of junk mostly desserts. I couldn’t help to think that this type of food must have been what my coworkers had grown accustomed to eating over the years or maybe from a young age. I even found myself going over to the food table and grabbing a couple of packaged store-bought chocolate chips cookies a few times. Never did we have desserts from a nice bakery, so why was I eating this food, why was I wasting my calories on a less than average taste experience. I don’t know if I was just passing time or wanting to snack, but I had to stop. I eventually made a habit of bringing in extra veggies and a variety of berries on food days to keep me focused on my health and not on thinking a few cookies aren’t that bad. How many times could I really use this reasoning just to have dessert.

At some point in life we have learned how, what and when to eat from someone or several people. We can know exactly what harms us and what makes us better and still choose more of the wrong kinds of foods. Even with a knowledge of food our budget, our lack of discipline, or an urge for sweet or salty flavor gone into overdrive will guide us into our food choices. To be well in our beings and stronger we have to take on the task of fueling the body properly and knowing when too much of the empty calories are dangerous to our health. I have learned to walk into the kitchen for my first meal of the day with this mindset: consider what you need to fuel the body and satisfied taste. It is working for me.

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A Ride for a Lifetime

September 3, 2020by JanieLeave a Comment

Every day of August was not a day with a physical activity planned and conquered. I had days that I used to recover and days that I let rush by without getting a workout in. I wanted to make a habit of being okay with strength training and running to make it a part of my present and future and that has been a success.

For the month of September I want to focus on building the lifetime physical health image that is in my mind. I think of physical health as something that must done for a lifetime just like eating and sleeping. It can appear as more of an option or accessory to life instead of a necessity. I look at it like the food a body must have to survive, if one type of food can no longer be ingested you switch to one that can and chose not to be hungry. You eat for a lifetime out of necessity and exercise has to be looked at the same way if you want to have a total body wellness.

I realize my lifetime image will change as my endurance, strength, and age change, but it must continue from day to day and month to month. Waking up each day with a set time to run and a set distance to go will give me the power to build this lifelong image with a routine in place until it becomes an actually routine. I’ll keep a voice in my mind to shout an encouragement to me if a sudden modification needs to happen for any reason. It will tell me to adjust, but don’t give up, don’t abandon your wellness and I will listen. I don’t ever want to be in the place of doing nothing because I cannot do exactly what I desire to do.

I have found my way out of reserve and into a better lifestyle. The work of August has given me a momentum to reach new physical goals that will shake up mind and please my spirit, I am ready for the ride.