The machine looks intimidating, especially when the svelte and lulu clad girl next to you is stepping, high stepping.. her knees looked as if they might meet with her chin. Crazy!*gasp* I approached with some hesitation and started the contraption, moving my legs up and down,then picking up speed to find that the challenge was in stepping on to it. The machine was not the monster I imagined. However I still cannot figure out how that girl was getting her legs so high.. next time I may ask her. It was a happy warm up.
Moving on after words to a scramble of jumping jacks and strength exercises that went something like this..
5 min warm up stretch
10 min warm up on the high stepping contraption
20 reps x 6 sets of jumping jacks
20 crunches
20 reverse crunches
20 squats with a bicep curl (5lb dumb bell)
20 chest fly (8lb dumb bell)
30 tricep pull downs
10 walking lunges
10 squats/no weights
and 15 minutes of stretching at the end.
It was beautifully refreshing. A much needed end to Wednesday.
I do my best thinking at the gym. All while bouncing around and sweating.Today I was thinking about this adventure of mine and just how difficult it is. There are so many pieces that fit it in to the complex puzzle of health, wellness and fitness. You could really make yourself crazy. There's the obvious pieces, and then the many variables and inconsistencies that come with each persons story.
Here are Pieces of the Puzzle of Health and Fitness - By Erin
(interpreted by me for your reading pleasure.. and because I love making lists. and in no specific order, also not intended to be advice so much as my opinion)
1. Making the needed changes to your eating habits and nutrition.
This part falls in to four separate categories of people:
A. You have no intention of changing anything because you intend to work out in a fashion that only the hulk would attempt
B. You will change everything because your eating habits are not ideal and you need a real change
C. You are infinitely better at this part and already have eating perfected to a fine art, and eating healthy at that. you are a rockstar in your own right and I applaud you.
D. You will change half, either your current eating habits, or some of what you are eating....
2. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
This one is the aha moment, you need to move to lose weight? or tone or get in any kind of shape that differs from the shape you are in now.
Easy right? Not so! It is NOT easy to incorporate this seamlessly in to your already busy life unless you have some experience doing so, or you have a lot of motivation and determination. It may not be easy but it is worth it for reasons that cannot even be counted or weighed because they so out number the cons.
3. Motivation
You have to want it. At the end of the day the only person who is going to get your body moving and change the way you do things is you. Our friends and families can offer support and motivating words but the power lies within.
4. Drink your 8 glasses of water. I drink somewhere between 4-7,I try for 8. Eight is a lot, and you will likely spend a great deal of time looking for a bathroom if you do manage to drink 8 in one day, or so I would think.
5. Vitamins, Shakes and Supplements
Should you choose to use them the options are endless, but beware not all are the end all be all perfect one.. I am not the expert here. I can't find what I am looking for 95% of the time when faced with the vast rows and rows of vitamins. I do know one thing, all health products are not created equal.
6. Good Shoes
Your feet take a beating at the gym, you need comfortable shoes.
Personally mine are not wide enough for my Fred Flinstone feet and I need to find better ones.
7. Mindfulness
A yoga teacher I met recently said something that stuck with me,
she said "always exercise mindfully" take it slow and steady if need be, just be mindful of your body and the purpose for which you are moving.
8. SLEEP!!!
This one is key,more than anything else perhaps. I still can't get this one right, one day... I enjoy being a night owl.
9. Good Music
To listen to at all times, at home, before bed, on the way to work, on the way home, on the way anywhere.. at the gym. Everywhere!
Unless of course you don't like music, if that is the case you clearly need your head examined.
10. A clear mind
Sweep all of the days mess out, and just try to be clear, once in a while you need to turn the noise out and just let yourself have a clear and quiet mind. How it's done is up to you. For me it is a number of possible ways, painting, drawing, reading, listening to music, driving, sitting in the park, watching the clouds, day dreaming, working out, so many good ways to clear the mind.
11. Balance
Interpret this as you will. It can be any kind of balance , the act of physical balance, balancing your workouts, balancing your diet, balancing something on your head, balancing your life, your sleep..
Just find some balance please.
12. Go to the Doctor
Don't avoid doctors , if you're in pain or feel ill, or something is just not right go see someone! I don't like going to the doctor, but it is a necessary annoyance.
13. Take care of your Soul.
This could mean a great many things, it really depends on the person. What makes you feel good? What makes your heart jump, makes you smile, makes life worth living, inspires you? The things you love are so good for the soul.
14. Don't be too hard on yourself
Simple. Treat yourself kindly, don't stress when you make a mistake, or fall off the wagon. It is not the end of the world. Whatever happened will be new again tomorrow, there is always tomorrow.
15. NEVER Be afraid to say this is HARD!!!!
No one says this enough, no one tells you this, because no one wants to admit that some bridges are hard to cross. Big changes,life's milestones, the really important things are often difficult.
Varying degrees of difficult yes. Even the happy things are not always easy.. So just say it. This is hard!
16. Don't fret over indulgence.
Money, Food, Guilty Pleasures. We all need them. So don't freak out when you spend too much, eat too much or eat something you shouldn't have,I say this and then fail to take this advice on many occasions.
I freak out on a weekly basis over money and other such things. Let's try not to. I freaked out over the weekend because I had finished half a bag of tostitos tortilla chips all by myself... true story.
17. Be bold. Be fearless!
18. Be yourself. Above all else. Just remember you are all you've got, you are one of a kind. So just enjoy being you.
19. Keep Trying
If at first you do not succeed, try, try again.
20. Don't sweat the small stuff.
and SMILE!
That's my list. I hope you enjoy it.
Time for bed now my lovely readers. Goodnight.
Have a Happy Thursday!
Much Love
Erin
PS.
Here's a little bit I found on the web..
7 Principles of Wellness:
- Think
- breathe
- drink
- eat
- sleep
- exercise
- detox
- environmental
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