Part 2…
So what small daily habits did I make that had such an impact on my fitness, energy and motivation to get sh*t done?
Straight after the mindset seminar with the Academy of the Body (AB), I started Lazo’s (my new mentor) “Win the Morning Routine” of breathing and mobilisation (after my Hot Lemon of course!) followed by 3 x 10 push-ups – on my knees to start with. Third day morning in, I rolled over in bed and cricked my neck really badly, a challenge to my new morning ritual resolutions! It would have been a prime excuse to not do either exercise but I pushed through, it was manageable and getting past that little challenge has made me (even more) mentally stronger to push through other challenges too. Overcoming small challenges consistently helps us to build up mental strength (and in this case physical as well) to handle bigger challenges when they come up.
Since installing this healthy, daily habit, I am “winning the morning” every morning with this new routine – I’m also now up to 3 x 12 push-ups on my toes! Whoop, whoop! The thinking behind this is that if you can get a great daily habit happening in the morning, it sets the rest of your day up on a positive note. So even if the rest of your day does go to crap, at least your morning went well!
The issues around my neck and shoulders aren’t perfect, I still have to do a lot of self-care around it. BUT compared to where I was with that and what I can now do with my body again, there is a massive improvement. The knock on effect is, that through my own continued learning and development, I am living my passion of helping more people live longer, healthier, happier lives – this has to be a good thing, right?! So along with smashing my training, I’m absolutely amping in all other areas of my life!
Now everything starts in the mind with a chemical reaction and the thoughts we have are all powerful. That internal voice we all have (usually a negative voice, our Chimp!), that doubts our abilities, criticises/judges our actions (or inactions), when we “compare and despair” our lives to other people’s lives (and come up short), can’t be gotten rid of but can be managed. Our body doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and imagined – how you think and feel affects your internal chemistry, so how about crowding out negativity with a positive mental attitude. It makes life easier to get through, I promise!
But how to do this?
I’ve written an article previously on the compound effect, with how small healthy changes over time making a big impact months and years down the line.
Strategies:
• Practice Gratitude – as a basic, start and finish the day with 3 things you are grateful for. Get a notebook and bookend your day with positive psychology. Or alternatively try this with your partner, you each take it in turns to say what you are grateful for in the morning and the evening. A great way to connect with each other on a deeper level. (Thank you, Scott Pearson, for that suggestion!)
• Morning Routine – even when I wake up aching and tired from the previous days training and long day at the gym, doing my “Win the Morning” routine (breathing and mobilisation, push-ups with upbeat music on), gets me firing on all cylinders! I then have my breakfast and crack on with the day.
• Sleep – is so important! Going to bed late and/or not getting enough sleep, in the short term leaves us feeling tired, irritable, less motivated and more inclined to snack on sugary foods (usually combined with caffeine) to get an energy boost throughout the day. In the long-term getting less than six hours sleep per night increases the risk of a stroke, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, memory loss, cardiac disease, accidents and a reduced resilience to managing stress. Here are the previous articles on the Benefits of Sleep and how to improve your sleep.
• Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) – along with the strategies already mentioned, one of the easiest ways to cultivate a PMA is spot stop reading newspapers, watching the news and move past quickly on social media. The majority of news is negative and it has been especially noticeable of all the hate and bigotry that has been stirred up with Brexit and the U.S elections. The newspapers etc have capitalised on this with sensationalised, hate-filled headlines, a lot of which has then found to be lies! To keep up with current events, a quick scan of the news a couple of times a week is necessary but don’t linger, it makes a bad start or end to the day. Meditation also helps here, even 5-15 minutes a day calmly sitting breathing slowly and deeply to the belly really works. There is a whole range of apps to choose from, find one that resonates with you and create a daily meditation and stillness habit.
• Nutrition – we are what we eat, choose good quality whole foods the majority of the time and eat plenty of vegetables. If what you are eating comes out of a packet with a label where you can’t pronounce the ingredients, do you think that’s the best thing to be eating…?
• Exercise – we are not designed to sit all day, we are made to move, daily! Prioritising movement will increase your energy to then get more of your daily tasks completed. Throughout the week, a mix of weight-training, cardio, stretching and walking will make you feel so much better – physically and psychologically.
• Supplements – because my life is so full on, I use good quality supplements to support my body, especially my adrenal glands (I use Nature’s Sunshine).
These are the kind of things my clients learn when working with me – to be healthier, happier, more productive and keep their weight down, so contact me today “here” or email jackie@age-drop.com to learn more about how I can help you look fabulous, feel fantastic and love the body you are in
So what is your ‘story’? What goal or dream do you think your story is holding you back from achieving?
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