But all while shoveling, I realized how truly grateful I am for my health! As a homeowner there are many, many chores to be done. I could decide not to do them and my house would fall apart.. OR I could get my butt in gear and get some things taken care of. Something that my husband and I are learning more and more with this winter we've had [and it's only February]. So, to be able to have the STRENGTH and the ENERGY and the POWER to shovel pounds and pounds of snow is quite important!
I completely agree with the saying, "I don't live to workout, I workout to live"!
What would I do if I wasn't able to take care of my house or wasn't able to serve my community, or couldn't keep up with high energy kids on Sundays at my church?
Reminding ourselves WHY we need to eat healthy and WHY we need to workout smart is a huge motivator!
What do you enjoy in your life that you want to keep doing for the rest of your life?
So let's live this life with energy and have the strength we need to serve others and serve our Creator as best we can.
FIRST - Eat to Fuel
I've worked out on an empty stomach. I've worked out with nothing but cookies in my belly. I've worked out with real food and good protein and fat - and I have to say that last one makes a huge difference!
When we have quality protein, carbs and fat we have what we need to balance our blood sugars, prevent crashing, and to sustain our activity.
Here's a great pre-workout snack
- Protein: Greek yogurt [full-fat, plain]
- Carb: Handful of blueberries
- Fat: Handful of sliced almonds mixed in
SECOND - Train For Life
All of you marathoners and cross country runners out there are going to hate me.. but I HATE running. AND to go even further, I don't believe it to be a healthy exercise for health. Check out why here. If it's your sport and it's something that you absolutely love, then by all means, do what you love. But it's not a necessity to be able to run 10 miles straight for health purposes. I gave up trying to like it because my brain wouldn't let me - headaches and migraines were too much to bear...
If you know me, then you know my heart for strength training. [Being a naturally thin chick, I've gotta prove myself with the muscles I do have!]
I believe everyone - man, woman, young, old, heavy, or thin - should include strength training.
I've found such freedom in strength training. I had challenged myself to go outside of my 5-8lb dumbbells and high repetitions and ventured into the 15-20+ lb range. Best. Thing. I. Have. Ever. Done.
To have the strength to be able to pick up your nephew and hold that 7 yr. old like he's still a toddler is special.
To have the strength to carry 3 baskets full of laundry up the stairs by yourself is
To be able to carry all of your grocery bags from the car and up the stairs [we have a lot of stairs in our house] is, again, an accomplishment.
You see where I'm going... It's liberating knowing that you [especially us women] can, and SHOULD, be able to do these tasks and not stand by and let the men with the muscles do these things. Maybe I'm just stubborn and need to do things on my own, but I know many of us ladies want to be independent and capable, too.
Constant walking or running on the treadmill for hours at a time will not give you the muscles you need to live life and accomplish what you want to do... so go lift something heavy.
LAST, but not least - Rest and Manage Stress
After this snow storm and after my shoveling I was ready for a nap!
If you workout consistently, I encourage you to take a week off every now and then. The muscles you train need time to recover and rebuild.
Many times, the fitness centers and TV shows out there make it seem like we need to workout hard every single day. That if you rest, you're weak. If you're not burning calories the food you're eating is quickly amounting to fat on your hips. --LIES!
The healthiest people I know, know how to have balance. They know how to take care of their body, to listen to what it needs, and are ok to let their body relax.
Stress is the main cause of many issues we have health-wise. From heart disease to hormone imbalances. So adding stress to your life in the form of constant cardio or overtraining is not the way to success.
Make sure to carve out some time in your day to stop, breathe, and unwind. If that means getting more sleep instead of forcing yourself to go to the gym at 5am, then sleep!
It's OK to rest and take time for yourself, in fact it's needed.
I hope this gives some motivation and insight in how to be smart in everything we do for our health in order to live our life and do what we need to get done.
Have hope, MN friends! Spring is coming!
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