Hello my friends and Happy Friday! I hope you all have some fun things planned for the weekend.
Well today, I just have some random thoughts to share with y’all. These are just some things that have been kickin’ around my brain the past couple of days that I thought I would share! So, here ya go,
Our thoughts, choices and habits make up our lives for better or worse. This may sound like a no-brainer, but I really think it’s so important for us to be aware of those thoughts, choices and habits and the effect they have on our lives.
I’ve been heading the Happy Being Healthy New Year’s Challenge the past month or so and it’s been so fun. One of the main things we’ve been talking about and that I’ve really been pushing is being aware of the thoughts in our head!
It sounds really basic, but our thoughts have so much power over everything we do! For example, I really love health and fitness and I know what I need to do to live and feel my best. BUT, even though I know what I need to do, I am human and I struggle at times! Sometimes my thoughts and choices lead me into a downward trend.
The past week or two I’ve been feeling a little run down. Nothing terrible, but just kind of blah and like I’m coming down with a cold or somethin’.
I started to think about the past few weeks of my life and I realized that I had made a few poor choices in regard to my health and those poor choices led to more poor choices….and then lo and behold….I felt crappy, run down and blah!
About a month ago, I was struggling with getting adequate sleep. I’ve always been a bit of a night owl, but over the years I’ve gotten better at making my sleep a priority for the most part.
Well, for whatever reason, I had a week or two there that I probably averaged about six hours of sleep at night. Consequently, I started draggin’ and feeling like a slug!
AND, since I was so tired, I started craving ALL THE SUGAR and processed (aka quick energy) food! So, little by little I started indulging in the sugar. Sugar is very hard on the immune system. I’ve learned so many times in my life that when I start to consume more sugar, my body slowly starts to break down and then I usually start to feel sick!
So, I started feeling tired and sick and run down and blah. I’m a very happy and optimistic person by nature, but when I feel tired and run down, my mood takes a hit as well. Everything in life starts to feel hard and daunting.
AND, once I start to feel tired, run down, blah, sick and bummed out…..exercise seems so hard! I love to exercise, but my workouts start to feel like a chore. My body doesn’t move and perform as easily and everything just seems hard.
AND then I find myself in this giant rut wondering how in the world I ever got there!?? Those small choices for better or worse add up! Those small choices, lead to more choices and then they lead to a big picture that becomes our lives!
For me, it started with neglecting my sleep, which led to not eating as well, which led to me feeling sick and blah, which lead to me dreading my workouts and missing some workouts, which lead to a giant rut!
Sooooo, I don’t mean to be a big bummer person today, but I just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences in hopes that I can help any of you who can relate!
Soooo, how do you get out of that cruddy rut? It’s easy, but it’s hard. It’s hard because our bodies are tired, our mood is dampened and our motivation is nowhere to be found!
Well, it starts by getting a hold of our thoughts! We need to remind our brains who is in charge. We need to remember the goals we have for ourselves. We need to hold ourselves to a higher standard and get back to work!
It really starts by digging deep and being vigilant about changing some “key” habits. If we want to turn things around, feel strong and awesome and take really good care of our bodies, these are the main things to focus on:
- Getting enough sleep! We need seven hours every night at an absolute minimum, but if you’re feeling tired and run down, aim for eight or more. This one is non-negotiable.
- Cut the sugar! I think it’s fine to have a little sugar here and there, BUT if you’re tired, run down and in a rut….cut it out! Cut it out entirely for at least two weeks and then see how you feel. Once you start to feel better and have more energy, you’ll be in a better spot to control the sugar intake.
- Fill your body full of good, nutrient dense food! I love to have a protein shake every day! Here’s a recipe for an Immune Boosting Smoothie and a Detox Smoothie if you need some ideas. I love protein shakes and green smoothies because it’s such an easy and powerful way to get so much goodness into the body. I really think they help me to feel strong and vibrant and help to heal my body.
That’s it. Those are the main things to focus on. If you just focus on getting enough sleep and filling the body with good, clean food, the results are always amazing! I usually notice a pretty significant difference in about a week!
Then after I start to feel strong and vibrant again, it’s so much easier to keep making those good choices! My mood is elevated, I feel motivated and optimistic again, I feel strong and I want to take better care of my body!
I also love to exercise when my body feels strong. It feels so good to have an able body that can work hard to do what I want it to do!
Sooooo, those are the deep thoughts that have been kickin’ around my head. We need to be so aware of those thoughts in our head. We need to be aware of the choices we’re making, for better or worse, because they contribute to our health, our mood and our lives!
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I have a few random pictures I thought I’d share. We had some beautiful weather last week and I went on a short run with my 5 year old and puppy! My 5 year old rode his little go-cart and I ran along behind him with the dog.
I think the temperature was in the upper forties, but it felt so good to be out in the sun and running! I’m not a huge runner, but it really is so good for my physical and mental health. As I run, I love to sort out the thoughts in my head and being outside always lifts my spirits and makes me feel alive! I love it.
I also snapped a couple pictures this past week at the gym. This is my favorite Saturday morning class.
It’s such a busy, popular class! I usually get there ten minutes early and it’s hard to find spot! I had to set up my bench in the corner. I love this class so much and it is my favorite way to start my Saturday. It makes the rest of my Saturday a lot more productive!
I also snapped this pic a few nights ago. Yes, it’s cheesy. I know. Ha ha.
At my gym, they have a large “turf” area with a bunch of weights, barbells, kettlebells, benches and other gym equipment. I love to carve out a corner of the turf for myself and get a good workout in!
I try to lift heavy and I just make up my workout as I go. This time I chose 3-4 lower body moves and did 12 reps of each. Then I did a quick cardio burst by doing lunges and toe taps off of the bench. Then I picked 3-4 upper body moves and did 12 reps of each. Then, another cardio burst. Then, I repeated the whole thing.
Then, I came up with 3-4 new lower and upper body moves and did the same kind of thing again. It was a great workout and I felt like I worked the whole body!
It felt so good to just listen to good music on my headphones and move my body!
I also snapped this pic last night after one of my classes at the gym,
My gym has a room full of HydroMassage chairs and they are wonderful! I love to hop on one of the beds for 10 minutes and it feels so good. It’s the perfect way to unwind and relax for a few minutes. I love it.
I have one more funny picture that I have to share!
I made macaroni and cheese (Annie’s orange shell) for my boys a few nights ago. As they were eating, my five year old put one of the shells on his thumb and said, “Hey, it looks like Donald Trump!”
I laughed so hard because it actually DID look like Donald Trump! I also laughed because I didn’t realize my five year really knew who Donald Trump was and what he looked like! Ha ha!
Well folks, that’s all I have to say tonight! I’m going to go enjoy my Friday night. I hope you guys have a wonderful night as well! xoxo
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