Happy May Day!

Happy May Day! May is always one of my favorite months. It represents new beginnings for my family.

• It's (hopefully) the start of better weather days in Minnesota. 
• Both my husband and I have birthdays in May. A new year of your life to make new goals is always great!
• Our beloved dog, Charlie, also has a birthday in May. This will be our first one without him :(
• Last May we moved out of a toxic situation into our current location, which has been an improvement to our health.
• This May we are moving across the country!

The week approaching this lovely day was challenging. I started out the week with one of the most stressful days at work ever. Nothing went right. I've spent almost 20 years there. Now I only have 20 days to go. DEEP BREATHS!

 

We also sold our living room furniture, which I think will be a benefit to our health this month. With nothing comfortable to sit on, it will force us to get outside for a walk or go to the gym and move more!

Have a happy May!

Hello Goodbye

"Hello, hello...I don't know why you say goodbye I say hello..." - Lennon/McCartney

It was a week of goodbyes with the hellos trying to burst through. Yesterday morning I saw a Facebook post about someone passing at Paisley Park. First, I messaged my friend, who is also a major Prince fan, to ask her if she heard. Then, I began alerting my co-workers like a crazy person. This COULD NOT BE Prince! No no no no no! Well, you know how that all unravels. I followed the news the rest of the day, then came home and immediately started the vinyl. There was no other solace.

 

 

Even though the biggest street party in Minneapolis history was just a short walk away from my apartment, I didn't go. I followed with everyone online instead while listening to Prince tunes and the helicopters buzzing above my apartment building all night.

 

On my walk to work this morning, I took in the aftermath. Quiet and cloudy:

 



 

From my favorite Prince song: "I am yours now and you are mine. Together we'll love through all space and time, so don't cry..."

Moving on...

Since I decided to quit my job and move across the country, I've been trying to find a new job! I've been working at the same company for nearly 20 years. It's been good from a security standpoint, but it hasn't been good for my soul aside from the few great friends I've made along the way. But, day-to-day, it's stressful and not something that makes me feel fulfilled at the end of the day. I'm ready to say goodbye #corporatelife

While having a paycheck and benefits is an obvious concern, I'm doing my best to really try to do something different. Something more creative, enjoyable and rewarding. I have a lot of ideas about what that could be. But, in the midst of trying to move, keep up with the job I still have for a few weeks and stay on track with life, it's been tough to have a good stretch of quiet time to meditate on the ultimate questions like, what am I here for? How can I make an impact and do some good? What are my talents? How can they be used?

I spent the week interviewing for a new job, which went well. I went to a LinkedIn training class. I took knowledge from that to do some successful networking. While my immediate actions and new connections might not bring anything now, you never know what will pop up for the future. Live in the moment. Listen to others. Help people. It will come back to you.

However, for now I'm just trying to say hello to my new life. Current stop is Limbo Land. But, more is on the horizon...

Life without a weight room

About 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to learn how to lift weights. I’d recently lost about 25 pounds through diet and pilates, but I wanted to take my fitness to the next level. My husband and I joined our community center gym, so he could teach me how to use the equipment and free weights. 

 

When I thought about how my weightlifting lesson would go down, I pictured one of those workouts that you see in a women’s fitness magazine. You know - the ones where the women (who are actually models) look fabulous and the workout calls for two sets of 15 reps with five-pound weights. But, that’s not at all what my husband had in mind for me. He said that I could easily do a workout designed for men. We started training with Men’s Health TNT Workout, and I fell in love with heavy weightlifting. I enjoyed it so much and it’s still a workout that I go back to today.

 

Ever since then, I’ve worked to challenge myself in the weight room. I lift as heavy as possible and learned to do some Olympic lifts. At one point, I beat the gym’s record for bench press. Weightlifting has turned into a fabulous and healthy “hobby” for me!

 

 

Now, I can’t even remember life without having access to weights and a gym. In my current living situation, I’m lucky enough to have a gym just downstairs in my building.
 

But, I’ll be moving in a couple of months and for the first time in many years, I won’t have access to a gym. PANIC!

I know that while I transition to my new surroundings that I won’t be able to just NOT do strength training. So, I’ve been trying to think of some creative ways to workout without having access to a gym. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

 

Swimming pool workouts:  Luckily, I will have access to a pool. And, since it will be summer in Florida, I’ll probably need it to cool off! I found some amazing workouts for the pool. Thank goodness for Pinterest.

 

Make use of free weights/body weight: There’s something to be said for old fashioned pushups. I also have access to a set of 12-pound free weights. I am going to get creative with step-ups, pushups with weights, planks and other body weight exercises to keep up my strength.

 

Try a new sport: There’s shuffleboard, pickleball and tennis available at my new place, which will give me plenty of opportunities to work on my fitness (and coordination) in new ways.

 

What ideas do you have for me while I adjust to life without a weight room? I want to know your creative workout plans!

Promoting my health - through the biggest changes yet!

For starters, I want to thank Kristy, who has a fabulous new blog, for prompting me to write this post tonight!

Remember how we celebrated the first day of spring earlier this week? Well, we did that happy dance, and then this happened:

 

For those of you that have known me for some time - or even if you haven't - I will complain about winter to anyone and everyone that will listen. I've done it for years and I'm sure everyone is tired of it by now. Ha!

I've talked on and on about moving out of Minnesota for YEARS in hopes of ending my annual 6-8 months of dread, depression and reliance on my light therapy lamp. I spend SO much time with my lamp that I feel like I owe it a nice steak dinner with a fancy glass of cabernet and probably a piece of cheesecake, too.

My diligence for having a healthy diet and working out regularly is in large part due to helping ease SAD. However, I have always dreamed of the day that I could just walk outside on the regular without having to worry about which coat I should wear or having to put on these bulky winter boots. And, have a life without having to worry about winter anymore!

I've gotten to the point in my life when I'm truly starting to realize that tomorrow isn't promised and that life can change in a moment. It's out of our control. But, what is in our control is what we do with today. Do I want to look back on my life and say, "Hey, I lived in a place I really didn't want to be for XX years and worked at the same place for XX years. It was a nice, safe life. And I was afraid to leave it all for the unknown."

As of today, I've lived in Minnesota nearly 42 years minus a 5-year stint in Wisconsin (Ooohh! Daring!). I've worked for the same company for nearly 20 of those years, which pretty much everyone views as commendable. And, so do I. My life does not suck! I have a great life married to my best friend, I have a dependable job that pays the bills and then some, and live in a fabulous neighborhood in Minneapolis. However, the SAD plague takes over for extended periods of time. I enjoy doing so many outdoor activities, being near/on the water and taking advantage of eating fresh foods - all of which I can only do in Minnesota for a fourth of the year - if I'm lucky. And, it's FINALLY time to put my health first!

So, after many years of wallowing, we are finally (and appropriately) moving to the SUNSHINE STATE. There's a lot up in the air right now, especially given that I gave notice at my job!!! We'll be leaving the state where we were born and raised, and I'll be leaving the place I've worked for so many years without knowing where I'll land. But, I know it's the right thing to do. I'm already so excited to take advantage of having a new environment, learning new outdoor activities and, most of all, improving my overall health and well-being. Stay tuned for the adventures as they unravel! And, please enjoy below a photo of the beach that will be just a few short miles from me!



Three easy steps to curbing your cravings

Do you often say to yourself, “I know what I need to do. I just can’t avoid temptations that stop me from being healthy!”

We all know that good nutrition and regular exercise is what’s good for our well-being. But, knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things. Things like motivation level, mood swings, schedules, temptations, and surprises among other things can easily take over your well-thought out plan of good intention.

Your consistent behavior will determine your ultimate outcome. So, if you can consistently act on things that lead you to your goals, you’ll get there. The good news is, consistency doesn’t require you to act on your goals ALL of the time. This leaves you flexibility to give into those temptations occasionally.

If you’re struggling with giving into temptations, you don’t have to quit giving in to them. But, do you think you can reduce the number times you give in to them? Remember, it’s not you that’s tempted. It’s your brain. So, it’s just a matter of re-wiring your action that’s blamed on your brain!

Let’s say your craving is soda. Each time you give into drinking a soda, your cravings get stronger and stronger. In turn, your brain’s ability to break the habit gets weaker and weaker. Soon, it will be automatic for you to drink a soda at a certain time (or times) of day because you’re used to it. So, if you want to reduce your craving, you simply have to reprogram your brain – like this!

1) Recognize – When you get your craving for a soda, just acknowledge it. You may even want to say it out loud to yourself! “There’s my brain again – telling me that I’m craving a soda.”

2)Remind – You’re in a habit of reacting to what your brain is telling you in a certain way – picking up that soda without really thinking about why. Try intentionally thinking about why you’re doing it.

3)Re-evaluate–

a. Are you really hungry/thirsty? If your answer is yes, try to choose something healthier, yet still satisfying like carbonated water. 

b. Are you bored, tired, happy, sad, etc? If your answer is yes, do something else. Try waiting 10 minutes to see if the craving is still there – or still as bad. Go for a walk, text  a wellness buddy about your craving, work on a hobby or journal about a healthy action you took today.

It doesn’t have to work 100% of the time, but even if this works for you once a day this week, twice a day next week, and so on, you’ll start turning the tide on taking over your temptations!

Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer - Completed!

I did it! DONE! I just finished Phase 3 of Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer.

Here's my recap of the first half of the program: http://wwwmindovermayo.blogspot.com/2015/11/halfway-update-jamie-easons-livefit.html

During the second half of Phase 2, I really started noticing results. I cleaned up my diet a bit more and corrected my macros (more protein). I noticed that I leaned out a bit more and my strength capacity was increased. It was great! I probably enjoyed Phase 2 the most out of all the phases.

I started Phase 3 right along with the holidays. Thanksgiving and multiple Christmas celebrations throughout December were rough on me nutrition-wise. Also, I really didn't like the workouts in Phase 3. Instead of building on the strength that I worked on in Phase 2, I felt like I was taking a step back.

Phase 3 includes way too much static cardio - in my opinion anyway. 30-60 minutes doing static cardio multiple days per week is not the most efficient way to workout. And, instead of increasing weights, Eason increases reps and number of exercises. For instance, you'll do a workout comprised of 10-12 lifts focused only on one or two muscle groups to exhaust the muscles. For each exercise, Eason asks that you do at least 10 reps - sometimes 20 reps - for 3 sets. This means, she wants you to exhaust the muscles by endurance, not by strength.

Again, I'm not saying she's wrong. Look at her! She obviously knows what she's talking about. But, for me, I like to lift heavy doing more sets, but shorter sets. And, I like HIIT workouts rather than long cardio workouts. It's just my preference.

That said, I really liked the second half of Phase 3. Eason incorporated complexes and I really enjoyed those workouts. Again, the cardio was too long and boring for me, especially because I already walk about five miles per day and I stand most of the day at work, which is above and beyond my gym time.

Overall, I'm so happy that I challenged myself with this program. I did a lot of workouts outside of my comfort zone, built strength and endurance and saw results! I could definitely see myself doing this workout again, but I'd probably incorporate some of my own modifications so I could enjoy it a bit more.

For my next workout plan, I really wanted to incorporate complexes because I really enjoyed doing them. So, I'll be lifting six days a week again doing two upper body workouts, two lower body workouts and two complexes each week. One rest day! For cardio, I'll incorporate two-three HIIT workouts each week, continue walking at least five miles a day and getting in my NEAT. And, now that the holidays are over, I'll have a much easier time cleaning up my nutrition.

Looking forward to 2016!

Wellness Coaching Session #12

If you follow me on YouTube, you can see my new video! I'm offering a series of Wellness Coaching sessions to help you reach your goals. Now, you can see how Wellness Coaching might be able to help you - for free!

You made it! This is our last mini-coaching session! If you completed the sessions and the exercises provided, I hope you are feeling better about the goals you want to achieve. You can check your progress with the Wellness Wheel.

Your coaching experience doesn't have to end here! Use this 5-question document to learn if Wellness Coaching is right for you.

Have a great week!