Here we are in the midst of a global quarantine. For some people working from home or schooling from home is a relief, social distancing is already a preferred way of life. For sure, this generation is adept at virtual social gatherings. As an introvert, I can get behind a great degree of social distancing. Some people are truly extroverts, though, and they really are having a hard time feeling confined and alone.
“A journey of a thousand steps must begin with a single step.” Lao-tzu
In light of the current situation with the COVID-19 viral scare, a piece about healthy habits – and specifically keeping healthy habits during a pandemic – is just what the doctor ordered. As a PhD Biochemist, I am up to date on the available literature regarding the virus and know a lot about viruses in general. Without going into the mechanisms of viral infection, I would love to remind everyone that the best defense is a great offense–especially in the case of a virus. If you are healthy, your job is to stay healthy. If you are unfortunately in the midst of an illness, especially cancer treatment and any and all respiratory illness, please follow the orders from your attending physician. This blog is not intended to be a cure recommendation; it is a reminder to maintain or begin or keep healthy habits that support your immune system.
Are you SO excited to head to the gym to train? And are you SO excited to embark on a healthful eating plan? I didn’t think so. For most people—those people who are not trainers or competitive athletes or both, for instance—going to the gym is a chore, and eating what’s “good” for you is a chore. Rather than feeling the benefits of the workout (in advance) or the delight of your body (in advance) it is much easier to focus on what you can’t eat, or what you can’t do…or how strenuous the workout is going to be? That’s old programming.
I was delighted to hear from a few of you in regard to my last blog–thanks for your responses and for your willingness to try something new…ignoring the scale! The scale is one of those things, like social media, that can give us immediate permission to sink into negative thinking simply due to a number. And we don’t need permission to feel good, just do it–without checking on the scale or the number of likes and followers. I’m glad to have elicited some thoughts and agreement, but please feel free to respond if you disagree as well.
Happy New Year!
Give yourself at least two weeks before you even think about stepping on the scale…even if you already have. Especially if you already have. Because where did that first step lead? Very likely to a mindset of regret and recrimination. Not the ideal way to begin your new year.
What are you going to do in the year 2020!?! On January 1, 2020, Coaching by G is celebrating our 10th anniversary at 1120 Chicago Ave in Oak Park, IL. Ten years of life transformation through fitness coaching and individualized training programs!
Many people have a strongly held belief that youth can erase the effects of bad habits – insufficient sleep, junk food, poor movement. I (Coach G) specialize in coaching athletic teens across the US and Mexico. I am often confronted with a level of misinformation surrounding the topic of adolescent health that has helped me to clarify key lifestyle tips for athletic teens. First and foremost, know that no person can outrun bad choices. You are what you repeatedly do.
This past year my life I have been turned upside down and shaken on so many levels: as a woman, as a competitive athlete, and as the daughter of Rose (and Ampelio) Isetti. And oh, has it been dramatic.
I appreciate Thanksgiving, simply as a day to remember gratitude—always good as a concept, but even better as a practice. Gratitude as a daily practice is mind-expanding and heart-expanding, and research has shown that subjects who practiced daily gratitude had higher rates of cancer recovery than those who didn’t. But sometimes it’s hard to be grateful because it’s unseasonably cold, or because my hair doesn’t look right, or because I’m running late, or all three on the same day, plus… sometimes bad things happen, like divorces and car crashes.
The last fitness regimen you will ever need is not about doing the same thing every day until you die. In fact, the last fitness regimen you will ever need is not a training program—it is a lifestyle.
When you learn how to create lasting changes in small daily habits, you have found the last fitness regimen you will ever need. Habits create rhythm and routine and are two key components of the last fitness regimen you will ever need.
As my client Mike says, “The secret to your future is hidden in your daily routine.”