Making the Change

“Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness” - Edward Stanley

Every journey has it's testing times!! Whether it's related to the journey or not, life will try to trip you up at every opportunity it can, just to make sure you will have work extra hard to get to where you want to be! On the weight-loss journey it can be the tempting “treats” in the office, an injury, tiredness, work and family commitments or boredom, to name but a few!

For me, there were all of those things; “Treats” in the office, mid-week office nights out, a bad back, an injured shoulder, constant shin-splits, MOT, car service, overtime, vet trips, friends to see, weddings to go to, festivals, training pals bailing on me, being lazy, being disorganised, redundancy notice, training to become a trainer, starting my own business... You know, life!

What keeps us going? Every step of the weight-loss journey and the beginning of a healthy lifestyle is a test! Seeming to add stress to your life rather than taking it away, or helping you to cope. You've got all that to deal with, AND THEN fitting in your exercise for the day, prepping tomorrow's food and clothes etc! Realising that all that “extra” stuff is just as important as the original to-do list will really help!!

As a society, we've lost sight of real food and become obsessed with “low fat”, “healthy” and “convenient” fad foods and opted for every “easy” option going that allows us to sit down and do the minimal amount, when what we really need a is fresh, real food to keep us healthy. As a species we haven't evolved for the sedentary lifestyle that so many of us find ourselves living. But movement, activity, exercise, sport, whatever you want to call it, is now required in order for us to stay healthy, or at the very least, less unhealthy. Movement helps everything in your body to work better: your cardio-vascular system, digestive system, your brain, muscles, joints, hormones and your nervous system all work better when you're active. Why? Because we are supposed to be active. We were designed to be up and about all day, walking, running and standing, not sitting in the car, sitting in the office and sitting on the sofa!

So how do you start? How do you begin to re-introduce “healthy” into your life? If you need some time to prepare, set a deadline! Plan what you're going to change and when. For example, if the first change you're going to make is to start drinking 2 litres of water per day, make a note in your diary for Monday to start drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water a day. Set a reminder for Sunday to buy a 2 litre bottle to put the water for the day in! Tea and coffee don't count, neither does juice, water-containing foods or water consumed whilst exercising. Everything else is a bonus! Then set alarms for regular intervals (every hour perhaps) to remind you to drink from your water bottle! Within a few weeks you'll be in the habit well on your way to proper hydration! (NB, do not drink 2 litres all at once just to get it done, this can be very dangerous and potentially fatal). Set the goal, help yourself every way you can- instead of using modern technology to make our lives less active, use it to help make your life healthier.

The principle is the same for everything. Set the goal, help yourself to achieve it! Set diary reminders, alarms, leave yourself notes, do whatever you need to achieve your goal! Try it with the water, its one teensy change to make, stick to it, and see how you get on!

Remember that life is still going to happen, that's what it does, but it doesn't mean that you and your health have to suffer! Heart disease and diabetes aren't going to wait because the car needed a service, or the kids needed to go to x, y and z event! It's time to make time for you, for your health, for your life. You will see the benefits echoed in all other parts of your life.

Next time, other challenges along the way...