Live Fit

We all have gadgets. Gadgets that tell us our heart rate, whether or not we should push our workouts, how well we slept, telling us to move if we've been sitting too long, etc.

Technology is great for many reasons - but one thing that I've noticed with myself is that I depend too much on my tech to tell me something that I feel instinctively I should know.

This is where self-awareness comes in. Is your technology taking away from your self-awareness? For example, I should know when to push or not during a workout. I should be confident in that awareness. I should know when I am hungry (and not just bored), how I slept, when I am foggy and need more water.

I will continue to use my tech, but I also balance that with taking breaks from it. I do a self-check-in - where am I mentally, how did I sleep, how do I want to push myself during the workout, and what foods my body needs today.

Try it, and let me know how it goes in the comments below.

I had the great honor of watching my friend of 32 years complete her first Ironman. She trained for two years through many events - deaths, a car accident, thyroid surgery, broken foot, pandemic...you name it. Yet, she stuck with it, healed, trained, and completed the Ironman in Madison, WI. That is 140.3 miles of continuous movement for hours and hours.

I chatted with her today, and she was getting on herself for not getting a better time. WHAT?! She knows in her heart that she accomplished something not many do - and persevered through even more - to become an Ironman. Her head was getting in the way.

Our heads can go opposite of our hearts, and we tend to listen to it. We must hold on to our accomplishments, no matter how big or how small. Those successes give us momentum, and even more successes come because of it.

We don't have more successes when we continue to beat ourselves up over things in the past. We can't change it - let's not live there.

To my girlfriend, my oldest and dearest friend - and everyone else in the world, beating yourself up for something you cannot change - stop. Instead, remember what you just did - relish in that success and ask yourself how you will use it to fuel your next habit, goal, event, speech, project, whatever it is.

Sleep.

When was the last time you had a GOOD night's sleep? What constitutes a good night's sleep in your book? For me, it starts before I actually go to bed:
💤No tech/tv for an hour before
💤Meditate
💤Get in bed, then "fall asleep" breathing exercises
💤No crazy dreams
💤No getting up to go to the bathroom
💤Sleep until my body's natural clock wakes me (around sunrise)
💤Length? 6.5-7.5 hours

Does this happen every night? Nope. Here's what typically happens:
😴No phone for an hour before bed.
😴Still watching TV up until I leave the living room.
😴Read in bed.
😴Fall asleep with reading glasses on, book on the chest.
😴Husband comes in, I wake up as he's taking off my glasses, fall back asleep.
😴Start stirring around 3:30 am, dog gets on the bed thinking it's time to go out.
😴Get up anywhere from 4:30-5:15.

I.e. "life."

What I've learned over the last 11+ years is that sleep is imperative for me to think clearly, enjoy working out, and be 100% present for my relationships and clients. So I want to do everything in my power to make sure that I get the sleep that I need.

Back to my original question: when was the last time you got a good night's sleep?

We just had guests in for the first time since the pandemic began. Our home was full of people, and it was a fantastic feeling.

Because we haven't seen our friends in so long, it was one big day's long celebration. When I say celebrate, I get off my diet; I drink more, I eat things I don't normally, don’t sleep, etc.

The point of this post is to say that I'm not going to beat myself up for having a good time. I absolutely feel my body's state, and I know what I need to do to get back on track.

Many of us don't know what to do to get back on track. So here are a few things to help you:

1) Start with food. The more colorful veggeis in your diet, the more nutrients you're getting. Aim for half a plate at each meal.
2) Get moving. Get up from your desk and take a 5-minute walk around the office or even outside if you can. Lay your clothes out before you leave in the morning, so you're ready to hit it when you get home from work. Just a little movement each day will build.
3) Water, water, water. Start your morning with a glass of water. Place it out the night before, right in front of your coffee pot, so that's what you drink right away before you go for your coffee.
4) Be kind to yourself and don't get on the scale. It's not necessary. Give yourself a week to reset.

Have more ideas to get back on track? Share in the comments below!

mondaycoachingminute

Do you catch yourself saying: I need to do XYZ vs. I WANT to do XYZ? How many times a day are you "needing" to do something, say something, forget something, or remember something? Are these needs actually yours or someone else's (comparing yourself)?

Some needs are easier to nail down. You need a place to live, clothes to wear, and enough food and water to maintain your health—these are the elemental things you need to survive. They're indispensable. You can argue that everything else is not imperative, but this is where the lines start to blur.

According to Merriam Webster, one definition of need is 'necessary duty or obligation.' So what do we feel obligated to do that doesn't necessarily leave us the time to get to our wants?

Back to Merriam Webster, one definition of want is to have a strong desire for. So what do you have a strong desire for that you are not giving yourself right now?

We need to do many things - we all have responsibilities and need to make sure things are done/progressed to keep our jobs, relationships, and houses moving forward cohesively. Our wants can help balance us and everything we have going on in life.

Homework: I want you to track how often you say 'need' this week. When you notice yourself saying 'need,' ask yourself where it's coming from. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Let's talk about the next piece in setting goals - making them attainable.

We've touched on connecting our goals to our vision/why then we hit specific and measurable. Now let's touch on attainable.

We want to achieve our goals - but we don't want them so easy that there's no challenge or growth. We also don't want our goals so difficult that we just toss in the towel.

When we achieve our goals, that gives us a win, which then leads to momentum and desire for wanting to do more.

By setting goals that are challenging yet attainable, we hit that balance that we need.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.