You’ve fallen and you can’t get up, huh? Train is off the tracks? You have tumbled off of the proverbial fitness wagon, haven’t you? Or maybe you’re just in a rut, bored, lacking fire, slacking on your fitness training and nutrition and you need a little lift. Despite my fervent protestations, it happens. It’s not difficult to submarine your program, but don’t do it, you’ll regret it.
Are you waiting for motivation to strike like lightning from the heavens? It won’t. You’ve lost your momentum, and you need a push. You’re not even training three days a week. You’ve buried your head in the sand and you’re not going to budge.
It’s a mistake. You need to do something, FAST.
We are a nation of people who demand instant gratification. We want to harness the Power of Now and all of that New Agey-Metaphysical stuff that makes perfect sense, but seems impossible to actually put into practice with any consistency. Fine. You want the now? Here you go. Here are three things that you can do right now, today, that will benefit you and make you feel better instantly:
Put Down the Soda and Step Away from the Disease, Please!
Simple fix number 1 is to drink nothing but good, clean water today. If you already do this, then feel free to move on to number 2.
If you are the kind of person who drinks soda OR juice OR mocha frappaccinos, stay with me.
Soda is the largest single source of calories in America. Most of it is sugar. This is bad.
The sugar in 2 sodas per day = A weight gain of 1 pound per week. This is also bad.
Soda increases the risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes. This is the worst part.
That’s not all.
Fruit juice isn’t any better.
In a recent article, University of North Carolina global nutrition professor Barry Popkin cited six studies that show correlations between increased fruit juice consumption and increased risk of obesity and diabetes.
You can see where this is going, so I’m not going to go into detail on why energy drinks (Rock Star, etc.) and post-workout drinks (Gatorade) aren’t good for you. Too much sugar, caffeine, and crap in them.
And diet drinks? Are you kidding me? You’ll skip the calories, but you’ll get a can full of chemicals. Just drink anti-freeze, it’s probably a very similar chemical composition and is the same color as Diet Mountain Dew, anyway.
Drink water today, only pure, clean water. At the end of the day you will have spared yourself useless calories, sugar, caffeine and chemicals and you’ll feel better.
Do Something
Your training program has disintegrated, you’re dodging your personal trainer, you haven’t been to a group training class for weeks, your running partner doesn’t even bother calling you anymore. It’s hard to get the gears spinning again. What do you do?
Something.
Anything.
Just move.
Whatever you’re doing, put it down, go outside and walk/run around the block. Don’t make it complicated. Just do it.
If you have to wait until you’re out of work, fine, but the minute you clock out, run around the block.
There’s no formula for reawakening your training program, so just do something; yoga, hike, walk, push your kid around the block in the stroller, take a crossfit class, do a Spartan Training workout or some other type of group fitness activity, call a friend and go on a bike ride.
It’s not about the type of activity you do, the intensity or the duration. It’s simply about gaining momentum again. MOVE. You may not love doing it, but you’ll be happy that you did and you’ll feel better.
Breathe, Then Breathe Some More
I’ve done enough research to know that meditation, visualization and breathing exercises are incredibly beneficial for your mental, spiritual and physical health.
I resist it, because I feel like a tool when I do it, but I know it’s good for you. It’s hard for me to put everything down and take 10 minutes to just close my eyes and breathe. My mind never settles, down, I’m anxious and fidgety, and always pretty certain I’m doing it all wrong.
But I always feel better after doing it.
I have a bunch of relaxation mp3’s stored in my iTunes account. It’s easier for me to have someone narrating to me as I do the breathing exercises because, left to my own devices, I’ll sit still for 2 minutes, get frustrated and go back to wasting time on Facebook.
It’s not difficult to do, it just takes patience. Go HERE and follow these instructions, or click on this link and search through until you find a recording you feel comfortable with.
10 minutes.
That’s all it takes.
You’ll feel better immediately, trust me.
Jonathan Aluzas is the owner of Arena Fitness, a personal training, semi private training and group exercise facility with locations in Encino and Northridge.
