Fitness is not just for the new year

In honor of today being the last day of the year, it seems like everyone and their mom is vowing to "lose the weight," "start a new diet," "get skinny for 2015." Everywhere you turn, you are bombarded with reasons why your 2014 body is suddenly not good enough.

I am begging you, please don't make your health a new years resolution. This might seem counterintuitive coming from a coach, but hear me out. The word itself, "resolution," carries a connotation of frustration and self-defeat. The fitness program that works the best is the one that you will stick to. Whether it begins New Years Day or on a random summer day is irrelevant. Whether that's CrossFit, Piyo, Insanity, or any other method is also irrelevant. Start where you are, with what you have, when you are mentally equipped for lasting change. Set goals. Make a plan. But don't make fitness contingent on a holiday. Do it because you are ready.

When we continually fall short of a goal, we reinforce the theme of failure in our lives. We subconsciously tell ourselves that we "can't." (Anyone who has trained with me knows how much I hate this dirty four letter word) We begin to believe that we aren't good enough, that we aren't strong enough, that we'll never get there. The phenomenon of the failed New Year's resolution occurs every year because people make empty promises to themselves. The inner voice of self-doubt becomes louder, until it is ultimately proven right. They start out with the best of intentions, but ultimately they either don't want it bad enough, or they just aren't prepared to make the sort of drastic and unrealistic changes they had hoped for.

By creating realistic, attainable goals (please don't call them resolutions) when we know we are primed for change, that's when the transformation happens. The confidence and power that come from being physically strong have a remarkable capacity to translate into other areas of your life. You will begin to believe in your own abilities again, and your goals will adjust accordingly. By this time next year, you will be able to look back on the remarkable changes that you have made, confident in the knowledge that you gave yourself every opportunity to succeed.

So please, if you must make a resolution, resolve to be a better person. Make a resolution to treat others more kindly, give back to your community, or take more time for inner reflection. But don't use this holiday to declare war against your body. The road to lasting health is only found through self-acceptance. It is not paved with resolutions.

Starting your nutrition routine

I get a lot of people asking me for nutrition advice, and while I can easily make recommendations based on my experience with my own body, I always include the caveat that I am not a nutritionist. I have taken several nutrition courses over the years, I have taken the course for my CPT (though I haven't taken the test yet  because I need a different CPR certification), I have grown up in a family full of medical professionals, and I am still NOT a nutritionist.
I can however, share my own routine as far as keeping my body fueled for my workouts and an active lifestyle.

The first thing that I recommend people do is download a nutrition tracker such as My Fitness Pal. This is the one that I prefer, and have the most experience using. I also recommend that people get a food scale. This is an inexpensive item that will inevitably become priceless as you continue to work toward your fitness goals. You can't properly manage your diet until you know exactly what you are eating. Log EVERYTHING. Every bite, every sip, it all adds up. When you become more conscious of these eating habits, you will know for yourself where you need to begin to make changes.

Because I have been logging my food intake for so long, at this point I have a pretty good idea of portions and measurements (though I often still weigh out my food to be sure), and I don't need to stress so much about making sure everything is measured ahead of time. Don't get me wrong though, I still put everything into my food tracker.

At the moment I'm training to run a half marathon, and I know that my body is going to require additional carbohydrates to keep my energy levels up for such a long period of time. I am putting more of an effort into making sure that my body is getting plenty of healthy carbohydrates to fuel it for training, as well as for the race itself.

I follow a fairly strict paleo diet, which consists of:
Meat
Vegetables
Nuts
Seeds
some Fruit
little Starch
No Sugar

I look for low glycemic foods that are high in nutritional value. Although I don't eat grains, Paleo is not a "low carb" lifestyle. I get plenty of carbohydrates from vegetables and other sources. I also practice carb cycling in order to use insulin to my advantage whenever possible.

I will be posting paleo recipes on the site, as well as additional resources, so stay tuned and let me know if you have other questions you would like answered! ;)