Week 8....Raise your hand if you need a little extra MOTIVATION right now!

Happy Monday!

Entering Week 8. WOW. It is normal and OKAY to hit the wall. Quarantine is affecting how we live our lives in all ways, exercise and nutrition included. We have been at this for a least two months, some even longer and it seems it will continue for the indefinite future. Lacking our social groups and face to face encounters with each other and our trainers may be making it difficult to stay motivated. After all, we here at APF feel like a very close knit community! Social fitness brings the buddy system to life no matter where you are. If you're going for a walk, vacuuming the house, running, or working out at the gym, you're not doing it alone - you are connected to others who are trying to increase their activity, too. One of the most motivating factors in group workouts, and therefore social fitness, is competition and SHARING!  

We would like to offer a challenge to motivate you for the remainder of MAY, starting today and ending Sunday May 31. No fees, no gimmicks. A goal of 280 minutes of exercise per week and logging your nutrition daily. The group challenge is set up through My Fitness Pal, (https://www.myfitnesspal.com) . Once you let me know you want to participate and activate your myfitnespal account, I will invite you to our private group. You can then encourage your fitness friends in the group and gain encouragement yourself! Remember, this is a NO JUDGEMENT ZONE! If you are a more private person you can go the your settings and click private. I will post daily encouragements in the group as well as call out people who have done a great job on the challenge! I hope you will all use this challenge as a way to motivate yourself and help motivate others to make it through the rest of MAY!

Addendum: article in the Wash Po that came out on Tuesday: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/losing-your-motivation-to-exercise-as-the-pandemic-drags-on-heres-how-to-get-it-back/2020/05/11/72e41a3c-93af-11ea-91d7-cf4423d47683_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_lean_and_fit&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_lean

Entering Week 5 of Covid Quarantine

Happy Monday!

Looking back over the past week I have observed that while some things may be the same they feel so different. While most couples are getting used to spending more time together, Paulo & I are actually spending more time apart. We cannot virtually train people in the same room, so he goes to his “gym” and I go to mine. Somewhere along the way we trade locations, alternating between standing, sitting & pacing. We have never spent so much time NOT STANDING! And although we are not physically spotting or moving weights, we find ourselves fatigued at the end of the day. Both of us are finding that virtual training is mentally challenging: trying to be motivational and creative through a screen is very different. Still, we are both so grateful that our clients are willing to go out on a limb and do things completely different in order to keep in the best shape possible. I have to brag and say that some of our clients are actually finding themselves stronger and fitter from mixing up their routines and joining in my virtual classes!

During these crazy times when negative thoughts can easily come creeping in, I am trying to be proud of my smaller accomplishments. Going to the grocery, baking a loaf of bread, cooking a good meal and cleaning the bathrooms are not things I would ordinarily celebrate. Now I am trying celebrate these accomplishments with a thumbs up, a pat on the back or a “yea!” (Taking a page from one of my favorite blogs https://www.bjfogg.com)

There are also some blessings in this quarantine that I focus on when emotions go awry:

1. Less Traffic (and in turn a great break for our earth! Have you seen some of the photos?)

2. Seeing neighbors I have never seen and families out and about enjoying some time together

3. More time to read, cook and pursue my long list of hobbies

4. Less stress on my runs because I have nothing to hurry home to do

5. Less urgency to “DO” everything on my to do list

6. More puppy time for Sophie & Honey

7. More time to communicate with all of my children

8. More time to read and interact with my grand babies, virtually. This makes my day, every day!

9. Reaching out to and working out with so many people far and near in my virtual classes. This really makes my week !

Small things make a big difference. What accomplishments are you proud of this week? Celebrate them with style! What blessings have you found during this quarantine that you can focus on when negative thoughts creep in? Make a list, add to it and take a look at it regularly!

Life is Good in Your 50s!

As 2018 rolled in, I began to reflect on how good life can be when you are in your 50’s and 60’s!  We as women generally have more time to devote to our personal care.  If you have had children and are not an emptynester, (and I am not!) chances are your children are old enough to do most of their self-care, drive to their sport or music practices and help out with chores around the house.  That opens up time that we had spent earlier in our life, caring for pre-school and elementary school children.  Even if you work a full time job (and I do!) you can take more time before and after work to do the things you could not do when you were getting children up and fixing their meals.  If you have never had children, chances are your career is established and you can negotiate time for self-care.  The 50’s and 60’s truly ARE the decade to dedicate time to ourselves.  We are wiser, have more free time and ready to prioritize ourselves.

For this New Year, my list of goals hasn't changed much, but I am making them more specific. I am still going to focus on my distance running by picking two half marathons to train for. I will focus on strength training 3-4 days per week with a four-week program set out each month.  I am going to set aside time to practice my meditation and mindfulness daily.  And I am going to continue to grow my knowledge in our plant based eating through reading, research and following the example of several leaders in this field. 

I would love to have you join me in this challenge for 2018.  Remember to make SMART GOALS:

Specific.  Specific refers to what you are going to do.  Use action words such as exercise, eat, and coordinate.  Think about why you are choosing this particular goal.  A good idea of a SPECIFIC goal is: I am going to walk 3 miles in 45 minutes by March 1st.

Measurable.  If you can measure it, you can’t manage it.  Choose a goal with measurable progress.  You may have a long-term goal, but have smaller measurable steps along the way.  For example, if you want to run a 6-mile race in the spring, you should set your training program to build your mileage each week.  

Achievable.  Set goals that are achievable for YOU and you only.  Your friend may want to run a marathon in May.  This may not be important or attainable for you.  You may need to set a goal of running a 5k in March.

Realistic.  This does not mean easy.  It means Do-able.  Set the bar high enough to feel satisfied when you attain your goal, but not so high that the thought of your goal is overwhelming.  For example, rather than setting a goal not to eat sweets all month, it may be more realistic to set a goal to eat only one sweet per week.

Timely.  Set a time frame for your goal.  Next week, next month, by spring.  Putting a clear target in front of you gives you something to work toward and allows you start on it right away.  Remember though, if your time is more than a few weeks in the distance, set interim goals to get you there.

 I would love to hear from you about your goals for YOU in 2018. Good luck and let me know how I can help.