The art of procrastination

"One of these days is None of these Days" (H.G Bohn) Though most of us will never paint a masterpiece or sculpt anything worth displaying in the home, I'm amazed how many of us have mastered the art of procrastination (I'm no slouch myself). In fact, my inspiration for tonight's blog is entirely based on my own self berating for not getting started on the list of 7-10 blog topics waiting for me patiently on my desk at any given time!

Although at this time of year, most people are busy procrastinating their taxes, it is safe to say that the greatest use of procrastination in general comes to people's health, diet and fitness. Let's take a look at some of the top 'reasons' (read: excuses) for putting off taking the next step in your health and how you might be able to put those reasons to rest.

1. I have been so busy// I am too busy today// I am the busiest person that every lived// . This is the most common reason I hear on a day to day basis. I strongly recommend you choose a friend or collegue who you admire for their commitment to their health, diet and exercise and take a close look at their life. ASK THEM how they stay committed with such a busy schedule. You are likely to hear things like a. They do it first thing in the morning (yes, even if that means getting up 30 minutes earlier) b. They schedule exercise in as if it is a meeting, or better yet they actually do make an appointment with a trainer c. They enlist the use of a buddy system d. They sign up and pay for a class to motivate them. While these all seem obvious, the key note is that those are 4 simple procrastination busters. Choose any one of them and see what a difference it makes 2. I don't have time. Although this is very close to reason #1, I like to address this one separately. No doubt you and I could argue for 30 minutes about whether or not you have time to exercise, but usually, once this 'belief' is ingrained in someone's head, it's tough to shove back out. What I recommend as a more effective attack agains the 'no time' excuse is to actually keep a time journal for 3 days. (Yep, you can even get a handy app for it on your iphone or blackberry...just beware, they may actually be what's sucking up your time!). It can be very eye openeing to see exactly where your time is spent. I once did this task with my coach, only to discover that I was spending upwards of 40 minutes per day mindlessly surfing around the internet. Just imagine what could be done with that time? Once you've kept your journal, take a close look at what you would consider your 1-2 biggest time wasters and see if you can't lump those little bits together into one solid block of 30-40 minutes to either have a workout, prep some healthy food, make your meal planning and grocery list or go to your annual physical! 3. I have a sore _______. I could fill this out with a hundred different options over the course of the year. Some of use are more prone to injury and/or are dealing with long term chronic pain. The trick here is to identify if this is a Global problem or a Local one. Sore left hamstring? How about a swim workout using a pull bouy, or simply a complete upper body strength training session. Torn rotator cuff? You can still walk, hike, run, and spin, not to mention lunge, squat and work your core. This REASON for putting off your health is one of the best, becuase it tends to get the most support from others around you. Validation makes the reason more valid and the procrastination more justified. So take inventory of your aches and pains and challenge yourself to work around them. OH, and for the record, a cold is actually not made worse by exercising, contrary to what your grandma told you. 4. I'm tired//I'm exhausted// I am falling asleep in my coffee//I only got XX number of hours of sleep last night// I'm only tired today - I'll start tomorrow. Unless you are truly sleep deprived on an ongoing basis, don't skip a workout or choose an unhealthy meal based on this reason. Instead of procrastinating, use the time you had planned to workout to do something that requires a little less energy but nonetheless benefits your health. Make your meal plan, do some yoga, read an article on wellness, practice a meditation, lay down and work your core. Not every workout has to be at 110%. Use these days as recovery instead of dumping the whole day and getting into a rut. 5. I deserve a break//I deserve a cupcake// I deserve ...... This is my all time favourite reason for procrastinating because I think it's the easiest one to beat! The next time you find yourself thinking "I deserve"...try switching that around to health. An "I deserve another cupcake" sounds pretty yummy, but what about "I deserve to feel fantastic tomorrow for eating healthy today" . "I deserve to live MY BEST LIFE" Don't you? I deserve is a very interesting phrase. We use it to justify bad behaviour, but those two words can be used for such good! They are the superheroes of vocabulary if you use them in their most positive and powerful way At the end of the day, procrastination is a very insidious disease. It is really scary how one junk meal can turn into 7 days of terrible eating; how one missed grocery trip can result in fast food for 3 meals, how one skipped workout can EASILY become a month of sedentary living. I'd love to hear what your procrastination "got to" is and How (if) you've managed to beat it back into a corner. In the words of the great Wayne Gretzky "Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases, and it's toll on success and happiness is heavy" Now get off the internet and go do what you need to do!

As Tracey Chapman puts it

Tonight we're 'talkin bout a revolution'. Not a resolution. To be honest, I don't really have anything against resolutions, in the same way I don't really have anything against the Slap Chop. Full of promise. Short on delivery.

C'mon now, let's be honest. Everyone knows the joke that New Years Resolutions are really just a 'to do' list for the first week or month of the year. But there MUST be a reason that we keep coming back year after year and saying "this is it". "this is my TIME!" "This year I will RESOLVE!"




It's because inherently we want to improve our lives. We want to live our very best lives and show the world that we can change.

Well, as you already know, I belive that if you want to change your life, first you have to change your mind. So, let's get into your brain a little bit. I'd like to change how you think about this whole "New Year's @#$*#" (I am hereafter deeming the word resolution a curse)

Yes, I know it's semantics, but I think it's important.

Look at the word: RESOLUTION "a resolve or determination." "To make a firm resolution to do something. "

Now look at the stem of the word (resolute) " admirably purposeful, determined and unwavering".

Blah blah blah. The entire word is about being inflexible and about deciding upon a course of action. There is nothing about the word resolution that implies anything is ACTUALLY HAPPENING! Besides, what is the most common reason people stray from their resolutions? LIFE! We need to be flexible and work within our LIVES to achieve our dreams.

Thanks for bearing with me so far on this.

So, back to Tracey Chapman. Let's talk 'bout a REVOLUTION. Here's why I love the word.

Revolution: (from the Latin word 'revolutio': to turn around) is a fundamental change in power that takes place in a relatively short period of time.

HOW AMAZING IS THAT! How about the CHANGE in power as in the POWER in your life shifting to your Control!

And even better.....how about the meat of that word.

EVOLUTION/EVOLVE: " a process by which something passes by degrees to a different stage, especially a more advanced or mature stage."

Which person do you want to be? The person who "resolves" (aka, makes a determined plan) or "Evolves" (using a process to pass to a more advanced stage).

Personally I think the answer is obvious.

So come start a REVOLUTION with me and make fundamental changes in your POWER in a relatively short period of time.

It's much more honest and realistic. It is a process. A series of events/stages that need to happen. (yes, you actually do have to do the work). It is a permanent change.

Begin your Revolution by choosing One (yes, just one) thing you want to improve upon in your life. Of course I am really referring to a health or fitness goal here. I am after all a personal trainer.

But we can learn a lot from another area that people tend to focus on in the New Year. The fundamental principle of debt reduction always tells us to start with the highest interest debt and chip away at it until it's gone. Then move on to the next biggest interest bearing burden, and so on and so forth.

It's the same for your health. I'll let you in on a little secret. By listing 8 things you want to change in 2011 with your health and fitness, you actually reduce the likelihood that you will achieve any of them. The key to success is setting a clear concise goal that supports your REVOLUTION of changing your life!

So choose it.

Flush it out (be specific and time constrained)

Break it down and make it manageable.

Don't be afraid to ask for help (maybe this is the year you finally hire a personal trainer to help you on your way). Don't be afraid to say it out loud. Don't let your ego get in the way. And for the love of effectiveness, do not be so HARD on yourself! Plan ahead for the obstacles and curve balls you already KNOW will come your way.

That way, when they do show up, you can smile, acknowledge them, and say with a smug look on your face "oh, I was expecting you to show up...and I already know what I'm going to do" and with a flick of your finger, you can flick that obstacle off like a pesky bug. Or at the very least, you can laugh it off and pick yourself back up!

Lastly, put an image in your mind (or better yet, somewhere you can see it) of what success looks like. You can draw it, use clipart, a photograph, a word or image. Anything that inspires you on the dark rainy days of February.

Then guess what? When you Actually Achieve it (and I believe you will), you simply move on to the next one. You didn't actually have to set out the plan for #2 back on Janaury 1st, and it will still be there waiting for you when you are ready for it.

So, to put my money where my mouth is, I'm going to set you up a little example using my own New Year's Revolution right here.

The number one way I want to EVOLVE in 2011 (fitness and health wise) is to prevent the injuries that continually plague me year after year so I can race through this summer without dragging a team of physiotherapists, doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists and Pharmaceuticals behind me.

I will take back the POWER by applying Balance to my exercise plan. I will continue to be active every day, but I will now incorporate Yoga into my schedule 2 days per week in place of other, higher impact activities that put me at risk of injury and do not help me MOVE TO A MORE ADVANCED level within my life. I will practice my strengthening exercises and use periodization to manage my training schedule.

I may overdo it. I may still get hurt. And if that happens, I"ll immediately back off my training, let go of my ego and I will NOT race through pain. I will do my rehab exercises diligently, even if it means cutting into my blogging time (ha ha ha).

I will measure my success pretty easily. I will be able to compete in 2-3 foot races and 1-2 triathlons in the summer of 2011 injury free.

I am crossing the finish lines over and over with a smile on my face and without a limp in my step.




Be Clear. Be Powerful in your commitment and Strong in your Conviction. Evolve. Don't Resolve.




Now, talk to me 'bout your REVOLUTION!!!! I'd love to hear your comments :)

Christmas = Love

What did you think of when you read that title? I'm sure for many of you, it was warm fuzzy feelings, carols, family, children, presents, candy, eggnog, glass of wine, piece of nanaimo bar, feeling kinda funny, now I'm bloated, drifting off to sleep, waking with a slight hangover, haven't worked out for 5 days so what's another 5....ooops, sorry, there goes the Christmas = Love Mantra!

Well today Fitness Freaks is here to talk about a different type of Christmas = Love. Insert word "tough". That's right, Tough love. I'm sure that comes as no surprise to many of the Fitness Freaks Blog followers. After all, I've been told at least a hundred times "how can someone with such a sweet voice and bright smile be so tough!" :)

Here's the deal folks. Now is not the time for congratulating yourself on making it to December 15th "not too badly" in terms of the party circuit. You may have passed the piggies in the blanket once or twice already this month, but the real test begins now. The next 16 days are go time for Christmas Chameleons (otherwise known as your ever present shrunken fat cells ready and waiting to explode into happy jumping jacks at the first succulent bite of fudge).

Yes I've sent out helpful tips in past years on how to survive a holiday party (eat a healthy meal in advance, drink lots of water, stand far away from the food table, pick one thing in advance to indulge on, workout that day etc etc and so on.) But at the end of the day, the average Canadian will actually only gain just under 1 lb over the holidays. (Yanovski et al. 2000). Does that suprise you?

So why does everyone feel a little like the Red Suited Jolly Guy come New Year's Day? It's not necessarily about how much you eat, but what it is. Ask yourself how fabulous you feel after a day of hitting all your Canada Food Guide Servings (Psss. If you don't even know what your personal guidelines are, head to Canada food guide NOW!). Now replace that all with sugar and alcohol. Even for a few days or a couple of weeks. The lethargy is obvious. The Guilt is often crushing. And the effect on the psyche is ridiculous. Those little x-mas chameleons start messing with your head and before you know it, you have let your whole year slide out with a whimper instead of a bang. 21 hard fighting days to break a habit. just one day to make one if icing is involved.

So before you take your next "I'm worth it" bite of fudge. Try an "Dammit, I AM worth it" bite of something better for you. After all, isn't that really the question. Aren't you worth it? Aren't you worth the effort? Don't you deserve to feel fabulous on January 1st and like you didn't skip a beat when you return to Bootcamp or Yoga or Pilates or running on the 3rd, or 10th or 20th of Janaury? Does Christmas really = Love if you end up hating yourself and feeling like

you are back at square one fitness and energy wise on New Year's Day.

Dear readers, I challenge you. Put down the food and pick up your runners. Go for a walk and get a hot cup of tea. Better yet, go somewhere new and try snowshoeing, hiking or cross country skiing. Sure, go crazy on the 25th, and maybe the 26th. But let that, and your company x-mas party be IT! Make a stand against the epidemic!

No excuses. No Resolutions.

Only REVOLUTIONS.

PERMANENT CHANGES.

LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE.

And as far as some Christmas Love. Well, I think you're worth it. And I'm pretty sure you'd like to be the one jumping for joy while everyone else is puking from the effort next month.

Happy Holidays!

PS - stay tuned for my New Year's REVOLUTION blog!

Fitness Freaks on Vacation!

Time and again I hear my clients and participants stress about vacation. I always find it so ironic that we get stressed about vacation! It's supposed to be a time to rejuvenate and de-stress. But the fact remains that many of us find that we can work diligently on a healthy body and diet for weeks or months, but as soon as our minds perceive "Vacation time" we eat and drink ourselves into a state of feeling tired, bloated and more run down than when we left for vacation!

Often I send Fitness Freaks Clients away on vacation with my tried and true "Travel Workout" (pssst.....you can email tracy@fitnessfreaks.ca if you want to learn more or purchase a copy of my Travel Freaks workout).

Other times I have participants in my classes wave goodbye and tell me with a pensive look that they will see me in a week or two and 'warn' me that they will be losing all their hard work! That's definitely not what I want to hear, or what they want to see! In fact, I've had many people come home from vacation 3, 5 or even 10 pounds heavier.

So, although summer is behind us and all the summer vacations are done, ahead lies a cold, rainy winter with many people planning their winter escapes already. I want to provide you with a few tips, some gear ideas and share my own experience of this past summer vacation with some other fitness freaks.

Top 5 ways to ward off the Extra Vacation Baggage

1. Let the boozy Mcboozersons be the people you watch with amusement, not be you! Of course we all want to relax and enjoy vacation, but we don't need to get to a state of constant "buzzness" to do that! One glass of wine or a sleeve of beer runs between 100 and 150 calories. Similar for a shot of any hard liquor. Spreading those out from mimosas in the morning to special coffees at midnight can easily add up to 1000 -2000 calories PER DAY! Try to save your drinking for specific times of the day and savour it with food.

2. Dressing on the side please :) If you know where you are staying, it only takes a few clicks to find out the best local fare and not hard to figure out which spots are just greasy spoons and which ones offer some chance of lighter fare. NEVER be afraid to ask for adjustments to a meal. After all, you're a tourist - they expect you to be a pain in the ass ;). Also, usually restaurant servings are HUGE! consider sharing with your husband/wife/boyfriend/buddy. Splitting an appy and a main can save you tons of calories and moolah!

3. Plan your splurges. Whenever we go away, I like to get excited about some sort of special food or treat that we'll be having where we are going. On our most recent vacation, we knew that the resort had an Ole Fashioned Milkshake Shoppe right beside the pool. I knew from the moment we booked that I'd be ordering up a milkshake, but I also decided right then, that I'd only be having 1 over the 4 days we were there. Every time we talked about our upcoming trip, in my mind, I thought about that milkshake and that I'd only be having one. And you know what - I really loved that one milkshake and had no problem sticking to the plan because it was so ingrained in my head. If you know there's a luaou, campfire smores, the best pie shop in the country etc etc, just know you will enjoy it, but make it part of your plan!

4. Stick to your regularly scheduled program. If you usually eat 3 meals and 2 snacks per day, try to maintain that habit on vacation. By eating frequently and using the 80/20 rule (80% of your choices will be the healthy ones, 20% will be splurges), you'll be full and satisfied throughout the day and there's less chance you'll be heading for the all you can eat French Fry bar at 4pm.

5. Water isn't just for playing in. Drink it up folks. On vacation, with all the sun and fun (and booze and food) you're going to need at least the usual 8 cups of water and probably at least another 4 to maintain proper cell function, avoid dehydration and help you process any rich indulgences you partake in. Besides, water is a great way to stave off a craving...at a least for a little while!

Those five simple rules can stop you from having your vacation turn into a need for a brand new wardrobe when you get home!

If you want to really feel like a fitness freak on vacation though, you'll throw in some exercise! I have never in my life (until my most recent trip to Texas with a sprained ankle) gone away for a week-end, week, month or longer without exercising regularly on my trips. Exercising in far away places is fun and exciting and helps you feel fantastic in your swimsuit or a little better about the pit stop at "World's most fabulous Taquito Stand".

If you don't feel you can commit to your regular routine, then find a travel workout that you are ready to give a try. At the very least , you can find the staircase in your hotel and perform a vareity of stair running drills, pushups and squats. Even 10-30 minutes a day will help you prevent any loss of your fitness stamina and strength. Without doing anything, muscles begin to atrophy within a week, and cardio gains begin to disappear around 10 days! Don't let this be you!

On my recent family vacation to a family resort in Oreville, Washington, I was so excited about going with our good friends Dave and Ana, and their daughters. Long ago in a far away land (called pre-children), Ana and I were running buddies. We met on a summer semester in France and had a shared love for the old running shoe. Dave and Michael share a history of mountain biking together but more recently Dave has found a love for Yoga, and they both enjoy a great round of golf. We spent many telephone conversations leading up to our trip laughing and smiling with excitement at the prospect of running together again and Dave and I talked about doing some Yoga by the lake.

In our 4 days at the resort, Ana I got out for 2 runs. The first morning, we realized that to get to the road, you had to literally run uphill along a switchback for over a kilometre. But we mustered our strength and took off for a fabulous run. All we could feel was thrilled to be alive while we knew we had the rest of the day to enjoy our families and some great food and drinks. Here's Ana at the top of the big climb.

Dave and I got to do one hilarious yoga class together (we were the participants and the yogis) while our pair of 3 year olds heckled us and the wind blew our mats to high heaven. we didn't get any pictures of our yoga experiment, but I did capture a great one of Dave at the marshmallow roast, when his inner Fitness Freak called out to his Inner Yogi and he jumped onto the playground.

And as fabulous as it was that we got to do our planned workouts on vacation, it would have been fine if we had only been able to do the walk(s) that we did with the kids, the tag that we played, or the water fun of throwing children in the air. The point is that we MOVED our bodies and fed our bodies well. And at the end of the night, when the children were tucked in and we had the house all to ourselves......no one felt a bit guilty about cracking open a beer!

So next time you head out on vacation, just spend a bit of time figuring out how to best HONOUR your body, yourself and all the hard work you put into it day after day, month after month. Vacation should make you feel great and you should come home ready and able to jump back into that fitness routine.

Now, go dig out those travel brochures and get planning!

"So, What's the best way to.....?"

This is a question I get asked on almost a daily basis and you can fill in the blank with any number of 'wish upon a star' goals but they usually come down to the same request.

"So , What's the best way to.....

- lose weight in my belly

- shed the last 10 pounds

- get smaller thighs

- lose my chicken wings

- strengthen my core

Really, what everyone is asking "How can I really be the best I can be?" I love these questions from clients, participants, friends, new acquaintenances, the hairdresser...you name it! The problem is, usually people don't really love my answer, although they usually nod in agreement and smile with resignation.

At the end of the day, there is no unachievable goal on that list. There is also no magic exercise, pill, diet, shake or cleanse (sorry folks...don't believe everything you read on the internet or see at 2am on an infomercial )

Clean Eating. Hard Work. Lots of Sleep. Living in the now. Reducing stress by CHOICE

These are the answers to all those questions.

First step: Take a first step! Is it joining a class? Maybe. Is it hiring a trainer? Could be. Is it cleaning out the pantry? Good thought.

Do Something. Choose Something.

Remember that line from Shawshank Redemption ?

(I pause to insert a personal fave and by no means is this to be taken LITERALLY!)

"Get busy living, or get busy dying."

If you aren't taking the first step to making yourself happier, healthier and more fulfilled, then what exactly are you doing with your life today? I can't really think of anything better, can you?

So, yeah, I can say "Do planks, run hard, eat blueberries and chicken, pushup until you fall down" but at the end of the day, it comes down to this

CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES BY CHANGING YOUR MIND!

Take the first step. No seriously, take it.

Like.

Now.