FOR THE REST OF YOU though, you need to stop what you're doing and completely re- think your priorities. No more "I don't have enough time or I'm just too busy." BALONEY!! We all have the same hours in a day and we are all preoccupied with all the tasks we must accomplish in our lives. There is still no excuse to not set aside a few minutes EVERYDAY to protect your LIFE.
Reprogram your idea of what you have to do and start doing what you NEED to do. Your life should be the most important task on your list. If you keep ignoring the importance of your health and skip those 30 minutes of exercise a day then, when you're older your body is going to FORCE you to slow down and make time for it. It may include injecting yourself with a needle a couple times a day to take insulin, it may be popping a few pills a day to control your cholesterol and blood pressure, or it can be having open heart surgery to fix a broken heart. Literally!! Do you remember when you were a kid and your mother told you," don't lie because it will catch up with you?" Well your body works the same way. If you keep lying to yourself by promising you will exercise today and then do everything else but... That lie is going to catch up with you and bite you in the you know what! You can't lie to yourself, you body is going to give you everything that you give it. Be true to yourself so you can live a long, healthy, and happy life. Leave your children a legacy of healthy eating and the importance of exercise. What more could you do to prepare them for life then to teach them that their health is important.
Protect your children by taking care of yourself! They are watching and hearing everything you do and say about yourself, exercise, and clean eating. How many times have you looked at yourself in the mirror and muttered, Yuck? How many times have you stopped to get ice cream and said heck I deserve this after the week I've had? Or how many times have you tried on an outfit and asked your spouse or friend, does this make me look fat? Your children are hearing all of this and taking it all in. They are forming their own opinions and prejudices based on these things. Whether exercise is important, how they feel about self indulgences, their self image. After all, if Mom thinks she is ugly and overweight and everyone says I look like her, well what does that make me? Think about these things mom. Did you ever hear your mother say these things about herself?
I want to challenge you!! I want to challenge you to make September the month that you get up and move everyday for the next 30 days. Just move your body for 20-30 minutes every single day! Find an activity that you like, if you like dancing- join a Zumba class or turn up the music and dance while you sweep the floors, (I mean really dance), if you like kicking and jumping take up a kickboxing or karate class. If you like running, sign up for a local 5K and run while you raise money for a charity. If you get bored easy, sign up for a boot camp style class or circuit training. If you lack motivation, sign up with a personal trainer and get motivated! Grab those dusty old dumbbells and start building some muscle. There are hundreds of things you can be doing to move your body. Take a walk around your neighborhood, play a game of freeze tag with your children in your own yard, go to the park and participate instead of just surveillance. Rediscover your inner athlete and move your body. Write down the obstacles that might cause you issues with this challenge. Go through them and also include how you will overcome them.
For Example:
1. Not enough time to workout
2. How can you make time, pack your tennis shoes and walk during lunch
3. Watch 30 minutes less television
4. Do a fast interval and push yourself really hard
Planning will prepare you for those excuses which are really just hidden reasons why you're too scared to change. After all, if you change what will you complain about? If you are healthy, active, happy, and reaching your goals-then you have nothing to lose. By simply controlling your body by feeding it often and the right kinds of foods, exercising daily, and getting more sleep- you can control all aspects of your life. It gives you the courage to find a new job, venture off on your own, enter a marathon, engage in conversations with strangers, smile more, and have excitement about life. You can't help it; those endorphins provide a relaxing mood. Living a fit and engaging life is awesome. If you had a secret that provided the key to happiness wouldn't you want to share it with everyone you love.
That is how I feel about exercise and Fun-trition. It makes life so much more attractive! I feel as if I can conquer the world, like the story of David and Goliath. I share this secret with my children, my friends, and my family- I do this because I love them and happy and healthy. I want to live life as completely as possible and, above all, because I want to protect them from disease, as far as I can. So are you ready for the challenge in September? Let Us together and make a real change in our body and mind.