It is crucially important to your health to come up with strategies that will ensure that you maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine.
Sometimes your schedule can be changed due to unexpected new doors that begin to open up in your life, when these things occur, do not let them disrupt or upset the fundamental, basic components that you have set in your life. A healthy diet and a regular workout plan are essential to your life and well being. Above all else, you must learn ways to keep it a consistent part of your life.
Finding strategies to keep these components consistent parts of your life is also crucial because staying disciplined and focused without distractions is a job that takes much concentration and willpower by itself. We are constantly bombarded by people who are struggling with their diet and exercise routines. We are constantly surrounded by food advertisements, snacks and unhealthy food choices. But you can always make the right decision for you. You can always rely on your willpower because it is stronger than anything in this world. You are capable of achieving anything in life that you want to.
So, to stay fixed on your diet and exercise plan you must implement ways to keep you on track at all times. You must plan ahead for potential surprise events that can affect your schedule. Just as the CEO of a company would take time to think and meet with others to discuss how to keep a business running smoothly and at its best potential possible, so too must you take the time to reflect upon things you can do to keep your body at its greatest, optimal level.
I will share with you a couple of things that have helped me stay on my important diet and exercise plan.
- Inspirational Quotes: I have several quotes and inspirational sayings posted around my apartment. One in particular that helps me lace up my running shoes on a regular basis is a picture I took out of a magazine. It is a Nike ad that shows the bottom half of a lady's legs in running shoes on the pavement. It says: “Happy Hour: The time I lace up. The time I let go. The time I clear my head. All the time I live for.” I have this picture and saying posted in a highly visible place and it helps to remind to me run and inspires me.
- Drop down list: I have made up a thing I call my “drop down list”. It is a list that literally drops down in my mind that keeps my willpower and health in check. It is a list that automatically pops into my mind when I make choices about eating and exercising. For example, if I see something I know I should not eat, my drop down list goes something like this:
That food item contains no nutrition:
- It is not good for me
- My body is precious
- Would I feed that to a baby?
- Why would I treat my body any less than I would a baby's?
I have created drop down lists for exercising as well. These lists powerfully help me say “yes” to exercising and “no” to indulging in activities or food items I know are not good for me. I am still working on them and with time they will become easier and more natural to integrate into my life. As with anything, practice makes perfect. Remind yourself of this so that you treat yourself with compassion and understanding every step of the way.
Remember your health is number one. It affects everything in your life. Now more than ever leading professionals in the health care industry are studying the mind, body and spirit connection regarding one's overall health and well being. You must always remember the better you feel the better you can treat others and so forth. It is not selfish to take care of yourself first. It is your duty and service to others to do so because the more you love yourself, the more you can give and love others.
Take care of each other. Every moment is precious.
