Hello there!
Thanks for the great discussion on HIIT. I loved reading about all of you who incorporate HIIT into your weekly exercise routine! Who knew there were so many of you?! Awesome. I am so excited to play around with the training. The possibilities are really endless. And let me tell you, I have never had a runner’s high like that (in 28 minutes to boot!).
Now, as promised…
This week I will be sharing some of my favourite health tips that have worked well for me on my road to health. I thought it would be a great way to open up dialogue and get each other inspired to have a kick-butt Spring season (and beyond!).
Health Tip #1: Have Fun With Your Health!
For years, I did not nurture my health. I did not have fun with food, exercise, or my health. I basically succeeded at making myself miserable. I struggled with disordered eating and rarely took pleasure in food because everything about my diet was so strict, regimented, and rigid. All I ever thought about was how many calories or fat grams I had left to eat for that meal or day. Some days I would ‘succeed’ and some days I would ‘lose’, but regardless, every day was essentially the same- a battle against myself.
The same was true for exercise. It was all about squeezing in the most exercise I could in a day. I would walk at lunch, walk home from school, hit the gym, and attend softball practice at night. I have always loved being active and participating in sports throughout childhood, but somewhere along the line I lost the carefree joy that I got out of it. No longer could I just rollerblade for fun- I had to be thinking about how many calories I burned and how long I would make myself go for. I would do endless circles around the cul-de-sac on our street. Where I was going? I just don’t know…
After years of this, I finally figured out that this way of life was not sustainable long-term. I decided that I wanted to take pleasure in my health and stop this cloud of negativity that surrounded me.
I wanted my health, diet, and fitness to be FUN!
I wanted to bound out of bed in the morning and be excited about taking care of myself and my health. I wanted goals…positive ones.
It was not easy to just start to have fun with my health, do not be fooled. After years of fighting my body, I honestly didn’t know how to have fun with it. I had to learn how to ride my bike with training wheels again. I decided to put on some rose-coloured glasses and fake it ‘til I made it.
Over time, I discovered a passion for health and nutrition and I started to look at it in a new light.
I. HAD. FUN.
Here are a few things I started to do:
- Experiment with recipes and new foods
2. A lot of reading and research in the health field. Any chance I got in my undergraduate and master’s programs I chose health research!
3. I asked myself what types of exercise I enjoyed and I started to do those more.
4. I stopped counting how many calories I burned while working out and I focused on how exercise made me feel (amazing, proud, strong!) and what benefits it had on my daily life (tons!).
5. I read inspiring blogs and discovered that there were so many people out there who had a passion for health, just like me. So many people who overcame a lot and were now happy.
6. I found surrounding myself with inspiring and positive people made all the difference in my recovery and my passion for life.
It has now been about 3-4 years since I decided to have fun with my health. There are so many things I want to try that I haven’t done before! I want to run more races (my next half marathon is on May 30th!), climb a mountain, skydive, scuba dive, and so much more. All it took was reframing the negative into something positive and seeing my health in a new way.
Is food, fitness, and health fun in YOUR life? What do you do to keep it fun?
Was there a time in your life when food and fitness was NOT fun?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how YOU make health fun in your life! I think that positivity is really contagious and through our dialogue we can keep each other inspired!
Coming up on Health Tip Week, I tell you what I eat once daily that keeps me on track (and no, I’m not talking about Green Monsters!)
"I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances."
- Martha Washington
{ 89 comments… read them below or add one }
I couldn’t agree with you more. In the end, we will all grow old and die. It won’t matter how many calories we ate or how many minutes we spent at the gym when we’re 80 years old! What WILL matter is the enjoyable experiences we had and what we learned from them.
Since coming to school and getting into a depressive slump, I’ve made it my mission to win back my happiness. I already follow many of your tips to live a happier life.
Great post! Looking forward to reading all the comments to this!
I joined the YMCA when I was 18 because I had a crush on a guy that worked out there…and well, not only did it start me down the path of leading a healthy & active lifestyle, but that crush became my husband 10 yrs later!!
I think the most important way to make fitness fun is to shake it up every week! On Sunday night – I plan out my workouts & meals for the week. When I plan in workouts I include 2 runs, 2 yoga sessions & 2 weight sessions. If I have extra time for other cardio this is when I grab those magazines sitting on my coffee table that I haven’t had the time to read!
Living a health life is only sustainable if you keep it fun! Plus, if it’s not fun, it’s not really “healthy”! Stressors are rarely a good thing.
Food and exercise is becoming more fun each day. To keep things fun I started playing badminton again and soon of course I’ll be able to golf again.
Yes – food, fitness and health is FUN for me : ) It wasn’t always that way – I struggled in junior high and high school – but now living a healthy life IS what makes me happy. I run races not to win, but to feel accomplished and strong. I’m a winner in every race : )
I made exercise fun tonight! I joined a runners club and ran at dusk in beautiful local neighborhoods.
I used to look at running as punishment for eating too much. It was the thing I went to when I binged. I have now taken the stance that no matter what I am going to complete a 1/2 marathon. Even if it means I have to walk parts of it.
It’s been interesting as well cause I have been informally teaching yoga to the students who I live with. I have about 20-25 students coming each week and they’ve begged me for more classes. It’s so powerful to be teaching people something, enabling them to listen to their bodies and for them to be part of something that challenges them.
Having fun with food and really having fun with LIFE is where it’s at.
As always Ange, you’re such an inspiration.
Food and fitness bring a smile to my face every day. I can honestly say that I have never finished a workout upset or depressed or unhappy. I LOVE everything about it!
I totally agree. Food, fitness, health all have to be fun and exciting! I have an absolute passion for all three and can’t imagine ever losing that love for it all.
Oddly enough, I would say that less than a year ago, I didn’t love it all. I loved the idea of being healthy and I loved food, but I hated exercise. Thankfully I’ve never had a problem with disordered eating or binge exercising, but I used to be a blob. I was thin, but I was sedentary. It all just seemed like too much work. Now I can’t imagine that, and I can’t really pinpoint when that switch got flipped. I’m just glad it did because this is so much more fun and enjoyable! :)
I am just now discovering what you found 3-4 years ago. I have struggled for years with “dieting” and disordered eating. Worst of all–the guilt for not being perfect. I felt that if I wanted to eat things that were good, my only option was to be fat and vice versa. It was a sick, twisted way of thinking, and I looked great but felt miserable.
After I got married in August, my husband and I moved to California from South Carolina. It was a tough move for me, and I got depressed and turned to food for comfort, which caused me to gain 10 pounds. Going from 125 to 135 made me even more miserable and home sick. I was disappointed in myself and so depressed.
After Christmas vacation, I came back to CA determined to live better. I tried the diet food deal for a month and then realized I could not live like that again. So, for the last month, I have worked hard to change my habits in exercise and in eating. I started a blog to keep myself accountable and to push myself to be more creative. Plus, my family and friends from home can kind of see what I’m up to.
Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog and several other health/food/fitness bloggers. I finally feel comfortable with myself, and it’s a good feeling. I’m losing weight very slowly, but I feel MUCH better. Plus, I’m switching up my exercise routine to better fit my body and schedule. I only have 6 pounds to go before I’m back down to where I need to be.
Happy Blogging! Keep the tips coming!
How inspiring! Food is not fun for me. I still struggle from an eating disorder with little opportunity for professional help. But I’m working on it. :) And until then, I wear a LOT of elastic waist pants and hide my scale.
I DO have a LOT Of fun with activity. I love running and missed it so much…and have incorporated it back into my life to the doable tune of 20-25mpw. But I keep tons of variety out there…I scuba and free dive, surf (when I can), mountain bike, hike (my kids favorite activity!), do buckets of yoga…and whatever else feels good when. No longer do I force exercise or stress over a missed planned workout. It’s very freeing…AND FUN!
I love long walks with my dog while catching up on various podcasts. I also love BodyPump and the energy in the class. And what I learned with being consistent with exercise is to adapt to different situations. If you are on holiday and can’t do your normal exercise, don’t panic. Exercise does not always have to involve the gym.
What a great topic! Exercise should be fun. I used to loathe strength training, but then I discovered free weights (I used to only use the machines before that) and now I love going twice a week.
A friend of mine once told me that I shouldn’t judge any type of exercise by what it does to my body, but rather by what it does to my face. If it makes me smile, then it’s good. I use that as my rule of thumb to this day.
I struggled with an eating disorder for a while. I learned to enjoy the feeling of being empty and hungry. One day my best friends (my college track and field teammates) confronted me and expressed their concern for my health. I have gained back the weight I lost from those unhealthy (and un-fun) days, but I admit that it’s still very hard. I still sometimes struggle with disordered eating, bouncing between eating too little and too much.
These struggles have helped me realize the importance of daily exercise. I’ve been a runner my entire life and I LOVE LOVE LOVE to run. When I tore my hamstring in college is probably when all of this started. My outlet, the thing I enjoyed so much, was gone. I couldn’t run and I was so afraid of becoming fat that I just stopped eating. Now, I notice that on days I work out I do not struggle with eating too much or too little. I eat very clean and I eat only what my body asks me to eat. When I don’t workout is when my mind gets the best of me. Although I still struggle, I feel that I am moving forward and am on the road to recovery. This blog has helped me in that direction. I know that my size right now is very healthy, but for so long I strived to look unhealthy. Readjusting my mental image of “healthy” is what I’m trying to work on.
Whew! It feels good to say that, er…write that, out loud.
I get such out of exercise, I always have. I struggle mostly with the guilt I feel on days that I don’t work-out.
I also still really struggle with food. I’m not a foodie, never have been. I have a fairly child-like approach to eating and cooking. I don’t mind experimenting on occasion, but I feel I know so little about how to eat a balanced diet. I also fear “normal” portion sizes, having restricted myself so much in the past.
Since reading health blogs I’ve realised how much I’ve been missing out on nutrient wise, and bit by bit I am making changes. It’s a tough road, but I hope to attain the kind of attitude you have for health and life. :-)
I love this post! I love having fun with exercise and trying new things. What I hate is that sometimes the amount of time we spend thinking about it and feeling we “have to” exercise. Trying new things helps keep me in perspective and in balance. Cheers to you Angela!
I couldn’t agree more – and the same goes for what we eat. If we don’t enjoy every single thing we eat, we could never stay on track!
I used to see healthy eating and exercise as PUNISHMENT. Basically, I thought I was too fat to have FUN; I thought I didn’t deserve it. So my food and exercise habits were extremely rigid and black-and-white. I thought eating vegetables and running were things I had to do to try to fit some stereotypical mold of who I should be and what I should look like.
It wasn’t until I ditched that mentality that I was able to discover that living a healthy lifestyle can be fun when you embrace it as a choice you’re making for yourself, rather than something you have to do to look a certain way. When I made food and exercise choices based on how they made me FEEL rather than how they made me LOOK, I was able to relax and enjoy it!
wow this comment hit home with me…I too never thought I was ‘good enough’ to enjoy things.
more fun in exercise has been the key for me, listening to when and HOW my body wants to move (e.g. run, dance in my room : ), etc). reading your blog gave me the courage to try heathier options (hello green monstah).
that HITT running is great. it is the closest exercise i have found that makes me feel like a kid. sprinting outdoors is AWESOME!! : )
lovely post! i’m totally with you — it’s not a sustainable lifestyle if you don’t ENJOY it (and even if it was sustainable . . . what would be the point!?!?)
fun parts of a healthy lifestyle:
– feeling good!
– training for races and finding ways to get faster
== trying new foods
– the community aspect
un-fun parts:
– comparisons and restriction
– ultra-perfectionism
i try to emphasize the first list and avoid the second at all costs! sometimes it’s easy to slip for a moment, but if i think about ‘the point’ of all of this, the decision is easy :)
Food hasn’t been fun for me for a while, but in Nov 2009, I decided to start changing that. I am trying to change my way of thinking about myself and how I view food. So far it hasn’t been easy, but usually the things that turn out to be best & most rewarding aren’t easy.
Wow! Your post could not have come at a better time for me. I am in the position you were in. I’ve been fighting with myself trying to lose weight and it’s a battle. I always end up in this “giving up” mind set. It has always been amount the amount of calories I am having and somehow I always manage to go over and throw in the towel for the day.
About 8 months ago I started reading food blogs. I love them! I never realized how much food we can eat and still be healthy. I think my problem was that I was eating a small portion of a 100 calorie pack and just wanting more as opposed to eating a nutritious and satisfying snack. I was doing that for a lot of my meals throughout the day.
I am trying to find how I can enjoy food and not worry so much. I also want to find the exercise that I love. I have always admired runners. In my head I always think “I wish I could do that!” But what is stopping me?? Myself. I need to just go for it.
Your post this morning has really inspired me. Thank you.
that sums up my thoughts when i first started reading blogs too!
“I never realized how much food we can eat and still be healthy. “
Angela, your great…truely an inspiration and this page is so enjoyable to read! I can completly relate to a time where health and fitness were NOT fun and more stressful than anything…I too in the last 3 years have turned it around and focus more on the enjoyment and interest of health, food and fitness! Thank you so much for sharing your ideas! Awesome work!
Like the commenter above, this post came at a perfect time for me! I’m the mom of two young kids so life is fairly busy, and I used to use that as an excuse as to why I couldn’t put my health as a priority.
I’ve started reading lots of blogs about people who lost weight and are now leading a healthy lifestyle, and I yearn to be one of those people. I love reading new recipes, new foods, new drinks, new snacks….
I do this also so that I can be a good example for my children and teach them to grow up happy and healthy and to enjoy exercise, I want it to come second nature to my two boys and not be a struggle.
You have a wonderful way of words and I love all the inspiration, motivation & downright giddyness I get when I visit your blog.
I love exercising! When I don’t feel like doing it though, I will push myself to do it or I will find an alternative that involves exercise but is more likely to get me off the couch.
I bought my first pair of real running shoes last fall, challenged myself to learning something new (karate), lost weight, and eat a healthier and more balanced diet. I re-evaluated my life and shaped it into a healthier one.
I beleived that exercise on a daily basis wasn’t for me. Luckily, I studied yoga for 11 years which kept me strong and ate a vegetarian diet. Going to the same class week after week got boring and I lost my zeal and love for yoga. I still study yoga but with a new teacher and practice at home daily.
A lot of inspiration has come from Angela’s blog. Thanks Angela….I have never felt better…fitter, stronger, had so much energy or been happier.
Great post. I try to keep food fun by trying new recipes all the time.
great post Angela! before i would out just because i had to now i really want to because it makes me feel “whole”
Have a great day!
Great tips! I wrote about the very same thing today. I have found in my own life and with my clients that if stop fighting the way things are right now, embrace them all and do what feels great- health just tumbnles into our life easily and effortlessly.
I couldn’t agree more! It’s so important to make health fun and never boring! I am always trying something new — at least 3 new recipes a week! I love it, it’s a hobby!
Awesome post, Angela! I was the same way – only exercising to burn calories. I grew up getting tons of physical activity from sports, and then when it became about weight, I didn’t get joy from working out and playing sports anymore, it was just about how many calories I was burning. It’s taken a long, long time, but now I workout mainly for the health benefits and for fun – not to see how many calories I can burn in an hour.
You’re majorly inspiration, girl.
I’m just starting out on my having fun with health journey and it’s exciting to even begin to fathom that this thing I’ve been beating myself up about for years and years could actually become a positive part of my life.
Thanks for blazing a trail and sharing it with the world.
Hi Angela,
I’ve been lurking around your blog for several days now, but this is the first time I’ve posted.
I really liked your post today. I too have struggled with disordered eating in the past, and it felt like every calorie was a war. I’m learning to give that up (I still count calories, but you’re helping inspire me to stop!) and I’ve learned to love exercise again. I finished my first marathon and half marathon last fall, and I have a half marathon coming up in May also!
Thanks for the awesome post and all the inspiration! You’ll probably see a lot more of me around here :)
After six years of battling my body (counting calories/over-exercising) I have finally decided to be its ally (listening to my body/enjoying food/enjoying exercise). It is amazing how much happier I am when I am on its side. It hasn’t been easy, and there are ups and downs, but each day is better than the last.
Thanks for being such an inspiration. I relate so much to your story. So thankful to have found your blog!
Hi! I’m a fairly new reader, but I really love your happy attitude and fun posts, so I’m a frequent reader! Thanks so much for this post. There is SO MUCH negativity toward food and body image out there, and it’s so refreshing to read about someone who loves food and taking care of her body! Definitely inspirational and contagious!
I have a passion for health too, and I try to have as much fun as possible when it comes to food and fitness!!
Scuba diving is really cool!! I have been certified for a couple years now, and have done dives in Mexico and Cuba!
In college, I struggled with an eating disorder. Fitness/nutrtion became a prison for me — it was more torment than fun. However, I have learned to make my fitness about pursuing goals or doing new things. Since I have changed my mind set – I have ran a 5K, tried a variety of aerobic classes at my gym, and started lifting weights. Now, that I am recovering from the birth of my daughter, my fitness routine has changed to include long walks outside with the baby. I talk to her as we walk….I love it. I am doing something good for my body and bonding with my baby.
I love your blog. If this is what recovery is, then daaayyyyaammm I want it. Wowzas.
‘K, here’s the thing. I still have a major mental block about exercising. I can’t separate the calorie-burning thoughts from the enjoyment of it. Mostly because I don’t truly enjoy it. I want to, but I don’t seem to KNOW HOW.
Argh. I want to know really, what people DO do to make their fitness FUN in their lives!!!! It’s like a gold coin I can’t find…….!
I think you need to find out what activities you enjoyed as a child…those activities are often clues as to what our passions really are. :)
Thank you SO much for your reply. I wonder if you could ever know just how much you help people out!!! :-)
I blogged about this on my newbie blog, too. Hope you don’t mind. :-)
So inspiring! Can’t wait to keep reading everyday tips :D
That’s so important for me. If it’s not fun, I really won’t do it. I think on the food front, learning about various health foods and testing new recipes makes eating right more fun. I get the whole “I’ve never tried this before!” excitement. As for fitness, it’s easier to do when I’m enjoying it. That’s why I had so much fun when I lived in New Zealand but stayed fit. I did a ton of crazy activities like canyoning that were really physical but also a really good time.
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