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
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.