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
When I was in my twenties I definitely had disordered eating. I was very active and ate very little. I was always starving and annoyed and this would lead to binging. . .big time. Now I’m 35 and am trying to stop the binge cycle. I eat a lot more than I did years ago, I eat a lot more whole foods and green monsters. (thanks to you) I am working on becoming a certified Anusara Yoga instructor, and while this is a very long process it is yoga that has really helped me to appreciate my body and health. Yoga is such a gift and I swear if I could marry Yoga I would!! :)
Hey there! I TOTALLY agree with you! For myself- I realized I hate running. I’m always miserable and used to have working out. But when I dance or do Yoga I look forward to it and love it!!
xo
Jocelyn
I never stuck with running when my goal was losing weight and counting calories. When I started running to feel better and to finish my first race it became a passion. I get totally antsy when I more than a day or two without running.
Thank you for such amazing comments…I got teary eyed! LOL
Dear Angela,
I couldn’t agree with you more and only a few years ago, when that strain to lose those last few pounds was literally leading me to starve myself, I met with a nutritionist and let go of the perfection of “dieting” and calorie counting. Miraculously, my body found it’s way to a healthy size and I haven’t had to fight it. I wrote a blog about “playing out” rather than working out on my page and appreciate you bringing this up to your readers. We need to stop punishing ourselves into health.
Inspiring as usual! I find it so easy to get caught up in all the numbers of health and fitness….calories in, calories burned, scale weight, miles run, etc and have been trying to let go of that and just live a life of passion choosing natural health options. I find that setting fitness goals with a nice reward keeps me motivated. For instance I set a goal to run at least 70 miles last month and if accomplished I could call to schedule a massage.
Thanks again for all your tips!
I completely 100% agree with everything you said. Not so long ago, i.e. up until 3 months ago, I did NOT have fun with food and exercise. like you said, it was all about calories. I did love running but I still focused on how many calories I was burning and what I could eat BECAUSE i went for a run… never mind that I was starving myself to death. And then one day 3 months ago, I pushed myself too far with too little fuel and the unthinkable happened… I suffered a stress fracture.
Since it happened, i’ve learned that it was a blessing in disguise. I have learned (am still learning) to get past my history or disordered eating. I love food and all it has to offer and most importantly, love helping my body and fueling it with good food. I am excited about life, for the first time! I still can’t exercise but you know what? I can’t WAIT for the day where I can. And it has nothing to do with calories! I’m excited about life and LIVING!
Great tips, thanks! I definitely need to start trying new foods more often, or even new recipes. I find I make the same things over and over again and I’ve started to make more of an effort to make things out of some of the great cookbooks I have. I really like Veganomicon and Vegan With a Vengeance! :)
GREAT post Angela!
I love it!
I used to be just like you; NO fun with my health. I counted calories like a madwoman, I counted calories burned, I would restrict carbs, fats, eat a ridiculously unnecessary amount of protein and work out until I literally could not walk the next day.
Now, I have fun! I take it easy with exercise- I run 2-4 times per week when it is warm, I take frequent walks, I do yoga to my heart’s content. I am no longer restrictive with my diet. I eat what I am craving, and usually it is HEALTHY foods- because now I know healthy foods make me feel great! And when I eat something that is not healthy, I make up for it not by restricting, but naturally- because my body almost always craves healthy food after a big indulgence. I experiment in the kitchen and focus on having FUN with cooking/baking healthfully, I blog about it and LOVE the food blogging community, and don’t ever push myself to the point of exhaustion.
This is a great topic!!
xo
K
What a great post! I have to admit that I am going through this right now. Fitness and health have been far from fun for me for several years, and I am just now trying to learn how to have fun. I am using the techique of “fake it till you make it,” and it actually works! I also love reading blogs, like yours, and blogging myself which keeps me motivated and excited about my health!
To keep fitness fun I consciously ask myself during my workouts “am I having fun?” and if not then “what can I do to make it fun?” Sometimes it is simple as cracking a smile, changing the song or skipping instead of running.
I also don’t worry about what others think of me while I am working out…like if I am doing lunges in the park or dancing a little on the gym treadmill :)
i definitely try to be easier on myself when trying to eat right, i still have alot of bad days, and i am still counting calories (i seem to go nowhere if i don’t)
i am on my way to better health
Great post and so true, I struggled with a lot of miserable rules and disordered eating in the name of weight management too. Going high-raw has been a positive journey to focusing on my total health and exploring enjoyable foods without the guilt and misery.
Food, fitness and health are my number one enjoyment these days, but it hasn’t always been that way for me.
I have struggled with body image demons since I was young. For many, many years I worked out because I had too! Because I was fat! I dieted because I needed to lose weight! I exercised because I felt I was not accepted the way I was. I’m naturally a tall, muscular woman. I’m genetically built thick and I spent years of my life torturing my body trying to become that skinny, slim girl.
Somehow over the past 2 years, I’ve learned to accept my body. I decided I wanted to take care of my body and love my body, because we’re going to be around for a looooooong time! I realized that I’m a beautiful, smart, and healthy woman! Keyword is healthy! Many people are not blessed with the health that I have and so I needed to take advantage of that.
I found activities I liked to do. I have always been a fan of yoga and pilates. Then I started running and taking advantage of the beautiful climate I live in. At first I couldn’t even run a half mile, but I kept at it… and then I could run a mile! and then I could run three! and then six! and now I’ll be running my first half in 3 weeks!
Now I love feeding my body the foods it craves and providing the exercise it desires! I’m not any slimmer than before, but I am happier and have never been healthier!
i hopped online to get a quick motivation to go for a run, and here it is! i’m trying to do exactly what you once did, make exercise and a healthy lifestyle a part of my life for the right reasons. i want to run because it makes me feel good, and i want to eat the right food so that i can have more energy and a healthier body.
there was definitely a time in my life where food & fitness were not fun. i was a competitive gymnast with overbearing coaches who criticized my body and everything i ate every day (which led me to rebel and binge all. the. time.) but now i get to do what i want, and i can choose to be healthy for myself and not to please anybody else, which feels great! :)
i am definitely a long ways from where you are, but i’m working on it. i’ve struggled with my weight all my life, and for the past few years i’ve been trying to develop a healthy life but you know old habits die hard. i think i’m making progress though, and trying to cut myself a break. i’m trying HARD to focus on being healthy and exercising to make me feel better, rather than obsessing over the number on the scale. you are such an inspiration to me, and it’s blogs like this one which help the process.
Hi Angela
Just saw this article on cnn.com about the benefits/effectiveness of interval training. Thought you and your readers might enjoy it:
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/16/study-working-out-harder-for-less-time-effective/?hpt=C2
Love the Martha Washington quote, too true.
Angela, I love your blog but I think your post today is my favourite ever! It is so inspiring to read about how you improved your health and fitness because I’m trying to improve mine – and the things you’ve listed are all things I enjoy and they’ve made me feel like I’m going the right way about it. Thank you so much, you have truly been an inspiration today!