Sustainability - Start by Showing Up

Putting goals and dreams into action takes a lot of determination. There are so many emotional and physical components that are connected with trying to lose weight, eat healthy, or maybe just change another unhealthy habit. I say an unhealthy habit is anything that negatively effects your mind, body, or soul - it can be anything and is different for everyone. The connection between mind, body, soul, and health seems to be the part that people don't talk about on TV or write books about. Life changes can be hard (even if it feels so right) and the process of changing effects every part of us. It can break us, make us, and then do all that again. When it comes to changing habits, you either do it or you don't, and "trying" just means you still haven't worked out the mind and soul part. Its never just a body thing, or a mind thing, or a soul thing.

The things I needed to change in order to live a health(ier) life were

Fitness

Types of Foods I Ate

Amount of Food I Ate

How I Connect with Myself and God

How and Who I Ask for Help

Social Activities

Friends

The Way I See Myself In the World

I didn't want to scare myself back to old habits by changing all of these things at once. So the first was the workout routine. The next goal came one month later, when I began to change my eating habits. Slowly everything else began to come together.

Everyone get's started differently, and it depends on your goal. My goal was showing up for my health. I believe showing up - whether that means physically going somewhere, mentally being highly conscious and aware, or spiritually reflecting on yourself - showing up for you is the best way to start. When friends or family want to show support they might say, "I'm here if you need anything," or "I'm thinking about you." Well showing up for you means supporting yourself: taking time to reflect when you need to digest information or figure out what feelings you're experiencing and why; thinking about you in a healthy and loving manner.

In order to make myself get in the habit of showing up, I made sure I went to the gym almost every day for the first 28 days. I required of myself that I go. On days when my body needed to rest, I just made sure I showed up. You have to go, I would tell myself, you can't NOT go, this is your life we're talking about, this is for YOU. Sustainability was the most important factor - I had to be used to making time for my health. By the end of the month, I could run 2 miles on the treadmill without stopping, and I gave up some weight. Thats when I began to workout 5-6 times a week for a minimum of 30-45 minutes (recommended by my doctor). And when I was at the gym, I worked hard to sweat out any negative feelings I had about my body and change. This was how I began to educate myself about the connection between mind, body, and soul. It ultimately changed my life.

Now, I am one year later in my odyssey. I try to be fit in ways that have sustainability like yoga, palates, speed walking, the occasional distance run, and bicycling. Depending on the weather and nature I've started to try new things too like rock climbing, ice skating, snow shoeing, swimming, hiking, and the list goes on. Anything to keep me up and about, and enjoy what I'm doing.

Walking is probably the cheapest and most gratifying workout you could do. You get to see where you live to its fullest, you're in nature at your own pace away from the world, little to no severe negative impacts on the body, and it's free. You learn how to stop using weather as an excuse to stay in. I walk four miles home from work every day, unless it is below 15 degrees out or I'm sick. Fast paced walking for at least an hour will keep you in the fat burning zone for your heart rate, and be lighter on your knees. Whereas, running gets your heart rate up high enough so that you stay in the muscle burning zone, and ooh the joint pain as you age.

Yoga is similar to palates, but it also incorporates an amazing spirituality to it that allows for you to breath and focus on where you are in your life. Yoga can sound overrated - it's really just deep stretching at different paces to release negative energy, get your heart rate up, and improve concentration, flexibility, balance, and muscle tone. The progression of yoga is clear so that you can actually see and feel your improvements as you continue to practice. Want to do a shoulder stand or a handstand? Okay, well go to yoga and eventually you will. But my favorite part is that it incorporates mind, body, and soul as one therapeutic workout!

The key for me, throughout this journey, has been finding a balance between how hard I am on myself, and how much love I need to give myself too. I suggest giving yourself a lot of loving.

Affirmation

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will."

Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi