Health can be overwhelming. There are a million things to think about. How much do you eat, what do you eat, when do you exercise, what do you do when you exercise, where do you go, who do you ask, what do you look for…
The list can go on for hours if you are really trying to focus on health improvement. Or it can stop pretty quickly if you are overwhelmed and can’t think about it anymore and give up. Unfortunately, for most people, the second option is not only more likely, but has become the norm.
It feels more difficult to live healthy than it does to just “do whatever”. We all know what happens when you “do whatever”. You really do what is easy. That is ok if the results you are looking for are a continued decline in your health. It is not ok if you want to improve or even maintain your health at a certain level.
So, what do you do? You dive into a program that shows you “the right way” or read articles and watch programs designed to show you “the right way”. The way that they are showing you is very complex and specific to a certain philosophy. The program may work. It may actually be a good thing to do. The problem is that you have to think differently and act drastically differently than you are used to acting.
This makes changing quite difficult. When the only changes in front of you are sweeping and drastic, it will be difficult to make them. If changes are smaller and easier to manage, you can expect to complete them and be successful.
This is the mistake that most people make. When you go to the grocery store, there are a million choices and possibilities. Rather than defeat yourself before you even get there, make a small list of two or three items that you want to make sure you pick up. Going to the store is already a plus and will have positive impact on your routine. Getting a few choice items that you planned on will give you another step in the right direction and help you feel like you are getting the hang of the process.
Keeping it Simple
Food tip: Don’t worry about every detail on every label. Don’t worry about the difference in nutrient level between this vegetable and that one. Don’t try to change everything about your diet in one day. If you are eating fast food a lot, pick a level that would be a measureable improvement and stick to it. Don’t try to cut it all out immediately.
Exercise tip: Don’t try to run a marathon this week. If you are sedentary, don’t expect to be a on a world-class athlete’s training schedule next week. The only way to get started is to get started, but if you try to do too much too soon you can a) injure yourself and b) get extremely discouraged when you miss one workout when life happens in week two…or week one.
The moral of the story is: keep health simple and you can do it. If you make it too complicated, you will simply out-smart yourself and make it too hard. The longer you do it, the more intricate and advanced your process can be. I’m not saying that it isn’t good to be focused on the details and finding every way to live healthier. I’m just saying that if you don’t accomplish anything because your “perfect routine” is too hard to stick with, you might as well not do anything.
And that is the problem. Most people are saying that right now. “If I can’t do it, I may as well not even try.” That is the attitude that many of us have when it comes to health. The truth is, we can all do it. It doesn’t have to be difficult. As long as you are willing to put in a little time and make small changes, you can live healthy.
In fact, living healthy is pretty simple as long as you make it simple. The best way to make health simple is to focus on small, simple steps. When you can get a few simple steps going, you can start working on the next ones. As you work on these steps you will continue to see results. It’s all about simple steps for simple results.
Showing posts with label results. Show all posts
Showing posts with label results. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Change Your Actions, Change Results
Change is part of our lives. It always has been and always will be. The only thing that is certain in this life is that things will change. Health is not only changing, but it requires us to change in order to keep it, improve it or simply understand how it is affecting our lives.
No matter how healthy or unhealthy your lifestyle is today, you have experienced change in your routine. It may be on the job, at school, at home, with friends or all of the above. At some point, you had to make changes in order to keep doing things you wanted to do. Change, while it can be painful, is not difficult to acknowledge or understand.
Although we have understood the presence of change, I’m not sure that everyone has truly accepted the fact that they need to change in order to keep moving in the desired direction. Change in health is simple: it is simple: you have a path that you want to go down. As you move down this path, challenges come your way that require you to adjust in order to keep going down that path. If you don’t adjust, you won’t be able to continue. It is like a personal road block. If something is in your way, you have to change course in order to get around that obstacle.
What if we don’t change?
What happens if we choose not to adjust our course? That’s simple. If you are on a road driving and there is a fallen tree blocking the way, you have to make a choice. You can change and go another way, or you can sit and wait for someone to move the fallen tree. You still have two choices, but one is far more reasonable than the other. I don’t know too many people that would sit and wait for someone to move the tree.
Let’s think about it from a personal perspective. If your family is running into a scheduling conflict and there seems to be no way to get one event or another, you have a simple choice to make. You can adjust your schedule and change how your time is allocated, or you can keep doing it the same way and hope the situation magically resolves itself. This sounds a lot like the fallen tree, doesn’t it? If you are waiting for something to magically happen that will change the results, you will be waiting around for a long time and may never see a solution.
How do we change?
Change is a scary word to many people. In fact, many people will continue do things that are clearly not working for them because the fear of change is greater than the problems they are dealing with now. For that reason, they are ok continuing to deal with more and more problems because that feels easier than changing. After a while, they get used to doing things this way, used to dealing with problems and results that are less-than desirable. It eventually feels like there is no alternative.
Let’s be clear: There is always an alternative. There is always something you can do to make your life better. No matter how long you have been doing something, you can always change. No matter how much time you have invested in a process, you can always make it better. When you do, you will see better results.
There is one thing required for solutions to work in your routine. Action needs to be taken. No matter how badly you want that schedule to work out for you and your family, if you don’t change something, you will keep into conflicts. No matter how badly you want to that tree to be out of your way, unless you are willing to act and change course, it will remain in front of you, blocking your way.
What do we need to change?
In order to change, you need to take action. In many cases, it is easy to see that a person is not doing anything to counteract a problem, but in just as many cases there is something being done, action being taken that is actually causing the problem. Either way, you have problems if this is taking place. Doing nothing and doing things that harm your health are equal and often difficult to distinguish.
That is why the key to change is action. Not only do you need to take action, but you need to focus your action on the results you want. There are certain results you are looking for in all areas. If these results are not seen, what happens? Do you simply keep trying to do the same things and expect different results? Do you do nothing and assume that the problem can’t be solved forgo those results?
I hope you don’t do any of the above. I hope you would look at current results, realize that they weren’t the desired results and change action to get different results. That is what successful people do. They change their actions to change their results.
What does this have to do with your health?
Personal health and wellness is change. When you look at your current routine, if you are not as healthy as you want to be, you have likely been out of the habit of doing healthy things or in the habit of doing unhealthy things. The change you need here is simply to start making your actions help your health rather than hurt them. That is what healthy people do. It’s all about changing action to change results.
That is what it takes to change in any area of life. It may take time and it may take some investment, but the alternative is already happening and it is hurting you. Increasing weight and health issues are pretty big tree in the road. Poor energy and lost days are large conflicts in your schedule. So, what should you do?
I hope you will look at your current results, realize that they aren’t the desired results and change action to get different results. That is what successful people do in any area of life. They change their actions to change their results. Are you ready to be successful in health?
No matter how healthy or unhealthy your lifestyle is today, you have experienced change in your routine. It may be on the job, at school, at home, with friends or all of the above. At some point, you had to make changes in order to keep doing things you wanted to do. Change, while it can be painful, is not difficult to acknowledge or understand.
Although we have understood the presence of change, I’m not sure that everyone has truly accepted the fact that they need to change in order to keep moving in the desired direction. Change in health is simple: it is simple: you have a path that you want to go down. As you move down this path, challenges come your way that require you to adjust in order to keep going down that path. If you don’t adjust, you won’t be able to continue. It is like a personal road block. If something is in your way, you have to change course in order to get around that obstacle.
What if we don’t change?
What happens if we choose not to adjust our course? That’s simple. If you are on a road driving and there is a fallen tree blocking the way, you have to make a choice. You can change and go another way, or you can sit and wait for someone to move the fallen tree. You still have two choices, but one is far more reasonable than the other. I don’t know too many people that would sit and wait for someone to move the tree.
Let’s think about it from a personal perspective. If your family is running into a scheduling conflict and there seems to be no way to get one event or another, you have a simple choice to make. You can adjust your schedule and change how your time is allocated, or you can keep doing it the same way and hope the situation magically resolves itself. This sounds a lot like the fallen tree, doesn’t it? If you are waiting for something to magically happen that will change the results, you will be waiting around for a long time and may never see a solution.
How do we change?
Change is a scary word to many people. In fact, many people will continue do things that are clearly not working for them because the fear of change is greater than the problems they are dealing with now. For that reason, they are ok continuing to deal with more and more problems because that feels easier than changing. After a while, they get used to doing things this way, used to dealing with problems and results that are less-than desirable. It eventually feels like there is no alternative.
Let’s be clear: There is always an alternative. There is always something you can do to make your life better. No matter how long you have been doing something, you can always change. No matter how much time you have invested in a process, you can always make it better. When you do, you will see better results.
There is one thing required for solutions to work in your routine. Action needs to be taken. No matter how badly you want that schedule to work out for you and your family, if you don’t change something, you will keep into conflicts. No matter how badly you want to that tree to be out of your way, unless you are willing to act and change course, it will remain in front of you, blocking your way.
What do we need to change?
In order to change, you need to take action. In many cases, it is easy to see that a person is not doing anything to counteract a problem, but in just as many cases there is something being done, action being taken that is actually causing the problem. Either way, you have problems if this is taking place. Doing nothing and doing things that harm your health are equal and often difficult to distinguish.
That is why the key to change is action. Not only do you need to take action, but you need to focus your action on the results you want. There are certain results you are looking for in all areas. If these results are not seen, what happens? Do you simply keep trying to do the same things and expect different results? Do you do nothing and assume that the problem can’t be solved forgo those results?
I hope you don’t do any of the above. I hope you would look at current results, realize that they weren’t the desired results and change action to get different results. That is what successful people do. They change their actions to change their results.
What does this have to do with your health?
Personal health and wellness is change. When you look at your current routine, if you are not as healthy as you want to be, you have likely been out of the habit of doing healthy things or in the habit of doing unhealthy things. The change you need here is simply to start making your actions help your health rather than hurt them. That is what healthy people do. It’s all about changing action to change results.
That is what it takes to change in any area of life. It may take time and it may take some investment, but the alternative is already happening and it is hurting you. Increasing weight and health issues are pretty big tree in the road. Poor energy and lost days are large conflicts in your schedule. So, what should you do?
I hope you will look at your current results, realize that they aren’t the desired results and change action to get different results. That is what successful people do in any area of life. They change their actions to change their results. Are you ready to be successful in health?
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Spring Clean Your Routine
Spring is finally here! Depending on where you live, you may be excited for a change or you may already be used to warm weather by now. Either way, spring is a great time of year that brings back fond memories for all of us and keeps us looking forward optimistically. Why do we love spring so much? Well, we love it for the same reasons that we can use the season for positive change:
Renewal: Spring gives us a sense of new. Everywhere you look, you see reminders of a new season and a new chapter in the year. Use it to reach your goals!
Outdoor Access: Now that the weather is getting warmer, it is only natural that we can get out more often and stay out longer when we do. The fresh air can rejuvenate us from day to day and even help rejuvenate our entire routine.
Spring is a great time to take inventory of your routine and decide if there is any “spring cleaning” needed. Even if it’s just a minor adjustment, this is the perfect time to make it. It’s just like cleaning out the garage. It is a good time to do it and here are some steps that will make it easier.
What can you do to spring clean your routine? (How does it compare to cleaning out the garage?)
Revisit your current routine (Taking inventory)
Before you start making changes, you have to know what you are doing now. Ask yourself a few simple questions:
What are you doing for your health now? (What is in the garage now?)
What challenges have I run into lately? (What items do we really need to move or get rid of?)
Plan your future routine (Clearing out the junk and moving things out)
Now that you see what your current routine looks like and what challenges you want to fix, you can start making plans to adjust. There are a few more simple questions to ask yourself at this point:
What do I want to be doing? (What do I want to keep and what do I want to throw away?)
When/Where do you want to do these activities? (Where are you going to put the items you are keeping?)
Execute (Reorganize and put things away so you can actually use them!)
Go out and do it! This is the best part about your routine and cleaning the garage. It is the time when your needs, plan and action all come together. It’s not the easiest part of the job, but when you do it, you see rewards.
No matter what you are doing, there is something very satisfying about setting and reaching goals. Whether you are revamping your exercise routine, your diet or actually cleaning out a room in your house, when you put a plan together, take the time to make it happen and see the result you were looking for, there is nothing better. You wanted to do something, you did it and now you can see the results.
Health may not always be as immediate. You don’t always see results quickly, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. Just make sure that your plan is realistic, give yourself a realistic timeline to execute (you wouldn’t try to clean out the garage in 5 minutes) and you will be on your way to a healthy and happy spring.
Have a Healthy Spring!
Renewal: Spring gives us a sense of new. Everywhere you look, you see reminders of a new season and a new chapter in the year. Use it to reach your goals!
Outdoor Access: Now that the weather is getting warmer, it is only natural that we can get out more often and stay out longer when we do. The fresh air can rejuvenate us from day to day and even help rejuvenate our entire routine.
Spring is a great time to take inventory of your routine and decide if there is any “spring cleaning” needed. Even if it’s just a minor adjustment, this is the perfect time to make it. It’s just like cleaning out the garage. It is a good time to do it and here are some steps that will make it easier.
What can you do to spring clean your routine? (How does it compare to cleaning out the garage?)
Revisit your current routine (Taking inventory)
Before you start making changes, you have to know what you are doing now. Ask yourself a few simple questions:
What are you doing for your health now? (What is in the garage now?)
What challenges have I run into lately? (What items do we really need to move or get rid of?)
Plan your future routine (Clearing out the junk and moving things out)
Now that you see what your current routine looks like and what challenges you want to fix, you can start making plans to adjust. There are a few more simple questions to ask yourself at this point:
What do I want to be doing? (What do I want to keep and what do I want to throw away?)
When/Where do you want to do these activities? (Where are you going to put the items you are keeping?)
Execute (Reorganize and put things away so you can actually use them!)
Go out and do it! This is the best part about your routine and cleaning the garage. It is the time when your needs, plan and action all come together. It’s not the easiest part of the job, but when you do it, you see rewards.
No matter what you are doing, there is something very satisfying about setting and reaching goals. Whether you are revamping your exercise routine, your diet or actually cleaning out a room in your house, when you put a plan together, take the time to make it happen and see the result you were looking for, there is nothing better. You wanted to do something, you did it and now you can see the results.
Health may not always be as immediate. You don’t always see results quickly, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. Just make sure that your plan is realistic, give yourself a realistic timeline to execute (you wouldn’t try to clean out the garage in 5 minutes) and you will be on your way to a healthy and happy spring.
Have a Healthy Spring!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Your Results are Hiding Behind Your Excuses
When it comes to health, the results we want may be different from one person to another. The results we want differ based on our goals. Some people want to be skinny, others want to be big and muscular. Many want certain numbers that will tell them that their overall health is good. And many others just want to feel good from day to day. No matter what your results are, you have something that you want to achieve.
Whether you are achieving the results you want depends not only on your goals, but on how well you stick to them. If you stick to your goals, you will reach them and get the results you want. If you don’t stick with your goals you will not reach them and therefore, you will not get the results you want. There is no way around it. You can try to find a way around it, but you won’t. If you keep trying to find ways to get results without actually reaching your goals, you will always end up in the same place…failure.
The dreaded “f-word”. Failure is one of the worst words in the English language. No one wants to hear it. No one wants to be there at any point and time. When you set out to do something, the last thing you want to do is fail. In most cases, that is the worst case scenario. In health, it should feel even worse, but it doesn’t for most people. In fact, many have gotten used to failure in health. Many even expect it because they are so used to it.
Why do people fail so much in health? They fail because they are letting one thing get in their way. The various things that derail routines are not one thing, they are many different things that come up and various times. That is not the issue. The issue is that we allow these things to become one thing. This one thing is the dagger in the heart of any routine. This one thing is the killer of more routines, more goals and more successes than anything else.
What do the little hurdles turn into that allows them to get us off track? What is the one thing that can end any good routine? It is called an excuse. This is the one thing that can knock you off track. No matter what you are doing, no matter how long you have been doing it, if you allow yourself to make an excuse for something, it will end your successful run.
Why do we make excuses? I’m not sure what makes excuses so easy, but I know that we make them because it is the easiest thing to do. When something looks difficult, the easiest thing to do is allow it to truly be as difficult as it seems. You don’t have to do anything to make something difficult. In fact, when you do nothing, it becomes so difficult that it is impossible to achieve anything.
That is what is so dangerous about excuses. As soon as you make one, you are telling yourself that you can’t do something. Not only are you telling yourself that you can’t, you are actually reasoning and providing support for your argument that it can’t be done. Whatever it is, no matter how easy it may be, if you are able to come up with a good excuse, you not only won’t do it, you will actually believe that you can’t do it. Even if you want to do something, you can’t do it if you have an excuse not to.
That is where so many people are with their health. They have struggled to get into a good routine that brings the results they are looking for. This is the result they are getting now. That is not the problem, but just the product of the real problem.
The real problem is that people not reaching their health goals have found excuses for not doing it. They have found reasons that they can’t and they have decided that it is not possible. Even when they tell themselves they are going to do it or try again, they have gotten into the routine of finding that perfect excuse to fail.
Failure is a word that no one wants to hear when they are getting into a routine. Excuses are something that no goal wants to hear when it is being set. There is a reason that goals are difficult to achieve. It is not because they are too tough. It is because it is so easy to find an excuse. We make big excuses, we make small excuses and they are all just as impactful. Any excuse can shut us down at any time.
The key to beating excuses is not letting them exist. When you set a goal, sit down and think of the possible challenges. When you know the challenges that may come up, you can be prepared for them. You can find a way to overcome the challenge ahead of time, you will be able to put it into action when the time comes. If you can find an excuse to let it stop you, you will and it will stop you.
The fact is, when we fail it is not because we aren’t good enough strong enough or dedicated enough. We fail because we are too good at making excuses. If you look at the most successful people you know in any area, what do they have in common? They don’t make excuses. When they are choose to do something, they do it. They find ways to do it, they refuse to let anything stop them and they succeed. Look at someone in your life that is not successful in any area. What do they do? They make excuses. They find excuses to fail and they accomplish that.
Accomplishments are all subjective, so success is completely up to each of us in our own routines. Success to me means getting the results you set out to get. When you make excuses, you can’t get those results. When you are in the routine of making excuses, your results are never visible. They are hiding. Your results are hiding behind your excuses.
Whether you are achieving the results you want depends not only on your goals, but on how well you stick to them. If you stick to your goals, you will reach them and get the results you want. If you don’t stick with your goals you will not reach them and therefore, you will not get the results you want. There is no way around it. You can try to find a way around it, but you won’t. If you keep trying to find ways to get results without actually reaching your goals, you will always end up in the same place…failure.
The dreaded “f-word”. Failure is one of the worst words in the English language. No one wants to hear it. No one wants to be there at any point and time. When you set out to do something, the last thing you want to do is fail. In most cases, that is the worst case scenario. In health, it should feel even worse, but it doesn’t for most people. In fact, many have gotten used to failure in health. Many even expect it because they are so used to it.
Why do people fail so much in health? They fail because they are letting one thing get in their way. The various things that derail routines are not one thing, they are many different things that come up and various times. That is not the issue. The issue is that we allow these things to become one thing. This one thing is the dagger in the heart of any routine. This one thing is the killer of more routines, more goals and more successes than anything else.
What do the little hurdles turn into that allows them to get us off track? What is the one thing that can end any good routine? It is called an excuse. This is the one thing that can knock you off track. No matter what you are doing, no matter how long you have been doing it, if you allow yourself to make an excuse for something, it will end your successful run.
Why do we make excuses? I’m not sure what makes excuses so easy, but I know that we make them because it is the easiest thing to do. When something looks difficult, the easiest thing to do is allow it to truly be as difficult as it seems. You don’t have to do anything to make something difficult. In fact, when you do nothing, it becomes so difficult that it is impossible to achieve anything.
That is what is so dangerous about excuses. As soon as you make one, you are telling yourself that you can’t do something. Not only are you telling yourself that you can’t, you are actually reasoning and providing support for your argument that it can’t be done. Whatever it is, no matter how easy it may be, if you are able to come up with a good excuse, you not only won’t do it, you will actually believe that you can’t do it. Even if you want to do something, you can’t do it if you have an excuse not to.
That is where so many people are with their health. They have struggled to get into a good routine that brings the results they are looking for. This is the result they are getting now. That is not the problem, but just the product of the real problem.
The real problem is that people not reaching their health goals have found excuses for not doing it. They have found reasons that they can’t and they have decided that it is not possible. Even when they tell themselves they are going to do it or try again, they have gotten into the routine of finding that perfect excuse to fail.
Failure is a word that no one wants to hear when they are getting into a routine. Excuses are something that no goal wants to hear when it is being set. There is a reason that goals are difficult to achieve. It is not because they are too tough. It is because it is so easy to find an excuse. We make big excuses, we make small excuses and they are all just as impactful. Any excuse can shut us down at any time.
The key to beating excuses is not letting them exist. When you set a goal, sit down and think of the possible challenges. When you know the challenges that may come up, you can be prepared for them. You can find a way to overcome the challenge ahead of time, you will be able to put it into action when the time comes. If you can find an excuse to let it stop you, you will and it will stop you.
The fact is, when we fail it is not because we aren’t good enough strong enough or dedicated enough. We fail because we are too good at making excuses. If you look at the most successful people you know in any area, what do they have in common? They don’t make excuses. When they are choose to do something, they do it. They find ways to do it, they refuse to let anything stop them and they succeed. Look at someone in your life that is not successful in any area. What do they do? They make excuses. They find excuses to fail and they accomplish that.
Accomplishments are all subjective, so success is completely up to each of us in our own routines. Success to me means getting the results you set out to get. When you make excuses, you can’t get those results. When you are in the routine of making excuses, your results are never visible. They are hiding. Your results are hiding behind your excuses.
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