Eat Well, Move Throughout the Day, and Get a Dog

I have been asked to speak at a women’s life enrichment summit later this week on my “specialty” – HIIT training and its benefits for weight loss. I saw this title and shrugged. Not again. It is not that I don’t know this topic well, very well, but there is so much more to weight loss and living well than HIIT. Don’t get me wrong. I love HIIT training and all the benefits of training hard, but I don’t want my message to end there. I want it to begin there. So here is a brief overview of what my topic will cover at the summit. 

On the way up from the beach steps yesterday after playing fetch with Mylo, which includes “intervals” of running and walking, squat jumps, pushups, and pop-ups (a form of low burpees), a man stopped Bruce to ask if we were long-distance runners. Maybe he asked because we were the only ones on the beach who were “working out,” or perhaps he thought our bodies looked the part. Either way – thank you, but no. We were just playing with our dog – an excellent way to “train” both man and dog pal. 

In many instances, we are so concerned with the pieces and the parts and checking boxes that we miss out on the living in the moment flow part. We don’t believe that this is our fault. This is the messaging we hear all around us and how we have been hardwired. This has at least been my experience. Here is what my goals were: 

  1. I must get at least 1 hour of continuous exercise in everyday
  2. I must count my macros in order to fuel myself properly
  3. I must answer all my emails and be working on new projects to stay relevant in my field
  4. I must respond to all Facebook posts so that I am reciprocating in Facebook, Twitter land
  5. I must check off all the boxes on my to-do list. 

 That list was me up until about a year ago. (All but the nutrition macro part. I have never counted my macros, but I know many who live by this tenant.) Take it from a former pieces and parts box checker. This is the moment living is so much more fulfilling and sustainable. Oh, and by the way, it’s great for weight loss – 

  1. Buy a dog! If you want to add more movement into your day, buying an active dog will do the trick. Train your dog to be active by being active with your dog. 
  2. Just move more. A great HIIT workout (TABATA) only takes 4 minutes with a few minutes of warm-up and cool down. Don’t worry that you may not have the right outfit on or you are not in the gym. Just get it done. HIIT is important and should be added to your routine 2-3 days a week but don’t overthink it. Just get it done. The hardest part of “working out” is just starting, so if you include movement throughout the day – squats, pushups, etc., then you don’t have to worry about starting because you never stopped.
  3. EAT FOOD – REAL FOOD. And have a nice day. We were never meant to view food by its macronutrient profile. This is terrific information to be aware of but not to base a diet around. If we follow the tenants of people who live the longest and thrive, they eat a variety of unprocessed real food – primarily plant-based – and enjoy every bite. They don’t count calories, macros, or weigh their food. They eat from the earth and its bounty.
  4. Realize that you are the center of your universe but not the center of anyone else’s. No one is waiting on their side of the screen for your tweet or post, or response. If you don’t get to this, that, or the other right this second, the world won’t end. If someone is on the other end needing something from you, then provide them with realistic expectations on deliverables. If someone does hold unrealistic expectations of you, then it is on you to bring clarity to the situation for this person. This person perhaps is you. Oh yes, you better believe I am talking about me. I held so much guilt for not achieving more, doing more, being more – until I …. Got a dog! 
  5. Seriously Get a dog! 

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