Not every piece of fitness and wellness advice is for you.
Good news!!!
You don't need to heed every piece of fitness and wellness advice. It's not ALL applicable to you!
I know from personal experience, that when we are in a place where we feel like we need to change somethings about how we take care of our bodies, we start to feel like every new piece of information that crosses our path is targeted at us and something that we need to work one.
But trying to implement ALL of the fitness and wellness information that you are exposed to on a routine basis will drive you batty.
"Maybe I should be doing THAT form of exercise?"
"Oh gosh, should I be worrying about that food group too?"
"Maybe I need to count calories, or macros, or not count them, and eat intuitively, I DON'T KNOW!!!"
So what to do?
The only advice that is truly going to help you is the advice that is relevant to your current goals.
Identifying and working towards your individual goals will give you the confidence to filter out all the health and fitness advice that is irrelevant to you right now.
If you're working on strength and balanced relationships with food, then that "How to get 6 pack abs in 8 weeks" article won't be important.
You're not focused on that right now...and maybe not ever.
When you have a solid plan for working towards the goals that matter most to you, then you're not as affected by all the other messages focused on how you should look, eat, and or exercise.
Maybe you'll read something today, that you will ultimately apply to your life, but just because it's good advice, that doesn't mean it's good advice for YOU, NOW.
So think about it.
What are your goals for your body and lifestyle?
How do you want to feel and what are some of the things you need to change or start doing in order to make that a reality.
Start there and stay focused on those items until you feel ready to take on something else you want to change or improve.
You'll never get anywhere if you keep changing your goals or your strategies for making changes to your body.
I know it's difficult to not get distracted, ESPECIALLY if you are not getting results as fast as you would like, but just keep it simple.
Stick to the basics.
Eat food that's made of well, food.
Eat a good mixture of quality protein, fats, and carbs.
Move often.
Lift heavy things.
Manage stress.
Goals
And while we are on the topic, when you set goals, try to be as specific as possible.
Broad aspirations like, "I'm want to exercise more and eat better," are difficult to make happen.
How often do you plan on exercising and to what end?
What is it about your current eating style that you want to change and can start working on now?
Be as clear as possible because it's almost impossible to hit an undefined target.
Think about it, if you're aiming at something that is fuzzy or difficult to see clearly, then how are you going to hit it??!!!
You can try using this simple handout that I gave to that gals in my fitness challenge to help you determine and outline your 2017 goals.
But what if you don't know what your goals are exactly?
What if you just know that you want to lose weight and eat a healthy diet without it taking over your entire life or making you miserable.
Is that such a thing?
If that's where you are right now, I can help you!
Consider setting up a one on one coaching call with me so we can create a plan for you!
Or you can join my Germinate! , 12 week whole body group coaching program, it starts in January, 2017.
Together we will use those somewhat amorphous feelings about your body and lifestyle to determine your goals and create an efficient, results-generating plan for achieving them.
I will give you the support, encouragement and accountability (tough love) that you require to be consistent in your work and get results.
What people are saying about Cultivate For Life's Coaching Programs-
"Every year my new year's resolution is the same, lose weight and become more fit and healthy. I am an expert at NOT finding time in a day to exercise and I love junk food so usually around the end of February the diet and exercise plan I created for myself falls apart.
I was determined to make 2016 different. Cultivate's Germinate program was exactly what I needed to kickstart a healthier lifestyle. This program helped me to prioritize exercising during my week and taught me the best forms of exercise to help accomplish my goals of weight/fat loss and increased strength. The healthier eating strategies were easy to incorporate and gave me a better understanding of the foods that are working for and against me. I learned so much during this program and began to understand why all my past"diets" have not worked.
After the germinate program I have continued on with Sarah for 'one on one coaching'. "
-Donna
"After completing my first workout I was shocked at how hard I worked in such a short amount of time. It has enabled me to workout at home surrounded by my children and not feel as stressed about getting my workouts accomplished. It has allowed me to have consistency for the first time in years and I feel stronger mentally and physically bc Sarah takes the hard part and structures workouts that anyone can do no matter your fitness level and that has allowed me to grow and that feeling is powerful."
-Caroline
"I've been struggling through a Couch to 5K training program on and off all summer. My route takes me up a really long hill at the end of my workout that usually kills me. I've noticed that since I've started adding weights and strength training to my workout routine that the runs are getting easier, but today was amazing. Not only did I cruise up that hill and show it who's boss, but I totally PR'd every part of the route. This is basically how I feel right now."
-Ileana
"I joined this group because I had done another challenge with Sarah earlier in the year. I loved her workouts, methods, attitude, and advice. I'm a busy mom and need quick, effective workouts. This group incorporated that with motivation and accountability with others."
-Nikki