Breaks Are Not Necessary

Sometimes, we need to take a break from life; from school, from our professions, and from healthy habits.  Despite the carefree and exciting nature of breaks and vacations, the fact that we even feel the need to take a break from things is not a good thing in and of itself!  

Breaks are required for when we are working too hard on the same thing and are not living a balanced lifestyle. When we go from the extreme of all work and no play, we go straight to all play and no work because we feel as though the opposite will create the opposite effect that work does, sadness, anger, frustration, etc.  Humans cling to what feels normal and comfortable, and in this commonly fought situation is going to the extreme.  Let's change the non-physical element to the situation instead of what we are doing.  

Often times in life, the actual things we do are not what make them bad, but to the extent of which we love, hate, obsess, use, abuse, or say them.  For example, exercise is neutral term, because exercise to John means working out to the extreme even if sore, while exercising to Alexa has no existence in her life and inactive lifestyle.  Neither of these people are correct due to the lack of balance they both have achieved.  Nothing in life is simply black or white, everything simply falls in the zone between it.  And that is where personal decision making comes in:  we choose how extreme from one side to other we will go.  Even see-saws can find balance.  

Things that often times need balance in our lives include habits that coexist together; things that many would believe cannot exist together in one soul or lifetime.  These can include exercise and rest, water and sodium intake, work and play, and even in relationships, such as when it comes to taking turns and compromising.  Spending time with getting to know others in contrast to getting to know yourself is yet another element that needs to maintain balance within the span of the lives we have been blessed with.  

Changing Up Your Exercise Palate

Just like how we don't wear the same clothes everyday, do the same things everyday, or eat the same things everyday, we also should change up our exercise routines, too!

Varied forms of exercise is needed in order to prevent overuse of muscular areas and joints, especially those in the knees and ankles, which are problematic spots for many athletes.  Varied athletic activity also helps prevent boredom and that horrible feeling of dreading your next workout.  Ugh.  That horrible, horrible feeling really brings a person down and creates an overall negative vibration towards something that is good for us.  It forms a preconceived negative vibe that will already be at the next workout even if we didn't think about it directly because working out corresponds directly to the feelings of dread and boredom.  Diversified workouts helps build an overall better and stronger body because now the body as a whole is getting stronger, not just the muscular group you always work.  

Varying your usual routine has more than just those benefits, too!  According to Jessica Matthews, a certified Health Coach and Yoga Instructor of acefittness.org, "... varying your exercise routine can also help you stay physically challenged. Many of the body’s physiological systems (e.g., the muscular systems) adapt to an exercise program within approximately six to eight weeks. Failure to modify your exercise routine will cause you to reach a plateau, as your body will have adapted to the repetitive training stimulus," (Matthews 1).  Keep training difficult!  It helps the body get stronger and happier-- more endorphins, hormones released by the pituitary gland which effects on the body are similar to morphine, will be released!

If you are completely new to exercise, please refer to the post titled Getting Flirty With Working Out! (coming soon!).

To start getting flirty with new workout ideas, try incorporating some new workout moves into your regular routine to establish some familiarity with them.  If you tend to lean towards the cardio path previously in your workouts, remove some cardio days with strength training days, where you can write down an organized list of strength exercises that relate to either working your legs, arms, or back & core.  If you are new to this sort of exercise, please refer to the post titled Creating Your Own Strength Training Routine!  (coming soon!).  If you tend to always use weights and preform weight resistance exercises, start incorporating some cardio into your weekly workout span.  Some common forms of cardio are running, biking or cycling/spinning, using an elliptical, using a step box, and dancing.  If you are new to cardio, please refer to the post titled Creating Your Own Cardio Routine!  (coming soon!).

Nourishment by the Numbers

It seems in today's society, all that the majority of human beings cares about is numbers.  Numbers; such harsh and blatant things in our lives.  We allow numbers, symbols with no heartbeat, no breath, to dictate our lives-- especially in the aspect of health.  Some humans grocery receipts scream of products that are created with the influence of numbers:  ZERO calorie ... ONE HUNDRED calorie  ...  FIVE grams of carbohydrates...  you are catching my drift!  We as a nation are beginning to diminish the past positive views of food, nourishment, and replace it with "less is better!"

Nourishing the body needs to become to area of focus when it comes to food.
When I decide on what I am making for dinner and I take some kale out of the fridge, I think about how much vitamins, minerals, and cleansing or detoxifying factors are in that bushel of fun!!  When you eat foods coming from the earth, those that are not refined, drenched with unnecessary flavor enhancers...  you do not need to make them 100 calories per serving because there isn't hidden sugar, unhealthy fats, and chemicals in them, (you don't need to make up for the unhealthiness of the product!).

Get to know some real foods and ditch those fake ones who have been leading you on.  Research them and throw all the bad reports you read or heard about them out the window.  Think about the lovely nourishment of vitamins in them and what they can do for your body!  The worrying about food magically disappear once you have faith and trust in the food you are fueling yourself with.