Day 8 - Self Motivation & Sticking with your Goals

For those of you that don’t know, I am a chiropractor. I work within a network of other chiropractors called Maximized Living. We are on a mission to change the way people view and manage their health.

On Monday night, we held a weight loss workshop. We started by briefly talking about how to stick with your goals. This largely revolves around our own beliefs. A good point that was made is that “your” truth is not always “the” truth. For example, if you believe eating healthy is too hard, too expensive, not possible, etc… that is just a belief you have. And it is a lie. If you think healthier foods don’t taste good, have a different texture, or similar, it is just a belief you have due to what you have grown up with. This does not just apply to healthy eating. Tell yourself you can do something and you will do it!

If you’re having trouble reaching your goals, do this simple exercise. Take a piece of paper and write the following on it:

I’m too _____________.

I’m not _____________ enough.

Because of ______________ I won’t be successful.

(Fill in the blanks with your own words.)

Now, put a big X through this and next to it write THE TRUTH. Stick this in the mirror you use to brush your teeth and read it every single day.

I will share with you mine so you can get an idea of what I mean. Mine applies to my goal of owning my own practice.

I’m too stubborn. I’m not confident enough. Because of my self-doubt, I won’t be successful. I am broad-minded. I am confident. Because of my self-assurance and inner strength, I will be successful.

Another great (and simple) exercise you can do is visualization. Maximized Living chiropractors treat a number of Olympic level athletes. One of those athletes became the first ever American to win a medal in Judo (and it just so happened to be gold) at this summer’s past Olympics. At our workshop, we got to watch this athlete go through her visualization, which she did every single night before bed while she was training. Prior to going to bed, this athlete would run through her entire day at the Olympics where she wins gold; starting from the moment she wakes up to the moment she is on the podium crying while they play her national anthem. Throughout running through her day, she constantly tells herself “This is my purpose. This is my day. I feel strong. Etc …” So try this with yourself if you’re having trouble sticking with your goals. For example, if you want to make it to the gym in the morning, imagine yourself at the gym the night before, feeling strong and looking good.

Good luck! My next post will focus on the nutrition we talked about during the weight loss workshop. It will be lengthy, but highly informative! 

Day 7- Grocery Shopping!!

Minor Differences..

This is one of my favourite cartoons, because it is so incredibly true!! Be sure to have a snack or meal before going to the grocery store or you are sure to buy more treats and unhealthy foods.

It is also important to plan ahead. Pick out what meals you will prepare and eat and make a make a list of ingredients you will need to buy. This helps ensure budget-friendly grocery shopping. To be cost efficient and to ensure your food does not go bad, try and pick out several recipes with ingredients that overlap. Cook something for dinner and make enough for leftovers for your lunch the next day.

I have seen several sites with "5 meals under $50" with a grocery list and menu planned out for you. It might be fun to give one of these a try or to create your own.

http://www.kandktestkitchen.com/2012/04/5-meals-under-50-shopping-list-v2.html

http://theeverygirl.com/feature/dinners-are-served-ten-meals-for-less-than-50/

Another good tip while grocery shopping is to stick to the outer aisles, fresh produce, dairy and meat, as the inner aisles are often less healthy,  packaged foods. In summer or warmer climates,  markets are a great option as are veggie and fruit baskets you get weekly or bi-weekly. Try and buy fruits or vegetables that are in season where you live as they will be nice and fresh. 

Where is your favourite place to do groceries?

Do you make a grocery budget? How do you stick to it ? 

Day 6 - Strength workouts

Sometimes it gets hard to motivate yourself for workouts. I find it is particularly difficult to get motivated to do strength workouts. Since my schedule is so busy (so far it looks like I won't be home for the next four weekends!!), I  need to fit in workouts and studying in my short nights. This means that I really don't have time to go to the gym to attend a class. While this isn't too much of a problem for cardio workouts, since I don't find it too hard to go for a 30 minute run, strength workouts are a little more of a challenge. I get lost with what to do.

I wanted to share the program that I am currently following that really kicks your butt! The Globe and Mail occasionally has boot camps, and this new one is really good! My legs were dead after the first workout. They also have videos for all of the exercises, which can be very helpful if you are just looking for individual movements.

If you are out of ideas, give it a try!

How do you get strength workouts into your routine?

Day 5- Strategic Sundays

As a teacher, I cannot imagine going into a new week without a plan (even if not as detailed as I would like), of what the week is going to look like. Just as importantly, I cannot imagine not having a plan B and a plan C for the majority of my planned activities.

It seems obvious when it comes to our jobs or weekly commitments, but we often forget to plan when it comes to our own health and well-being. Without having a plan to reach our personal goals throughout the week, we are making them more difficult from the get-go. What’s more, we are indirectly saying that our personal goals are not as important as work, or school, or getting everything else done.

As a challenge for today, plan for how you will reach your personal goals this week. If your goal is to workout 4 time this week, what days do you plan to do it? What time will you work out at and where? What are your back up days in case something comes up on your planned days? Who can you call and tell about your plan to keep you accountable, or better yet go workout with you?

I know quite a few people who spend Sunday afternoon or evening making a menu of what they will eat for the week, or cooking in bulk and freezing healthy meals or snack for the week. These are wonderful ways to stay on top of nutrition-based goals and to avoid grabbing mindless snacks throughout the week. Also a great way to plan for financial goals and budgeting throughout the week!

How will you plan to reach this week’s personal goals today?

Day 4- Stick with it Saturday

The weekend is a busy time, and it can really make or break your progress! Although you may have more time to exercise,  you also have more time to eat out, spend money and consume lavishly.

Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean you should let all your efforts from the week go to waste.

If you let the day go by without without fitting in a workout, it's not too late!

Try this quick pyramid:

100 crunches
90 jumping jacks
80 lunges (40 each leg)
70 squats
60 seconds running in place
50 second plank
40 jumping jacks
30 squats
20 high knees
10 push ups!

Day 3 - A healthy start to the day - breakfast

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Right? And yet, so many people skip breakfast. I don't think I could start my day without breakfast, any kind of breakfast. If I don't eat within 30 minutes of waking up, I would probably look like this.

But you also don't want to start your day with the wrong kind of breakfast. Pepsi and Joe-Louis is really not the way you want to start your day. A good breakfast should keep you full until lunch time, and give you the energy to start your day. I am becoming acutely aware of how important this is, since Wednesdays and Thursdays, my lunch hour is only at 1pm. And lab and clinic time means that I do not have time to grab a snack.

I usually wake up at least an hour before I have to leave for school, to have time to prepare and eat a good breakfast.

Here are a few of good healthy breakfasts. I have also tried to add in some fast breakfast ideas, and make-ahead breakfast in case you don't have time and want to grab something while running out the door.

- Cereal: try to get a good cereal with fiber, and low sugar. The benefit is that you can get milk with this. Add in some fruit (bananas or berries) for a little extra flavor.


- Oatmeal: this is one of my favorite breakfasts. It is the ultimate comfort breakfast on a cold morning (ok, Toronto doesn't get THAT cold...). Add in some fruit for some extra flavor. If you want extra fiber, try steel cut oats, they take a little longer, but you can cook them in the slow cooker, and then time isn't as much of a factor. Here is a good recipe that I like.
- If you find you run out of time in the morning, try a breakfast bake! Make it on the weekend, then  you have breakfast for the week! Here and here are two good options.
- Toast with nut butter, and fruit on the side is fast and a great option.
- Smoothies are amazing! They are incredibly fast to make, and as long as you have a little protein in them, they are surprisingly filling. I make them with my Magic Bullet, and just fill the cup with whatever I happen to have in the fridge. I like to add either dessert tofu or some yogurt to my smoothie, then fill up the cup with fruit; banana, mango, berries (frozen at this time of year!), and/or some greens like spinach, kale or swiss chard, basically whatever I have on hand. You don't taste the greens, but they add more nutrients to your smoothie! This is great if you don't have much time and are running out the door in the morning. A little green monster to start your day!


There are a thousand ways to start off the day with a healthy breakfast, these are just a few ideas. What are your favorite breakfasts?

Day 2: Try something new!

 Challenge of the day: Spice up your workout routine and get energized

One of the greatest obstacles for staying motivated to work-out is often boredom or feeling stuck in a rut. I was definitely feeling this way recently, a few months into a new job training had taken a back seat, especially strength training which I just didn’t feel I could make time for.

This changed over the holidays, when I had the good fortune of discovering a new workout genre called barre (thanks El!). Suddenly I was hooked, and super motivated, not just to do more barre work but to increase my overall strength (not to mention flexibility).  If there’s one thing I’ve always had trouble doing consistently its strength work. However, the barre workout made me realize that strength training can be more endurance based than a cardio workout, and is easily just as hard. I also felt like I was immediately working on correcting certain imbalances and weaknesses that have often plagued my running career. Finally, I had the distinct feeling that I was working out my entire body and could really feel each muscle group working and stretching.

Since my first experience with barre, I have been intent on continuing to challenge myself when it comes to working on my weaknesses. I’ve discovered a “total body sculpt” classes offered at my gym, and will give it a try tonight. I’m super pumped to try out another new class and hope it will give me the same renewed motivation.

Have you tried any great new workouts lately? What are some of your weaknesses that you tend to neglect or put off? Join the daily challenge and try something new today!