Be a creature of freshness

Last night, on Instagram, I read a blogger’s caption for her photo. It read “New year, same food.  My eating doesn't change just because it's January first.” I say, good for her. She’s probably one of those people who says “I’m thankful every day” on Thanksgiving. Call me a cliché’ (I’ve been called worse) but I love a clean slate; I'm not shy about my glee when goal setting.  I’m not suggesting “whole new you” type aspirations.   I like the majority of myself; however, I am perpetually tweaking. If you’re feeling resolutiony, here’s how I’d channel your newfound motivation.

Be a creature of freshness

I can’t find the right, uplifting word that’s the opposite of habit. Habits and routines are great but monotony is not. Especially in the wellness realm, mixing it up is vital. Kale all day and night would make me find a new profession. What do you want to try in 2017? You can experiment anywhere. Maybe it’s a new form of self-care. I believe I’ve written about my adoration for infrared saunas but cryotherapy, acupuncture and magnesium baths are other options. Or, perhaps there’s a bucket list place you want to see this year. I have New Orleans, Hawaii, San Miguel de Allende (with my mom who is in her 70s and always seeking newness), Portugal and the Canadian Rockies planned or germinating. Do you want to acquire a new skill? Learn a language, try a certain type of cooking? Freshness can be anything but it’s key that it’s appealing to you versus something you feel you must do.

Trim the fat

When I was about to turn forty I had dinner with my friend Allyson. Allyson is a year older and told me 40 was when you “trim the fat”. She wasn’t referring to what bulges over my bra. She explained that certain people weren’t worth my time. Weeding out is good. We can also “trim” behaviors. I hate talking on the phone, especially for things that can be accomplished via email. This year, I’m going on record (I did that with hugging and people are now afraid to touch me- that’s fine). I’m not a phone person, I am going to add this to my voicemail. What do you want to trim?

Out yourself

New Year’s Eve, I was at dinner with my family. I asked if anyone had resolutions. Marc, my husband, and one of my sons were adamant about goals and resolutions being private. I understand that thinking. However, the very thing that makes going on record scary is why we should do it. We all like to succeed or win or don’t want to be shown up. So…here we go. My New Orleans trip? I’m running a half marathon. This race is not about getting a certain time. Signing up for this race got me back to running. Even in Vermont, when I wanted to be lazy, I got on that treadmill solely because of the race. I also want to put it out there that I’d like to fuse my interests in travel and nutrition (this is a joint goal with Carolyn). If you have any contacts or ideas, send them our way. And finally, I have a book idea. I may have said this before as there was a book two I was attempting, My agent says sometimes being unproductive is a sign it’s not the right project. I believe my new concept is.

Focus and fine-tune

It’s impossible to focus on everything that needs fixing. When I run more, I may read less and so goes the wellness juggle. This year I want to focus on home hydration (I am so much better at work), carving out writing time and starting a better strength routine (after the half).

I don't know if people are being more forthcoming or if many had a shitty 2016. Either way, I get that. For me, 2015 was the year of shit. This led to dusting myself off in 2016. I think that's why I feel shot out of a cannon this year. It feels extra special when the shit isn't too far in your rearview. If you're struggling, I hope 2017 is a step in the right direction. If you're ready to experiment, trim the fat and out yourself, let's do it together.

Are you pro or anti resolutions? What do you want to try this year? Anything you want to "trim"? Any goals you'd like to go public with (comment below)? 

What's Your Excuse (for not looking like me)?

 The photo above made its virtual rounds a month or two ago. I thought about blogging about it but didn’t. There was a part of me didn’t feel Maria Kang needed more attention. Then this weekend I received this from a reader.

Hi Lauren - hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving! After a day (ok 2 days) of indulgences, I stumbled across this story in the Daily News. It's definitely a touchy subject but I actually don't disagree with the woman who originally posted "what's your excuse”.  I hear a lot of excuses from friends and family about why they can't eat healthy, can't find time to exercise and after a certain point, it annoys me. A lot. Then guilt kicks in because I feel I'm being judgmental. It's complicated, but I do believe it's not difficult to make small changes that make a big difference! I find the whole thing rather interesting and thought it would be nice to hear your opinion a la blog post.

So here it goes. This woman, Maria Kang, has three young children and looks great. What she doesn’t look is relatable and the whole photo and tagline makes her seem like the mean girl. Her shtick, if you will, is shock. When I was choosing an author photo for the back of my book my publicist said, “if you are attractive and telling others what to eat you better be smiling and sound approachable or you’ll turn people off.” If “What’s your excuse” had a photo of a make-up less mom cooking a healthy dinner with kids carrying on OR had (as in the Nike ad) someone exerting themselves or showing their commitment, it would be different. However, when “what’s your excuse” has a nearly-naked gorgeous young mom, with three cute kids there’s no way I’m feeling inspired, I’m not calling myself on my excuses, instead I’m feeling defensive and angry.

When I heard Maria Kang interviewed she explained a rigorous routine and a difficult back-story. If it were just about the story, I know women would be curious. So this comes down to a matter of messaging. If you want to motivate friends or family members, as the reader above mentioned or simply are seeking motivation yourself, we need to check negativity, shame and our personal habits at the door. You cannot motivate others by saying "look what I do". 

I’ve talked about the importance of positivity and compassion before.

Some other ingredients for behavior change:

Accountability and support: In one Stanford study 1 phone call every 3 weeks resulted in 78% more exercise. Goal setting also helps; Carolyn enlisted me for the Runner’s WorldHoliday Running streak

after first checking to find out if this appealed to me which is key.

Sorting out "why" also matters. We don’t exercise or loose weight “because we should” we have to figure out what’s the reward or connection for each of us. One person’s skinny jeans s another person’s avoiding medication. Sure enough, in a study where women wrote down the things that were important to them they tended to eating less of the tempting but unhealthful foods that were offered in the lab after the exercise than those who did not. After two and a half months, they also weighed less, and had smaller waistlines than the other participants. The difference in the groups applied to both those with normal weight and those who were overweight.

We’re all tempted to judge and label, I know I’ve had moments of that on this blog and many more in real life. It’s OK for the reader and all of us to get judgy or annoyed when others don’t take care of themselves but if our goal is to help them the key is making it about them and keeping it kind. Nothing Maria Kang has said is designed to help others. “I want this to happen for you” or “we all make excuses” would've  been completely different. As for walking around in a sports bra…I have many excuses why I will never don the one black boob, one red if Maria wants to hear.

What motivates you to make health-related changes? Can you think of a person, ad or event that gave you a positive nudge? What do you think of what’s your excuse?”

Workout Lingo

photo from Birchbox, commentary my own

My earliest exercise memories involve the fitness room at my grandmother’s apartment in Florida. I remember as kids playing (unattended of course) on the treadmill, stationary bike and that vibrating belt thingy (always our favorite). I joined a gym for the first time in high school. This gateway membership paved the way for step classes, powerstrike, personal training sessions, marathons and can I get a shout out for the completely underrated Reebok slide?

With every type of workout, there’s corresponding lingo. Some of it is straight forward, other times mean or simply words you would never understand if you’re among the exercise averse.

Anatomical Lingo

Abs in- maybe it’s a soft spot but if an instructor tells says “tighten your core” or “abs in” and looks in my direction, it’s enough to ruin my day. After my first son, a trainer said this to me and poked my midsection. Her “abs in” request was met with “this is in” barked in return.

Soften your knees-one of those phrases that’s counterintuitive, after all knees are hard if nothing else. Soften your knees really means don’t lock your knees (again vague) or bend your knees slightly.

Knit your ribs- when I started barre classes this one escaped me. The ballerina-ish teachers have a field day with me when it comes to posture. My shoulders are never relaxed enough and my pelvis is constantly in the wrong place. It’s a wonder I have 2 children. It’s been years but to knit ones ribs you do the opposite of sticking your ribs out; when you contract your lower stomach “knitting” is easier.

Inspirational Lingo

Set Your Intention as Carla our nutrition nerd extraordinaire said, “when you're 40 minutes in to spin class, everything seems really profound. Then you think about it later and you're like, wait, actually all they said was you can do it".

Takes change to see change- I am a sucker for some profundity when I am oxygen deprived, I like motivational clichés.

Workout Specific

Fartleks when I initially heard a running coach use this term for speed work I thought she said fart leg and logically assumed it meant running so fast you…turns out it’s a Swedish term for a certain type of an interval run.

Abbreviations are especially annoying when you’re out of the loop. In running there’s PR/PB, personal relations, peanut butter? No personal record, personal best which refers to the shortest amount of time you have run a certain distance in under race conditions. I liked a friend’s abbreviation after a race better “PW” (personal worst).

Yoga- don’t get me started on Sanskrit pretentiousness asana, basana whatever. Or the bird poses crow, pigeon and eagle not to mention the “dogs” and warrior #’s. The first 6 months I did yoga, my neck was a mess as I contorted to see what the heck all of this meant. Once I felt I was in the know I’ll admit there’s a little smugness that went along with it.

Carolyn added, “I do love being reminded to inhale to lengthen or exhale to relax 

but inhale love, exhale fear, seriously?”

We get so accustom to our workouts that we forget how silly some of the fitness lingo is. Next time you’re in a class or at the gym, listen like a newbie and see if you catch anything giggle-worthy.

What types of workouts do you do? Any phrases that either motivate you or bug you? Are you knitting your ribs right now?

My Spices are Alphabetized by Desk is a Mess

The desk that inspired it all,  not mine it's Fit Chick's

If you came to my kitchen you could open my spice drawer and see bottles alphabetized from Arrowroot to Vanilla Bean. In my refrigerator there’s usually a pitcher of iced tea, another of filtered water, glass containers of prepped vegetables and multiples of staple ingredients. I make a menu over the weekend and cook most nights. Before you get annoyed or think I’m bragging, don't worry there's more to this story. Food and nutrition are important to me and I spend time and energy focusing on what my family and I consume. I have a system that works and work to make the system better. Just off of the kitchen is another room; it’s a small room my husband and I use for our home office.

There are two white desks and matching chairs. My husband’s desk is orderly. There are two laptops, framed photos of the children and one of me, a scanner/printer and the most current issue of Golf Digest. Then there’s my desk. Until yesterday, my desk had piles of clippings: recipes, articles to potentially blog about, magazines I hadn’t read yet, food labels, bills, mail, a necklace I had taken off, you get the picture. You actually will not get the picture because I forgot to take a before photo. This room was an anomaly. It was such an eyesore that, when home, I often disconnect my MacBook and move it into the kitchen and work there.

With my children away at camp for another few weeks, I sensed an opportunity and decided to call in a professional. My friend recommended a professional organizer named Kim Parker and gave me Kim’s phone number.  When I texted Kim I asked for her website, turns out it’s not up yet. She’s not on twitter either. Hmn,  I wondered what my desk would look like if I wasn’t blogging or tweeting but I am so that's that. Kim arrived and jumped right in. She buttered me up telling me I have “lots of things happening in this space" (no kidding) home stuff, work stuff, running stuff and travel stuff. We got to work purging and the truth is, given the time, I love tossing things. Some Kim wisdom:

• Just because something is good information (handouts from 10 years ago) doesn't mean you have to keep it, especially if not using it
• If you have cabinet or drawer space you don't need files on your desk (who knew?)
• When organizing, often things get worse, look worse, before they get better.
• Choose your system, there's more than one. My husband scans everything. He would have scan-kids and a scan-wife if possible. Kim reassured me paper is a possibility as long as it has a place.

We worked for about four hours and though we’re not done yet. I feel great. I didn’t know how much the disorder was bothering me until we started to clear it. Marc joked “I can’t believe throwing out files put you in such a good mood.” This got me thinking about the carryover effect of organizing. Ironically, I see the reverse effect among my clients. Once food becomes more organized, clients often feel more motivated at work or more balanced when it comes to mood. Freeing yourself from clutter, whether it’s papers, stress or weight – provides you will energy for other pursuits. So now I’m off to make tonight’s ceviche and of course tweet and read some blogs.

What is your clutter area or what do you put off? Do you think it’s unusual to be organized and orderly in one area of your life  and chaotic in another? Where are you most and least organized? 

March Motivation

As you know, yesterday was the first of March and Monday. It was also the start of National Nutrition Month (which doesn’t mean all that much to me truth be told). Three Fresh starts! I wasn’t so aware I needed a fresh start until I reviewed my resolutions. On the first of January I suggested that we all make a list of resolutions for the year and return to this list on the first of each month. Last month, on the 1st of February, I somewhat smugly posted that I had, that day, signed up for the Chicago Marathon. I also joined a book club and started yoga. It was a pretty good start to the year and I was thrilled to tell you about it.

This month was a little different. While I still plan to run Chicago, I envision starting to train once ski season ends. I have run a handful (well actually only 2) times in February. As for yoga, I have been doing yoga once a week. I found a hot yoga class I like but also inquired about ending my yoga membership as I am not convinced I love yoga enough to pay for a membership at a separate yoga studio. It turns out I may not be able to end my membership and so the yoga continues but not for the right reasons. And the produce offerings in February didn’t get me running to the farmers market. The strange thing about this rather pathetic report is that I didn’t realize I was stuck or stalled. It’s as if I wasn’t thinking about my goals at all. I’m sorry resolutions!

I could complain about skiing and weekly trips to Vermont taking up a lot of my time. Or perhaps it’s that I’m busy at work (a good problem but a time-suck nonetheless) or maybe it’s a February syndrome (read the most hilarious piece on February by Samantha Bee from the Daily Show). While these things could be classified as explanations or excuses I don’t really think it matters. What matters to me is finding a way to muster some March motivation. When clients are floundering, I suggested they pick 1 area of their routine to focus on. In preparation for April and marathon training I am going to make sure I run at least once a week. The hope is that ticking this off the list will lead to progress on other goals. Fingers Crossed.

How was February for you? Are you progressing on your resolutions? Any motivating words you want to share….puleez?