Mind & Body

Let’s Get It!

Everyday Fitness – March 2022 - The Pep Talk!

A lot of people are intimated by the whole idea of fitness and exercise. For some, it represents a level of effort to which they find it hard to commit. This pep talk is for everyone who may be feeling WELLNESS and living a Healthy Lifestyle are beyond your reach, but it remains something you know you MUST do if you want to live your BEST LIFE healthy and strong. This is also for those who started the new year with FIRM intentions of eating right and exercising, only to arrive at the month of March and you’re SLACKING in a major way! I hope you will receive this as a loving word of encouragement:

·        Fitness is a marathon and not a sprint. Starting slow may be your best bet. Ex: Don’t say you’ll workout 6 days a week, if you know right out the gate, that unless you make drastic changes to your schedule, you’ll be lucky to get in one day during the week. If that’s your scenario, the first thing is to create the time and then build in additional workouts as you get comfortable with the new schedule and the change in lifestyle. Avoid setting yourself up for failure. You know yourself best, so set initials goals that are realistic and grow from there. 

·        If it’s not in the house, you can’t eat it! -  Don’t be a slacker at the grocery store. Sugar, in particular, is an addiction for some people! If you’re like my husband, Richard, sweet treats are relentlessly calling his name. I’m so proud of him for having learned how to manage that nagging desire for something sweet. But it didn’t happen overnight.

When you’re in the store, move pass the bakery and the other sugary, heavily processed temptations as quickly as you can! Basically, keep it moving! Don’t even stop to look; that’s always a trap.

·        A trainer once told me, the healthiest foods in the grocery are located on the outer rim of the store and not down the aisles. The exception is the bakery. Think about it, the processed stuff we like is usually found on the aisles.

·        Choosing to live healthy is something you do not just for yourself but also for those you love, and who love you. The people in your life who, if you were not here, would be totally devastated.

·        Don’t let a set-back cause you to throw in the towel. It takes time to create good habits but the more determined you are to make a difference in your well-being, the easier it will become overtime. Make no mistake, the struggle is real and it’s always going to be challenge, but it’s one we can and must win! Make a short-term goal to be victorious more times than you’re not. There’s an 80/20 rule that says you make healthy choices 80 percent of the time and 20 percent you might slip.  Let’s support each other in getting to 90/10! I think we can do it! 😊

-K-

Trainer Donovan Green is Back With

Some Words of Encouragement

You gotta take a listen!

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Welcome!

Guest Contributor: Becky Eschenburg, Coach, Consultant

www.beckyeschenburg.com

Yes…And…

The greatest freedom I’ve given myself in my healing journey is embracing the concept of “Yes…And.” What is it?  “Yes…And” is when you move away from a fixed mindset and allow for two or more things to be true at the same time. It’s not “Yes…BUT” where you acknowledge one person’s truth but then try to tell them why they are wrong. The “and” is an addition, not a stop sign.

Often when I’m coaching people or facilitating a group and I raise the idea of “Yes…And” I get a certain look. Brows furrow. Heads cock back.  And lips tighten in concentration. I can see that they think I’m more than just a little crazy.

“Becky,” they say, “how can this be possible?  Aren’t some things just facts? How can two contrary facts be true at the same time?  A fact is a fact. Just look at science!” If we have learned anything in the last few years, it is that people see truths and facts with different lenses. Sometimes it seems as if we are living on two vastly different parallel planes. We can’t change the fact that we see things differently. We have to make space for the notion that people have contradictory thoughts that they each hold as their truths. “Yes…And.”

Let’s make this less abstract and give an example of “Yes…And” thinking. Have you ever heard someone say they have someone in their life they love but don’t always like?  Maybe they say, “Well, bless their heart” in their sweetest southern accent when they refer to this person. Which is true? Do they love this person?  Do they dislike this person? Both are true. There is a bond that compels them to have space in their heart for the other while at the same time disliking their actions and behaviors. Seeing both truths allows for more options about what to do. Do they cut the person out of their life? Do they just ignore the behavior and focus on the love between them? Or maybe they choose not to walk away but don’t ask them to Thanksgiving dinner. 

Why does “Yes…And” matter? Because when we can hold seemingly contradictory or conflicting thoughts and feelings to be true, it gives us more space to think and more options for action. We stop letting our parts jockey for control. We stop trying to decide which one is right and which one is wrong.  We can just observe, listen, and sort through the information. Forced choice closes doors. It forces us to deny a feeling or a thought. This doesn’t mean that all our thoughts and feelings are of equal weight or validity, but by just letting them both coexist for a moment, we can make space for clarity.

We often make space for the fact that people see things differently based on their nature, life experiences, and culture. But we do not always allow ourselves the possibility that there is more than one path, one truth, or one set of facts for ourselves in our own minds and hearts. We cling to a fixed mindset about what we think and feel inside and then beat ourselves up for having those thoughts and feelings.  It can be a perpetual loop that prevents true healing.

What if you made space for “Yes…And” in your mind?  What possibilities could you create? Where can you stop telling yourself not to feel a certain way and just examine what the thought is trying to tell you?  “Yes…And” just might set you free.

-Becky-

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Each time we say “I can’t,” we dim our inner light.

-Iyanla Vanzant-

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Taraji P. Henson Talks About Dealing with Depression and Anxiety

 Question: What do you do to stay motivated and in a positive head space?

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