Finding Your Fitness Fit: Customizing an Exercise Plan That Works for You - pg. 3
Enjoying Exercise: Discovering Physical Activities That Align With Your Interests - pg. 7
Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals: Assessing What You Want to Achieve - pg. 10
Mindset Is King - pg.14
What is Mindful Eating? Understanding the Basics - pg. 23
From Habits to Self-Care: Transforming Unhealthy Behaviors into Positive Practices - pg. 25
Embarking on a fitness journey can be an exciting and transformative experience. However, one of the key factors in achieving long-term success lies in finding an exercise plan that suits your individual needs and preferences. By customizing your fitness routine, you can cultivate enjoyment, motivation, and sustainability, ensuring that exercise becomes an integral part of your lifestyle.
In this article, we will explore effective strategies to help you find your fitness fit and design an exercise plan that works specifically for you.
Assessing Your Fitness Level:
Before diving into any exercise regimen, it is essential to assess your current fitness level. Consider factors such as your cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and overall health.
Identifying Your Exercise Goals:
Considering Lifestyle Factors:
This self-assessment will serve as a baseline, allowing you to track your progress and set realistic goals tailored to your starting point.
Next, take some time to identify your exercise goals. Are you aiming to lose weight, build muscle, improve overall fitness, or enhance specific athletic abilities? Understanding your objectives will help you determine the types of exercises and training methods that align with your desired outcomes.
Exploring Exercise Options:
With countless exercise options available, it’s important to find activities that you genuinely enjoy. Consider both traditional and non-traditional forms of exercise, such as cardio workouts, strength training, yoga, Pilates, dance, sports, hiking, or swimming.
Experiment with different activities until you find ones that bring you joy, as enjoyment is a powerful motivator that will keep you engaged and committed to your fitness routine.
Customizing your exercise plan requires considering your lifestyle factors. Are you a morning person or an evening person? Do you have limited time due to work or family commitments? Take into account your daily schedule, energy levels, and any constraints you may have. This will help you select exercise times that work best for you and ensure consistency in your fitness routine.
Seeking Professional Guidance:
If you’re unsure about how to proceed or want expert advice, consider consulting a fitness professional. Personal trainers, fitness coaches, or exercise specialists can assess your needs, provide guidance, and design a tailored exercise plan. They can also teach
proper techniques, reduce the risk of injury, and keep you accountable as you progress towards your goals.
Designing a WellRounded Routine:
An effective exercise plan incorporates various components of fitness, including cardiovascular endurance, strength training, flexibility, and balance. Customize your routine by including exercises from different categories that align with your goals. For example, if your objective is weight loss, incorporate a mix of cardio activities like jogging, cycling, or swimming, along with strength training exercises to build lean muscle mass and boost metabolism.
the temptation to push yourself too hard too soon, as this can lead to burnout or injury. Start with manageable workout durations, weights, or intensity levels, and gradually increase them over time. Progression allows your body to adapt, minimizing the risk of plateaus and maximizing the effectiveness of your workouts.
or joining group classes for added support and accountability. Remember, finding activities you genuinely enjoy will significantly contribute to your motivation and overall satisfaction with your fitness journey.
Finding
Staying Motivated:
Gradual Progression:
When starting or modifying your exercise plan, it’s crucial to progress gradually. Avoid
Maintaining motivation is key to sustaining your exercise plan in the long run. Set short-term and long-term goals, celebrate your achievements, and track your progress. Mix up your workouts to keep them exciting and avoid boredom. Consider finding an exercise buddy
your fitness fit is a deeply personal and rewarding process. By customizing an exercise plan that aligns with your preferences, goals, and lifestyle, you can create a sustainable and enjoyable fitness routine. Remember to assess your fitness level, set realistic goals, explore various exercise options, consider your lifestyle factors, seek professional guidance if needed, design a well-rounded routine, progress gradually, and stay motivated. By doing so, you’ll be on your way to achieving your fitness aspirations and embracing a healthier and more active lifestyle.
Exercise plays a vital role in maintaining overall health and well-being. However, many people struggle to find enjoyment in traditional exercise routines, which can lead to a lack of motivation and consistency. The key to long-term success lies in discovering physical activities that align with your interests and preferences. By engaging in activities you genuinely enjoy, exercise becomes a pleasurable and sustainable part of your lifestyle. In this article, we will explore the importance of enjoying exercise and provide
Enjoying Exercise: Discovering Physical Activities That Align With Your Interests
practical guidance to help you discover physical activities that spark your interest.
Recognizing the Importance of Enjoyment
Enjoyment is a crucial factor when it comes to exercise adherence and consistency. When you genuinely enjoy the activities you engage in, it becomes easier to stay motivated, maintain a regular routine, and reap the numerous benefits of physical activity. By finding exercises that align with your interests, you can
transform exercise from a chore to an enjoyable part of your daily life.
Assessing Your Interests and Preferences
Take some time to assess your interests and preferences when it comes to physical activities. Reflect on activities that have brought you joy in the past or consider new activities you’ve always wanted to try. Consider your personality, lifestyle, and physical abilities to narrow down the options that align with your preferences.
Exploring a Variety of Activities
Don’t limit yourself to just one type of exercise. Explore a variety of activities to find what truly excites you. Try different sports, dance classes, outdoor adventures, group fitness classes, martial arts, or even recreational activities like hiking, swimming, or cycling. Experimenting with various activities allows you to discover hidden passions and keeps your exercise routine fresh and engaging.
Setting Goals and Challenges
Setting goals and challenges can add an extra layer of excitement to your exercise routine. Whether it’s completing a 5K race, mastering a new yoga pose, or improving your strength in weightlifting, setting specific goals gives you a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Break your goals down into manageable steps and celebrate your progress along the way.
Incorporating Social Elements
Exercise doesn’t have to be
a solitary activity. Consider incorporating social elements into your routine by joining group classes, participating in team sports, or finding workout buddies. Exercising with others can provide a sense of camaraderie, accountability, and an opportunity to make new friends who share similar interests.
Embracing the Outdoors
Nature offers a vast playground for physical activity. If you enjoy spending time outdoors, consider activities such as hiking, trail running, kayaking, or cycling. Exercising in nature not only provides physical benefits but also allows you to connect with the environment and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.
Making it Fun and Playful
Injecting fun and playfulness into your exercise routine can make a significant difference in your enjoyment. Dance like nobody’s watching, jump on a trampoline, play recreational sports, or engage in activities that bring out your inner child. Remember, exercise
doesn’t have to be serious all the time – laughter and enjoyment are essential ingredients for long-term commitment.
Listening to Your Body
As you explore different activities, listen to your body’s cues and respect its limits. Find a balance between challenging yourself and avoiding injury. Pay attention to how different activities make you feel physically and mentally, and adjust accordingly. Remember, the goal is to find activities that bring you joy while supporting your overall well-being.
Finding enjoyment
in exercise is key to establishing a sustainable and fulfilling fitness routine. By assessing your interests, exploring a variety of activities, setting goals, incorporating social elements, embracing the outdoors, and making exercise fun and playful, you can discover physical activities that align with your interests.
Remember, exercise should be a source of joy and empowerment, allowing you to lead a healthier and happier life.
Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals: Assessing What You Want to Achieve
Embarking on a weight loss journey can be both exciting and challenging. One of the crucial steps in this process is setting realistic goals that align with your aspirations and abilities. By taking the time to assess what you truly want to achieve, you can create a sustainable and effective weight loss plan.
In this article, we will delve into the importance of setting realistic weight loss goals and provide practical guidance to help you navigate this essential phase of your journey.
Understanding the Significance of Realistic Goals
Setting realistic weight loss goals is vital for several reasons. Firstly, it ensures that you have a clear target to work towards, providing focus and motivation. Secondly, realistic goals are achievable, which boosts confidence and maintains enthusiasm throughout the process. Lastly, realistic goals promote a healthier mindset, preventing the
pursuit of extreme or unhealthy weight loss methods.
Assessing Your Starting Point
Before setting weight loss goals, it’s important to assess your current weight, body composition, and overall health. Consult with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian who can provide accurate measurements and guidance.
Understanding where you are starting from will help you set goals that are specific to your unique circumstances and needs.
Consider Your Health and Body Composition
Weight loss goals should not be solely focused on the number on the scale. It’s crucial to consider your overall health and body composition. Factors such as body fat percentage, muscle mass, and waist circumference are equally important indicators of progress. Consult with a healthcare
professional to assess these measurements and set appropriate targets that prioritize your wellbeing.
Long-term vs. Shortterm Goals
When setting weight loss goals, it’s beneficial to establish both long-term and short-term objectives. Long-term goals serve as the ultimate destination, while short-term goals provide milestones along the way. Breaking down your weight loss journey into smaller, achievable targets makes the process more manageable and increases your sense of accomplishment.
SMART Goal Setting
Adopting the SMART goal-setting framework can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your weight loss goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound. Ensure that your goals meet these criteria. For example, instead of setting a vague goal like
“losing weight,” a SMART goal would be “losing 1-2 pounds per week over the next three months by following a balanced diet and exercising for 30 minutes, five times a week.”
Be Realistic and Sustainable
When setting weight loss goals, it’s essential to be realistic and sustainable. Avoid aiming for rapid weight loss or drastic changes that may compromise your health. Gradual and steady progress is not only safer but also more likely to result in long-term success. Consider a weight loss rate of 1-2 pounds per week as a reasonable and sustainable target.
Focus on Non-Scale Victories
Weight loss is not solely determined by numbers on the scale. Incorporate non-scale victories into your goal setting to celebrate other achievements, such as improved energy levels, better sleep quality, increased strength, or improved mental wellbeing. These non-scale victories provide a holistic perspective and help maintain motivation
beyond just the numbers.
Adjusting Goals Along the Way
As you progress on your weight loss journey, it’s important to be flexible and adjust your goals if necessary. Factors such as plateaus, changes in lifestyle, or unforeseen circumstances may require reevaluation and modification of your targets. Be open to reassessing and adjusting your goals to ensure continued progress and success.
Setting realistic weight loss goals is a fundamental
step towards achieving a healthier lifestyle. By assessing your starting point, considering your health and body composition, adopting the SMART goal-setting framework, and focusing on sustainable progress, you can create achievable and meaningful targets.
Remember to celebrate non-scale victories and be open to adjusting your goals as needed. With a realistic and sustainable approach, you are on the path to reaching your weight loss goals and embracing a healthier, happier you.
Mindset Is King
Anson Reed, or Reed to friends and clients, is a personal trainer and entrepreneur with over ten years of business ownership experience. He and his wife juggle family life with a gym, a supplement product line and an indoor sports center. Dedicated to helping others lead healthy, happy, long lives, Reed shares a wealth of knowledge on fitness, nutrition and the importance of continuous education.
Dennis Postema: How did you get into fitness?
Reed: I’ve been an athlete my whole life. I played basketball and other sports. When it came time to retire my basketball shoes, I soon realized I needed a similar hobby to fill the void, so I dove deeper into fitness.
Dennis: What is your business and how does fitness tie into it?
Reed: My wife and I own a gym called Workout Junkies. We’ve been in the business for over ten years. It’s been great.
We had to build a new building. It’s about 15,000 square feet. Half of that building is a gym and the other half is a batting cage facility.
Our other business is called Ballerz Academy. It’s for athletes at all levels. When temperatures outside are extremely hot or extremely cold, kids don’t want to be outdoors, and parents don’t want them out for safety reasons. Our area lacked indoor places for kids to do sports, so we filled that niche, but people of all ages are welcome.
Our facility is equipped for baseball, softball, football, soccer and more. That led us into the gym business, which tied into me learning about nutrition and supplements. When you’re active, it’s crucial to stay aware of what you put into your body and how it affects you.
I was not OK with many of the supplements on the market because they had unhealthy ingredients. Many companies favor branding over quality. People don’t read ingredient lists. I’m particular about the ingredients in my supplements. We need to be able to trust the makers of these items, and they have a responsibility to prove their expertise by selling healthy products.
Dennis: Do you offer coaching and personal training?
Reed: We employ 10 personal trainers. I tell all of them that, at the end of the day, we are here for our customers. They hire us to be here for them. I take pride in differentiating myself from others and I want to stand out. I approach everything from basketball to the gym with that mindset.
I’m not someone who rides trends. I can’t. Most of those trends are wrong and can cause long-term damage.
I teach my trainers to do things a certain way. We tell our clients up front, “If you train with us, we can guarantee you two things: One, you’ll have the best physique that you’ve ever had by the time you leave, or two, you’ll tell me to go to hell and you’ll quit. I’m OK with both of those outcomes, because it’s always one or the other. There are no ifs, ands or buts. You’re the one who will deal with the results either way.”
This is what we do as a company. This is how we are as trainers. We break everything down with science. We request our clients’ vitals. I want to know what their hemoglobin A1c looks like. I want to know their hormone levels.
When you’re training someone to get into better shape or health, you have to use science. You need to know what’s going on in their body. If you use a cookie-cutter program you found on social media, you’re doing your clients a dangerous
It bothers me when trainers do that, and it’s so common. People look at a meal plan and think it’s great, but it’s unhealthy, or they’ll say, “This is a great diet.” I don’t believe in diets. I believe in meal plans, something that can sustain you long term where you’re still able to enjoy your life, rather than feeling like you have to be strict. You can only do that for so long before you break down.
Dennis: Tell us about your supplement product.
Reed: Workout Junkie Nutrition is something I long aspired to create. I wound up going to a factory and chitchatting with the management team to learn about how it works. They walked me through the facility.
I was shocked. Many companies request that the factories add fillers to their supplements to cut back on costs. Understandable from a business perspective, but if we’re supposed to be offering customers top-of-the-line quality supplements, why are we cutting costs?
The business side of me says, “That’s business,” but my ethics say that’s not OK because you’re lying to customers by claiming this product is 100 percent pure when you know it isn’t. There are certain words on the ingredient list that the average consumer doesn’t understand.
When I toured this facility, they asked if I wanted to add fillers to my product and I declined. I asked them why I would do that. They broke it down and we continued. I ended up choosing a different company for my product.
Before that experience, I looked up to many bigname brand supplements. It was disappointing to learn that so many of them add filler to their products.
I found another company to partner with, and after some back-and-forth, we developed Workout Junkies Nutrition. I wanted to be in complete control
over the ingredients, and that initiated a game of tug-of-war. They warned me that skipping fillers would affect my bottom line. I was OK with that because I wanted to make an impact more than I wanted to make higher profits. I told them, “I need to be in control. If I’m attaching my name and my company to this product, I’m going to give the OK on every ingredient. I need to know
exactly what sugars and sweeteners are being used. I’m not OK with refined or processed sugars or fructose syrups.”
I knew I needed to differentiate my products from all the different fitness supplements I used over the years. My products are sweetened with monk fruit and stevia plant, which is better than refined sugar across the board. We do this because many major health issues stem from overconsumption of sugar. People get hooked on sugar. It inflames their system and causes joint pain and discomfort, and a number of other problems.
We have protein products and preworkout products. Our preworkout line doesn’t have stimulants in it, so it doesn’t fire you up and make you jittery— something that can be dangerous long term.
Everyone’s body has different nutritional requirements. With Workout Junkies Nutrition, I have complete control over the addition and removal of ingredients. We’re in a society where things change rapidly and scientists learn more every
day. What supplements are good for you? What supplements aren’t good for you? Are you lactosefree? Vegan? There is a lot of thought that needs to go into supplement creation.
We have a men’s line and a women’s line of multivitamins. We added additional blends of ingredients for the women’s line, taking menstrual cycles into consideration.
When you’re a trainer, your clients talk to you about everything. We had clients coming to us about their menstrual cycles. They told us how tough it is, and how exercising is harder around that time. I made sure we had a multivitamin available for women to make up for the blood loss they suffer through. It’s important to replenish iron and other minerals and vitamins during menstruation.
In our men’s multivitamin, we added burdock root to help prevent prostate cancer. We want to help our clients stay healthy long term, and preventive measures are key.
Dennis: What drives you?
Reed: My two biggest drivers are impacting the world positively, and building a legacy, something I can leave for my kids.
I’m a people person. My strongest and weakest attributes are people. It’s a battle, but every day I wake up thankful for the opportunity to do what I’m doing.
When you start doing what you love, you’re never working at all because you love it. I get up at 4:00 a.m. and head to the gym. My first session starts at 5:00 a.m. and I’m going hard until around noon, and then I take a two-hour break. I’m back at it around 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
I have cut back on my hours. It might not sound like it, but I did, because I was struggling to balance work and family. I love my work. I could do it for eighteen hours a day. I’d be worn out, but I could do it.
Dennis: What do your meals look like?
Reed: My eating habits are a little unorthodox. One minute I want to be thick and the next minute
I want to be shredded, so I experiment with my food.
My protein intake is around 45 to 50 grams per day, depending on what I’m trying to achieve. My carbohydrate intake is around 55 to 60 g per day because I try to keep it higher.
It all depends on my goals. I burn through protein and carbohydrates quickly. Carbs metabolize into energy before they metabolize into fat when you’re moving around, but when you aren’t active enough, it’s easy to overconsume carbohydrates that turn into fat and get stored in your body.
When I’m at my gym, I know where everything is, and I go from one exercise to the next. I keep my fat intake around 15 to 20 g daily. I eat clean, healthy fats from avocado oil, coconut oil and olive oil. Stay away from canola and other oils. Canola oil is one of the worst ones out there. So is generic vegetable oil.
I’m an educator. I teach my clients how to eat well-rounded foods to attain their goals. When I’m doing a show, I’d eat
nine meals a day. I’m strict. I can eat the same meal for months. I’m disciplined and focused, but it is draining, and it does get boring.
Many people don’t know about the 4-4-9 system. It’s based on your protein intake, your carbohydrate intake and your fat intake. One gram of protein is equal to 4 kilograms of protein. When you read a nutritional label of a food with 12 g of protein, multiply that by four. Carbohydrates use the same measurement.
Fats, however, are different: 1 g of fat equals 9 kg.
Add those three numbers together and you’ll get the calorie count for the food.
For example, if a food contains 12 g of protein, 10 g of carbohydrates, and 3 g of fats, your calorie count would be: 48 kg of protein + 40 kg of carbohydrates + 27 kg of fat = 115 calories per serving.
If your result is different from the label, it’s because the food contains sugars, which can impact the calorie count by five to 10 points. You’re supposed to take in about 45 g of sugar
every day. We all consume way more than that.
Mix up your proteins. Make protein shakes one week and eggs the next. I go through a dozen eggs within two to three days because I love eating eggs. I can eat six to nine of them at a time. Add your favorite hot sauce to make it interesting.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t indulge in foods you love. I eat things that aren’t healthy too, but I’m disciplined about abstaining from fried foods. Things like soda I won’t touch at all. I don’t drink alcohol or smoke either. People ask how I have fun, and I tell them I enjoy life.
Dennis: How important is mindset?
Reed: Mindset is king. Before you begin researching gyms or looking up meal plans, you need to have a good mindset. The body is a slave to the mindset.
When people talk to me, I want to break them down mentally. I want to get inside their head, know what they’re thinking, understand how they see themselves, how they
view food, what devices they use and why they use them, and more. Psychology has taught us that people are emotional eaters. Many people are easily influenced by others.
I tell clients they have to be ready for the work mentally. That’s where it starts. In the fitness industry, and in society at large, we’re taking mental health more seriously than ever before. One of my protocols is having a counselor. I see my counselor every week. Through these sessions, I’ve identified traumas from my childhood that I thought I had worked past. I had not.
Men are taught not to talk about their problems. I remember thinking, “I’m not going to talk to another man about my problems. That doesn’t make sense.” I gave it a shot. I sat across from him, started crying when I hit certain topics, and then he started crying. He handed me a tissue. I thought, “What the hell? What’s going on here? What’s the deal?” It helped. It can help you too, but you need to be receptive to it.
Mindset is the key to health, success and
happiness. I tell people, “You can do it if you can learn how to lock in mentally, identify what you want, recognize that it’ll be difficult, and have enough discipline to do it even when you don’t want to.”
Fitness isn’t about having the best body. Fitness is a centerpiece of happiness. When you’re happy with how you feel, it’ll start inside and then move outward. When you’re happy and can critique yourself, figure out what you need to fix and how to improve, your life will be better across the board. Be honest with yourself and with others. Don’t sugarcoat the truth. It’s a disservice to you and to the people around you.
But be careful. As a type A personality, being truthful can come across the wrong way even when you’re being sincere and trying to help. It’s a fine line, because some people are not as mentally strong, which is fine, but that’s why it’s important to observe others and evaluate them. I try to be conscious of what I say, especially to women.
Women do so much for the people in their lives,
and at the end of the day, they’re left with nothing for themselves. It makes no sense. My message to women is: Pour more into yourselves! Before you were a mom, a sister, a wife, a girlfriend, you were you. Give to yourself. Put your oxygen mask on before you help someone else put theirs on— because you’re no good to them if you’re dead.
Dennis: What are your philosophies around mindset?
Reed: One of my favorite quotes is, “To be a football player, you’ve got to be a little bit off-kilter to run into another grown man at full-speed and collide with him.”
You have to be the same way in the gym. Understand that it’s all about recognizing your body’s potential, but reaching that requires the mind to say, “Keep going.”
There will be times when your body wants to give up. You must refuse. Mentally lock in and visualize your results. If you want to know why you are who you are or where you are in life, you have to take a step back and lock in.
Everything in life starts with a thought. It moves from thought to belief to action to result to lifestyle. Go back and look at your philosophies. Who you’re around and what you see and read creates your belief system.
If people around you tell you that you’re worthless, guess what you’ll start believing? You don’t think you’ll ever accomplish anything, so you don’t. The people and things around you influence you, but you can change. I heard a quote once: “If I can change the way you think, I can change the rest of your life.”
I call that negative influence the TV effect. If you came home tonight, turned on your television and didn’t like the movie playing, what would you do? Grab the remote and change the channel, right? But what channel do you change it to? Something you enjoy, hopefully.
When you look in the mirror, if you don’t like what you see, grab your remote. Change your mindset. Change your vision to what you want to see.
In America, we’re told
we have an obesity crisis, and while we do have many unhealthy people, I challenge others to say, “Look at what controls everything: the musculoskeletal system.” Our muscles are wrapped around our bones. We have a nervous system. We have a parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve system. We have a lymphatic system.
People say we are made of up to 80 percent water, but they don’t realize that the majority of that is in your lymphatic system. Your lymph nodes flush out and regulate toxins and hormones. The lymphatic system manages fluid levels, fights infection, handles cancer cells and more.
Start looking beneath the surface. Get to the root of the problem. We need to develop our muscular systems more. We’re moving away from that because we’re told to focus on cardio. That’s not going to build muscle.
Why? They’re not lifting enough and building muscles. They aren’t eating enough protein and iron. It doesn’t matter if it’s animal-based or plant-based protein. Use whichever one you feel is best for you. It’s not a onesize-fits-all. Which one has amino acids? Which one creates a metabolic chain reaction? Research what you’re eating, try it out, and see if it works for you.
Cardio workouts are great and they serve a purpose, but lifting and building muscle is overlooked. You need both for good health.
Dennis: What is a common concern for your clients and what tips do you give them?
Reed: Many of my clients say, “I don’t want to get bulky.” It’s impossible for you to get bulky unless you do certain things that you shouldn’t be doing, things involving a needle. Lift weights and you’ll get tighter and leaner.
What happens when an elderly person falls? They break a bone, and within 18 months, sarcopenia sets in and then they usually pass away.
Be careful when looking at cardio numbers on the treadmill. They’re precalculated. You can turn that machine on, walk away, and let it run for 30 minutes, and when you
return, wow, you burned a lot of calories.
But when you’re finished lifting and you put that weight down, you’re still burning calories for up to 42 hours. Your body is healing.
Sleep is vital to recovering from a tough workout. Women need, on average, eight to nine hours of sleep because of the hormonal changes their bodies are constantly going through, and they have more to regulate than men do. Women tap into fat-burning quicker than men, but they lose it slower.
I tried a hot yoga class once, and I was dying by the end. I wondered how people do those. I’m a personal trainer and I cannot contort my body into those positions.
Dennis: What are you looking forward to?
Reed: I’m excited about learning about the human body. The more you learn, the more you understand how little you know. It’s insane. I’m fascinated by how our bodies operate. It’s a unique machine that does things we can’t comprehend. We take it
for granted. How is it that a woman can develop another human inside of her? Think about that.
I go down those rabbit holes often. Our brains deal with things in amazing ways. Triggers and memory suppression to protect ourselves. It can be catastrophic to our mental health.
Dennis: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Reed: I get a lot of flak when I talk about this and I’m OK with that: When people are healthier, insurance rates will drop, longevity will increase, and we’ll demand more, and better, things for ourselves.
I call trainers out often because you’re supposed to know about fitness and nutrition and educate your clients. You are a teacher. Teach them. Stop being so afraid of clients leaving that you withhold information from them. Guess what? They’re supposed to leave eventually. It’s a testament to your skill when they walk away and say, “You know what? I’m going to do this on my own,” and they maintain the regimen.
As trainers, we’re faced with the choice of infecting or affecting others, and I believe many of us infect others in search of clicks, social media fame and easy money.
If you’re not continuing to educate yourself and work on your physique, mindset, empathy and skills, then why are you in this field? You should be able to build a program for each individual client you have. You should be able to tell them, “I’m putting a meal plan together for you. It is not a diet, because diets don’t work once you get off them. You feel like you’ve been deprived after you stop a diet. I’m going to show you how to eat better and how to make better choices.” Practice what you preach. If you’re not walking the walk, don’t talk the talk to your clients. They’ll see right through your lies. I won’t tell my clients to do something I wouldn’t do.
To find out more about Reed, visit his website, workoutjunkiespt.com. You can also reach out to him on his social media accounts under the name Workoutjunkiespt_, where he loves talking to people about fitness.
What is Mindful Eating? Understanding the Basics
Are you curious about mindful eating? You may have heard that mindful eating is the key to weight loss. While the true way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn, mindful eating is definitely a way to accomplish this. How so?
When we eat mindfully, we slow everything down - including chewing, pausing between bites, and savoring the flavor and texture of our food. The slowed-down process of mindful eating gives our brain a chance to catch
up to our stomach. Eating mindfully lets us enjoy just enough food to satisfy our hunger, and desire for certain tastes or textures - the joys of eating good food that is good for you. Then we stop, sit back, and recognize that we’re not hungry anymore. We’ve satisfied the urge.
To practice mindful eating requires paying attention to the process of eating and drinking while putting all your attention on the current moment. You know you’ve achieved a state of mindfulness
at mealtime once you become conscious of your bodily sensations.
At its core, mindful eating is about developing a deeper connection with our body, mind, and the food we eat. Through the practice, we’re encouraged to listen to our natural hunger and fullness cues, and to make food choices that nourish and support our health and wellbeing.
Why Practice Mindful Eating?
Do you wonder if mindful
eating is a real thing, or just some trendy term that people like to throw around? If you’re having trouble with the concept, think of the opposite of mindful eating, which is what most of us tend to do.
It’s far more common to rush through meals and gulp down a mouthful before really taking the needed number of chews. Why? We’re in a hurry. We want to finish up as quickly as possible so we can be somewhere. We’re starving, and the food tastes so good that we want to shovel in the next bite as fast as we can.
What happens when we don’t eat mindfully (which is the case for most people)?
We eat more than our body needs because we’re not tuned in to our own hunger cues. Rushing through meals doesn’t signal our body to stop feeling hungry. We shortchange our body of the necessary digestion process. The stomach is like a strainer. It requires digestive juice and well masticated food to thoroughly process what we’ve eaten.
Our gut health suffers. Why? It’s hard to digest unchewed food. The bigger chunks get stuck in the lining of the stomach and begin to decompose, causing gas, pain and digestive upset.
We choose the wrong foods because we still feel hungry.
It’s smart, and healthy, to practice mindful eating.
Better digestion. Mindful eating requires that we take our time and chew each bite properly. This can ease intestinal discomfort and facilitate better digestion.
Decreased overeating. Mindful eating can make us more conscious of our fullness cues, which lessens the likelihood of overeating.
Greater enjoyment. A better sense of pleasure and satisfaction from eating can be attained when we take the time to appreciate the flavor, appearance, texture and aroma of our meal.
Improved relationship with food. Mindful eating can help us develop a more positive relationship with food, by reducing feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety around eating.
How to Practice Mindful Eating
What’s the best way to start a mindful eating practice? The next time you have an opportunity to enjoy a meal solo, give it a try. But don’t just dive in... set the table so you can set yourself up for success.
Some preliminaries:
Prepare a meal that includes some favorite foods in balance. Serve yourself something from each of the four food groups. If you can, opt for variety in texture, flavor and maybe even some hot and cold foods too.
Make a nice presentation. Include everything you’ll need to sit down to a leisurely meal - plate and/ or bowl, spoon if you’re having soup or cereal, fork and knife, cup or drinking glass, etc. Don’t forget the napkin!
Plate everything up, pour yourself a drink, and sit yourself down. Arrange your napkin and pick up your fork or spoon.
Before you dig in, take a deep breath. Assume an upright posture, which will help you digest.
Give yourself a moment to become aware of the food before you. Does it look appetizing? Colorful? What is the texture... smooth? Creamy? Crunchy? Do you notice the different aromas mingling together, or does the smell of one type of food, like garlic, permeate your senses?
Take your first bite. Bring yourself into awareness of the food in your mouth. Notice the temperature, texture, flavors. If you feel the urge to gobble and gulp, resist... and come back into the present.
Good things to do when eating mindfully:
Pause before eating. Before you start eating, take a moment to pause and notice your thoughts and feelings around food.
Engage your senses. As you eat, pay attention to the colors, smells, and textures of the food, and the sensation of chewing and swallowing.
Focus on the present moment. Try to stay fully present in the moment, without getting caught up in distractions or worries about the past or future.
Listen to your body. Pay
attention to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness and stop eating when you feel satisfied.
Be kind to yourself. If you find your mind wandering or getting distracted, gently bring your attention back to the present moment, without judgment or self-criticism.
Incorporating Mindful Eating into Your Daily Routine
Once you’ve tried out your first mindful eating experience, you can take note of how different it was from your usual way of eating. If if helps you perfect the art of mindful eating, journal your experience.
Write down what you noticed before, during, and after your mindful meal.
• Did you enjoy the act of sitting down to a meal more than you normally would?
• Did you feel more relaxed during and after the meal?
• Did your stomach bother you less than it might usually after a meal?
• Did you manage to eat a few less helpings than
you would normally?
• Did you feel fuller for longer?
Now that you have a comparison between your usual way of eating versus a more sloweddown, mindful way of eating, try to incorporate the following into your mindful eating practice:
Take a few deep breaths before eating, to help you relax and become more present. Turn off distractions like the TV or phone, and focus on the food in front of you. Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly, savoring the taste and texture. Take breaks between bites to check in with your body and see if you are still hungry. Try to eat in a calm, peaceful environment, without rushing or multitasking.
Mindful eating is a powerful practice that can help us develop a deeper connection with our body and awareness of what we need, when we need it... as well as what we don’t need.
Mindful eating can help us learn to read our body’s signals so that we may know better health.
From Habits to Self-Care: Transforming Unhealthy Behaviors into Positive Practices
Unhealthy behaviors can often hinder our progress towards a healthy lifestyle and weight loss goals. However, by shifting our focus from habits to selfcare, we can transform these negative behaviors into positive practices.
Cultivating self-awareness, setting intentions, and implementing mindful strategies can empower us to make healthier choices and establish sustainable habits.
In this article, we will explore the process of transforming unhealthy behaviors into positive practices and provide practical tips to support your journey towards improved nutrition, diet, and fitness.
Cultivate Self-Awareness
The first step in transforming unhealthy behaviors is to cultivate self-awareness. Take a moment to reflect on your current habits and behaviors that may be detrimental to your health and well-being. This could include overeating, emotional eating, sedentary lifestyle, excessive snacking, or poor food choices. By acknowledging these behaviors, you can gain a
better understanding of the changes you need to make.
Set Clear Intentions
Once you have identified the unhealthy behaviors, it’s important to set clear intentions for change. Define why you want to adopt healthier habits and the benefits you hope to achieve. Whether it’s improving your energy levels, managing stress, or achieving weight loss, having a clear purpose will serve as a driving force for positive change.
Practice Mindful Eating
Mindful eating is a powerful tool for transforming unhealthy eating behaviors. Slow down and pay attention to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Eat with intention, savoring each bite, and choose foods that nourish your body. Avoid distractions while
eating, such as screens or multitasking, and focus on the sensory experience of the food. Mindful eating helps you develop a healthier relationship with food and promotes more conscious choices.
Replace Unhealthy Habits with Self-Care
Identify the triggers and situations that lead to unhealthy behaviors and replace them with self-care practices. For example, if stress often leads to emotional eating, find alternative stress-relief techniques like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or engaging in hobbies that bring you joy. By addressing the underlying needs behind unhealthy habits, you can shift your focus towards self-care practices that support your overall well-being.
Create a Supportive Environment
Surround yourself with a supportive environment that encourages positive practices. Communicate your goals and intentions with loved ones, and ask for their support in your journey towards healthier habits. Consider joining a fitness class, enlisting the help of a workout buddy, or participating in online communities focused on nutrition and wellness. Building a support network can provide motivation, accountability, and encouragement.
you increase your chances of long-term success and maintain motivation throughout the process.
Educate Yourself
Set Realistic and Achievable Goals
When transforming unhealthy behaviors, it’s important to set realistic and achievable goals. Break down your larger goals into smaller, manageable steps. For example, instead of completely eliminating a specific unhealthy food, aim to reduce your consumption gradually. By setting achievable goals,
Take the time to educate yourself about nutrition, diet, and fitness. Knowledge is empowering, and understanding the impact of your choices on your health can reinforce your commitment to positive practices. Stay updated on the latest research, consult reputable sources, and consider working with a registered dietitian or nutritionist who can provide personalized guidance.
Practice SelfCompassion
Be kind to yourself throughout this transformation process.
Acknowledge that change takes time and setbacks may occur. Embrace selfcompassion and avoid self-criticism. Treat yourself with kindness, celebrate your progress, and learn from any challenges or setbacks. Remember that every positive step you take towards healthier habits is a step towards self-care and improved well-being.
Transforming unhealthy behaviors into positive practices requires selfawareness, intention, and mindful strategies. By cultivating self-awareness, setting clear intentions, practicing mindful eating, replacing unhealthy habits with self-care, creating a supportive environment, setting realistic goals, educating yourself, and practicing self-compassion, you can embark on a journey towards a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle. Embrace the process, be patient with yourself, and celebrate each positive change you make along the way.
