Sometimes you have to be your own parent

Adulthood comes with multiple responsibilities. As kids we thought that grown-ups had it all. They could stay up as late as they wanted to and eat ice cream for breakfast. I'll admit I've done both, but neither were as satisfying as I hoped. The ice cream upset my stomach and left me feeling more hungry for actual real food. Staying up super late just left me more tired and grumpy in the morning.

In this way, being an adult, you have the freedom to take care of yourself how you want to. Your extra responsibility is the one you have over your own health and well-being.

Why is it that when it comes to our kids, we're all set to lay down rules and routines - and with good reason! - but when it comes to our own selves and bodies, we slack off and give in to the fatigue, the sometimes laziness, and lack of discipline; or we just don't make the time.

We know what's good for us, like eating healthy, avoiding sugar, fast food, and junk food; and exercising. So how can we advocate a healthy lifestyle for those that we love, but it's so hard to discipline ourselves?

The idea of self-discipline is huge. This doesn't mean that you have to punish yourself for eating candy, but it does mean that your decisions are contributing to your health status.

Today I want to motivate you to take control over your health and your body. Be your own parent.

Start with physical activity. This is something a lot of us have issues with, typically because we're either too tired or we don't have the time. But think about that... exercise is something that is vital to our physical, mental, and emotional health but we're too tired or can't make time for it? That's like saying you're so busy that you can't eat - which isn't uncommon! So how can we get around this?

[Journal assignment]: It's time to re-prioritize. For a couple days, grab a note pad or journal and before you go to bed, document everything you accomplished or did that day. What does that look like? First of all, can you remember everything you did during the day? Second, how many tasks are you completing that are for other people? How many items do you accomplish that are just for you and your own self-care?

If you find that list is void of anything that improves your overall health, it's time to re-evaluate your days. Start with something simple: schedule in 20 minutes for you every day. If you want this to be a workout or activity, maybe you give yourself 20 minutes for the activity, and 5-10 mins before and after for any "set-up" and/or "clean-up."

I have lazy days just like everyone else. Days were I feel tired and I'm way too comfortable to move. But I also realize how much worse I'll feel if I do nothing: within 3-4 days of being sedentary, I'm a moody mess. And that's when I force myself to get out there. Make a plan: Visualize what you think you can manage doing (yoga, a run or walk, workout video, etc), then get dressed and prep your space.

I've had to kick my own ass to get out for a run, or stay in for a workout, and by the time I'm finished, I'm incredibly grateful. There's nothing quite like the feeling of finishing something that is physically tough or uncomfortable. Even if it's only 20 minutes of yoga. Hold a plank pose for 60 seconds and see how you feel.

Second, take your To-Do list (if you have one... if you don't, start making them) and add on at least one activity that is solely for you. It could be anything such as:

• Meditation (anywhere from 5-20 minutes). Use a audio clip or YouTube video for guided meditations and body scans. 
• Brisk walk or jog (20-60 minutes)
• Journalling or writing (5-30 minutes)
• Creative projects, knitting, and crafts, etc
• Play a musical instrument
• Yoga or Tai Chi (15-60 minutes)
• Aquafit or swimming
• Read a book (not the internet)
• Try a new recipe for something healthy
• Walk barefoot through the grass
• Go for a bike ride (rent one in the city if you don't have your own)
• Make a pot of tea and invite a few friends over (or even just one awesome friend or neighbour)
• Play a sport: it could be an organized game, or just playing keep-up with a volleyball or beachball. 
• Take a class in the community (in whatever interests you)

20-30 minutes out of 24 hours per day isn't a lot to ask of yourself. Now, granted, you may be a parent with a child glued to your hip, so maybe a half hour really feels like too long. This is where a great support system comes in handy. Use the time when your little one is napping to take care of you; or ask for help 1/2 an hour per day and have someone watch your little one for you. Or, you can do your activity with them. If they're super little, they can roll around on a yoga mat, lay under you while you're in downward dog. You can use them as a body weight for doing Bridge work (lay on the floor with knees bent and feet on the floor; Sit baby on your pelvis. Keeping your upper back and shoulders pinned down, lift and tuck your pelvis, holding onto baby. This is a great quad and glute toner, and baby will think you're playing :)

Most importantly, you're also being a great role model for health and self-care. Your kid(s) will grow up aware of a lifestyle that includes healthy aspects and activities. My mom used to do workout videos all the time when we were little including those by Jane Fonda and Cher. I grew up trying to wear her ankle weights, drawing butterflies on her elevation 2x4" block of wood, and jumping and dancing to cheesy 80's background music. Fast forward to today and I have her old videos now on DVD and still use them religiously. 

All of these principles can be related to multiple aspects of our health and well-being. Self-discipline includes maintaining a healthy diet for you. Keeping up with your physio exercises. Flossing daily. Drinking an adequate amount of water everyday. Reducing alcohol consumption. Reducing caffeine consumption...

... These are all things we know are good for us but we tend to slack off more than we should. Now it's time to take care of you.

How do you make a home gym affordable and user-friendly?

The home gym. I have to say it's probably my favourite gym. No line ups for machines, no sweaty men staring at you, no worrying about the A/C not working, or of it working too well.

The issue is that many people will argue that it's too tough to have a "home gym". They don't have enough space, or they can't afford big machines. The truth is that a home gym is what you make of it, and it can be so much more simple!

My own personal home gym is actually my living room. While in my undergrad, it consisted of a 3'x6' space between my bed and the wall where my yoga mat would fit. During my grad studies, it was my basement: a huge open space with a cold, tiled floor, and no furnishings. Just a makeshift table that my laptop sat on and oodles of basement space to do some kickboxing videos or animal flow.

Now, in my very own house, I transform my living room into a home gym. It's more affordable than you think and the only "set up" is moving the coffee table out of the way and rolling out my yoga mat:

The first thing to do is decide what you want to do at home. Maybe you just want to do yoga at home, or maybe you want to be able to do a variety of workouts. My collection consists of:

1) Yoga (P90X yoga, a few Rodney Yee videos, and Wanderlust TV's 21 days of yoga which can be streamed online for about $30 for full access anytime you want)
2) Weight aerobics: I love The Firm and all of their videos but their original ones from the 90's are by far the best workouts I've ever done!
3) Cardio: Cardio-dance-kickboxing fun, I have a collection of Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire DVD's from BeachBody's Chalene Johnson. Totally fun, and I can still manage it in a small space.

Building your home gym
The above workouts are just a small tasting of what's out there. I highly recommend visiting www.collagevideo.com to checkout a variety of workout videos. See what you like - what looks like fun and what you would be interested in doing. Based on what which workouts you want to add to your collection, you can start thinking about the equipment you need.

In general, start with a yoga mat. Something for you to work on, or stretch on. Any mat will do, though I'm in love with "The Mat" from Lululemon as it provides extra grip support and doesn't slip.

If you want to include yoga, invest in yoga blocks. These by far are my favourite accessories. They can help with posture and support, even with just sitting on the ground.

Beyond that, work up slowly with anything. Always start a new workout without any weights at all. Just go through the motions and get used to the new routine. Then work up in weight. Start with 1-3lbs. In the picture above, I have a set of 1 lb hand weights (pink), 3lb dumbbells (black), 5lb dumbbells (green), 7lb dumbbells (silver and pink), and 2lb ankle weights that used to belong to my mom.

The nice thing is that you don't need to buy 3-5 sets of dumbbells all at the start. For most beginners I suggest picking one super light hand weight (1-2 lbs) and one slightly heavier dumbbell (3-5lbs), depending on your physical strength and condition. That's really all you need to start. For a lot of videos and workouts, you might not need any weights at all.

To make things even more affordable, focus solely on body-weight exercises, (or hook up a TRX system). These don't require any hand weights at all, just your own body and your own strength. The goal is to find a routine that you love to do. That way, exercise isn't a chore, it's a part of your daily body maintenance, a fun activity, and part of your everyday life.
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Baby, I've got moves you've never seen...

Lately, I've been feeling like I could just Scorpion all day long. Lift my leg up, twist over, fall into a perfect position, then pull under and do it all over again. Let me explain... I'm talking about moving my body in the most fun and creative way: Like an Animal.

A friend of mine posted a video of Ido Portal on my Facebook page (which I've inserted below) and there was an immediate attraction. It wasn't to Ido himself, but what he was doing. After watching the video all I wanted to do was move. I wanted to move my body just like him. It was as if I had punished my body for so long and this was going to free it. And that statement is a pretty harsh reality seeing as how I do an hour of weight aerobics 4-5 days per week; sometimes looking very similar to Eric Prydz's "Call on me" video - minus the sultry faces and thongs.

I pride myself on activating all muscle groups in a workout... but sadly I was proven wrong. 

I mastered the Beast, practiced my Crab walking, and fell in love with Scorpion. It's just so much fun! You only need to move around for a few minutes before you start to feel it. After 5 minutes, your heart is racing, and after 10 minutes I feel like I've done a workout. The best part: even after I was done, I craved to do it again another day.

The reason being is that I've actually worked out muscles that I don't regularly engage. It was so uplifting and sooo bubbly-making! Here's a preview but don't be discouraged by the first 20 seconds, when you break down each animal move, you realize that you can do this anywhere that you have space. I mean, I even do it for a few minutes in my kitchen while I'm waiting for dinner to cook. 

 

There's something about moving your body around that is just so rewarding. I never knew such a workout existed or that it would be so effective. But the best part is that it doesn't even have to be a workout! Seriously, just give your body a reward every so often and do a couple moves when you can. Like when you're really stiff from sitting on the couch or at your desk for long periods of time. 

"Fitness is a small, small, small world within the universe of movement... a polluted world" - Ido Portal

I'm getting a little tired of fitness gimmicks that trick people into thinking they are a magical solution to losing weight and getting fit. Yes, a healthy diet and exercise will make you feel better and look better, and I would be happy if more people would do anything that was active. But the take home point is not to have unrealistic goals. Just move.  Move and have control over those movements. Move and you will feel amazing.

"If you cannot move your body and control it ... then what business do you have moving other objects outside of yourself?" - Ido Portal.

Ido Portal on Paleo Diet and Movement

Personally, I just go onto YouTube and search Animal Flow for videos and copy what they do, but if you're interested in looking further into the official program, check out this link: http://www.globalbodyweighttraining.com/the-animal-flow-workout-fitness-video/

The other reason why I'm so in love with Animal Flow is simply because it is controlled movement and we forget about that when we're working out. The goal is not to do something as quickly as possible to get through the routine; it's to go slow and have control over your body. If you're lifting weights, lift with control and purpose. Don't let gravity or your weights take control of you, you need to control them. For example, if you're doing a bicep curl, you should be the one to tell that weight when it can be lowered and at what rate, don't let gravity move you.

You also don't want to use weights that are too heavy for you. The third part of why Animal Flow is incredible - YOU DON'T NEED ANY EQUIPMENT OTHER THAN YOUR BODY! Talk about a cost-effective workout!

Now go move!

Exercise as a chore, a "drug" or a lifesaver?

I know I'm not perfect but I am proud of my dedication and will-power. Growing up, I don't think I realized that everyone has a different perception of diet and exercise, and it makes me a little sad. I'm still fairly astounded when I hear of people who don't exercise - ever. Mostly I'm thinking "Do you have any idea what you're missing out on?!"

To me, exercise is like eating - it's a necessity of life, and I can't imagine a life without incorporating even a weekly workout. So I thought it would be important to explain just how amazing exercise truly is.

Seriously, how amazing is this photo from one of my favourite workouts? Susan Harris in the 80's... legwarmers, bodysuits, men with mustaches... Amazing :)

I think we get stuck in the whole "gym" idea. People think that in order to exercise they need to join a gym. Like that's the secret to getting fit for someone who never exercises. "I want to lose 10lbs so I'm joining a gym!" Seriously? A gym is not a weight loss pill and a gym will not force you to attend. They're perfectly happy just to take your money and not see you again, unless they can talk you into personal training sessions and take more of your money. So this is the part when you need to take control over your workout.

I'm not saying that gyms are bad and personal training sessions won't help you. They can be amazing and some people praise their personal trainers, but you have to beware of your expectations. I wish we would get away from the thought that exercising is a chore: You know you have to do it, but you dread it. You psych yourself up to it and you kinda do it, but then the next day you're so proud and content with the fact that you had your exercise and don't go back to it for a while.

I'm the opposite. You can almost say that it's like a drug to me. I need to workout, otherwise I will get very fidgety and restless, just itching to do something active... Like a workout withdrawal. And then there are those days when you push yourself just a tiny bit harder and you wake up with nice sore muscles. It's like they're telling me "Man, we really did work yesterday - good job!" and then your muscles give you a little high-five for being such a trooper. ... at least, that's how I like to think it is.

Maybe you're not up for an hour-long weight aerobics or cardio workout, but start with some great stretching. Get your muscles warmed up. Yoga is amazing for that! You'll increase your flexibility and mentally feel really relaxed afterwards.

Exercising isn't just like a drug to me, but a lifesaver. I can't even count how many times a workout has saved me when I'm feeling my worst. Working out dissolves my PMS and cramping; If I'm feeling angry, I let my aggression out with some kickboxing cardio (thank you Turbo Fire), and if I'm just plain grumpy, or bored, a workout will reset my whole body and mentality.

Everyone should have "me-time". Time when you can block out the rest of the world and focus on you. That's what this does for me. I love my old 80's videos (now on DVD thanks to www.collagevideo.com) and I will do them in whatever space I have.

I think the biggest hiccup is that people say they don't have enough time. I think when it comes to your physical health and your sanity, you need to do what you have to do.

• Wake up earlier. (Just make sure to eat the tiniest bit of something pre-workout)
• Have your kids workout with you (this doesn't always work... my niece always wanted me to pick her up and hold her while I tried to workout and obviously that wouldn't work)
• Have someone watch your kids while you're busy for an hour.
• Have dinner in a slow-cooker and workout as soon as you get home from work (if you're snacking throughout the day, you won't necessarily be starving when you come home. Plus, sitting while commuting can be terrible for your hip flexors among other things)
• Workout on your lunch break (I also used to do this when my work was only a 5 minute drive from home... totally worth it)
• Workout with a friend (that way you have no excuse to miss it)
• Try going to a gym and use your membership fee as an excuse to go there. Get your money's worth!
• Buy a 10-class pass to a yoga or fitness class - again, that way you have to use them up because you already paid for them. 
• Make sure you do something fun or that you enjoy. If you hate the type of workout you're doing, you're not going to want to do it. If it's a video you're doing, make sure you like the instructor. If you're running, make sure you have a sweet-ass music playlist to keep you going. 
• For 30 minutes (or one-hour if you can) be selfish. It's so hard when you have family and friends who count on you, but at the same time, you can't take care of anyone if you're not taking care of yourself. 

I can't stress that last point enough. I've seen it happen far too often with people around me. They work themselves into the ground trying to please or help everyone around them. And these same people maybe think I'm selfish but I don't care. I know how badly I need to take care of myself otherwise I'll be run into the ground too. 30-60 minutes is really a very short splotch of time in a 24-hour day. Do something for you and your body. If you keep up with it, you won't regret it.

For a list of my favourite workouts, check out this link from my website: http://www.thehealthyfox.ca/#!workouts/c24co