Sweat the Small Stuff

Posted Mar 13 2010 by Jody MacDonald

This article is reprinted from our bi-weekly eZine A Vitasential Life. To get more articles as well as tips, recipes and special offers – plug your e-mail address into the sign-up box on the left of the page.

March is here. It’s a fine time to assess where you are in your quest for vibrant aliveness, aka health.

It’s easy to fall off track when it comes to our health. Quickly getting back on track after vacation and parties isn’t easy, but it is very important to do right away.

If you’re new to it, healthy living may seem a little daunting at times. Aside from not knowing what to do, the main excuses that I hear are not enough time, and healthy living is too expensive.

While getting more hours in a day is not an option – we can use the hours we have more wisely by doing small things that help produce big results.

If you’ve chosen to let your health goals slip off your priority list, that’s entirely up to you. However if it is important to you – DO IT. If it isn’t, then STOP pretending that it is. Making excuses why you can’t is a waste of energy – energy that can better be used towards something that IS important to you. If being healthy is low on your radar, stop beating yourself about it and just move on.

If living in a state of vibrant aliveness IS important to you, ask yourself what it’s going to take for you to pull it off.

Not getting results because you weren’t prepared to do the work is simply settling for less, I don’t know about you…but I think we all deserve the best of everything.

There is no need to get overwhelmed thinking that it’s difficult or complicated. Overhauling your entire life is an option, but not necessarily on everyone’s agenda. Keeping it SIMPLE and making SMALL CHANGES can produce some WONDERFUL RESULTS. Less is more. Get the small things done, and the big things will fall into place. Kind of like the old adage ‘look after the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.’

SMALL SIMPLE STEPS FOR BIG RESULTS

Here are my quick picks:

* HYDRATION:
If you find you can’t remember to drink enough water during the day, fill a large jug each morning (or even the night before). Then sip away all day long. Kick it up with a squeeze of lemon or lime.

* Increase NUTRIENTS:
Sprinkle hemp or chia on oatmeal, on salads and into smoothies. These seeds are loaded with nutrients and fibre. It’s a quick and easy way to get more value out of your meal.
Sprouts are mini powerhouses. Great to snack on, kids love them, add to sandwiches and salads.

* BREAKFAST:
Skipping breakfast will leave you playing catch up all day long. We all know its the most important meal of the day, so it had to find its place here. Its the single most important thing you can do for your health.
Smoothies are my favourite. They’re tasty and easy. Pre-assemble smoothies in freezer containers for a week in advance. Pop into blender in the morning with some greens and you’re off to an energizing start.
Add protein for a meal, or sip alongside a bowl of oats.

* MOVE IT:
Exercising is a big part of health. There are plenty of fast easy ways to get the heart pumping that you can easily work into your daily routine.
Simple ways to get your move back:
walk to work
park further away at the mall
start the day with push ups and a skipping rope
play with friends and family: go for a walk after dinner, play games such as Wii.

* And Don’t Forget to BREATHE:
Take a few moments to breathe deeply and listen to your breath. A few moments each day will help you re-focus. A good breath goes a long way. You could do this right now.

Not a single medal was won at the Olympics last month that wasn’t earned from hard work. Canada didn’t own the gold podium with any one event. You can certainly do a complete renovation, but consistently taking small simple steps will give you long term big results with little effort. Just get out of your own way and get things done. Small steps made into habits will set you up to accomplish all your health goals.
Aim for gold, and don’t settle for anything less than silver.




© 2010 Jody MacDonald, RHN | Vitasential Nutrition. All rights reserved.

If you would like to reprint this article, feel free to do so by attaching the following description: “Jody MacDonald, RHN is the owner of Vitasential Nutrition. This article was featured in her monthly eZine A Vitasential Life. Please visit www.vitasential.ca for more practical information, inspiration and resources to create a life you love from the inside-out and have a lot of fun doing so.”