Accountability

Some people can decide to make changes in their lifestyle and stay on track. Others find a class or once a week group will keep them accountable. Many people need daily encouragement, inspiration and motivation.

Which category do you find yourself in? Knowing what you need will help you to stay on track and reach your goals!

Accountability is the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions.

In a group setting, everyone helps to keep the other accountable.

When you set goals or desire to make changes in your lifestyle an accountability partner or group will help you to be more successful!

You may want to lose weight, quit smoking, cut down alcohol consumption, cut out sugar, soda or change your nutrition in other ways. Maybe you want to be more active, reach a daily step goal, start a regular exercise or workout routine, get in shape or train for a 5K or triathlon.

It may be that you need to say “no” more, get better organized, build a positive outlook, be present in your relationships or some other lifestyle change.

Whichever your need or goal, being accountable will help you succeed; especially as you change habits during those critical first three months! Change doesn’t happen overnight or in a week or 30 days. You have to choose to keep going. It takes work, commitment, dedication and sometimes sacrifice.

A new habit is built when you can automatically do it. You don’t have to argue with yourself or talk yourself into it or even think about doing it. The new action or way of thinking will be part of your lifestyle, an automatic habit.

Do you think about how you shower? Brush your teeth? Make your coffee? Drive the car to work?

Knowing you need to change, Choosing to make the change, and planning how to make the changes are the first steps.

Is it something that you need to schedule into your day? Make the time that you need. Work on positive self talk. You need to tell yourself that you can do this. You can reach your goals. You can commit. Conquer your mind and it will help you achieve.

Finding a group, class or support person is an important step. If you can’t find a physical, local group or class there are online accountability groups centered around what you want to change or you can start your own.

Remember your support person or group should be positive but you have to agree and be willing to point out to each other when you’re slacking! That is the intent, the idea behind ACCOUNTABILITY! Encourage, motivate and help each other stay on track. Talk about what helps you to be successful and then do it!

What helps you the most when you are first starting? What helps you stay motivated or on track when you have been working on a goal or lifestyle change for a month or two? What do you do when you feel stuck, discouraged or want to give up?

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Indulgence

Indulgence! Decadence! What do you think of?

Over indulging?

Guilty pleasures?

Is it selfish?

Is it healthy?

Decadence is unrestrained or excessive self indulgence.

Self indulgent – indulging ones own desires, passions or whims.

Indulgence is the gratification of a desire or the act of indulging.

Occasionally indulging or being self indulgent can be a good thing. Remember this is a healthy lifestyle blog – so I am not suggesting anything illegal, dangerous or harmful to anyone.

Eating that rich, delicious, favorite dessert – go ahead. When I am on vacation, I binge read or enjoy a reading marathon; whichever terminology you prefer. Some people will watch a whole series/season of a favorite show over a weekend. I have family members that re-watch ALL of the Star Wars or Marvel movies before a new one comes out. I consider this self indulgent.

The once in awhile self indulgence can be a good, healthy thing. Often it is a recovery time, a special weekend, family time, vacation, or girls (guys) night out or weekend. Or a reminder of “why we do not eat our favorite desert too often!” (A Thanksgiving memory of indulging in a full bowl of real whipped cream comes to mind!)

BUT it is important to realize the difference between occasionally indulging, frequently being self indulgent and decadence!

The basic idea behind living a healthy life style is learning self control and practicing it daily by setting yourself up for success with good habits, like scheduled workout times and meal planning and prepping. Decadence is the direct opposite of that ideal.

I like to practice an eighty – twenty lifestyle; which means 80 percent of the time, I make healthy choices in my nutrition, activity/exercise, positive mind set, sleep habits and over all attitude and lifestyle. (mind, body, spirit is my daily focus, tying to make healthy choices each day that effect these aspects of my life.) There are weeks and even months that I succeed at a ninety percent level! Whoo – hoo! Sadly, what usually happens if I stay at that strict level too long – I fall. I don’t just fall for a day or two, but a week or four. The last time, it was over two months! Reality check.

After the falls, I wonder – what set me off? Over the past four years I have realized that if I go too long without a time of indulgence – there will be a major trip, stumble, fall, crash. It doesn’t always have to be favorite foods or deserts. It can be “me time”, pampering, extra self care, vacation, a day of reading – I need those to help keep my healthy lifestyle in check.

A word of advice for your journey, balance is key. A little bit of indulgence is a good thing, just don’t let it become over indulgence or decadence!!! One of the programs that I have done included a ‘cheat day’, which was really a cheat meal or a little indulgence. Great idea! Not a decadence day, but if you were missing your nachos or pizza – that was the day to have a serving. If you wanted desert or a glass of wine – that was the day to enjoy it. Once again, all things in moderation, balance is key. Warning: Don’t jump on the decadence wagon or every day becomes a cheat day and there goes your healthy lifestyle!

Remember, building healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle takes time. It takes work. It takes change. Just because you stumble or fall is NOT a reason to give up. You are worth it and it’s worth it to indulge, just a little bit!

What are your thoughts? Have you ever wondered why after 10 days or two weeks you fall off your diet? Or after a thirty day program within a week or two, you are right back where you started?

Exercise To Stay Active

Be active to stay active! I workout or exercise six days a week for fitness, for good mental and physical health, to feel good about myself, but mostly to keep doing all of the activities that I enjoy doing!

What’s your “why”? My reasons motivate me even when I don’t “feel like it”!

My at home workouts take 30 to 40 minutes each day. My On Demand trainers lead me through cardio, weight training, body weight exercises, stretching, core work, and HIIT workouts. I have upper body, lower body or full body workouts at my fingertips! I love the great variety and that really enables me to be ready for my active lifestyle!

Color Run, 3K & 5K

When an activity comes up that I want to participate in, I like to be mentally and physically ready to enjoy it! I may not run most of or even half of a 3k or 5k, but jogging or fast walking is still great exercise and these usually benefit a charity or non profit organization! It’s a win – win.

Hiking

Great weather, travelling or out of town visitors can mean a little hike! Another great reason to get outside and explore! What’s holding you back from life’s adventures?

Taekwon-Do

We may not get to train as often as we used to, but it’s where we first met and includes many joint experiences and memories for us!

Skiing

Even if I can only get up to the mountain once or twice a year, I want to be physically able to ski however long that we can!

Travel – Grand Canyon

Sightseeing on vacation includes a lot of walking! I am thankful that we are able to do as much as we like! Walking is a great exercise; indoor on a treadmill or a walking track or outdoors! Explore new areas on your daily walks.

Adventures in Mexico – riding on a quad uses a lot of different muscles!

When was the last time you rode a three or four wheeler?

Swimming – I don’t get to swim nearly as often or regularly as I would like, so it’s really important to get regular full body workouts in, so I don’tfeel like I’m dying when I do get to swim some laps!

We like to travel and usually walk a lot on our trips – over 15,000 steps a day in NYC, over 16,000 steps a day in Vegas. I love to garden and be outside. We like to hike and bike and play catch with our Nerf Football! Enjoying a variety of activities can help keep you mentally and physically healthy! Stay active! Stay strong! Stay engaged in life and your community.

Coaching age group swimming includes spending hours every week walking up and down the deck plus coaching dry land training after pool workouts three times a week. I typically travel out of town once a month for a weekend meet and I try to workout at least one of those days, to stick with my healthy routine.

Pre- meet coach talk

Oh, my day job? I teach adaptive P.E and usually get 8,000 – 10,000 steps a day at work. It is a very active and physical job that I need to be in shape for and I love what I do!

Maybe your life is not as physically active or demanding, but what activities that you love to do are you willing to give up in the future because you are no longer physically able?

None! Is my answer. At fifty, I want to do what I can to ensure that I am able to keep doing ALL of my favorite activities for a long, long time!

And that is my “why”! I exercise to continue to lead a fully active lifestyle; to be mentally and physically prepared for life’s challenges! When you know your ‘why’ – it really helps you to stay on track and keep doing what you need to for a healthy lifestyle.

The Need To Get Away

Ahhh, vacation, a time to get away from work and your regular schedule!! Taking time to travel, visit friends or just get away is something that we all need from time to time for a healthy lifestyle!

You may be asking “why does she need a vacation away when she lives at the beach?”

It’s true, we do live on the Central Oregon Coast, where the average temperature is 60*. By winter’s end, we are ready for some warmer temperatures, plus a vacation means getting away from home, our jobs and relaxing with different scenery. We also live in a vacation town and Spring Break is pretty crazy here! Not at all relaxing for the locals.

Outside of Caesar’s Palace

We exited the Monorail and went to check out the Palace. The grounds and architecture are amazing, but nothing compared to the interior of this incredible luxury hotel. If you visit Vegas, at least go in and tour the inside – well worth the time!

And a trip to Las Vegas is relaxing?? ??It’s a great place to visit when you want to see a show and KA at the MGM is a great show. We also stopped by and toured the Neon Light Museum and Boneyard. I may have enjoyed the conversation and points of interest and fun facts by our Uber drivers just as much as the Museum history tour!  We BOTH enjoy relaxing by the pool and soaking up some sun, so that is pretty much a given when we go on most vacations!

Reading by the pool is one of my top three favorites for relaxation!

My ideal vacation choice would pretty  much be a tropical beach, sunny, warm with a comfortable place to stay. It’s always nice to have some amenities (who doesn’t like a visit to the spa or sightseeing) nearby, but I prefer a little quieter area to relax and enjoy a slower pace on vacation.

Whether you like camping, RVing, cruising, road trips or jetting away to your destination – make sure that you plan for vacation time – and then take it! We all need to rest and recover from the very busy, even hectic lives that we lead.

Enjoy those vacation memories!

What have been some of your favorite vacations or places to visit? We are always ready to check out some place new!

Good Habits – The Power Within

“Good intentions, neglected, lead nowhere.” Kelly Balarie from Battle Ready

Each of us has the power to build and maintain good habits. We must take the steps to follow through on those good intentions. Let me share a bit of my journey with you. Morning quiet time is part of my daily routine. It helps to center me, prepare me for the day and help me to keep what is important in focus

Over the past four years, I have been working on building healthy habits that will improve ALL areas of my life. Those of you that see my FB or Instagram posts – see frequent workout posts and positive or motivational quotes.

My daily work out was the first thing that I committed too. I found that it wasn’t always easy to make myself do it. I had to find a way to motivate myself when I didn’t feel like it. So I began to think of ALL of the positive aspects of a workout. Like how good I felt afterwards, the feeling of accomplishment that I had after each completed workout. Being up for less than an hour and already being accomplished! HUGE! The idea that I had control over my fitness and health. I feel better about me when I work out. I have more energy – yes, really!

This led me to seek out positive and motivational quotes that I could reflect on or share with others. Filling yourself with positive thoughts pushes out the negative ones!

I was given a journal that had me write three things that I was grateful for and at the end of the day three good things that happened during the day. For the past three years I have started my day with gratitude. When you are being thankful, it is very difficult to be negative. This positive and grateful outlook has affected many areas of my life. One – I get my feelings hurt less often. I try to spin whatever people say into a positive and my first thought is never that they are being mean or trying to hurt my feelings. Two – I look for the positive in a situation. For example – traffic delays let me enjoy my audio book longer or enjoy the gorgeous ocean views. Three – it is helping me to be more present, slow down and enjoy each day. If you are rushing through every day, you are not enjoying any moments during it!

 

Taking charge of my health and fitness of course includes eating healthier. I try to eat mostly fresh and organic foods. I have an auto immune disease and trying to control inflammation and staying hydrated are very important in keeping the disease process in check. I started eating a gluten free diet about a year and a half ago and now I notice a huge difference when I don’t watch  my diet. I also limit my processed sugar intake and sweets. I want to feel good and take care of my health so that I can be the best version of me. I believe that we need to build healthy habits for good mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health to be a truly healthy person.

Part of keeping mentally healthy is to read and listen to books that help my personal growth and development. I highly recommend The Wow Book and The Compound Effect to anyone and Girl, Wash Your Face to women! I would rather read than watch TV and now that I have a longer commute to work, I frequently listen to a good audio book during my drive time. Filling my thoughts with inspiring, motivational or new ideas helps me to maintain a positive outlook. When we learn, grow and change – life is neither boring or stagnant.

Every day I am thankful first, then I workout. I follow that with water and daily quiet time. I drink a healthy shake/smoothie for breakfast as I get ready for work.

The night before, I lay out my workout clothes and my clothing for work and I make my lunch. Any steps that I can plan ahead to help me stay on track and keep my schedule, I incorporate into my routine. When we make a good routine (habits), we go through the steps without having to take extra time to make a decision. It takes over two months to build a habit. The best way to quit a bad habit is to replace it with a healthy choice or good habit. You have the power to make the changes and build good habits.

How could you improve your morning routine? What areas do you need to improve for your health? Do you get your daily four in?

Giving Back

Serving others. Giving back. Volunteering. Make a difference and find a way to volunteer your time, knowledge, experience – give of yourself to your community!

I see a wide range of volunteers in our schools! I am so thankful for the time that they can give our students. From parents and grandparents, to retired community members, the Coast Guard and other emergency personnel assist with Reading, electronics, math, art, computers, music – they come and share with a class or help students individually!

I spent many years serving in my church in a variety of ways working with children. Whether you call it ministry or service – it is volunteering your time, talents and knowledge.

For about about ten years, I volunteered for our local youth soccer club while my children played soccer. I started as a team mom, coach, referee and then held various spots on the Board for several years. Youth sports do not happen without a variety of volunteers! If your children participate, find a place that you can volunteer!

Whether you volunteer in a community wide clean up, youth sports, hospital, nursing home,library, school, church or some place else – YOU are needed and appreciated! Truly the organizations struggle without your assistance!

Giving back can be a great, life changing experience. I loved coaching in Special Olympics! Those athletes will light up your day, change your attitude, teach you about not giving up, about joy and appreciating every day, every experience! They give back to the volunteers so much! It is a truly rewarding and beneficial experience for all involved!

Once a month we volunteer to cook and serve dinner in a Recovery Program. I love that my husband and I can do this together! We have met a lot of new people and have a really enjoyable time working in the kitchen with our team. Whether you can find a place to volunteer as a couple, a family or individually – take the time and make a difference.

I believe that giving back is a very important part of living a healthy lifestyle! Everyone has something to give and you receive so much in return! When you teach others you learn more. When you help others you change lives, including your own. Serving others helps to balance our own lives and keep life in a better perspective. It is too easy to become self absorbed and focus only on your personal struggles and difficulties, but when you reach out and give of yourself- you grow, you SEE other people and you can make a difference in their lives!

Where can you give back in your community?

Love What You Wear

How can what you wear have anything to do with a healthy lifestyle???

Seriously! We women want to feel good in our clothing, Look good in our clothing and like what we wear!

Have you been asked “does this look good on me?” How often have you asked “does THIS look good on me?”

If I don’t like it it on me, I won’t wear it. If it isn’t comfortable, I won’t wear it. If I think it makes me unattractive in any way – I am not wearing it!

A few years ago, I went through my closet and if I hadn’t worn something in over a year – I got rid of it! I now make that a yearly habit. (at least)

I can’t have too many!

And Decluttering IS part of a healthy lifestyle! Clean out your closet! Clean out your dresser! You may find something that you want to wear again and you might find things that you thought that you got rid of! Cleaning and organizing your closet will give you a great sense of accomplishment and it doesn’t cost anything. There are always several places accepting clothing donations.

I love denim! I wear jeans to work nearly every day. When I don’t know what to wear – I grab jeans or a denim skirt. I love my jeans! They are comfortable! I feel good in them. I like how I look in jeans. Unless it’s hot or I am working out – I am most likely wearing jeans! I love that they are so versatile: I can dress them up or be totally casual. I can work in the yard or go to town! Bonus – my husband loves me in jeans! If I asked him what I should wear, he would say jeans and boots; the shirt depends on the weather. Just one of the many things that I love about him!

I love me some denim!!

I love new jeans! Since I wear them the majority of the time, I can always buy jeans. A denim sale, oh yeah! I can not have too many pair of jeans. Some girls buy shoes, some girls buy purses, some girls buy make up – I buy jeans. Denim skirts, jean shorts, capris, boot cut, straight leg, pixie cut, jeggings, a denim dress and a few denim jackets… And you know the older the denim, the softer and more comfortable it is!

So, what’s your favorite thing to wear? You know, your go to comfort and feel good about how you look? When we feel good about ourselves, when we feel that we look good, we are more positive and that is a HUGE part of a healthy lifestyle! So, yes, it is very important to LOVE what you wear!

When was the last time that you cleaned your closet out or decluttered your dresser! Hint: it’s a great spring project!



I pull my blue jeans on, I pull my ol’ blue jeans on!