Getting Healthy

Before the pandemic I had quite a different approach to nutrition and exercise, which I'm sure is the case for many of you out there. Going to the gym, watching overall what I was eating, and trying to get the hours of sleep that I require to keep sane. Once the pandemic started, like the majority of people around the world, I ordered some basic workout equipment and vowed to keep my physical health in check even if I could not leave the house. That lasted approximately 3 months. Now to what actually became of my life in quarantine. I started eating more processed sugar, not exercising because I was sitting on my butt on the computer, and not sleeping well because of a combination of factors.

Just to give you all a bit of background information, I am a single mom of 2 ten year-old boys, dog mom to 6 dachshunds, and I am also a teacher. This year work has not been exactly easy with the amount of tasks to be done and this has been the main contributing factor to this very drastic change in health consciousness. Now that I am officially off duty at work, my main objective is to re-start my healthy lifestyle once again. To do this I am focusing my energy on a few different things that I think may help you as well so lets brake it down into categories:

Exercise

is key to maintaining our health because of its numerous contributing factors such as the production of those wonderful endorphins that keep us happy and energized, and of course helping us control our body weight and better our appearance which as women I think we can all appreciate. One of the more helpful things I have found in my exercise journey, is having a tool box of resources to help me in case I can't make it to the gym and still really want to get a work out in.

1. Find a good video series on you tube that can helo you get motivated and will limit your workout time enough that it does not feel like an impossible task to accomplish. One of my favorite ones has been Sydney Cummings who has a ton of different videos to focus on different goals you may have for your fitness journey. You can do them by focusing on different areas of your body, full body workouts, or a 30 day program to achieve more specific goals. For her videos I have only had to use a few items that I bought online such as Balance From GoFit All-Purpose Dumbbells in Pair which is a set that has few dumbbells with different weights. You want to be able to change your weights to go higher or lower depending on what you are doing so you don't feel defeated or it gets to easy fo you.

2. Instagram I have also found has quite a few different options for workouts that may fit your time limitations and still offer you a great option to meet your goals. Stef Williams is a woman from the UK that has some great workout programs, videos, and beauty tips that you may find helpful. On her videos on Instagram she uses an exercise ball to work on her very inspiring set of abs. These ball are relatively inexpensive and you can get one like the Trideer Exercise Ball (45-85cm) Extra Thick Yoga Ball Chair which is pretty resistant. I also really like Kaylee Ullom who is also a mom and has shared her impressive transformation process from before her baby girl, during pregnancy story, and post-partum journey which I enjoyed seeing quite a bit. She emphasizes the great effects that weight lifting has had on her physical transformation and for her videos I also purchased a PEACH BANDS Hip Band Set which I love because it is a set of 3 bands and I can choose which one to use according to what exercise I am doing and how much resistance I want.

3. In addition to social media, finding something to do that you actually like doing I believe is the key. If you don't like to work with weights, bands, or gym related training, find something you like. My significant other really enjoys boxing so he bought a boxing sack and found a spot to hang it up which was not that hard. Walking your dog can also be a very effective way to get some exercise in for you and your dog. I also purchased a basketball hoop for my kids because they also were not getting any exercise in during quarantine and let me tell you, it is also a great way to burn some calories and have some family fun. If you want to be more aware of how much you are actually doing during these activities you can get yourself a Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness and Activity Tracker with Built-in GPS, Heart Rate, Sleep & Swim Tracking which can help track a lot of different factors that may help with your fitness journey.

Nutrition

According to Michele Olson, PhD, professor of physical education and exercise science at Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama “As a rule of thumb, weight loss is generally 75 percent diet and 25 percent exercise". I have heard this a few different times and I agree entirely based on my own personal experience. Ten years ago when I first had my twin boys I had very limited time to exercise and found that controlling what I ate became the most effective way to loose that stubborn fat I was left with after having my boys. To this day, when I am more aware of what I eat, I tend to be more satisfied with my body and my overall health as well. I don't think there is one approach that is simply the best for weight loss, but what I do think is that you need to find a way to balance your diet so you don't feel miserable about what you cant eat. To me portion control is what has worked the best, and trying to eat a little of everything to not make myself crazy. Doing some research I found the following article that talks about the quality of the food we consume and how different types of diets can influence the weight loss process and your overall health: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/diet-and-weight/#:~:text=It's%20no%20secret%20that%20the,Less%2C%20weight%20goes%20down.

Hope this helps you along your journey to keep healthy!