A Chore to a Blessing

Have you seen my post on Healthy Living Blogs yet? A lot of you seemed to like my post on What to Do About People Who Just Don’t “Get It”, so I’m excited to reach people on other blogs with the same message! If you’ve discovered my blog through that post, welcome!!

Last night I was reading Caitlin’s post about Simon Wheatcroft, a blind runner with an amazing story. It got me thinking about how we view exercising.

Do you think of it as a gift or a burden?  

I’ve always been an active person. I’ve done horseback riding, ice skating, cheerleading, gymnastics and volleyball. I guess you could count soccer too, but I just picked flowers on the field the whole game. I just wasn’t meant to be a professional soccer player. Oh well. I loved being active, but sometimes I just don’t want to work out. And then I realized…it’s all in the mind.

I have two mindsets when it comes to exercise: I’m doing it because I love it and I’m doing it because I have to.

It’s so much easier to get out of your warm bed at 6am to workout if you love it than it is if it’s a chore.

So how do we stop thinking of exercise as a chore? 

1. Change your definition of exercise

Sometimes we get too caught up in what we think we’re supposed to do. I used to think of exercise as running, treadmills and lifting weights. Eventually, I learned there’s so much more we can do to exercise and stay healthy. Do yoga, take a walk, go for a bike ride, hike a new trail, stretch, go swimming, kayaking, anything! Just move. Exercise doesn’t have to revolve around what works for others.

2. Make it fun

We all live busy lives. Take an hour to walk with a friend and catch up on each other’s lives. With all that talking, you won’t even notice how far you’ve gone. Do something new! Switch off with a friend choosing what you will do. One week kayaking, one week hiking, etc. This helps broden your horizons. Who knows, you might discover a new hobby! And please, do something you enjoy. There’s no point in doing something you hate, that would be a chore!

3. Pump up that music

Make an awesome workout playlist on your ipod. Find songs that make you want to get up and jump around!

4. Workout in a new location

You would be surprised how much a change of location can change your mood! Love yoga? Step out of the studio and practice at the park. Love to hike? Find a new trail. Love volleyball or soccer? Try playing at the beach! A new location can completely change your mood and feelings toward activities.

Reading Caitlin’s interview really opened my eyes into how I view my workouts. From this day forward I will treat my ability to exercise as a blessing rather than a chore. I hope you all will read the interview and evaluate how you view your workouts. Enjoy exercising by finding what works for you!

How can you change your attitude towards exercise?

How did you find what works for you? What is it?

What to do About People Who Just Don’t “Get It”

I’m one of those people. People that get excited over trying new recipes, buying new kitchen ware, eating healthy, exercising and spending hours in Whole Foods. I like finding new foods that are super nutritious and working them into healthy meals.

I like eating healthy and exercising. But when I say it out loud, people look at me like I suddenly grew horns out of my head.

“Who actually likes choosing grilled fish over fried chicken strips?”

“Who wakes up at 8 on a weekend just to exercise?”

“Who would rather go to yoga class than to the mall?”

I do.

I try to surround myself with people who have the same values as I do. Who like to take care of themselves and stay healthy. However, there are billions of people in this world. Not everyone is going to have the same values as you. Not everyone is going to care about nutrition and exercise, or health in general. Hanging around people who don’t understand your choices can be difficult. People can be judgemental, jealous, or just plain rude regarding other’s opinions and values.

I try not to eat many processed foods. The only meat I eat is fish, but once in a while that changes. I cut down on sugar. I try to eat as many fruits and vegetables as I can. I try to only eat whole grains.

Am I perfect? No. Are people always supportive of my food choices? No.

We all know someone that is less than supportive of our eating habits. Some people just don’t “get it”. So how do we deal with it?

-Skip the confrontation before it begins:  Eat a small meal before you attend the event. Once you get there, snack on the foods you wish to. If any one questions you, mention that you ate before you arrived. This way, you don’t have to ask the host to go out of their way to make special food for you. Though in my opinion, a good host will know their guests and/or cook foods that anyone can eat.

-Bring your own food: Bring a dish that you know anyone can eat. Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, anything. That way you know you have at least one dish without making anyone else go out of their way.

-Make it a group effort: If someone is constantly bothering you about your exercise or food choices, perhaps they are looking for ways to “healthify” their life but don’t know how. Have a dinner party and invite the friend to cook the healthy meal beforehand with you, it will be easy to bring up healthy living topics while cooking healthy. Invite your friend to take a run or walk with you, or attend a yoga class. Make sure not to force the friend to do anything or make them feel that you think you are “better than them.” This is a friendly way of sharing your knowledge, not a way to show off, but it can be fun to have a few more healthy buddies. Along with that goes…

-Make it a challenge: Challenge yourself and your friends to make a healthy change in your life. Why not all try being vegetarian, vegan, do yoga, run in a race. Do something and challenge yourselves. It’s fun, and you never know what habits might stick with you!

-Join a community that shares your values: Sometimes people are just set in their ways. Their opinions of how you should eat and live might just not change. It’s still okay to be their friend if you choose, but try finding a community where your beliefs aren’t “crazy”. This is why I decided to start blogging. While not everyone will understand why I eat and exercise the way I do, the healthy living community does. Find your place!

I hope these tips help you deal with those who don’t understand your healthy living lifestyle. Keep doing what makes you happy! Sometimes you just have to give in to that milkshake or cheeseburger that’s calling to you.

What do you do about the people who just don’t “get it?”

 

Check out my guest post on Beautiful Busy Bee today. Thanks Maria!

Guest Post: Beautiful Busy Bee

This post is brought to you by Maria from Beautiful Busy Bee. Thanks Maria!

Hi! I’m Maria from Beautiful Busy Bee. I am so glad to be doing a guest post for That Deep Breath. Thanks Jackie!!

First, a little about myself…

I am a teenager living in Austin, Texas.

Track is my sport. I also play flute in the marching band.

My all-time favorite breakfast is French toast.

When I’m bored I play Disney songs on piano,

read Sophie Kinsella novels,

and do Sudokus.

How I stay healthy and happy:

Eating breakfast every single day. If I don’t start the day off right, I’ll feel tired and sluggish all day, not to mention my metabolism won’t have been started up yet.

A tip for non-early birds like myself – plan or fix something the night before!! For example, at night I’ll make some overnight oatmeal or set out a bowl of dry cereal to add milk to in the morning. Five extra minutes of sleep, booyah!!!

Scheduling workouts. Okay, sometimes I plan on waking early and running but then I hear my alarm and the last thing I want to do is to get out of my nice comfortable bed, so I shut off the alarm. But 90% of the time, having some forethought on when I’m going to get some movement in works really well.

A tip for those less inclined to feel the “need” to move – cute workout clothes!!! Sometimes the best way to get yourself out the door for a run/on the bike for a spin/out to the gym is to feel pretty in some adorable sweat sesh wear.

Loving myself!!! I didn’t know the true meaning of retail therapy until I realized that going to the mall and treating myself to a new shirt isn’t about the size of the shirt. It’s about how I feel in the shirt and how I know that it will go great with my confidence.

Last but not least – being healthy is all about feeling healthy!!! Thanks for reading my guest post. I encourage you to check out my own blog, Beautiful Busy Bee.