Imagine a house built without a solid foundation. When the first big storm hits it will be blown apart. Milder storms will rock it on the skimpy stilts.
People like the big wow. We like to watch athletes perform at their best. We are amazed when we see our colleague after losing 50 lbs. But we don’t like watching how their got there. For most, that parts boring.
Athletes spend a lot of time training for the big event. They injure themselves and get back to it. They grind away until becomes second nature. There isn’t much glory in that 95% but it is what allows them to wow us with the other 5%.
Health , fertility, weight loss, fitness – all of these goals require the same basic training. It is the daily grind that will create the foundation so that when life gets crazy (because we know that it will) we won’t fall off the proverbial wagon.
Consider the following your basic training. Your daily list that should take precedence over just about everything:
1. Breath. This seems so simple yet most people don’t take even one full breath a day. Take 10 minutes and just breath. Feel the hairs just below your nostrils move while the air goes in and out.
2. Eat. Again, seems straight forward enough eh? Yet how many of us start the day with a coffee and don’t stop until mid afternoon to put food in our mouths? Stop and take the 10 minutes required to eat three meals a day.
3. Eat food. Once you have the hang of actually eating, try eating actual food. Not the kind of food that comes out of a window, frozen package or plastic/cardboard packaging. Real food like fruit, veggies, fish, barley, rice, nuts and seeds.
4. Move. Exercise is what our bodies are meant for. Walk, ride, take a class or just turn up the radio and have a 15 minute dance party in your living room. It all counts.
5. Rest. Stress and rest build resilience. Stress without rest creates injury and burn out. Getting enough (minimum 7 hours) quality (not waking during the night) sleep is vital to your weight, mood, and overall quality of life.
Once these basics are covered, then you add in some supplements, herbs, acupuncture, and other therapies to augment your health. But until your bases are covered, the rest is just not going to have the impact that you’re hoping for.
