3 Rules for Staying on Track

"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." ~Aristotle 

Today, for the most part, I would say that I have a harder time not working out, than I do working out, so I had to ask myself, "Where, and when, did this shift happen?"  I have been overweight for the majority of my life, and I was never any good with nutrition.  It certainly was not over night that this shift happened, but instead, it happened gradually as my lifestyle change became habit, and those habits began to turn into natural behaviors.  However, for the newbie, who's looking to stay on track, who needs some place to start, and needs some guidance, it's impossible to say, "Here you go.  Just do it regularly, and eventually it will happen for you too!"  It would be nice to think that we all have that focus and motivation, but it's just not the case.  For this reason, I'm going to boil it down to three factors that helped (and still help) me stay on track day after day, month after month, until one day I woke up and the idea of eating crap and not working out was just an absolute turn-off.

1.  Have a Plan and Show Up

I don't care if it's hiring a personal trainer and coming up with a schedule, or ordering a program that tells you what DVD to put in that day, you absolutely have to have a plan in order to succeed in your fitness goals.  Actually let me reword that; you absolutely must have a plan in order to succeed with any goals in your life.  Period. End of story.  Need some help with this?  Look into Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Push Program, it has the potential to change your life.  Putting your wishes and dreams out there into the great abyss doesn't accomplish anything. Write down your fitness goals, the steps you are going to have to take to achieve them, and then SHOW UP!  Oh my goodness people, just show up.  Don't feel like working out?  Show up.  Long day and you're tired? Show up.  Favorite show is DVR'd and you really want to watch it?  Show up.  You'll have good workouts, and bad workouts, but either way both of these are better than no workouts.

2.  Nutrition

At least 80% of how we look is determined by what we put in our bodies.  Wouldn't it be delightful if all we had to do was workout five days a week for 30 minutes on the treadmill and then we could get a Big Mac and a large fry and stuff our faces, and still lose weight???  Well, we can't.  Much like working out, you absolutely must have a plan. Know what you're eating, and when you're eating it.  And, don't tell me you don't have time to eat.  Lame. Lame. Lame.  And, total excuse.  Learn how to plan your meals, and learn how to plan your days.  A lot of programs come with nutrition guides.  There are apps for almost everything in the nutrition world.  Educate yourself about how your body works, even if it's on the most basic, elementary level.  Google why hydrogenated oil is bad for you, and what it does to your body.  Once you find out, you'll rethink stuffing your face with fried food.  Utilize your resources and stop making excuses.  One last thing I want to address here is the alignment of diet and exercise.  I've run into this myself, and had friends discuss it with me also.  Why is it that when we work out, we are super conscious of what we eat, but if we skip our workout we'll have no problem eating crap?  Don't let this happen.  Weight loss and maintenance comes down to one thing: calories in vs. calories out.  Pretty simple.

3.  Accountability

Shout it from the roof tops!  When I finally decided that I was going to become a personal trainer, worked on my goals, and created the steps that were going to get me there, I didn't just sit on these pieces of paper.  I posted notes everywhere in my house.  When people used my bathroom, they saw notes on my mirror that said,  "People who succeed have goals, and people who have goals succeed."  I told my mother, husband, friends, co-workers, and of course launched all my new goals and dreams into the Facebook world. When we are accountable to someone other than ourselves, when we have put ourselves out there and there are other people watching if we fail, it makes succeeding a much larger priority.  Plan your weight loss journey with a spouse, family member, or group of friends. Create an accountability group.  In the Beachbody community we create private Facebook Challenge Groups where we share our successes, failures, nutrition tips, etc.  Whatever your avenue, be accountable to someone other than yourself.  This is part of the reason most people want to hire a personal trainer.  Yes, they want someone who knows what exercises to do, in what order, and when, but for the most part, it's that someone is checking in on them to make sure they're staying on track.  When other people are watching us, we feel the need to perform at our best, and we desire to succeed.  

If you do these three activities daily, I promise you that one day, you'll wake up and they'll be second nature.  It won't be something you think about, or struggle with.  You'll wonder how you ever lived any other way.  That slouched, slow-moving, snail-paced life that you once lived will seem like a different person in an alternate universe.  We must first create habits and then turn those habits into a lifestyle.  It can, and will happen.

Keep Strong.  Keep Moving.  KEEP PUSHING PLAY!

Maria

How to Choose Your Yoga Wear: Bikram or Vinyasa

I was recently having a conversation with a friend about yoga, and the different types of yoga there are.  This then led into what to wear while practicing yoga, and I thought it would be amusing to share with you the different things that I have learned.  Being a Beachbody Coach, I have done a few different types of yoga through their programs: Yoga X, X2 Yoga, and One on One's: Fountain of Youth Yoga.  I've also attended a couple Power Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga classes at private studios.  My most recent obsession (by recent I mean a regular practice at least once a week over the last year) is Bikram Yoga.  I was introduced to this yoga by a Groupon deal, visited the Westboro studio, and so began my obsession with all things Bikram, and my yoga crush on my 60-something yoga instructor Ron (he's AMAZING, by the way, so if you're in that area, and want to drop-in on a class, definitely do!).

So, you ask, what does this have to do with what I wear???  Oh, let me start here.  With Vinyasa yoga, especially in your house, you can wear whatever is comfortable, and doesn't interfere with the flow of movements from posture to posture.  As long as you have support (I'm referring to the ladies here), you can wear shorts, long fitted pants, or 3/4 length leggings.  Although a little hotter in a studio, you really don't have to worry too much about varying your out fit from practice in the home, to practice in the studio.  For that reason, a lot of people like the very popular LuLu Lemon.  Cute, light-weight, comfortable, moderate coverage,  and somewhat affordable.  Likewise, sometimes you'll find yourself desiring a yoga chalk bag, or slip-resistant gloves or socks to keep yourself from sliding.

So how does this vary from the required yoga outfit for Bikram?  Let me tell you a story of the first Bikram Yoga class my friend Rachel and I attended.

I was sooooo confident when we walked into this class.  I had been practicing Vinyasa Yoga for almost a year, had hand chalk, a yoga mat, leggings and a t-shirt on.  I brought a small hand towel for sweat, as did Rachel, and we walked into the studio, unrolled our mats and got ready.  I took out my chalk bag, put some on my hands, and offered it to Rachel.  As I did this, the instructor walked into the studio, kind of balked at us and was like, "You must practice Vinyasa.  We don't use that here.  It's not necessary.  Also, you both should go grab a large towel for your mat, you're going to need it."

Well excuse me!  Yeah, I had noticed that the studio was hot and humid, but I didn't realize that half way through the standing postures the 105 degree heat, and 40% humidity was going to turn my mat into a swimming pool of sweat, and cause my outfit to go from feeling light weight, to feeling like I had a 40 pound child hanging off of me.  I remember looking at Rachel at the beginning of the floor series and her picking up her tiny little face cloth and us both laughing out loud.  How ridiculous those tiny towels seemed now!  No wonder why the instructor just laughed at us.  "Yeah, OK ladies, let me know how those teeny tiny little towels work out for you...jackasses!"

For whatever reason, we came back.  Again and again, we came back.  This is what started my obsession with Bikram Yoga Wear.  First it was the perfect towel, and I found this Zenzation two pack, which has worked amazing for the two of us! Then it was clothes.  At first I thought these regular practitioners were crazy for wearing close to nothing in the studio, then I realized that when you practice regularly, it's the only way to be really comfortable.  I wanted in! My favorite is Mika Yoga Wear. Well, this is what happened.  The first top that I ordered looked great on the model, and the reviews led me to believe there was plenty of support for the above B lady.  Well, I wore it to the studio twice, tucked my boobs in the whole time, and never wore it there again!

Beach Wear maybe, Bikram Yoga Wear for larger busted women?  Maybe not!  Even more amusing than that, was when I first got it, and hadn't tried it out at all, and was too excited to wait for my Bikram class.  I put in my Yoga X DVD, set up my mat, got ready, did downward dog, both boobs popped out, my shorts went all the way up my butt and I burst into laughter.  People, all yoga wear is not created equal!

The lesson, one of many, learned here is:  there is yoga wear for Vinyasa Yoga, and there is yoga wear for Bikram Yoga.  They are not necessarily interchangeable!

So, my next Bikram Yoga Wear purchase was much more researched, and way more top-heavy friendly.  I stuck with Mika Yoga Wear, because I'm obsessed with their clothes, but I should share with you that when I placed them on my Christmas wish-list, and my husband came across them, he exclaimed, "Oh, you mean the stripper clothes?!?!"  (Truth be told, Mika also sells attire for pole dancing...so...)

This outfit has been much easier to work in, has way more support, and the top and bottom are super comfortable! Again, I wouldn't recommend trying downward dog in these shorts, unless of course you are indeed pole dancing.  If you decide to climb on into these things as well, you may want to let your significant other know about it before he gets a glimpse of the barely there clothing you have on for yoga class.  It could save you some explanation later.



So all in all, I think what we've learned today is this:  Ashtanga and Bikram are different.  They serve different purposes in the yoga world.  Each has many a great things to offer us, but we need to be wary of what outfits we choose for each practice.  Walk into a Power Yoga Class with booty shorts and a bikini top, and you might actually get some dollar bills thrown at you.  Walk into a Bikram Class with long leggings and a t-shirt, and you may find yourself passed out on the floor, not because you can't breath, but because your clothes are literally too heavy for you to stay standing.  Whatever you choose, be comfortable.  Too little, too much, it's really all relative to what you prefer to have on!

Keep moving.  Keep strong.  KEEP PUSHING PLAY!!!

Maria
www.beachbodycoach.com/MLBARCLAY