Everyone's got their things they love about their job. I fell pretty lucky to do what I do. I admit my work comes with some challenges, but I feel my pros list is considerably longer than my cons list! This past week I was reminded of so many of the things I love about my work. I wanted to share these things with you . . .
As we journey along we must continue to check back in with ourselves. Here's a couple of things to take into consideration every now and again.
1. Are we still on the right track? When we begin our journey we set out with a goal in mind. It could be super specific or simple. You could be starting at, I just want to be move without dying. Or perhaps you're saying, I want to get my first pull-up, complete a sub-5:30 Baseline, and move 100# in my front squat. Either way, we've got to check back in on that initial motivation and ask ourselves, is what we are doing effectively working toward that goal? If it is, awesome! If it's not, let's chat about getting you back on course! 2. Do we still care about the things we thought we did? Maybe we are on the right track but one of two things has happened. It could be you maintained course and accomplished what you were working towards. Now that you've checked off that box you may find you don't really care how much you can lift or how fast you can move. Or, maybe you had to compete in a friendly foot race with your strapping, testosterone pumping son and you didn't almost die trying to keep up with him - man your cardio is on point! Now it's time to reassess where to go from here. Do you want to build on those initial goals? Do you want to get more specific and ambitious about a given skill? Or have you found you don't really care about growing in skills - seriously, that is perfectly acceptable - and you just want to focus on moving well regularly. No matter which path it is you want to pursue, you want to make certain you are working at things that matter to you! Taking the time to check in with yourself helps you to acknowledge the progress you've been making - whether you've been able to meet your goals or not, you certainly are not in the same place as when you began! In addition, it keeps us grounded in what matters to us as opposed to getting caught up in what other people are pursuing. Stay true to you and chase the dreams that matter to you! I have things I would love to talk with people about that I am quite certain they are less than interested in hearing about. If you follow the blog much or, even better, get into the garage you've heard me soapbox on these various topics. However, I try not give unsolicited advice to friends and family (and even the occasional stranger). Quite frankly, unsolicited advice is not well received and thus is rather ineffective. Since I don't enjoy tooting my own horn for the sake of hearing it, I just keep my mouth shut. However, this weekend I learned about a dear family friend who is suffering from terrible illness, much of which is due to lifestyle choices. It's heart wrenching. It's even more saddening because much of it could have been prevented with nutrition and exercise. Hear me clearly, I am not dismissing the emotional and behavioral hurdles you face when seeking wellness. However, I will stand on my soapbox and say this, every day we choose the direction of wellness that our bodies will take. We can make choices to aid in increased wellness and we can make choices to aid in decreased wellness. This is a simple fact. It is not up for debate that diet and exercise effect our body. So the hard truth is that each of us have a choice to make regarding nutrition and exercise - a choice that has a significantly larger impact on our long-term wellness than most of us want to realize.
We live in a time and culture where we want things now, we want them with the least amount of resistance, and we want the lowest price. The problem with this is that we will pay down the road and most likely in the cost of medical bills and prescription refills. We no longer question things like childhood diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure - these are normal occurrences. It is not normal though, it is a sign of illness. We don't think twice about heartburn or IBS, these are normal consequences. Yet, it is not normal, it is a sign of illness. We need to stop ignoring and/or placating our symptoms of illness and find real solutions. Preferably long-term solutions. I would suggest to you that many of these "common" ailments are treatable with proper diet and exercise. The question is, are you willing to take the time and make the investment now so that you are not paying in medical bills, sickness, and prescription drugs later? If you're already dealing with these problems, how about taking a hard look at how you are taking care of your body? Is your diet healing and helping you? Or are you fighting against yourself - eating foods that hurt, not getting your body moving, and leaning on drugs to keep your body functioning properly? If you think I'm crazy, you should do some research. We just finished up the Whole 30 in the garage and almost every single participant noted that they found something in their diet that was causing their body strife. These folks are not anomalies. They are normal, everyday people. Eating normal, everyday foods. What they have found is that not all food in the store is helpful. In fact they have found that foods they thought they should be eating were actually hurting them. They have found that diet has a huge impact on how they feel and function. It is common to not give a lot of thought to the discomfort you live with on a regular basis until you experience what living free of that discomfort feels like. On top of all that, I just think life is too amazing and too short to be sidelined by things that are preventable. Tragedy is not preventable, but I can prevent and decrease the chance of various health failures with proper nutrition and exercise. To me this is a no brainer. It does not make it easy, but it is feasible. With a good support network, a little education, and tons of commitment anyone can achieve a stronger, healthier life - for now and later! A friend recently recommended this recipe to me. I'm always looking to add good, hearty soups to the mix as fall sets in. I will confess I was pleasantly surprised by this one, in spite of her glowing reviews I had some serious reservations.
Country Cabbage Soup 2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained 2 cans (28 ounces each) stewed tomatoes 1 medium head of cabbage, shredded 2 large onions, chopped 6 celery ribs, chopped salt and pepper to taste Once you've browned the beef (and drained it) in a large pot, add in the remaining ingredients (except salt and pepper). Bring these to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer it for about 25 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Season to taste. A couple of side notes. First off, I couldn't find stewed tomatoes so I used fire roasted tomatoes. The liquid yield is a bit lower so it was less soupy, but super delicious. Second, I had a yellow onion and a red onion . . . use what you have. Third, the most brilliant thing you could do for this already super easy recipe is throw it in a slow cooker once you've browned and drained the beef. Seriously, you'll be the smartest person in town that day! Milk & Cookies
Fries & Ketchup Mac & Cheese Pork & Beans Bacon & Eggs These are things that go together. Do you want to know what else goes together (spoiler: if you don't you should stop reading now . . . this isn't really a rhetorical question after all)? Exercise & Nutrition If you want to really get your jam on, you should pursue this relationship further. Figure out how exercise and nutrition are working out in your life. Are you making active choices in regard to either of them - or are you haphazardly rolling through life? The secret is when you combine this dynamic duo you will get staggering results. Name your goal and I will explain to you how these two work together to help you achieve that end. If you are growing in this area I'd be glad to help you develop a plan to progress. Perhaps it's changing something simple - like adding 20 minutes of cardio, or dedicating time to lifting, or choosing to decrease processed foods. Starting somewhere is the key. Hit me up to learn more! |
AuthorMy name is Tiffany and I am the owner and trainer at Frank Fitness, a garage gym. I provide workouts to increase/maintain cardiovascular wellness and build strength. My goal is to help athletes maintain life-long wellness. Archives
January 2018
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