Tag: fitness

Sometimes you need to push the RESET button!

Raina Birden14 Comments

Some of you may have thought I fell off the face of the earth…

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No, I didn’t fall off the earth literally, but I did lose touch with a lot of things. It’s been a rough year to say the least. We all go through difficult times in our lives and dealing with them is unique to each individual. I didn’t deal as well as I thought I might or maybe how I thought I should. I think some of us put pressure on ourselves to rise above the challenges or pain, that’s what I was doing. I don’t recommend it.

The last two years I have put a lot of things off or put minimum effort into them. I have been wrapped up in the emotions that go along with having a parent fighting cancer. As I wrote in a previous blog, my Dad had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Smokers Lung Cancer in 2013. I spent that las two years trying to spend as much time as I could with him. Believe me, I don’t think it was enough. I wanted and needed more time. Not living in the same state made it difficult but not impossible. He lost his fight with cancer November 17th, 2015.

My Dad was an exceptionally strong individual; I had never seen him weaken in my life until that diagnosis. He let it get him down in the beginning, but then he rose to the challenge and was his feisty self again. That’s the Father I knew; he worked so hard at everything he did. He instilled in his children that strong work ethic. He taught me not to give in to fear or failure. When I went to him with my concerns, he always built me up. No matter the mistakes I made, he did not tear me down ever. He gave me advice when I asked for it and yes even when I didn’t ask for it. He was very opinionated. My Dad didn’t go for me just laying down and giving up. He didn’t agree with all my choices in life, but he respected them and supported me. He was my cheerleader even when he wasn’t feeling so great. We had some of our best conversations this last two years. I will miss those conversations. I will miss the many times when I would call him, and he would respond to my “hi Dad” with “hey baby Raina.” I can’t share enough how much I love my Father. He left a legacy of love, commitment, loyalty, integrity, dependability, strength, humor, friendship, and family.

So what does this have to do with a reset? I decided just this last Sunday, after attending our companies yearly kickoff event, I needed to get out of my fog and get back to the things I had set out to do. Get back to writing this blog. Get back to getting in shape. Get back to work! I know my Dad wouldn’t want me just to sit here mourning him and doing nothing. I know he believed in working hard and moving forward in life, and that’s what I am determined to do. I am by no means over grieving the loss of my Father. I know it will continue to hurt my heart. I will go through some very hard days yet to come. A friend of mine had lost her mom and after my Dad died we were having a conversation. Later she sent me a text message saying: “I admire your strength and grateful to have you as a friend.” When I read that, I didn’t feel like I had any strength. Maybe she saw something in me that I didn’t see.  I won’t feel that strength every day, and frankly, I haven’t felt strong until just recently.  A friend of mine said “it is like sitting on a three-legged chair…your sitting totally fine and then all of the sudden the chair falls out from under you! It comes out of nowhere, and sometimes it takes a minute to get back on your chair”. So I know I will have those kinds of days, but I am determined to be the best person I can be, be the daughter my Father was so proud of! I love you, Dad…

It is going to be a great year. I have goals, I have made a plan! I am going to stick with my pland and reach my goals! How about you, do you have a goal for this year? Have you made a plan? No matter what happened last year, you can make this year better! I look forward to connecting with all of you through this blog and on the social media sites, you can find me on Facebook, LinkedIn & Instagram.

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”
―Beverly Sills

 

 

What are your fitness goals?

Raina Birden9 Comments

Diet and exercise

 

It’s January and for many this is the time to make new fitness goals.

This month my husband and I are starting a 30 Day Healthy Eating & Exercise program which is going to be great to recharge us. He had shoulder surgery in November and although he was the one that was unable to do any exercise for the first 6 weeks, I kind of fell off my routine also. I admit I am much better with a workout partner than on my own. 🙂 Do you feel that way too?

This time we are doing the program with a group of friends so we can all encourage one another and keep us on track.

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Here’s a few suggestion to help you achieve your 2015 fitness goals:

When you make fitness goals, you want to make sure the goal is attainable. It will be easier if you start out with small goals first. What can I achieve in 30 days, 60 days & 90 days? To keep on track it is best to reach your first smaller goal in 2-6 weeks. This will help you stay motivated for the long haul.

What will it take to achieve your fitness goal? You need to be realistic about it. If you know you can only work out 3 days a week, but your goal timeline requires you to work out 5 days a week, then you need to adjust your goal to something more realistic. It is best to know what time you can commit and be honest about your fitness level. It’s easy to get discouraged if you don’t.

Make exercise part of your routine. Just as you set aside time for grocery shopping, cleaning house, work, meals and time with the children, set a time aside for exercise. Exercising on the same days and times each week has helped me to keep to a routine. We have busy lives and sometimes you feel you shouldn’t spend time on yourself, but I know from personal experience you are a much happier mother, wife, friend etc… when you do! It is an excellent example for your children too.

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You need to be able to see yourself reaching your goal. Picking a program that you can stick to is very important. Be honest and ask yourself “can I realistically see myself doing what it takes to achieve my goal?” If you can then go for it!

Get a workout partner. If you can’t hire a personal trainer, then find a friend or your spouse to workout with. I have a standing appointment with a girlfriend to hike each week. I love it! It keeps both of us accountable not to mention it’s great to have that time together. The other days of the week I workout with my husband at the gym or we go walking/running. It’s another way to spend quality time with your spouse. I love having and being their personal cheerleaders.

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Hiking with my siblings in Aspen, Colorado.

Make your workouts convenient. Working out is already work so traveling long distances to get to that workout might keep you from staying motivated. To make it easier, find a gym close by, set up a small gym in your home, workout to fitness DVD’s, hike the closest trails or you can walk, run or bike in your own neighborhood. I do the latter a lot, I love being able to walk out my door and start my workout.

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Reward yourself! Rewards are important when setting effective and realistic fitness goals. When you achieve even the small goals reward your achievement! Buy yourself a new magazine, enjoy a long bath, get a massage, or buy a new piece of workout clothing. This will help you to keep striving to reach your next exercise goal. It’s a time to compliment yourself for your hard work. You deserve it!

Don’t be afraid to tweak your fitness goals. Sometimes life gets in the way, we can always jump back in and keep going. 

Being fit and living the “healthy lifestyle” is not just about exercise, you have to support your new fitness habit with eating healthy foods. It’s been said that 80% of your fitness is what you eat, your nutrition. Part of the 30 day system  I mentioned at the beginning contains the nutrition we need to supplement two of our meals with high quality whey protein shakes. Along with those shakes we will have a healthy snacks and a meal each day consisting of:

  • lean meat & fish
  • vegetables and fruit
  • whole grains
  • drinking plenty of water throughout the day

The flexibility of this system allows you to incorporate it into your lifestyle and make changes that last. It is not a one size fits all, the products can be used differently to work in the different stages of your life.

What ever program you choose, just do your best to stick to it. We can’t get the results if we don’t stick to our plan.

Have fun and make 2015 a healthy one!

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live”.                                        ∼ Jim Rohn