Maybe it's spring fever, maybe it's things are finally back on track and almost business as usual. Whatever the reason I am feeling intensely motivated to do a personal spring cleaning of sorts. It started with the desire to get back to my best shape ever. It's true training for Ironman makes your body lean, increases cardiovascular endurance, and gives you a regular routine that your body needs to be fit. But the long hours of cardio left me short on strength work and flexibility training, not to mention getting the actual recovery and family time I need for the balanced "best shape ever" that I'm looking for. And to be honest since Ironman I've been off track, even for a recovery season. So beginning tomorrow I am going to begin living my own advice, to Be Elefit.
Be Elefit is a program I've created at Trunk Trainers to get down to the basics in feeling good every day, being well and enjoying life. There is so much advice out there, and much of it is counter-productive in my eyes. You don't need to exercise hours per day, cut out whole food groups in a diet, or sacrifice recovery time to get ahead. It doesn't take much to feel really good, but it's hard to know what to do when you don't have time or energy to change the old habits that have lead you to a place you don't like. So here's what I've come up with...
What does it mean to "Be Elefit"? It's simple really.
Number one: Exercise one hour per day. You have to fit it in, although what type of exercise you do depends on your goals. Mine, general fitness and training for the Honolulu Marathon in December. So that will look like 30-60 min of cardio, 30-45 min of strength training depending on the day, and 10-15 minutes of foam rolling, stretching and yoga.
Number two: Eat a whole food, plant based diet. This one is a little trickier when super busy and not always having time to prepare food to go. The plan is oatmeal with fruit, nuts and seeds for breakfast, a veggie/fruit smoothie/apples and peanut butter or veggies/trail mix for snacks, salad and soup for lunch and green veggie, salad, and main dish for dinner. Keep it simple and plan ahead.
Number three: Rest until recovered. That means getting to be on time and paying attention to how you feel waking up in the morning. If you're dragging, go to bed earlier or sleep in the morning when you can instead of getting up and charging it to get more done.
Lastly, but most importantly,
Number four: Put your family first. If everything we do everyday is to benefit the ones we love, yet we take them for granted while we're "getting important stuff done" then we're going to wake up and have missed all of the best parts. So each day I plan to spend quality time with the family, including making more time for my Oregon people, extended family, and especially Jeff. He gets the tail end of the deal and I'm lucky to have a guy that is always by my side, no matter what.
I'm as guilty as the next guy for burning the candle at both ends, taking short cuts at meals and skipping workouts. But I know in my heart if I want to be as healthy as I can and prevent the diseases and conditions associated with lack of exercise and stress I need to get serious about my choices. It was easier to put it out there during Ironman because I knew if I didn't do my workouts, eat well, and get rest I would not be able to do the race. Now that I don't have a big goal, I'm going to need even more help to stay on track.
By putting it out there I'm hoping to be more accountable. Everyone needs accountability, even an Ironmom. If you want to Be Elefit and need help too, let me know. You can reach me at Kelsie@TrunkTrainers.com. It really comes down to having a purpose and having a plan. It really isn't hard when you take the first step...deciding it's time for a change. We're all in this together. Let's enjoy the ride!
Be Elefit is a program I've created at Trunk Trainers to get down to the basics in feeling good every day, being well and enjoying life. There is so much advice out there, and much of it is counter-productive in my eyes. You don't need to exercise hours per day, cut out whole food groups in a diet, or sacrifice recovery time to get ahead. It doesn't take much to feel really good, but it's hard to know what to do when you don't have time or energy to change the old habits that have lead you to a place you don't like. So here's what I've come up with...
What does it mean to "Be Elefit"? It's simple really.
Number one: Exercise one hour per day. You have to fit it in, although what type of exercise you do depends on your goals. Mine, general fitness and training for the Honolulu Marathon in December. So that will look like 30-60 min of cardio, 30-45 min of strength training depending on the day, and 10-15 minutes of foam rolling, stretching and yoga.
Number two: Eat a whole food, plant based diet. This one is a little trickier when super busy and not always having time to prepare food to go. The plan is oatmeal with fruit, nuts and seeds for breakfast, a veggie/fruit smoothie/apples and peanut butter or veggies/trail mix for snacks, salad and soup for lunch and green veggie, salad, and main dish for dinner. Keep it simple and plan ahead.
Number three: Rest until recovered. That means getting to be on time and paying attention to how you feel waking up in the morning. If you're dragging, go to bed earlier or sleep in the morning when you can instead of getting up and charging it to get more done.
Lastly, but most importantly,
Number four: Put your family first. If everything we do everyday is to benefit the ones we love, yet we take them for granted while we're "getting important stuff done" then we're going to wake up and have missed all of the best parts. So each day I plan to spend quality time with the family, including making more time for my Oregon people, extended family, and especially Jeff. He gets the tail end of the deal and I'm lucky to have a guy that is always by my side, no matter what.
I'm as guilty as the next guy for burning the candle at both ends, taking short cuts at meals and skipping workouts. But I know in my heart if I want to be as healthy as I can and prevent the diseases and conditions associated with lack of exercise and stress I need to get serious about my choices. It was easier to put it out there during Ironman because I knew if I didn't do my workouts, eat well, and get rest I would not be able to do the race. Now that I don't have a big goal, I'm going to need even more help to stay on track.
By putting it out there I'm hoping to be more accountable. Everyone needs accountability, even an Ironmom. If you want to Be Elefit and need help too, let me know. You can reach me at Kelsie@TrunkTrainers.com. It really comes down to having a purpose and having a plan. It really isn't hard when you take the first step...deciding it's time for a change. We're all in this together. Let's enjoy the ride!
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