_ It’s been a very interesting start to 2012 to say the least.  I’ve been surrounded with emotions.  Friends.  Friends of friends.  Clients.  So many people expressing so many emotions – and this blog’s for you!

People are bummed after reflecting on 2011.  There’s Christmas aftermath – too much food, too much family, too much spending.   Feelings of loneliness.  Feelings of inadequacy.  Feelings of helplessness about the upcoming year.  Depression.  Thoughts of just ending it all.  Seriously – I’ve heard it all.

Call it what you want.  Label it any catch-all, over diagnosed “disorder” you want.  Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  Shit, call it PTSD.  With the stress that we place on ourselves during the month of December, and the ensuing opening of emotional  floodgates, we pretty much meet all the criteria.  The fact is, it's messed up!

To date, this month has been a real eye opener. 

This time of year isn’t supposed to be like this.  We should be starting off the New Year excited.  Ecstatic.  Refreshed.   Energized.  Invigorated.  Motivated.  Determined.   It’s intended to be the beginning of something new.  Isn’t that why there’s such a big deal made out of New Years’ Eve - a chance for a new start? 

In pretty much all of my discussions with people, I’ve started with ONE thought – ENJOYMENT!  Do things in a way that will keep you happy and where possible remove the superfluous BS from your life.  If you’re not enjoying something, figure out why the hell you’re doing it.

Below are some of the ENJOYABLE Suggestions and Tips that I’ve come up with for beating the blah’s, overcoming the overwhelming and pushing forward into the New Year.


“I just feel so blah.   I  have to get back into the gym.”

My advice:  For the next month get your mind away from what you typically think of as “a workout“(1 hour, 3+  times a week, 3 sets, 10 reps, blah, blah, blah).  The gym is crammed with people looking to “get back into it” and they’re pretty much all doing “typical gym shit”.  Think of movement, and think of enjoying it.  #MovementIsMedicine right?!?!  What have you enjoyed in the past?   Take 30 minutes and move - this is a heck of a lot more manageable than an hour plus, and can be just as productive, if not more.  Whether it’s a walk, a jog, a run, some simple movements or exercises - get the heart rate up a bit and enjoy moving.

 
“I feel like crap after the holidays, I really have to get my diet back on track.”

My advice:  For the next month - enjoy food!  Steer clear of becoming obsessed with calories and fat and numbers.  We know the basics of healthy eating (frequent meals, lots of fruit and veggies, not so much fat, 8 glasses of water).  More damage is done by becoming consumed with - and stressing that we’re not eating the right food, or eating too much, or not eating enough.   North American culture has fucked up our ability to simply enjoy food.  We’re programmed from an early age to finish what’s on our plate rather than listening to our body’s needs.   We’re guided by the Martha’s and the Rachael’s and led to think that everything we prepare has to look extraordinary and taste even better.  TV has taken away from our ability to just enjoy experimenting with food, and our fast-paced, “convenience food” society has failed to expose many of us to Mom’s and Grandma’s preparing meals without a recipe, turning leftovers into solid, hearty and edible meals, and not stressing that everything is “just so” – except for Sunday dinner.  It’s simple, food is supposed to be good and nourishing and enjoyable.  Spend less time thinking about food and more time just enjoying it.  Listen to your body.  Enjoy each bite.  Stop when you feel full. 

 
“I’m just overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.”

As we set off towards reaching our goals we become consumed with a quest for “the best (and fastest) way to do it”.  We Google “How to [insert goal here]” and are hit  with “about 100,000 results”, and begin to plow our way through these only to become more confused with all of the different suggestions and advice that’s out there.  More cardio.  Less cardio, more weights.  Less cardio, less weights, more intervals.  No carb’s.  Low glycemic.  Blood-types.  Shakes.  High intensity.  Super-slow.  Hybrid this.  Isolated that.  GEESH!!

My advice: For the next month, reduce your “input sources” and stop all the reading!  Find one or two sources, preferably the ones that you LIKE the most, and for the next month – this is all you read pertaining to your topic.  Don’t click on the MSN or Yahoo link.  Don’t buy the new book on the subject.  Listen to the mentors that you have chosen but remember that following their advice must be enjoyable.

Yes, I know that this approach may be a bit laissez faire (and my clients are probably sitting there, jaws agape, saying “WTF?”), but a month of a more "enjoyable" approach may just provide you with enough decompression from 2011 to start to look ahead and see the rest of the year unfolding with a little more hope.

_ The human body has an innate need to maintain a relatively constant internal environment and has an amazing ability to maintain this equilibrium.  Every cell, organ and system in the body relies on a stable environment to function and this is accomplished through a number of pre-programmed feedback mechanisms and every system in the body contributes to this “homeostatic” environment.  Receptors throughout the body sense changes in our internal and external environment and send messages to the brain; it responds by telling the appropriate organs to restore equilibrium.  Body temperature, pH, blood sugar, blood pressure, the list goes on and on. 

That’s our inner workings, and it's bloody amazing!

It’s that time of year where we become introspective and begin to set goals and challenges for ourselves (I loathe the term “Resolutions” so avoid using it).  Lose weight.  Run more.  Run farther.  Eat better.  Look better.   Feel better.  Quit this.  Decrease that.  These are great (although in most cases I ask the question “why did you wait until now to start?”)

I was leaving the gym the other day, dressed in my “standard" winter attire of shorts and sneakers (albeit I did have my winter jacket on).  As I was brushing a rather generous dumping of snow off my car I got talking to a lady in the parking lot who was rather excited about the snowfall.  I explained that I didn’t share this excitement, passing it off as me not being “a winter person” and sharing the excuse that I grew up overseas.  As soon as I jumped in my car it hit me and I said to myself, “you f’in dumbass, THAT WAS 18 YEARS AGO!!”

Over the years I’ve talked to a lot of people about change.  Where they’ve come from and where they want to go.  I’ve talked goal-setting and game plans.  I’ve monitored and followed up on their progress.   And amidst these interactions I’ve noticed something – the same thing I caught myself doing the other day - we spend a lot of time and energy focusing on who we were and what we used to do. 

“I used to be this”.  “I used to do that”.  “I used to eat this”.  That’s great!  My question... who are you RIGHT  NOW?  What are you doing RIGHT NOW and is this in sync’ with who you want to be and what you want to achieve? 

You are not defined by your past!

Yeah, you’ve probably learned some valuable lessons along the way – hold onto these and use them as you forge ahead! 

You might not wanna go back to where you were – so don’t!  Set your sights on the road in front of you and follow your plan to get there (if you don’t have a plan – make one)

You might be in a better position than you were (“better shape”, skinnier, happier) – be proud of this dammit!  But don’t get caught using this as an excuse or justification for straying from your current plan to achieve the goals you’ve set (if you don’t have a plan – see above).

The past guides our choices – it doesn’t make our choices for us.  Fixating on the past is like traveling with baggage – the lighter you pack, the easier the journey.

Unlike the inner workings of our body, we do not want to achieve a state of equilibrium.  We want change.  We strive to become better, healthier, happier people (I hope).

Newton's First Law of Motion states “a body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it, and a body in motion at a constant velocity will remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force” (argh... physics).

Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

In order for us to experience the change that we are looking for we have to do SOMETHING, and we have to do something DIFFERENT than we’ve done before.  We need to create an environment of change.  We need to put our bodies under some form of “stress” in order to create this change, much like a diamond is formed from a lump of coal under very high pressure (barf).


Suggestions:

Take ownership.   Reset your scales to today’s values.  Today is your starting point.  Take the lessons you’ve learned from your progress to date and past journeys and use these to plan for your future and stop looking over your shoulder (and as you proceed down your Road of Achievement, don’t forget to reset the scales again – you’re not gonna be the person you are today!)