It's dark
It's a little cold
It's the season where it's easy to stay in bed that extra hour or put the comfy clothes on as soon as you get home from work
But since when has the easy option been the best?
I guarantee that getting up early for a bit of exercise or heading out for your class after work WILL make you feel better than that extra hour in bed or early night.
Not always and sometimes it's good for the extra sleep or chilled night but at least a couple of times a week get that exercise session in.
2-3 workouts a week is perfect and just trying to be more active each day by walking and moving is all you need to keep up that momentum.
So that could still be 4-5 mornings staying in bed or 4-5 relaxing evenings.
Maintaining your exercise routine is probably the best thing you can do over the winter, don't wait for the clocks to change before trying to be active again.
If you never STOP then you never have to do the hardest thing: START
You don't need to train like an athlete.
Our members this month will be focussing on 2-4 sessions a week.
It's nice and social, it gives them a boost for the day and they can keep on edging closer to their goals without feeling like they have to start again in January.
It'll also give their immune system a massive boost as well as their mental health.
Making them much less likely to get ill over the winter and improve their ability to cope with stress, anxiety, overwhelm and depression.
All for sacrificing anything from 1-3 hours of your week to exercise (literally 1-2% of your week)
What's your excuse if you can't give 1% to yourself for a bit of exercise each week?
Something to think about.
Jamie
A while ago I slipped into a not-so-mindful habit … I was multitasking while I was eating.
And by that I mean, I wasn’t paying attention to the food going into my mouth and instead was focused on [my phone/TV/computer/work].
I know I am not alone in this.
It’s something most of us do almost daily. We do it to save time, keep ourselves entertained, and just out of habit.
But when I realized what was happening - I made a really important connection with my new “habit” and my moods.
That’s because when I was distracted, I barely NOTICED or TASTED anything I was eating.
When you consider that it takes about 20 minutes for our bodies to send “I’m full” cues to your brain, you can quickly see how easy it is to overeat.
Not to mention you end up ignoring how the food makes you FEEL – physically and emotionally.
Plus, instead of eating because we’re hungry, we can start to rely on outside cues like our emotions or because we see or smell tasty foods.
Or even because it’s a certain time (think dessert after dinner even when you’re full), or for entertainment’s sake, or to relieve boredom or other emotions.
This is where mindful eating comes in.
Basically, it’s simply slowing down and really paying attention when you eat.
Here are the basics. Just pick one meal and:
● Turn off the TV and put your phone out of reach.
● Eat slowly, taking time to chew and taste each bite.
● Focus on how your body feels with each bite.
● Stop eating when you’re full.
● And also, before and after you eat, note – without judgment – whether you are truly hungry, and whether what you just ate benefits your health, goals, and your well-being.
When you start to tune in, you’ll probably notice that your habits and food preferences begin to change …
and you’ll begin to make choices that help you feel better and reach your goals faster.
You don’t have to do this with EVERY meal. Just start with one a day and see what happens.
Oh, and stick with it as at first you'll probably feel a bit bored.
To get something different, you have to DO something different!
Jamie
Just a quick post today.
Last Friday was an awesome day.
It wasn't about making sales or hitting any targets like that.
It was a feel good day for me and the members.
We finished the day with nearly 50 of us going our for our Christmas party and having a great time.
Earlier that day though we did something more important.
I've mentioned we were doing a Rowathon a couple of weekends away to raise money for the Llanelli Foodbank.
A load of the members pitched in and either rowed or donated to the cause.
In the end we raised an amazing £782 for the Foodbank!
After a not so quick shop in Aldi we piled up 4 cars full of mince pies, tuna, soup, crisps and much more and took the shopping down to the Foodbank.
Check out the post below by the Foodbank:
I know I'm guilty myself sometimes of always focussing on things like money, success, figures etc so it's nice to take a step back and look around at what's going on and doing our little bit to help.
It was a really proud day for me and makes me appreciate the awesome community we have built at FBL and my aim is to keep growing our community to do more and more year in year out.
Have a happy Wednesday,
Jamie
PS If you did want to join our little community then now is a good time, when you sign up for our January program you get to come in December for free to try out the gym and meet the coaches and members. Just reply with 'January' for more details
