Sustainable habits for athletes -
These small things definitely add up over time, and building sustainable habits is the best way to make change and maintain it. We all have certain goals, whether it is to get your first pull up, run a doozy of a distance, or lift some weight.
The habits we have with our training will determine the results we see. Consistency will always win over perfection. I remember there was a final exam in school and I sat in a Caribou for an entire day reading over pages of notes.
The exam went by and it did not go as well as I had hoped. I thought I was so ready for this test. I spent an entire day looking over this stuff. Here, I want to specifically touch on building successful habits with your nutrition and composition goals.
What is sustainable for you? What helps you move towards your goals but still keeps you happy and involved with your friends? Start small- incorporate protein with every meal you have throughout the day. Already have that piece down? Add some veggies with each meal or a handful of greens to keep it simple.
The same rules apply to your training at the gym- find days that work with your schedule that you can consistently go. Things like prepping meals in bulk for the weeks ahead are a huge way to stay consistent with your nutrition. Throwing 5lbs of chicken in a crock pot, baking some sweet potatoes, or making miscellaneous veggies in bulk will make it so much easier to put quality meals together.
The more quality meals we add throughout the week, the more consistent we become and we will see more success. What about other lifestyle pieces that fall outside of nutrition.
How is your sleep? Are you stressed to the max? Are you consistent with showing up to the Athlete Lab to move a little throughout the week? Get out there and move; a sense of accomplishment can be a great motivator for change, you don't have to start big just aim for consistency.
Practicing self-care isn't always a priority as we get busy with work, social life, and more, make time to check in with yourself and show yourself some love.
If we aren't taking care of ourselves then how can we expect to make good choices or enjoy the present moment?
The WHO outlines self-care as the "ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of health care providers" Self-Care interventions in health care have been recognized as an essential part of multidimensional health plans and pivotal in the management of chronic diseases, including mental health Self-care comes in many forms, having a sleep routine, meditation, going to the gym, even brushing your teeth is a form of dental hygiene which can be considered self-care.
When we practice more self-care we learn to advocate for our own health, increase our awareness and accountability, set better boundaries, and cultivate a mindset based on our values and beliefs. Sleep is crucial to restoring your system and gives your body and mind a break; not only is the amount of sleep you get important but the quality of sleep matters as well.
Not getting enough sleep or getting poor sleep can increase the amount of perceived stress your body is under, which increases inflammation and may influence the development of a variety of disorders including hypertension , obesity , type-2 diabetes , impaired immune functioning , mood disorders , and neurological disorders 13, Sleep deprivation also increases hunger and food intake, especially our desire for simple carbohydrates like junk food and salty snacks; this may be due to alterations in our reward and pleasure response to food The National Sleep Foundation recommends the average adult needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night.
Practice good sleep hygiene and make your bed a sacred space for rejuvenation and quality rest. Being even mildly dehydrated can negatively impact brain function, mood, heart health, and energy levels And while you can get water from food and other beverages, there is no better source than water itself.
Beyond water being essential for our functioning and health any other beverages we drink throughout the day coffee, soft drinks, flavored beverages may contain excess energy, sugars, and other ingredients harmful to our health goals.
The average person should consume a minimum of half their body weight in ounces. So a pound person ideally would drink 75 ounces of water minimum a day. Understanding the 'why' and 'how' behind your hunger cues can allow you to connect back to your natural intuition and find freedom in food while prioritizing your health and wellness.
Mindless eating can include eating when you are full, snacking until you get bloated, or eating things just because they are in your line of sight. Strict dieting or food restriction can also warp our mindset in the same way as compulsive or mindless eating.
This kind of unconscious eating may contribute to the development of eating disorders, obesity, and obesity-related conditions such as heart disease , stroke, type 2 diabetes , and certain types of cancer 18 , Build a healthy relationship with food by including these practices as a part of a comprehensive wellness program that includes other lifestyle modifications such as mind-body therapies and exercise; body, mind, and spirit should all be addressed.
If you are struggling to stay motivated for your workouts it may be time to switch things up a bit. Just as our bodies require working different muscle groups to stay in peak shape, our minds also need some change in stimulation to keep us motivated.
Frame your fitness and exercise as a celebration of what your body can do not a punishment for decisions made. There are goals for every occasion, and people rarely have the same one.
Not to mention your goals change over time. You may have started out wanting to lose fat or build strength, but maybe now you just require regular workouts to feel good and reduce stress.
If you don't have to drive out of your way to get some exercise, try a home workout regime or find a fitness center on your way home from the office. Figure out how to fit your fitness plan into your daily life with ease, and sticking to it will become a whole lot easier.
Try out a variety of workouts from strength training, boxing, HIIT training, cycling, pilates, and more! Want more motivation? Download this free week workout plan for fat loss. Complete with everything you need to burn fat, lose fat, and get toned in 90 days - includes weight training and endurance.
It's easier to stick to healthy habits and build new life-changing rituals like exercise or eating right when you're around other people trying to better their health as well. Surrounding yourself with a community that is motivating, supportive, and positive will help you sustain motivation when things get tough and also inspire you to keep setting goals aligned with your vision of health and wellness.
You can also get more support and advice by turning to others who are working on similar goals or who have already been on their own health journey for some time now.
Get connected with like-minded individuals on Facebook groups or through other community channels. There is no denying that experiencing gratitude and appreciation tends to foster positive feelings, which in turn contributes to our overall happiness, decreased depression, and increased satisfaction with ourselves and life An easy way to practice gratitude is to make a gratitude list.
You can also channel more positive thinking by turning to something that makes you happy. This could be a person, a funny video, a favorite song, or an image.
When times get tough, consider keeping this positive keepsake close by to remind yourself to think happier thoughts. Gratitude is a powerful tool to help us cultivate healthy lifestyles and make positive choices. Social media can be a great tool for motivation, but sometimes it can also end up making you feel pretty down on yourself if you're not consciously choosing who or what you follow.
Follow social media that aligns with your health and wellness goals for inspiration and positive mindset. It's easy to make changes for a couple of days in a row, the hard work lies in making these changes stick for the long haul.
This is also how you get results, by being consistent - repeating the same behaviors for an extended period of time. Creating routines for the morning or bedtime can help us become more consistent in our habits and creates opportunities to stack health habits on top of each other.
The first few seconds you have in the morning upon waking up can make or break the tone of your day. If you wake up and immediately start to think about all the negative or things you have to do, you'll probably feel less motivated to get out of bed; strive to wake up and think about what you appreciate going into your day.
Even a simple thought of "Everything is always working out for me" or "today I will feel happy" can shift you into a new perspective. The same is true when getting ready for bed. Screen time, busy days, and outside distractions may make it hard to unwind and truly get ready for some quality sleep.
Carve out time before bed for self-care and use tools like meditation, deep breathing, reading or whatever works for you to relax. Building a positive and restorative morning and bedtime routine can help you stick to a growth mindset and healthy lifestyle. Becoming aware of the thoughts and feelings we have is half the battle of shifting to a more beneficial mindset.
Consciousness or awareness is a powerful tool, simply put it's the act of being conscious of something or an action. When we practice being more mindful and aware we are able to assess our wellness in all areas of our life and work through stressful situations in healthier ways.
Research suggests that mindfulness increases our psychological well-being by reducing unwanted symptoms and emotional reactivity through improved regulation of behavior Our body is an ecosystem of interconnected and multi-directional processes, mindfulness practices may also positively impact our psychological well-being as the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction programs on the body are still undergoing evaluation Mindfulness helps us break free from reactive habit patterns and liberate us from unwanted actions.
Stretching should be a common practice for everyone but it's often overlooked or missed even by people who train hard daily. Regular stretching does more than protect our mobility, it can also reduce stress, body aches, improve our posture, promote circulation, and decrease the risk of low-back pain.
Aim to stretch minutes daily for least three to four days a week to reap the rewards of stretching because stretching once doesn't make much of a difference, it's continually stretching overtime where we see the most benefits.
There are many varieties of stretching. Practicing regular meditation or yoga is thought to help us snap out of impulsive thoughts in our day-to-day and stay focused on the task at hand. Regular stretching helps protect our mobility, keeping our muscles strong and healthy by maintaining a range of motion in our joints and maintaining proper balance Alcohol and smoking can have big impacts on our health, which is why most health care providers would agree that reducing your consumption of alcohol and cessation of smoking is always a healthier choice.
Overconsumption and abuse of alcohol play a role in the development of a variety of medical problems including cardiovascular diseases, liver cirrhosis, and contributes to injuries, automobile collisions, and more 26, According to the CDC, cigarette smoking causes diminished overall health, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, lung disease, cancer, and harms nearly every organ of the body No matter what your health goals are, reducing or removing alcohol and smoking from your lifestyle can benefit your health We want things because we know what we don't want, but when we get caught up in fact we don't have it right this instance or haven't gotten a hang of a new habit as much as we wanted to, our inner critic may act up.
Give yourself a break, and show yourself some compassion. Life can be challenging, and the least we can do is give ourselves a big ole hug and remember to take things one step at a time. What's that saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day" and "everybody starts somewhere"; this is a process and all that matters right now is your commitment to yourself and how you feel.
When negative thoughts or feelings come up in our journey practice forgiveness and non-judgment; health and wellness is a continual process, not a destination. Did you know in Japan they practice "forest bathing". Shinrin-Yoku SY , or forest bathing, is the practice of immersing oneself in nature by mindfully using all five senses There is growing evidence to suggest that spending time outdoors and in natural environments may benefit our immune system function, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and induce mental relaxation 31, 32, Whether it's a minute walk in the morning or a quick walk on your lunch break, getting outside in fresh air will help your mindset and mood.
Knowing how to celebrate our wins and learn from our losses is crucial to reevaluating our goals and pivoting when getting discouraged or needing to make a change.
Celebrating your wins, even the small stuff, can help you learn to appreciate where you are now in your journey and remind you that this is a process. The same can be said with celebrating your losses, that's right, I said celebrate your losses and failures.
Without our failures or losses, we probably would never be motivated to do anything; we often figure out what we want by knowing what we don't want.
If you find your inner critic acting up when you fall short or are feeling defeated this is a beautiful moment for some inner-work:. Learn to get comfortable with your feelings of failure and you can overcome almost anything; these moments are here to show us our strengths and help build sustainable and healthy goals.
Self-care also includes time to do things you enjoy and have fun with, or learning something new! There is the saying, "you can't pour from an empty cup"; if you are constantly moving through life with the mindset of I "have-to" or "should" then it might be time for you to add in some activities just for the joy of having fun.
Adults need recess too. When we take time to schedule activities for the sake of pleasure and simple enjoyment we are consciously choosing things that feed our soul and rejuvenate us.
Everyone has their own version of fun; fun could be hanging out with your partner, friends, co-workers, pet, or kids. Fun may be dressing up for holidays, hiking outdoors, playing a board game, learning something new, or gardening. Whatever fun is for you, give yourself permission to have fun and enjoy yourself, there doesn't need to be any bigger point to the activity beyond that.
Athletes are yabits trying to minimize their impact Body toning exercises the environment—and athletic events and brands are taking habit. Boxed Sustainable habits for athletes brands have zthletes up Sustainable habits for athletes race finish lines. Companies Sustainabe HydraPak are making hydration better for the environment. Of course, reducing your carbon footprint comes in many forms. Choose concentrated products like powders or tablets, which can be mixed into reusable bottles. Skenderian, a runner and marketing executive at Boston-based event company Conventures, which plans the Boston Marathon Expo. The same goes for unworn race shirts or lightly-worn apparel you no longer use.
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