It’s getting to be that time of year again….

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It’s beginning to look a lot like…no not Christmas.  That’s come & gone for the year.  No, this has to do with the ritualistic obsession we have with the NEW YEAR, NEW YOU premise.

We’ve all made them.  You know those resolutions we love to hate, & often negate 2 weeks into the new year.  From tidying up our lives, organizing our finances, to the ever continuing saga of weight, here we go again.

What is so beguiling about this ritual, that we keep doing it over & over, with limited or mixed results?  Is it the idea of a fresh start?  We begin a new day, each & every day.  But few of us see this as a new or fresh start.  We aerate our lungs 12-24 times per minute.  This is rarely seen as a shining beginning.  Yet it is, & if you have ever struggled with breathing or shortness of breath, this is something you really don’t take for granted.

If exercise, cognitive nutrition, or seeing the scale numbers descend instead of ascend are part of your goals, consider this:  What exactly will change?  Perhaps making a list before going to the grocery store?  Meal planning?  Keeping a food diary?  What types of exercise do you find appealing?  If the answer is none, we can talk.  How many times per week can you commit to an exercise routine?  For how long?  Lastly, are you caught up in the trends?  Gluten free?  Low carb, no carb, high protein?  Coconut oil? These are just a few.  I could easily go on for another paragraph, perhaps even another post.

Perhaps, this year IS the year; for whatever you wish to achieve, to finally take shape.  I can tell you this however, it takes more than a little commitment, and answering the above questions.  It takes a change.  Not just effort–change.  Well what does THAT MEAN?

It’s the motto which appears on my logo, as well as the signs on my JEEP.  CHANGE YOUR MIND, NOT JUST YOUR BODY.  For that to occur, SOMETHING has to rise up in you.  And not just rise up, SUSTAIN YOU.  That SOMETHING won’t care whether you ever make it into a size 4 jean, or get into a bikini.  That may be nice, or an added benefit, but it won’t sustain you; at least not in the long-term.  When that SOMETHING takes hold though, you will know it.

Perhaps, it may even prompt you to give me a call, or drop me an email.  After all, it’s what I do.

 

Like what you see?  Then you’ll love what you hear.  LIFE TRAINING WITH CRYSTAL will be going podcast.  I will still continue writing,  This is just another venue, as well as a new venture.  I hope to have it as part of this blog, for easy access.  More to come.

 

Questions?  Comments?  Contact me at serrenity.c@gmail.com

 

 

Last installment of ARE YOU EATING BECAUSE OF WHAT’S EATING YOU?

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This has been a series which for me, is personal.  When I decided to take my nursing expertise from the after thought of health, to the forefront, i.e. PREVENTATIVE, I’ve had little support.  There are those who see this as WHY DON’T YOU STAY IN YOUR LANE, AS A NURSE?  WELL, unless I’m driving, that advice for me does not apply.

Those of you who are struggling with what a sense of health, wellness, illness, exercise, or nutrition means to you, I can help.  However, I don’t do this alone,  If you like what you see, I will soon be adding a DONATE button.  More details to come.  Thank you

Accountability; portion control, or out of control? Not what you think…

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Accountability or liability? They are linked.  Liability for some, fearfully so, puts them on a path to accountability.  The physician, nurse, personal trainer, invests in insurance in case they are sued.  As a nurse, you adhere to standards of practice, in my case the ILLINOIS NURSE PRACTICE ACT, which dictates reasonable care by a nurse, in given circumstances.  Yet insurance as well as that practice act, speak only to legalistic reasons for accountability.

Accountability for some must be dictated; for others it is an innate sense.  It’s a personal compass which guides their actions.

How well does that compass perform when translated to nutrition?  Does it stagger along the spectrum– thinking of food choices as liabilities?  Or does accountability take precedence?  “I’m accountable for my choices; whether it’s the food on my plate, the exercise I skip or do, or whether that extra whipped cream horn is calling my name.”  But I digress.

That continuum is at best for most, a balancing act.

I was recently watching a promo for a weight loss book, on a cooking show.  Sounds a little ironic, but made sense if you saw the show.  What the author said was quite reasonable.  She recommended if you want that candy bar or cream horn, you add 15 minutes of cardio to your routine.  Cookout splurge? Add an extra mile to your walk.  Palate of food combinations?  Had that covered.  She took a paper plate, and divided it with colorful lines, kind of like a pie chart.  It depicted recommended percentages of what should be starches, fruits & veggies, & protein.  I thought it was pretty clever.  All of these ideas are very workable and realistic.

THEN WHAT?

Again, I find these ideas are doable.  They are like breadcrumbs or markers, helping you find your way.  But colorful lines, percentages, adding this or subtracting that staggers between the accountability/liability spectrum. It’s a start–a way to make you more accountable, and put thought into your plate before you put the food in your mouth.  Getting back to my question, however.  Now what?

In my opinion only, this is where many get stuck.  They can’t get off the endless merry-go-round of push this, pull that, eat more fish (yuck!!) eat more protein, this portion is fruit & veggies, no carb, low carb, high fat, low fat….you get the idea.

Very few of us live our lives on portion control.  Those who do, I have found, bust out of their constraints like a double DD cup forced to wear a training bra.  Why?  More often than not, their portion control was out of control.  Their accountability had become a liability.  So you ask “Can you cite any examples Ms. Nurse & Personal Trainer?”

You bet I can.  More to the point, I bet you can too.

 

What is that balance?  How do I find it?  Is this my license to eat whatever, whenever I want?  Tune in next time boys and girls.  We’ll have a sit down and a look-see.

 

All for now.  Keep up and keep at it.

Questions? Comments?  Contact me at serrenity.c@gmail.com