This weeks Fitness Gracious post talks about being mindful of how you tackle your journey, and all that you discover along the way!
Let me lay a little fit-for-life lingo on you.
Mindfulness.
According to Mindful.org, mindfulness is, in part, “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing.”
Being actively aware of what I was doing as I started down my new, sustainable fitness journey turned out to be vitally important, especially when tracking my eating. No longer could I just grab a handful of chips when I was hungry and not think about the associated calories, size of that handful, or what comprised the nutritional value. At the same time, I couldn’t allow myself to be a food freak and not allow the occasional glass of wine, beer or piece of sweetness.
Being mindful in body maintenance is a GOOD thing. No one should tell you otherwise. Don’t be swayed by the guy or gal at the bar or the ball game who says, “Hey, you don’t need to worry about the calories in that <insert beer or Dodger dog – I’m writing this as LA plays the D-Backs> – you deserve it!” Of course you deserve it! And you can account for it at the same time in your plan. You deserve good health, too. We only go around this planet once.
Tracking what you eat, what and how you work out, how many glasses of water you drink, your weight, and all ideally in a phone app you carry with you like an extra body appendage, is the easiest vehicle to maintain mindfulness. It isn’t shameful, and it certainly isn’t restrictive. In fact, it’s pretty freeing and educational to know where you stand and how far you need to go to achieve small caloric maintenance victories. Small victories turn into big ones over time (remember, this is a LONG game), in all the important, measurable areas – pounds lost, energy and happy endorphins gained, sleep hours, BMI index, even how you feel after you eat certain foods or exercise in a certain way. Being mindful creates amazing knowledge of your body’s reaction to things, and sense memory for the future.
Being mindful is a team sport. By surrounding myself with people who have similar affinity for my plan or goals in mind, made being mindful all the more top of mind. I probably bugged a few people at first…to which I’m sorry/not sorry.
What are some of the ways you keep your fitness journey on the front lobe? Tell me about it – I’m always looking for tips!
This is such good point and way of expressing mindfulness. When you are really serious about getting fit, the only one you are cheating on is YOU of you don’t count everything. It’s a long journey! Great story! ?
Amen Sister Marcelle! It’s helpful when your friends remind you to be mindful (sounds silly but it’s so true!)