Monday Movement: Avoid Holiday Burnout

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday!  I certainly enjoyed spending time with my son and having the time off from work.  As I was up late on Wednesday night getting my Thanksgiving meal prepped, I was reminded of how it was typical for me to experience burnout this time year.  'Tis the season to be holly, jolly and so bright you burnout?  I'm certain this isn't the intention, but with the changes in schedules due to extra events and activities to celebrate the season, usually with abundance of heavy, sugary foods, it's hard to avoid feeling overwhelmed.  Between completing additional tasks for seasonal activities and a lack of control of my daily schedule, it was easy for me to feel like I just didn't want to participate in any holiday activities.

"There is more to life than increasing it's speed." -- Mahatma Gandhi

I know I'm not the only one who has felt they wanted to disengage from everything when things got busy.  In our fast-paced society, it is pretty common during this time of year.  Let's face it, we spend most of our days reacting to notifications and during the holidays, there are simply more of them.  Add to it the fact that many companies are pushing hard to accomplish year-end goals which may leave you with more stress than usual. If you are not careful ot manage this exponentially increasing stress, you can easily experience burnout.

This is what would happen to me nearly every year.  Just as I felt like I was managing the business of getting my son back into his school-time routine, football practice and game day Saturdays more would be added on with the holidays; travel, shopping, parties, events.  It also seemed routine for my company to plan a project deadline just before the holidays.  I suppose the hope was that engineers would be pushed to get it done so they could relax over the holidays, but the projects were always behind and never actually completed before January!  By the time the holidays hit, I had already been operating at full capacity.  Adding more fuel can certainly make the fire burn brighter, but it can also cause the flame to burnout.

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." -- Sydney J. Harris

There is a difference between stress and burnout.  Burnout hits when you've been operating at high-capacity for a while and haven't given yourself the appropriate relief.  Burnout hits almost overnight.  All of a sudden, you find it hard to get out of bed.  You may find it hard to get to work on time.  You've lost all desire to get things done like you used to.  Most importantly, you avoid engaging with others.  You might be easily distracted when interacting with family and friends you would normally interact with daily.  During the holidays, you start to feel like a scrooge, easily annoyed at all the hustle and bustle going on around you.

Although my Thanksgiving weekend started off a little busier than I would have liked, I'm happy to have noticed that I was heading for burnout if I didn't take heed.  Since I've started focusing on living a healthy lifestyle - eating nutritiously, daily workouts, regular water intake and improved sleep, I am less likely to experience burnout during this time of year than I did in the past.  It's because it's these same "healthy lifestyle" activities that are important for avoiding and relieving symptoms of burnout.

"Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life." -- Marilu Henner

• Get your normal amount of sleep, at least.  It's easy to neglect a little sleep trying to get more done, but we actually need more sleep than usual during the winter months.  As much as we try to ignore mother nature, the shortened daylight hours during winter signal our bodies to hibernate.  Neglecting to get our regular amounts of sleep only add to our stress and feelings of overwhelm.  
  
• Make exercise a priority.  Even though it may be the last thing you feel like doing, exercise is a powerful antidote to stress and burnout.  Research shows that your body creates endogenous endorphins and enkephalins, which are just fancy words for endogenous morphine and endogenous opiates.  Yep!!  Just like the stuff you're thinking of, this helps you feel good and relaxed after your workout!  Not only do your workouts increase your mood, but they also improve your focus.  You don't have to create some elaborate workout routine or get a new gym membership.  You can simply start with taking short walks throughout the day.  If you need a little more of a boost, try a 30-day trial to stream a variety of challenging workouts online.
• Eat a healthy diet.  I know it's challenging during this time of year with over-abundance of treats and sweets, but no that saying "no" to some of this stuff means saying "yes" to enjoying the season!   Your goal is to minimize the foods that adversely effect your moods and energy, like sugar, refined carbs, trans fat and chemicals to name a few.  Choose foods that give you fuel, that boost your brain-power and keep you satiated throughout your busy days, by including more protein and fiber; i.e. lean meats, nuts, legumes, fresh fruits and fresh veggies.  Include more foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, walnuts and flaxseed to name a few. 

• Stay hydrated.  Focus on H2O!  Water keeps your body moving at it's best.  Aim for at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water every day.
• Stick to a routine.  It's definitely a challenge to stick to your regular routine during the holidays, but do your best.  Plan out your weeks so that you're only taking on what you can realistically handle without skipping workouts and any time needed for meal prep.  The more you feel in control of your schedule, the less likely you are to get overwhelmed.

This list is a great start to what has kept me from experiencing burnout during the holidays so that I can truly make great memories while spending invaluable time with family and friends.  It is also helpful in warding off that undesired holiday weight gain.  I find that the years I experience burnout are also the years I've managed to gain the most weight during the holidays.  If you've experienced burnout in the past, I want to challenge you to take a whole new look at how you spend the holidays.  Take time to take control and avoid it this year by taking a little more care for yourself.  I know you can do it!  You are worth it!!

Movement Monday: Take Action Now!

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

We are nearing the end of the month I like to call "No Excuses November" and guess what?! So many people are making excuses about why this isn't a good time to focus on their health.  Especially this week, Thanksgiving week, where most Americans will literally eat themselves into a coma and Thursday and then stress themselves out racking up debt in the spirit of giving.  Sounds a little absurd when put this way, but it's true.


"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do." -- Henry Ford

Many of us are stuck in the same cycle, year after year, vowing to miraculously make a drastic change at the beginning of the year only to find themselves making excuses again in "No Excuses November!"  The thinking that says, "I will start building my ideal future tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year," is fatally flawed.  The future you are going to live is the one you are creating right now at this very moment.

The reality is that every moment counts!  If you truly value what it is you have in this life, you understand the importance of living for today; not tomorrow.  It's important to understand that the results you obtain are a direct byproduct of the actions you take.

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This is a perfect week to start something new.  Today is the perfect day to take action on what you've been wanting for yourself, but have just been pushing it off into the future.  The fact that it's a major holiday week means in the US means your schedule will most likely be different than any other week in the year.  Use this change in your weekly routine to change something in your life.  Here are a few ways you can use this week to your advantage.

Eliminate distraction.  This may seem like a challenge if you are visiting family or family is visiting you, but you'll be the best house guest or hostess if you keep your own needs in mind.  Schedule time to collect your thoughts.  Take a walk, or schedule 5-10 minutes to yourself, even if it means taking a longer than normal shower.

Gain clarity.  It's hard to take action on what it is you want if you really aren't sure what it is you want.  If you've been holding off on taking action for a while, you probably have a million dreams and ideas of what it is you want.  Take time to write them down and get clear on what is a good fit for you.

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage." -- Dale Carnegie

Set priorities.  Often times, there is so much to do, and we have so many great ideas, that we struggle to take massive action on any of them.  We feel overwhelmed with the changes we may feel we need to make.  Instead of targeting everything at once, focus on making 1-3 changes at a time and stick to it.

Avoid perfectionism.  Maybe we think that we can’t move forward with something without it being absolutely perfect. Many people falsely believe the perfect time to do something is somewhere in the future and this future never happens because it doesn't exist.  The perfect time to start is now!  Change is incremental.  Understand that you may not get it right the first time, but you won't know what works for you until you start.  So start now so you can find what will work for you.

Thanksgiving week is a great time to continue to move your life in the direction you want it to go.  I want you to benefit from this week and the biggest benefit of taking action now is the boost it will bring to your confidence.  Our inaction creates doubt and uncertainty. When we don't take action, we start listening to others about why something won’t work.  Lack of action causes us to tune in to the voice in our head that has become a breeding ground for doubt, fear and uncertainty. We become too afraid of focusing on the wrong thing or worry what will happen if we fail, not realizing that we are guaranteeing failure by not taking action now.

Movement Monday: How to Make a Commitment to Yourself

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

Many people believe they know what they want.  They have a desire for the short term -- lose weight, have more energy, make more money, get out of debt, have more fun and the list goes on.  Deciding what you want is the easy part.  Having the desire to improve a part of our lives is the easy part.  Making the commitment to get it done is a completely different story.

"Intent reveals desire; action reveals commitment." -- Dr. Steve Maraboli

This is post is a continuation from last week, so if you haven't checked it out yet, I encourage you to get the details right here so you are not lost.

So why are we afraid to make commitments to ourselves?  After all the results directly affects our own lives.  It would seem that making commitments to oneself would be simple.  Yet, people waiver when it comes to committing to the process of self improvement.

"Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality." -- Abraham Lincoln

So let's talk about how to make and keep commitments period.  I will encourage you to use this to help you with an item you've been wavering on.

1 - Name your fear.

As previously mentioned, most failure to commit to related to fear.  Fear of missing out, fear of losing options, fear of losing your freedom, fear of failure.  So I will first encourage you to ask yourself: what exactly are you afraid of?  What will you be missing out on?  Could it be that your chosen coarse of action to get you to your goal is simply not for you?  What exactly do you fear losing?  Does the reward of reaching your goal trump what you may be leaving behind? Do you fear being trapped and restricted?  Do you not realize that reaching your goal gives you more options which is more freedom?Do you fear not reaching your goal and simply feel safer if you don't even try?  Long term, can you really be happy with that?  Lastly, as mentioned last week, many people have a simple fear of the unknown due to the amygdala.  Luckily there is a portion of the brain that counterbalances the amygdala called the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC lights up when you imagine greatness for yourself in the future.  Your brain grows strong in the area that is used the most.  Unfortunately, while the amygdala seems to strengthen without really thinking about it, we have to intentionally choose to strengthen the PFC.  A great way to do this is daily affirmations.

"Most people fail, not because of lack of desire, but because of lack of commitment." -- Vince Lombardi

2 - Decide to be more decisive  

Indecisiveness becomes a habit over time. Whenever we make a decision about anything, we are committing to it - at least for the time being. If commitment to any decision has been a problem for you, then start practicing being more decisive in lots of small ways.  Realize that indecisiveness is also a decision.  Something will happen whether you actively choose it or not.  A great decision is usually made with less-than-perfect information, along with your brain and your gut. Take time to look at an issue from different angles and then trust yourself to act.

3 - Create a strong desire
In order to fully commit to anything, you need a clear and personally compelling reason.  Without a strong desire, you will struggle when the work gets tough.  Make sure you fully understand what it is you want and most importantly why you want it.  Attempting a life change for someone else will never work.  I've seen it time and time again.  People desiring to lose weight to make their significant other happy.  Someone else's suggestions or comments will never create a strong enough desire to get you through the challenging work of change.

"There is a difference between interest and commitment.  When you're interested in doing something, you only do it when it's convenient.  When you're committed to doing something, you accept no excuses; only results." -- Kenneth Blanchard 

4 - Identify the key actions
It is important to understand which core actions will produce the result you are after.  In most endeavors there are often many activities that help you accomplish your goal.  However there are usually a few key activities that account for a majority of the results.  It is important to identify these activities, because after all, our ultimate goal is to get results.

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” -- Margaret Thatcher

5 - Count the costs
It's true.  Commitments require sacrifice, but in all that effort, there are also benefits and rewards.  Too often we fail to identify the true cost of reaching our goal and this make it difficult to keep our commitments.  Costs to consider include time, money, risk, uncertainty, loss of comfort, and so on.  Identifying the costs before you commit allows you to consciously choose whether you are willing to pay the price of your commitment.  When and if you face any of these anticipated costs, it is helpful to recognize that you foresaw them and previously decided that reaching your goal was worth it.

We are digging deep and working through these steps in my current online health and fitness accountability group.  You can definitely go through it alone, but having the support of a group of people and a coach makes it less scary and more fun!  I will always encourage you to join us at anytime because it's better to start now, than not at all.  Make that commitment to yourself!

Movement Monday: Why Are You Afraid to Commit to Yourself?

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

Many people believe they know what they want.  They have a desire for the short term -- lose weight, have more energy, make more money, get out of debt, have more fun and the list goes on.  Deciding what you want is the easy part.  Having the desire to improve a part of our lives is the easy part.

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." -- Mario Andretti

But like the saying goes, "if it were easy, everyone would do it."  Wanting the improvement is easy, committing to the plan to achieve it is difficult, if not impossible, for most and thus many are stuck in a cycle of continuous desire.  We never attain whatever it is we wish to have or we greatly diminish the outcome, simply because we're afraid to commit to a plan to get us what we want.  Long-term the cycle of wanting and never fully reaching leaves us feeling empty and significantly reduces our self-confidence making us believe that we were never meant to have whatever it was we desired anyway.

As a health and fitness coach and an avid believer of living an intentional life, I see this time and time again with people that come to me for help with weight loss.  Even though I can spot it almost immediately in others lives, I too struggle with a lack of commitment when it comes to going for things I really want.  It led me to wonder why is it so hard for anyone to stick with a plan to help them reach their goal?

"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We all know that it's not enough to have the intention of changing; we have to act on that intention for things to get better.  Many of us know what it is we need to do, but how many of us actually do what we know to do?  Not only must we do what we know to do just once, we must do it consistently.  Consistent action on the planned and critical tasks needed to reach your goal is the key to getting what you want in life.  We must commit to acting consistently and it's that commitment that scares most people.

The term 'commitment-phobe' is typically reserved for people that are afraid to commit to a relationship, but in reality, it applies to everyone who is afraid to make a commitment.  At the heart of all fear is the dread that something might be lost. Noncommittal people in general fear being 'trapped' and losing, as they see it, their freedom.  Someone who has trouble committing may fear losing options, but every decision we make in life, by definition, means losing other options. No matter what you do, there is always another kind of life you could have lived. A commitment-phobe fears making the 'wrong decision'.

"Competing in sports has taught me that if I'm not willing to give 120 percent, somebody else will." -- Warren Farrell

When you are desiring a change in your life, you must make a commitment to the actions that will bring about the change and that 'loss of freedom' is due to that uncomfortable feeling of change.  It is human nature to choose comfortable actions over uncomfortable ones.  In fact, there is a portion of the brain, the amygdala, that reacts negatively when we are facing risks.  It's very helpful in avoiding danger, but when is desiring a better future for yourself dangerous?

The sad part of all of this, is that we sit in this never ending cycle of desiring and never attaining, afraid to make a commitment to ourselves and our dreams.  We believe we know what to do, yet we will not commit to doing it.  Why?

There are several reasons why I believe we choose to neglect our own desires and I promise to dig deeper into them next week.  Do you recognize this fear of commitment to yourself in yourself?  Some tale-tale signs of a fear of commitment:

1. Making the same 'New Year Resolution' every year 
   
2. Losing and regaining a large amount of weight
3. Getting into and out of shape

In the meantime if you can't wait until next week's edition, join me and a few of my friends who are learning how to commit to having a great holiday season in my #fALLDONE group.  Doing something for yourself doesn't have to be scary.  Working through change in a comfortable setting with all the support you desire can make it fun.  You deserve to have everything you desire and in this group, I'm committed to helping you get there.