A new season is a fresh start. Whatever has been holding you back let go of so you can move forward and reach your goals. We want you to use this new season to improve instead of trying to be perfect. People often have a goal of perfection in their head…they think their meals have to be perfect and their training has to be perfect. Well, guess what? There is no perfect way to eat or to train. You have to find out what works for you and that takes time! Don't wait to live your life because you aren't "perfect". Your life is RIGHT NOW. It doesn't start when you lose 10 lbs. It doesn't start when you get that promotion. It doesn't start when you have the perfect life.
When people try to be perfect they get so wrapped up in the small details that they end up just not changing anything and continue to live an unhealthy lifestyle. We want you to move more and eat healthy which is why we are so excited to team up with Kohl's on their #MakeYourMove campaign. This campaign is about bringing joy into living a healthy lifestyle instead of it being something that you dread. What you do should energize, enliven, and motive you! It doesn't even take much to get started. What we often recommended to people just starting is to invest in a food scale and a pair "goal" shorts or pants! You will need to use a food scale to weigh your portions until you are comfortable just eyeballing what you should have. We suggest a pair of "goal" shorts or pants so that you have a way to measure your progress other than just the scale. You'll love the feeling when you are able to slip on that pair of shorts you thought you would never wear (Like these pale pink ones that are so cute for spring and summer)!
We are here to help no matter where you are in your journey. We've been on this healthy lifestyle journey for about four years now. We've been successful because we've always thought about this as a journey instead of a destination. We don't have fitness deadlines to meet in terms of competitions or photo shoots, we just continue to live this way because we feel our best when we do. This is not to say that it has been all sunshine and roses either, we've had many ups but also many downs. There have been days when we didn't feel like exercising or preparing healthy food but did so because we know that in order for us to do all of the activities we love we need the proper training and fuel. We also never put mandates on ourselves or try to be perfect which makes the whole process much less stressful!
What energizes, enlivens, and motivates us? Hiking – being in nature and seeing new places. For you that might be running a 5k, or beating a PR in the gym - whatever brings you joy and keeps you moving is what you need to focus on to be successful! When you find something active that you love to do it makes living a healthy lifestyle much easier and it actually becomes something you look forward to.
With the new season and the warmer weather we encourage you to find something that you love to do. While skiing might be out of the question for most of us this time of year there are plenty of other activities to choose from:
- Running
- Walking
- Swimming
- Kayaking
- Paddleboard
- Hiking
- Golf
- Baseball/Softball
- Biking/Mountain Biking
Rethink your cardio routine and choose from the activities above. Find a strength training workout plan that you love (hopefully it's one of ours!) where you can incorporate different styles of training and cardio to keep it interesting. Flexibility training seems to be a hard one for people; some options are to try different yoga and/or Pilates classes or DVDs!
Think about all of the places that your new found love of the outdoors can take you (maybe even Glacier National Park – pictured below)!
P.S. Did you know that Kohl's has a huge active and wellness section full of fitness gear, sporting equipment, and even healthy cooking tools?!
Don't think that just because you didn't get started in January that it's too late. It's never too late to start being the best version of yourself. Start with small changes. Those small changes add up to big lifestyle shifts over time! Most of our goals revolve around hiking since that is our favorite outdoor activity. We've never ran half or full marathons but the feeling after climbing the tallest mountain in the lower 48 (Mount Whitney – see pictures below) was one of the most amazing feelings in the world and just gave us even more drive to conquer more mountains. I wish that I could tell all of you that hiking will be the activity that you love but it may not be. Try a few from the list and start moving (and bring your family along with you!).
Supposedly, there are over 99 switchbacks on the way to the top of Mount Whitney! I didn't count them but that sounds about right!
Our goals for the next few months are to hike as many trails as possible, continue to come up with delicious healthy recipes for you, and enjoy life.
What are your goals for the next few months? What do you do that brings you joy while making you healthier at the same time? How do you plan to #MakeYourMove?