We just crossed into the 2nd month of the year and I’ve made some solid headway into 4 books so far:
1) The American Healthcare Paradox, by Elizabeth Bradley and Lauren Taylor
2) Founder Farmer Tinker Thief, by Chris Cooper (2nd read through!)
3) Inferno, by Dan Brown
4) Alter Ego Effect, by Todd Herman
I most recently started the Alter Ego Effect and the author, Todd, made an powerful analogy that linked us “regular” humans with professional athletes. We both have to “show up” for a performance. That performance for pro athletes is a game, and their training prepares them for competition. For the rest of us, the performance/game is life, which includes, work, family, and relationships. In fact, we have to “show up” and perform pretty much all the time as compared to our more athletic counterparts. A pro baseball player can sit out due to a busted big toe…. but our kids still wake up at the same time regardless of how little sleep or hungover we are.
The stakes and frequency of having to show up is way higher as a regular functioning adult. Our bosses and clients will still expect the best from us regardless of how tired, sick or hurt we are. Since this is the reality, it’s increasingly important that we focus on reaching our optimal health and fitness.
Eating right and exercising may not necessarily prepare us to hit home runs consistently, but it will increase the likelihood that we can keep up with our family while managing the stresses from work. Here are 5 action steps you can start today that will help you perform your best.
1) Sleep at least 8 hours a night. If that’s a big jump for you, try adding an additional 30 minutes.
2) Eat vegetables and a lean protein at every single meal. Carbs aren’t the enemy, but they are really easy to overeat. General rule of thumb is 1-2 cupped handfuls of minimally processed carbs.
3) Smile. This will help with reducing stress hormones like cortisol. If you can manage stress, you’ll feel so much better.
4) Have fun! Go out and play. This is going to reduce your stress and improve your happiness! In fact, this can also help reduce overall pain levels. Extra points if you reduce or eliminate your alcohol intake.
5) Weight train at least 2-3x per week. Find a routine that will challenge you. Look for a moderate to high intensity training program which will strengthen your muscles and improve your overall health.
*Cardio is good too, but if you’re walking around Hoboken and commuting to the city, you’ve already recieved the heart healthy effects of that activity. It’s also perfect for recovery from workouts!
You push yourself every single day in the office and at home. You deserve to treat yourself like a professional athlete because you always have to perform. It might not be in a sport like basetball or swimming, but you have to be ready all the time in the sport of life. Not sure how to get started on making these changes? Book a free call with a coach today. This 20 minute conversation will discuss your goals, challenges, motivations and come up with the best actionable plan to help you. Click here to book.
Events:
This Saturday, February 8th is our anniversary party. Please join us for a fun community workout at 11am and a party to follow! We’d love to have you around to celebrate with us! Please rsvp at this link so we can make sure we have enough food! Hope to see you there!
If you’re a mom or mom to be, we’ll be hosting a pelvic floor physical therapy seminar on February 29th at 11:15am. This will be after the SLAM Hoboken workout class at 10:15. Learn all about the care for your pelvic floor with Dr. Judith Meer of the Pelvic PT. You can rsvp at this link.
Have a great week,
Ashley
***The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information provided nor will the owner be liable for any accidents, injuries or other damage, howsoever occurring to any person or property arising out of or in any way connected to the use or application of information obtained from this message
