Last week I shared with you a formula that can be used to get a better understanding of why we tend to gain weight as we age….and our ‘metabolism’ was just one of many factors. I think, to date, that was the most popular post I’ve written. I got a lot of positive feedback on it so thank you for everyone that wrote, texted, commented in person etc. I loooove writing these newsletters, and getting feedback from you that you enjoy and get something out of reading them means the world to me.
And so, I introduce the theme for this months newsletters… March is Nutrition Awareness Month and at RHF, we embrace nutrition as being one of the top two pillars of health, along with exercise. And so this month we will be focusing on nutrition at the studio, and sharing our TOP TIPS for eating optimally.
Today I won’t be talking about nutrition specifically but a foundational mindset shift that you may need to adopt, especially if you are struggling to maintain your healthy habits.
But let me take a walk down memory lane for a moment…
I remember years ago when I was a new trainer I had a new client come to me and it was clear that she did not want to be there. She wanted to be anywhere but there. She had worked very hard all of her life and had built a very successful business from the ground up. She had raised her children. She had paid for and designed her perfect home…for all intents and purposes she was at a stage in life where, in her words, she could rest on her laurels. What frustrated her was that she could do that for everything…except for her health.
She loved to eat and drink and she absolutely hated exercise. And the older she got, the more she wanted to just relax and give in to those desires. She had worked hard after all, and deserved to just coast right?
I mean, she was sort of right. We can earn money. Money can be handed down. We can build businesses and houses. We can win the lotto. But we can’t win health. We can only earn it. Even more importantly, unlike a home or a business, we can’t own our health, we rent it and the rent is due Every. Single. Day.
And if we don’t pay our rent? We go into arrears and I get it, catching up can feel like a monumental task.
But I’m sorry to say, there is no secret. There is no hack. The “one thing” that is going to make you successful is that you need to accept the fact that you need to earn the health you have. Especially as you get older.
You pay the rent by pushing through the challenges that come your way. You pay in instalments with every decision you make. You need to pay the rent. You need to pay it every day. And if you pay more than you owe? You’ll get more than you need!
If you want to feel better than average. You need to pay more than the average person. You must do more to become more.
And isn’t that what we all want? We want to be not only capable to do what we want, but to have something left in the tank so we stop when we want to, not when we need to.
And here is the magic with this rent analogy. As much as we all have to pay it, the currency is negotiable. Some people love to run and so they run for their health rent. Some people love to dance. Not a dancer? How about yoga? Skiing? Hiking? Resistance Training? I could go on. The same goes for nutrition. Don’t like kale? That’s ok. How about carrots? Not into chicken? There’s always tofu! There is no hard and fast rule about how you pay it, just that you have to.
And if you can embrace that idea, that we need to be consistent with our nutrition and our exercise, then half the battle is won.
And so, I encourage you, over the next month as I introduce or remind you of some foundational nutrition tips, that you make a decision, if it is something you think will benefit you, make a decision to take it on as a new habit, or not, and then START. Pay a portion of your health rent with that action. Then STICK WITH IT. If you find it isn’t working, don’t just stop, decide if it is something you need to give more time, or perhaps you need to make a new decision of what you need to do differently. Then STICK WITH THAT. Consistency of habit is key.
