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This is the first post on Wilde Escape! May as well make it about something I love: health and fitness.
It is very exciting to have a website set up and running. I would like to post weekly, but my work schedule tends to be all over the place (I have both a full-time job and a part-time job).
As a goal, I want to get this website up and make sure everything is functioning. Comments are going to be open on all my blogs in hopes of seeing what people like reading and what you want to see more of.
For this first post, I want to talk about fitness quickly.
It’s an essential part of my life, and I try to remember to do something every day (this can be difficult, but even going for a five-minute walk counts)! Personally, the main focus is being able to adapt to what this crazy life tosses my way.
Want to read more about building lifestyle habits?
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Fitness
I have always wanted to have the ability to do everything I can think of.
Whether that is climbing up the side of the mountain, riding my bike up an epic hill, or helping a friend move.
I like having the feeling that I can get it done. Ensuring I am in the correct mindset and physically fit is very important.
I tend to go all out with what I am doing.
For example, lifting weights, I will do more than my body is ready for.
This always leads to being sore for days on end or, even worse, injury. I recently concluded as you get older, your body doesn’t heal as fast as it used to.
With that in mind, I am starting to slow everything down. Instead of looking at what I want to do right now, I take a step back. I look at what I would like to accomplish and take it a day at a time.
I think of that saying or joke, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is, ‘One bite at a time.’
This has allowed me to listen to my body. To see what is working and what Isn’t. I also used to keep everything to myself.
Guess what!
That isn’t healthy, don’t do that. Once you talk about what is going on, or in this case, workouts, it’s incredible what you can learn. It is crazy how much better it is to talk to someone instead of assuming you know what you are doing.
Ask for help, and if you know what to do, help someone else out.
My First Step – Nutrition
This is something that is the most important thing you should focus on. I have heard and read articles about ‘Abs being made in the kitchen.’ Bla Bla Bla. But I have to say it’s true.
I am one of those that tend to overeat. I would eat until I couldn’t move, and breathing was hard. So then, where should I start? I started with logging my food, but I did it slightly differently than others.
I hated the idea of logging everything I ate. I tried it with a piece of paper for a few days but would forget most of the time. I tried to remember what I ate at the end of the day but never remembered all of it (strangely enough, I only remembered the healthy stuff).
So I started merely taking a picture with my phone. This included everything from water, tasty beverages, and cookies all the way to full meals. This led me to start being slightly more aware of what I put in my mouth daily.
Later, I graduated to keep a food log on my phone (there are free apps that make it so easy). Then, I got a bit crazy and purchased a food scale. I started weighing everything out. After a few weeks, I could estimate most of everything by eye.
Going about the food log this way helped me out a lot. I still pull out the scale occasionally to ensure my estimates are pretty close. It is crazy to find out what an actual serving is. I think you would be surprised too.
I used to snack on food all day long. I started using one fun trick or hack when the urge started. I drink a glass of cold water. After about 10 minutes, most of the time, I’m not ‘hungry’ anymore. I have been told it is one of the ways your body is telling you it needs water.
The focus I have currently is focusing my attention on eating protein and veggies every day.
The Next Step
It might sound strange, but I took a photo of myself. This is something I never do. We are talking about EVER! Even if I am on an excellent trip, I only take pictures of the sights.
I recently started to work on that, so we shall see how that goes. OK, back to a photo of myself. We all understand this. The before/after photos are everywhere. I figured (even if I don’t want to) I look at myself daily.
That makes it pretty darn difficult to see any results. When you take a photo when you start this journey, then again in a few weeks, you see some really crazy results.
I was shocked by my photos from just six months! I also admit it helps to serve as motivation. Once you see where you are and where you are, it is a lot easier to keep going. Not to mention super exciting!
It’s Time to Lift Weights
Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you want to get big or want to tone up. Lifting weights is the way to go.
This is something that has been very interesting to me. I have always gravitated toward dumbbells and kettlebells. They allow me to complete my workouts without having a spotter.
I also feel it is much easier to dump a dumbbell than a barbell if I get into trouble. If you have never used a kettlebell, you are in for an excellent, heart-pounding workout!
Along this same line, I love all bodyweight workouts.
By this, I mean anything that requires me to lift or move my body. I recently got a pair of rings (I also have a TRX, leave a comment below, and I will write a review on this item!), which makes basic push-ups, for example, super tricky.
The best part is that you only need to find a place to hang them. I was recently on a road trip, stopped at a rest stop, and found a place to hang them. People looked at me strangely, but I got into an awesome workout with squats, pull-ups, push-ups, and jumping jacks. And it felt amazing to get in a quick workout.
What Are Your Thought?
There are a lot of times that I eat awful, like cookies, ice cream, overeat way too much food, and more. But I figure if I stay with it, for the most part, all will be good.
There are some programs and apps that I currently use and like. After I get better with the blog stuff, I will update posts with links and the items I use.
This was meant to be a quick blog post. I apologize if it seems it’s all over the place. I will attempt to structure them in the future better. We all need to start somewhere!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. If you want to ask a specific question, feel free to email me. Also, I know that I will read all the comments below. Thanks!
Here is another program that I’ve been using, and it’s awesome!
If you want other options for improving your health, check out this post.