NIFS Healthy Living Blog

Cue DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince because it is summer time—FINALLY! This is the time of year when we get to enjoy more sun and more fun, and smiles and laughter are abundant.

With the energy level rising as the temperature rises, we tend to look for new and fun ways to challenge ourselves somehow in our lives: decluttering the house (a must, by the way), updating the landscape, spending more time with the kids, or taking on some kind of physical challenge to help keep you moving forward. 

Tons of events are popping up all around with the arrival of the nice weather, designed to challenge any and all fitness levels. Finding the physical challenge that is right for you is a fantastic way to spice up your current fitness routine and challenge your limits, perceived or actual. 

Besides some of the obvious physical benefits from creating and completing a fitness challenge, such as improved body composition and an increase in strength and endurance, accepting a fitness challenge can provide so much more. Here are just a few.

Inspires You to Return to Your Drive Toward Excellence

It can be easy to lose some fire over the course of a long year. Even the most committed fitness enthusiast (yours truly included) can be unable to find the drive sometimes to stay vigilant in striving to improve. Taking on a new challenge can provide the spark that will reenergize your commitment to excellence.

Establishes a Timeline

One important characteristic of a well-stated goal is to have an established timeline to reach it. Without a specific date for completion, it is not a goal; it is a dream. If the challenge is on a certain date, and you have 6 weeks to train for it, you have yourself a well-defined timeline. This will not only allow you to complete your current challenge, but also hammers home this important concept of a timeline for future goals.

Incorporates New Movements and Modes of Training

If you are planning on taking on a challenge that you have never done before, there’s a very good possibility that you will have to perform brand new movements and adopt a new training idea. This could be just what your body and mind need to push your limits to create new ones.

Creates Powerful Personal Bonds with Fellow Athletes

The power of working with a group of likeminded individuals is colossal and life changing. When you take on a challenge together, the relationship that will be formed is long lasting and built on mutual respect. I have seen countless strangers join together to complete an event or training program, only to become the best of friends and continue to work toward improvement.

This blog was written by Tony Maloney, Health Fitness Specialist and Fitness Center Manager. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

You have heard it over and over again: If you are not swimming, you are missing out on a great low-impact, total-body workout. If you were sore from beating yourself up from running on the roads or lifting earlier in the week, you will find yourself feeling much better after a good swim.

If you are like me, though, swimming is not your first choice of exercise, and you find it hard to find the motivation to get to the pool when there are so many other options that you find more enjoyable. 

I am fortunate enough to have a great group of ladies who are committed to heading over to the IU Natatorium twice a week to get in a good swim session. Swimming is not my favorite fitness activity, but it has grown on me and I know that it has great health and fitness benefits*. So I have convinced myself that I need to do it! Even though we are all very committed and consistent with our swimming, we still try to talk each other out of it.

Common discussion and thoughts before and on our way to the pool:

• Are we really going? Why are going? What if we just go run or bike or lift or do yoga instead?
• I can’t go today. I just went spray tanning.
• I think Starbucks is open?
• Cold walk all the way over there! Can we go to the steam room, sauna, or whirlpool instead (or before)? 
• I really shouldn’t even go until I get my new suit, which will be on its way as soon as I order it.
• Wait, should we check to see if the pool is closed today?
• Am I out of visits? Too bad if I am, because I don’t have my wallet.
• Oh no, there are no empty lanes. Maybe we should do this another time?
• The water is so cold…is this colder than it usually is? Why are we doing this? Can we go get coffee instead? It’s not too late!
• Is the warm pool open today?
• We have been sitting here with our feet in for 15 minutes. If we don’t get in soon, we will have to leave.

• What is the workout again? 
• If I can get through this, I can have coffee after.
• This is hard. I can’t breathe. My arms are tired. Why I am not getting better?
• I kind of need to use the restroom…I think I can hold it…I better just hold it.
• Why do I do this to myself?
• This pool got really hot all of the sudden.
• Wow, I’m getting better at this! I am fast!

• That was great! I feel so much better than I did before we started.
• I am awesome!
• When are we coming back this week?
• What is our next workout? I think I need more speed work next week.
• I really need to buy longer fins and a new swim cap.
• I am going to sleep good tonight.
• I can’t wait for this warm shower and lunch.
• Why do we complain so much? I now understand why people have a hard time committing to exercise. But it feels great at the end!
• Another one in the books!*Weight loss claims and/or individual results vary and are not guaranteed.

Are you excited about your progress thus far in 2020 toward those goals you set back in January?

In a recent post, I discussed Redefining New Year’s Resolutions, and I truly hope that some of the information hit home with you when you determined your course of action this year. 

So how have you fared thus far in accomplishing what you set out to do this year? If you are like most Americans, you would probably answer that question with the frowning-face emoticon. :(

Health and Fitness Goal-Setting by the Numbers

Let’s take a look at some numbers: 

• Only about 4% of Americans write down their goals.
• 45% of people make new year’s resolutions.
• Only 8% of Americans will succeed in their new year’s resolutions
• Check-ins to gyms drop 10% beginning as early as February (according to a two-year Facebook study). 

Unfortunately, the statistics are against us when it comes to seeing our new life solutions (if you read my earlier posts, you know I hate the word “resolutions”) come to fruition. So I ask you again: How are you doing in the first couple of months in 2020 in accomplishing those promises you made yourself? 

Just like any other health and fitness assessment, it’s beneficial to reevaluate your progress in completing those things you felt were pretty important back in January. So let’s take care of some reasons for why you may not be on track to completing your yearly goals. 

Reasons (or Excuses) Why Resolutions Fail: Do Any of These Sound Familiar?

• Didn’t write down your goals.
• That positive mindset you started off with has fizzled and you have traveled back to “Negativetown.”
• Went back to poor sleeping and recovery habits that snowballed into other poor behaviors because you tend to make bad choices when you are “tired and wired.” 
• Maybe you didn’t see fast enough results, and during one of your negative self-talks you figured, “What’s the big deal about enjoying that third piece of cake?” Keeping with that mindset, you repeated the above.
• Don’t have enough time. (This one is my favorite!) You have the same amount of time in the week that more successful people have. So it’s not about time; it’s about prioritization. If you were to say “I suck at managing my life,” that makes a lot more sense than “I don’t have enough time.”

How Do I Get Back on Track?

Hurdles and setbacks are inevitable in anything that we hope to accomplish. The trick is to realize what is not working and do something better! Your life will not change until you change something you do on a daily basis.

• Assess your wellness and prioritize. Your overall health and wellness encompasses every aspect of your life, and each one exists in a delicate balance. With a strong structure of these aspects, you can weather any storm; but if one is out of alignment, you could topple over. Determine which aspects may need some work and focus on them. 
• So maybe goal writing isn’t for you. Choose one powerful word to say to yourself every day. It works; trust me.
• Bottom line: Find a way to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Create a ritual and stick to it.
• Manage your time. Quick math here: There are 24 hours in a day. If you work 8 hours, and if you get 8 hours of sleep, you have 8 remaining hours. How are you spending those hours? Remove the unproductive things, such as surfing the interwebs or watching TV, and use that time working toward your goals.
• De-clutter. If your car, office, and house are full of stuff piled up all over the place, it can make managing your life much more difficult. I will give one example: If your kitchen countertops are full of stuff, how amped are you going to be to cook dinner? Clear out the junk to make room for the jewels! 
• Get a workout buddy to hold you accountable, not one that will take the day off with you at the first sign of struggle. If you need one, let me know, I will be there for you!
• Binge cook: Plan your food, cook your food, and eat your own food!

Don’t let the statistics get you down. You can make 2020 great by being a better manager of your life. Reassess, realign, and reenergize yourself toward achieving your best year yet!

This blog was written by Tony Maloney, Health Fitness Specialist and Fitness Center Manager. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here. This blog as been updated. Original blog was posted on Apr 21, 2015.

If you are anything like me, the new year comes with lots of “I’m going to do this (fill in the blank) better than I did last year,” or “I am starting a new workout plan for the year,” or maybe “My goal this year is to ________.” Then mid-February hits and all those New Year’s habits you planned to start, goals you were working toward, or things you were going to do better on have fallen off the radar.

Together, let’s make this year different than the ones in the past! There are hundreds of articles out there to help you come up with ideas if you are struggling to think of some. For example, Health.com has a list of the top ten healthiest resolutions.

Now let’s make those New Year’s resolutions and make them stick! I came up with some strategies for turning your resolutions into healthy habits.

1. Have a plan. It is important to come up with a plan and put it in place. When you have a plan in place, it’s a lot easier to stay on track than just winging everything and putting it off. Take some time to come up with a weekly or monthly plan to stay on track.
2. Program. Having a program in place helps you to stay focused, on track, and working toward a goal. There are lots of programs out there, or if you do not currently have one, the New Year is a great time to get started with one. NIFS offers personal program building from our Health Fitness Specialists.
3. Commit. This is probably the one area that people struggle with most, and I think that one of the greatest ways to make your habits stick is to be committed! Once you commit to a plan or a schedule, make it a priority and always keep in the back of your mind the commitment you made. Share your goals with friends and family.
4. Be accountable. Figure out what works for you in order to stay accountable. Maybe it’s keeping a calendar where you check off that you did your workout today; maybe it’s finding a friend to report to after your workout; or maybe you can use those wonderful smartphones that we all carry around to help remind you that you need to go to the gym! If you are struggling with getting to the gym on a regular basis, be sure to schedule in that time for yourself.
5. Do not settle for failure. It is easy to not do your workout once or twice, and suddenly you notice it’s been several days! Don’t be okay with slacking; stay on track and be successful.
6. Reward yourself. Who doesn’t like a reward? Don't confuse it with going crazy, but find some way to reward yourself. Maybe it’s one of those yummy sugar-free, no-calorie cookies or a new workout top. It does not matter, but find something that is a special treat for you for staying on track.

Now think of what has worked for you in past years. Use the strategies above and what already works for you to make changes that will stick for the new year to come.

Need help with a fitness plan? The best way to start is with a fitness evaluation. Schedule a free assessment with a NIFS HFS today then develop a plan that works for you!

This blog was written by Amanda Bireline, Health Fitness Specialist. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

It’s that time of year again, the time when most are bombarded with messages of New Year’s resolutions and how to not fail in your health and fitness endeavors this time around. If you ask me, that should be the first red flag, that we have to talk about starting over, again. We will get to that in a bit, but I want to take the conversation in another direction and ask some hard-hitting questions that will hopefully provoke personal evaluation to correct miscues on the road to success.

I’m quite sure I don’t have to give the definition of “insanity” as defined by Albert Einstein, but I will for the sake of those that may need a refresher. The definition of insanity (and not the highly marketable living room workout program) is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So if we approach a new year the same way we always have, we can expect the same results.

This is one explanation for why you receive countless messages from guys like me this time of year on how to avoid this insanity from happening again. But I would like to take another swing at it, from another direction this time. I plan to get real here, and hold nothing back, not to offend anybody, but to awaken and highlight some of the mistakes we make when attempting to bring about change in our lives. SO if you are truly ready to bring about some real change in your life, stick around and answer some questions.

Questions to Ask

It’s time to ask yourself some important questions. These questions may sting a bit, but they need to be answered. Here are some examples:

• Do you wait until January to make a change instead of acting right now?
• Do you neglect evaluating last year’s failures instead of airing your grievances like you do when celebrating Festivus, and determining a course of action from there?
• Do you set a weight-loss/fat-loss goal without knowing the actual cost of being that lean?
• When working toward a weight-loss goal, do you dive into caloric restriction, eliminating entire food groups (such as carbohydrates) instead of adding better choices of that food group?
• Do you have the mindset of giving something up instead of gaining a better behavior?
• Do you keep your goals to yourself, making it easier to give up on them?
• Do you think the harder you work in the gym (with your new membership as of January 1), the more you deserve a “treat” when you get home?
• Are you blind to known hurdles and fail to plan for them?

How to Say Goodbye to Resolutions Forever

Now, if you would like to be able to ignore New Year’s resolution messages for the rest of your life, follow these steps:

• Define the triggers that lead to poor choices: Get your mind right and the rest will follow. If you don’t, you will be right back where you started because you focused on the symptoms and not the problem.
• Focus on behavior changes: For example, it’s behaviors that cause weight gain, not Milky Ways.
• Stay positive: There are going to be bumps in the road, but remain positive about the path. Here’s a take-home strategy for you to try. When you find yourself rehashing your day (with someone or yourself), start by listing at least two positives from the day before listing the flaws of the day. You will find that the conversation and your attitude will take a much different and more positive direction.
• Have a timeline and sense of urgency: Have you heard the saying “a goal is a dream with a deadline”? If there is no deadline, there is no urgency, making it easier to give up on the end result. Have a timeline and work every day to reach that deadline.
• Make the goal scary: Your goal should scare you. If it doesn’t, it’s not big enough! Don’t be afraid to reach further than you can imagine while keeping a level head about what is achievable.
• Ink It: If you think it, you need to ink it. I learned that from Martin Rooney at Training for Warriors. It’s one of the best pieces of advice I have received from him. Write down where you want to be—it’s powerful!
• Look at them daily: After you took the step of writing your goals (I also like to call them “promises”), post them where you will see them on a daily basis. This will keep your daily intentions toward achieving those things you have set out to accomplish.
• Make it public: Tell somebody, anybody, what you want to accomplish. You not only created an accountability partner, you made the goal real by sharing it. Make it real, and then make it happen!

I am a firm believer that one succeeds from failure because they don't make the same mistake twice. If you are tired of starting over, stop making the same mistakes that will inevitably allow you to stumble again. Take this chance to make a fresh start with the process of making a new ending.

Start right with a free fitness assessment of where you currently are and build from there.

This blog was written by Tony Maloney, Health Fitness Specialist and Fitness Center Manager. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.