What to do When You Skip Fitness for a Lack of Time

Why can’t I find time to exercise?

I hear this from clients. And recently, when I wanted to skip some stretching, I heard it from myself.

In the video below I share about my yoga-class-gone-bad experience and the lessons you can use.

How to apply the Pain vs. Pleasure Principle

In everything in your life, you run on the pain vs pleasure principle. The return on investment of any activity - including fitness - needs to be pleasure in the moment and fulfilling now or, at least, soon.

To increase your pleasure and enjoyment of a fitness lifestyle, ask yourself three questions.

• What do you like to do on vacation?

• What activities make you lose track of time?

• What makes you come alive?

Let’s put these questions to use.

1. What do you like to do on vacation?

Do you love road trips to see new things?

Then going to the same gym, doing the same workout, seeing the same people may get boring quickly.

Colorado Road Trip

You need to change up your routine, working out one day at the gym, another day at the park, one day at home.  Doing an exercise class one day and meeting a friend to walk another day.  On the weekend going to a park you’ve never seen for a long hike.

Perhaps you prefer heading to the ocean; alternating between strolling the beach and reading a book?

Walking the Beach at Navarre Florida

Then you may enjoy walks in the park or taking your stretching mat by a stream on the weekend for a long stretching session.

2. What activities make you lose track of time?

Do you forget where you are when you are woodworking, painting or playing with a craft project? When I am organizing something, I can go for hours and it feels like minutes.

Is it sitting and looking at nature that absorbs you?  If that’s you, definitely include outdoor workouts.

Before a new client and I commit to work with each other, we talk to see what their needs are and how I can help.  In one of these recent sessions, a woman shared that she loves being with people but hates being out in nature.  So a dance session with her grandkids or a yoga class is more her style than a walk at the park.  

3. What makes you come alive?

• Physical movement?

• Learning something new?

• Interacting with people?

• Art?

• Music?

For me, physical movement and learning both make me come alive.  Stretching does not involve much movement, which may be why I find it boring.  But…if I put on a podcast or audiobook to learn – it helps.

If you love art and music, make sure you have some of your favorite art in your home gym and your favorite music playing.

Putting this together with my own example, why was taking the class easier?

• It is in a different location than my home

• It is a long session of movement with short holds, vs how I usually stretch alone which a few minutes here and there and is long holds.

• I’m learning something new each time from the instructor.

In addition to these questions, I have a fantastic Fitness Personality Quiz for you. 

It will help you identify your fitness personality and, based on that, what fitness activities you will enjoy most.

Email me at sheri@thevireolife.com and I will get the quiz to you.

How to Think About the ILLNESS WELLNESS Continuum

To reach your potential and have more energy, you need to understand the Wellness Continuum.

Wellness is not just the absence of disease or disease-risk. I’ve learned it can also be experienced despite disease.

This is good news.

Because no matter if you are in perfect health or struggling with a medical issue, you can grow your wellness.

What is Wellness?

Wellness encompasses your physical health - and your mental and emotional health, too.

John Travis, M.D., developed the Illness - Health - Wellness Continuum in 1972. As a continuum, it is not static. You can move up and down on the scale.

• The closer to disease you go, the more signs and symptoms your have.

• The closer to health and wellness you go, the more energy and vibrancy of life you enjoy.

However, after years of working with clients, I have seen that there is something outside the traditional Illness - Wellness Continuum.

It is when a friend with chronic pain still thrives in life, even competing in ultra-marathons.

Or when a client manages post-cancer issues and becomes more vibrant and stronger in every area of wellness.

Is there better Wellness Continuum?

After years of experience, I decided to experiment with re-drawing the Wellness Continuum to illustrate what I’ve seen better motivates clients. True, no simplified illustration captures every facet of a concept.

Dr. Travis’s version created a solid foundation to think about wellness. Watch the video to learn how my re-vision of it can motivate you.

No matter what your health status, know that you can improve your wellness with small daily steps:

• Alternate standing and sitting when you work

• Go for a walk each day for fresh air and sunshine

• Drink more water. Drink less of, well, everything else

• Practice mindfulness, meditation, and other stress management techniques

• Stay connected with friends

• Disconnect from social media periodically

• Eat a Powerful Plate

• Eat mindfully and intuitively

Don’t let a diagnosis discourage you. You can improve your wellness. No matter what.

How to Focus so Your Fitness Goals Actually Work

You’ve set this New Years Resolutions before. Get Healthy This Year.

Why hasn’t it happened? More important — how can you set this year’s resolution so it actually works?

I’m excited to share with you how. And the answer has evolved into a Three Part Mini-Course.

For this week and the next two, set aside a few minutes to watch the video. And … invest a few minutes to implement what I share.

You will be at a better place in a short time when you do.

So, what’s the first essential piece to fitness goals that stick?

FOCUS.

You have a lot you want to accomplish this New Year. That is fantastic!

But when you try to start everything at once, it backfires.

Why do you need to Focus on only a few new fitness goals at once? Because every goal has several mini-experiments.

One of my clients set a goal to workout every day. She thought "Hey, mornings will be great to hop on my bike and start my day." By mid-afternoon she was low energy and felt behind in her work. She knew, intuitively, her work out needed to move to the afternoon. She would accomplish her creative tasks in the morning, enjoy a mid-afternoon workout to lift her energy again, and be ready for a fun evening.

Had she started changing her routine, workout, cooking, meditation, bedtime, supplements, meal times, and five other fitness habits all at the same time, it would not have been clear what wasn't working. She would not have had clarity on what to alter.

Once she found the workout time that clicked, then - and only then - was she ready to focus on the next goal.

She thought about what could work. She tested it and noticed what happened. She adjusted.

Remember those steps as you FOCUS on a healthy habit: Think. Notice. Adjust.

Focus on starting one to three (max) new activities. Think. Notice. Adjust.

Then celebrate your progress!

Stay focused in 2022. One goal at a time.

Mindful Eating Meditation

Do you leave the holiday meals miserable or content?

A few days ago I was talking with a client about his desire for food to be a place of celebration, not a source of suffering.

It is possible.

It starts with a simple, powerful practice. This practice will shift how you see yourself in relation to food.

You will increase your desire for what you want. Doing what you want will be easier.

What's this practice?

Visualization.

Here’s a “just follow along” guided meditation to make it easier to eat well.

For a “make your own” visualization, try these basics:

1. Think about how you want to feel, physically and emotionally, after eating.

2. Picture your mealtime or party. See yourself making the choices you want. See yourself enjoying the food and stopping when you are no longer hungry.

3. How will you feel? Sense the peaceful and joyful emotions and being proud of yourself after eating.

You can visualize anytime - while you are brushing your teeth, shaving, or as you go sleep ...

The key? Practice daily.

What to Do When You Lose Focus

Losing focus. Feeling scattered.

Thinking “I can’t do this”.

These keep you from easily experiencing a healthy life.

I caught up with my friend, Mridu Parikh, a focus and productivity expert. She shared some simple and powerful ideas.

I asked her …

1. So many things seem urgent. How do you stay focused on what’s important?

2. What causes mental drain and how do you deal with it?

3. If you get off focus, how do you get back on?

(And, yes, I ‘fess up to how I really got off focus last week. Her answer was an ah-ha for me.)

Listen in for some great inspiration and solutions!

P.S. Get Mridu’s freebies over at www.lifeisorganized.com/resources and subscribe to her podcast: Productivity on Purpose.

P.S.S. In the video, I mentioned my upcoming Break Free Retreat. Register here. Use the Early Bird promo code EARLYBFR until Tuesday, September 7th.

Three Ways Your Friends Make It Easier to Be Healthy

You don’t have to change your friends so you can make healthier choices. But you do need to ask a few friends to help you in these three ways.

How do you decide which friends to ask?

Listen in and you’ll learn the four critical traits of friends who are supporting you.

If you don’t have a community with these four critical traits, then you need join me for my Break Free Retreat. It is a women’s only retreat. (Sorry, guys.)

The retreat is a powerful time to develop friendships with women who are on your same journey and can offer the support you need to succeed.

Here’s your details on the retreat. Feel free to email me any questions at sheri@thevireolife.com

Use this Visualization to Improve Your Health

Visualizing is a simple, powerful tool to make it easier to improve your health.

It does not take hours a day. But it does take consistency.

So here’s your fun challenge.

Over the 7 days, invest a few minutes each day listening to this video and intentionally picturing yourself healthier.

Let me know your results!

Want more ideas to Break Free into healthier habits?

Click here for details on my upcoming Break Free Retreat.

Surprising Motivation to make Healthier Choices

Is not making healthier choices really hurting you?

You know it can harm your health long-term. But health is easy to put off until tomorrow.

When you are getting motivated to make healthier decisions, you need about 90% “sugar” and 10% “salt” mixed in your motivation.

Keep reading and watching. This 10% will help you. I promise.

Discover the ways that your choices help or hurt you.

Self-esteem and confidence. Immediately.

For example, I stay trapped in a bad relationship with food -- false shame and guilt, dieting, going hungry then sneak eating and binge eating.

It wasn’t just about what I ate or didn’t eat.  It was a self-made prison that ate away at my self-esteem.

A client wanted to lose weight to help his confidence.  In reality, after his first workout he text me “got in my 1st workout.  My ego feels great!” 

Just keeping your word to yourself boosts your confidence.

In the video I share how your choices about health habits impact your decisions in relationships.

And I get personal. Really personal.

Another way you are hurt by unhealthy choices:  Money.

Yes, long term medical bills.

But immediately - wasted money.

That gym membership you don’t use?  Wasted money.

A client showed me a fully equipped workout room which was never used (until she started coaching with me).  That money was being thrown away.

If you want to break out of the traps that keep you making unhealthy habits, get registered for my Break Free Retreat.

It’s a ladies only retreat (sorry gents).

Click here for more info and to register.

Too tired or stressed? Do this.

I was recently talking with a friend who is a master at getting people free from over-tired and over-stressed. We chatted about how when our clients come to us they struggle to have time for exercise and eating healthy. They are tired and stressed.

Then, after working with us, they are focused on only doing what they do best and aren’t overwhelmed anymore.

What’s so funny is that we serve our clients in vastly different ways!

I coach.

She’s a virtual assistant!

So we talked about the importance of delegating and how to figure out what to delegate and what not to delegate. And then decided “Hey, this is good stuff. Let’s record our conversation and share it.”

But, here’s the deal. Just because we think it is a conversation you need, doesn’t mean it is, right? Please let me know if …

(a) you love this interview format and want tons more

(b) you enjoy it and want interviews occasionally

(c) nah, you’d rather just stick to me sharing with you

Comment or email me your thoughts.

What's holding you back?

Is it fear of what others will think about how you eat (or don’t eat)?

Is it a co-worker who looks at you weird when you walk at lunch?

You are not alone.

I’ve faced this at family gathering, work parties, and in the work breakroom. I’d stretch instead of just standing there, and wow, people thought I was weird.

Interesting though, that other people starting taking my lead. Guess what? They will take your lead, too and you will inspire them through your own healthy choices.

You win. They win.

So, unleash your courage and stop holding back.

Change Your Greatest Limiting Belief

Discover today how to overcome the most self limiting belief you have. It keeps you from living the healthy lifestyle you desire.

It is a simple switch.

I know from experience it takes effort to shift to the truth. I also know it is worth it.

Easy and Surprising Way to Improve Your Personality

Being healthy is only one reason to choose healthy habits.

You will improve your character and personality traits along the way.

You likely have a trait you want to strengthen. Maybe it is to be more assertive and confident. Maybe you want to be more creative.

But practicing a new way of being can be, well, risky.

Want to be more assertive and negotiate for a raise? That can be scary.

Trying to be more creative in a challenging project? What happens if you get stuck and fail?

You aren’t alone.

Here’s how five people, just like you, used Health Habits as a “training ground” for personality traits.

One client wants to be more assertive. Intuitive Eating is helping her to ask for what she really wants in the safe area of “where to eat dinner.”

Another wanted to improve his confidence for business meetings. Getting to the gym boosted his esteem, before he lost any weight.

The book The Millionaire Mind lists fitness, exercise, health, eating well, energy habits - as all vital to develop discipline, stress management, focus, and ability to take risk.

Another client increased his creativity by going against the workout norms and creating his own routine.

And yours truly? I’ve been working on mindfulness for a year or so. Intuitive Eating is a safe and fun way to practice being present.

How to choose healthy habits? That’s what this whole site is about.

If you want to speed up the process and stop wasting efforts, email me (sheri@thevireolife.com) and let’s chat. We’ll personalize your plan.

Best Way to Stop Triggering a Bad Habit

Last Sunday and Monday I experienced very different days, and it was because of one choice.

For Sunday lunch I chose to eat my lunch (a “healthy salad”) rushed between church and a friend’s right-after-church wedding.  Out of the plastic container I’d brought it in.  Standing.  Hunched over, shoveling it in.  Distracted.

Sound familiar?

The rest of the afternoon I felt chaotic, tense, had poor posture.  It was just, well, yuck.

For Monday breakfast, lunch, and dinner I got out the nice china, sat “properly” at the table, and ate slowly.  All day I was relaxed, focused, productive, and had good posture.

One choice triggered multiple results.

Remember Newton’s 3rd Law “Every action creates an equal and opposite reaction”? 

In the world of your habits, every action creates multiplied and amplified reactions.

Pay attention to the “domino effect.”  Think about the last time you ate dinner while watching a movie, got mentally charged up, then slept poorly, so your appetite was increased the next day.

It’s time to try a different approach.

What is the bad habit you want to break?  Don’t focus on that habit.  Find the trigger; find the step that happens BEFORE the habit and focus on it.

I had two triggers before my rushed eating on Sunday. 

1.  I failed to have a plate for my salad.  So the container encouraged chaotic eating. 

2.  I was telling myself “I’ve only got 10 minutes” instead of reminding myself “I’ll eat what I have time for now; I won’t starve; I can finish it after the wedding” which I had to anyway.)

If you always eat ice cream every night before bed, what comes first?  

If you plan your workout for after work, but then always find yourself on the sofa instead, what comes before sitting on the sofa?

When you make these subtle and powerful shifts, you will find yourself stopping habits that don’t help you, but be prepared.  You’ll also find those around you wondering what’s going on.

After work you used to change into moccasins and that led to sitting on the sofa with your spouse for the rest of the evening.  Now, you put on your walking shoes and leads to a walk.  Plan on letting your spouse know that, well, things are changing.

Stop losing ground and wasting time staying stuck in habits that aren’t serving you.

What’s one habit you want to level-up?  What’s the trigger you’ll change to make it happen?

Next week, I’m going to show you how to use this same habit trick to remember new habits.

How to Believe You can Reach Your Goals

You have some goals you want to reach.

• Complete a 5K?

• Feel more confident when you walk into that meeting?

• Be able to lift your kids (without hurting your back)?

• Be around for your kids when they have your grandkids?

• Lose 20 pounds?

To reach those goals you have to change your habits.

And to change your habits you have to believe you can, right?

This past week I learned a powerful technique to changing your beliefs and I want to share it with you:

Belief Stacking!

Whatever habit you are wanting to upgrade, write what you need to believe concerning it.

For example -

GOAL: Complete a 5K

HABIT: Run/walk 4 days each week according to training plan

BELIEF: Exercise is important to my life and I am able to stick with the training plan

BELIEF STACK: Write out 50 reasons that belief is true. Yes. 50.

The first 10 or so will be easy to write out…

1. “I have followed a walking program before.”

2. “My kids want to walk with me a couple of nights/week.”

3. “I like how I sleep better when I exercise.”

But the power comes when you have to dig deep to get all the way to 50 reasons. And sometimes you have to turn an excuse into a reason.

“My work is so busy that I don’t have time” becomes “I come up with creative solutions while I run, so I actually work faster.”

What goal and habit are you working on? Try Belief Stacking and let me know your results!

Do "Get Help"

For any other “Marvel Universe” watchers out there, you may recognize the phrase I used in the title. In one of the movies, two characters - Thor and Loki - discuss whether or not to do “get help” to overcome an unsuspecting enemy.

In essence it went something like this:

Thor: Let’s do “Get Help.”

Loki: No, let’s don’t. It’s embarrassing.

Thor: No, it is fun.

Next scene:

Loki is leaning on Thor as they walk off an elevator acting as though Loki is wounded.

Thor: (yelling) Please! Someone “Get Help” my brother is hurt!

Then as everyone is distracted, he picks up Loki and hurls him like a flying bowling ball, knocking over the surprised enemy like bowling pins.

We all have situations in life where we actually do need to Get Help and we aren’t bluffing. Making new habits is one of those situations.

In my book Go Forward: 28 Days to Eat, Move, and Enjoy Life God’s Way, I share the story of a friend who lost both of his legs in a freak accident. He was determined to stay healthy and to do so had to Get Help for uncommonly creative exercise routines.

Where do you need to Get Help to make new health habits? Who can help you? Do you need a personal trainer or health coach? Do you need to visit your doctor about something?

Whomever it is, contact them in the next week and Get the Help you deserve.

Five Lessons to Make a Habit

It’s done! My tooth implant journey that started about 6 months ago is finished and, wow, there are some “how to make a habit” lessons you need to know from this.

Last fall I posted videos about the parallels between getting the implant and how to make a habit.

1. When something is no longer serving you, it is time to replace it. (For example, my baby tooth had been loose for years and I was having to eat around it.)

2. Fake it. When you are making a new habit it will feel unnatural and uncomfortable to you at first. (As the metal implant adhered to the bone, I had to wear a fake-tooth “contraption” in my mouth. Not comfortable.)

The day of the final procedure (getting the permanent tooth attached) I had two more ah-ha’s. One I share in this video. The other one came immediately after the procedure - and is probably the biggest lesson - and the hardest one. Which means, personally, I’ll apply it most going forward when I am making a new habit.

What is it?

Do Not Wait.

I kept putting off getting the implant for years. Various reasons. (A.K.A. Various excuses.)

But once it was done, I thought “Why did I wait?” I can eat without being “extra careful to not hit the baby tooth.” I can take kickboxing lessons without worrying about the loose tooth.

Suddenly the reasons and excuses sounded silly.

What habit are you wanting to make? What major transformation or tiny shift do you desire? Take a second and think about that. Then think about your excuses.

A few months from now you can look back and say “Well, if I’d started I would be here by now.” Or you can say “Wow! I did it!” (Worst case? “Wow! I’m come so far!”)

Either way the months will pass. Those excuses for not making your new habit will seem silly once you make the habit.

Do Not Wait.

Get the people and resources you need (which was another habit-making lesson) - and then go make it happen.