Developing a Positive Routine

An Energy Bulletin


Isn’t it awesome when you get into a positive routine? A positive routine enables you to get more done in your day while helping you to maintain good habits as well as preventing those nasty ones that have a habit of sneaking in. A healthy routine is also essential if you are looking to accomplish anything of note, like a goal you may have set yourself. I love that feeling I get when I’ve been hammering away at something for a while and then start to get that ‘oh so close’ to my goal feeling. Having goals and sticking to them is a really easy way to propagate internal happiness in just about all but the most dour of individuals.

But I’m not here to talk about goals as much as getting into a positive routine. A good routine can be designed around improving just about anything in your life, for instance; your nutrition, exercise habits, keeping the house tidy, accomplishing more at work, your relationships with friends and family or a thousand other things that we all find so easy to NOT work on.

That’s right, I’ve said it…. We tend to be lazy as a society at just about everything.

Now I know some of you are thinking, “But I’m a tidy person and my nutrition is pretty good, I’m not lazy.”

Well thankfully most of us have a few good habits that have been well enough entrenched in our lives that they are as much a part of us as breathing. All of us however have a few areas in our lives that constantly need monitoring, lest we slide far enough backward that our lackluster efforts in this area become a noticeable rain cloud for all to see. For some reason house work keeps coming to mind, blah!

On the happy, smiley side of the coin for me is exercise, which is so much a part of my life that to do without it for any length of time is to feel… well, not like me. Believe it our not however great nutrition is something I always need to work on. I find it much harder to maintain an ‘A’ in nutrition as there are a few components to healthy eating that I can on occasion neglect.

Here are three things that I do and recommend my clients do, to make sure that our nutrition and thus our health and sporting performances stay on track.

The first step towards a solution is admitting that you have a problem. Yes, I can be nutritionally lazy. I need to constantly self monitor.

The second step I take is to write down a half dozen reasons why, when or how I may let my nutrition slide.

The third step is to write down a solution to the problem. I have combined step 2 & 3 here.

Problem- Lack of preparation. When I let the fridge run bare ;o( Nothing to do now but order out…. Pizza for everyone! Hmmmm… Maybe not.

Better Solution? Plan to do my grocery shopping on a particular day each week. Remember it’s about establishing good habits. If I can’t or won’t for whatever reason then I can always have my shopping delivered. There are some really good online shopping companies out these days who will deliver to you door.


Problem- If you’re anything like me, shopping when your low blood sugar is screaming out “Feed Me Carbs, Now!” is a great way to make the shopping cart look like your about to throw an 8 yr olds birthday party.

Easy Solution… Don’t Shop Hungry! Nuff said.


Problem- Sometimes I get cravings… Evil cravings! If I have junk food in the house during one of my weaker moments, which in all honesty happens way too often, I’ll eat it. This is really bad if I haven’t paid attention to no. 2.

Easy Solution? I do not buy treats when groceries shopping because I am a gluttonous pig and will often eat them in very short order. I guess this is all about knowing your own weaknesses. I will on occasion walk down to the petrol station to buy an ice cream after dinner but I make sure I have to earn it, even if it’s just a short 15 minute walk.


Problem- It is way too easy using ‘No Time’ as an excuse. I am often up at 6 am which means it’s easy to leave the house without eating much or relying on a bowl of cereal to get me through the morning.

Better Solution? For breakfast I have some frozen fruit, yogurt, a good dose of rice milk and a hefty scoop of a high quality, great tasting meal replacement. It’s super fast to throw together and has all the nutrients, protein and low G.I. carbs I need to really start my day off well.

(There are many meal replacements on the market and a lot of them are really awful. There are some good ones though. I take the Juice Plus+ Complete as I think it has, by far, the best nutritional profile of any I’ve seen. Check out our nutrition link on our web site http://www.energyclinic.net/ )


Problem- Missing Meals. This is the really big one for me and again is similar to no.3. It is easy to get so caught up in my day that I’ll turn around three times and Kazam, its five o’clock… Missed lunch again. Getting out to a café or some such thing during the day, while nice, will often take the back seat when my day gets busy.

Another Easy Solution? Pack a lunch. I really enjoy it when I pack my lunch. Usually it’s a chicken salad, or a plain salad which I’ll add a tin of tuna or salmon to when I’m ready to eat. I also bring some salad dressing in an empty spice jar. A dash of olive oil, some pepper and balsamic vinegar and Yumo! I will also throw in some fruit and yogurt, mixed nuts and seeds for snacking on as well as a couple hard boiled eggs for extra protein.

Problem- Thinking that I can achieve a high level of optimum nutrition without some help. With farming and transport methods the way they are today, not to mention the length of time some of your fruit and veg can be cold stored, sometimes more than a year, it’s of little wonder why most people find it so hard to get a handle on good health. Although I don’t believe in self prescribing vitamins, especially multi vitamins, I do accept that there is often a nutritional gap, even amongst those of us with a plan of action.

Solution? I take a high quality whole food supplement to ensure I’m getting all those phyto-chemicals and nutrients I need to regenerate, recover and heal as fast as I can. As always there are far more really crappy products out there than good ones but in recent years there have been a few that have moved to the top. Once again I stick with Juice Plus+ simply because it has by far the best scientific research backing up its health claims and there are quite a few.

Again check out our web site if you’re a nutrition nerd like me and want to check out the research yourself.

The big plus of course is that not only have I had great results myself but also that of most of my clients, friends and family who have tried it as well.

Orders can be placed online or you can give me a call and I’ll answer any questions or help you place an order.

Anyway, that’s the method I use to keep myself and a few wayward eating clients in line. Remember it doesn’t have to be nutrition. Just work through the same process for anything you’re looking to improve on. Getting things done at work, keeping organized or getting out and keeping active.

It all just comes down to developing good habits.

duncan

Comfort Zone

Energy Bulletin

When I was younger, my friends and I had a motto. "He (or she) who dies with the most toys wins." It was a well engrained motto that was actually much less a life goal than an active lifestyle choice and who could blame us, we were lucky enough to be growing up in Whistler British Columbia, one of the world’s greatest outdoor recreation and adventure playgrounds.

Ahh, the good old days, were each day brought new challenges to surmount and conquer. We were all so young and foolish, we were brave and often more than a little fearful and without any question, we were truly living.

As the years trickle by I wonder at what point I became far less concerned with acquiring the latest and greatest in adrenalin based accessories and exploring the depths of my courage as I was with paying bills and wages, developing new marketing strategies, building business systems or any and all of that 'normal’ stuff'?

Sometimes I catch myself thinking that it may be just an age thing and that I really had to grow up eventually. Well, I suppose that’s true, otherwise we all still might believe doing burn outs in front of a busy café was super cool. However, should we be satisfied giving up the spontaneity and risks we associate with being young and carefree because we now have a few more responsibilities? Personally I’d like to think not.

Now I’m not suggesting you should stop paying your bills, sell your house, have your children adopted out and buy an open ended around the world ticket or anything like that but I think most of us would agree that those who dare to step away from that which is ‘normal’ and ‘restrained’ to partake in something a bit daring or risqué are worth a little admiration.

So is that it then? Are we required to step out of our comfort zone on occasion to keep from feeling tired and old?

If you can entertain for a moment that maybe, just perhaps, a fulfilled and happy existence does require a carefree attitude on occasion, where caution gets tossed aside so that you may journey, even for a moment, into an unknown and risky future, then I would like to pose upon you an interesting question.

What is it that you've done, not watched or witnessed but actually done yourself in the last 6 months or even the last year or couple of years, that has made you sit back and think, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I actually did that.. That was amazing, I really feel alive for having done that’.

If you can think of something you’ve accomplished that has given you that sort of feeling then great, well done! If you can't think of anything then maybe you have decided, without really meaning to, that it's time to grow old?

Or maybe you've just been a little busy with the normal stuff. It happens.

But if that’s the case, what can we do to break out of the mold or rut that you've created?

Once again, I'm not going to suggest that you have to run off and do something dangerous and life threatening to feel that you’re alive, although that certainly can work, however there are plenty of easier challenges out there that will pull you out of your comfort zone and test your metal, for instance;

· If you feel you deserve it try asking your boss for raise? That's always a sure way to get the blood pumping.
· How about entering a competition of some kind, like a short course triathlon? You don't have to win, heck you don't even have to be any good but the fact that you're getting in and having a crack means that you're creating those all important memories.
· If individual sports aren't your thing what about a local team. There are plenty of them out there and most play just for the fun of it.
· What about getting up the courage to ask out that fella or lass you've had your eye on for a while? Courage comes in many shapes and sizes.
· What about making a goal that's going to be quite difficult to achieve and then telling everyone about it. Now the pressure is on… Now you're living.

On Sunday afternoons I run an elite training session for a few of the gang down at a local park. Every one of us, including myself, feels a little apprehensive come Sunday morning as to what is about to transpire that afternoon. Some of these sessions can be really, really hard. The feeling of accomplishment however, post thrashing, is truly worth the slight anxiety of the morning.

I am sure that most of you receive and read the Energy Bulletins because you aren't so much life spectators as life enthusiasts and as such you should on occasion ask yourself, “Have I been playing life a little too safe and if so, am I really ready to grow old?”

D

PS. Although not for everyone… These guys are really LIVING!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0tU3Hy7et8&eurl=