More than One Way to Level Up!

Ever since I can remember, I was never in love with salads. In my 20s, I would think you were nuts if you suggested a salad as a meal to me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a nice robust salad, with lots of flavors and colors,  preferably with some warm grilled shrimp or chicken, but that can't be my go-to healthy meal on a regular basis.  

I struggled with this because everyone around me celebrated having a "salad" as the thing to do to have a healthy meal, or to keep a healthy weight. There were fitness enthusiasts that I followed who professed bringing a salad to work everyday for lunch. Often, you would find me forcing myself to make salad a regular part of my lunch repertoire and not liking it one bit.  It wasn't until a few years ago, a good friend of mine who had recently hired a nutritionist to help her plan her meals casually mentioned to me one of the directions she gave was " I don't enjoy cold meals, so no salads". 

A LIGHT BULB went off in my head. It's that moment where another soul acknowledges your struggle and validates your feelings, finally giving you permission to say it loud and proud. No cold foods, what a concept! YES I want to eat healthy, NO it shouldn't involve salads and I trust that we will find warm food options to help me lose weight.

I use this example to show it can often take years for us to accept what we like, and reject what we don't, and that sometimes we need a little help from a friend. She helped me proudly come out of the no salad closet and I am here to pay it forward:-) 

What is it that is a popular or celebrated concept that you struggle to get into?

Do you want to get healthier but either hate the GYM or hate running?

What is your goal? to lose weight? To achieve that goal, you need to burn more calories than you are taking in. Could you be more consistent working out at home?  there are countless resources to find calorie burning home workouts on youtube, IG, or bodybuilding.com, or you can hire a virtual trainer who can train you remotely!

Do you want to work out just to improve your heart health? Could you maybe power walk 3-4 times a week? On your way to and from work, walk and get on the train a few stops down? 

Do you watch meal prep videos and realize you would stick a fork in your eyes if you had to eat dry grilled chicken and baked sweet potatoes everyday? yeah me too.  Explore different cuisines and find what you will need to change to modify the recipes to fit your health goals. Every recipe can be modified to reduce calories. If you are not feeling the latest trend ( like cauliflower "rice" or zucchini "noodles")  it's ok! find your alternatives and fully dive in. 

I have seen people stall their goals because they are stuck on what they "should" do versus what works for them.  Today I want you to feel empowered to find what works for YOU. While you are at it, here's a non-gym stair workout that I enjoy doing...

 In Love, Health and Presence of Mind

Ronnie Deco