It’s sad but true: there is a stigma attached to mental health. Especially for men.
What would you’re road to good health look like if this weren’t the case? What could you overcome if you reached out for help?
Read my friend Josh Bird’s excellent article on mental health and fitness for men. Check out his shout-out to me too!
http://crossfitprovidence.com/2014/04/23/recovering-to-good-health/
You already know I live Sundays. But today is a particularly beautiful, sunny day in RI.
If I have to spend some of it inside doing work, then a green juice is the best compromise.
But it hardly feels like work when I’m putting some finishing touches on my upcoming seminar Build Your Best Self!
I’m so excited to share all these tools and strategies to build the life you really want!
How will you spend your Sunnyday? Share with us!
I’m so proud to be part of this amazing group of people! When I first joined Crossfit Providence, I had the same fears everyone does – “I can’t do this”, “these people are intimidating”, and “I will never be as good as them.” But these thoughts are so self-limiting!
That’s why I’ve become part of the staff – gradually, step by step, I’ve made huge gains in my strength, fitness, and overall wellbeing. I know you can have those gains too!
If you see me in the gym, are interested in making specific goals for yourself, or want to get rid of that voice that says “I can’t”, stop me and say hello. Or contact me through this website.
You can make huge changes in your life. You can build a better version of yourself. Ask me how!
Check out my article on Change Vs. Progress in RI Fit Magazine page 54!
Heard of RI Fit Magazine? They are RI’s hottest and healthiest new resource for fitness, wellness, and overall health. Check out their April issue online or in print for FREE at hundreds of locations in and around Rhode Island. The best part is that they feature local Rhode Islander’s that are fit and motivating! You’ll probably see someone featured that you already know! #smallstate #RIproud
So often we run around wishing things were different about our lives, and our selves. What if you could change that?
In this video, 4 women received professional makeup, styling, and photography to make them look like “Cover Girls.” Every woman’s dream, right? Well, their reactions may surprise you.
Not only did these women feel that they didn’t recognize themselves, they had overall negative reactions to being so drastically photoshopped. They even said, “I don’t even know that person.”
How do you project this is your own life? Do you wish you looked like someone else? Had someone else’s career? Someone’s life? That would fix everything! Right?!
Wrong. Don’t ask to look like someone else. Or be someone else. Be yourself. Be your best self.
— Brittany
“Only two things in life are certain – death and taxes.” Heard this before? Definitely rings true during tax season! But I’d like to propose that something else is certain as well:
Change.
While it often seems that we’re stuck in a rut, we know that change will come. Why? Because it has every time before! We used to be little, then we grew. We used to have flip phones, now we have iPhones. We used to have no clue about our health, now we’re educated on how to be healthy.
We know change is coming; yet we still talk about making changes as if it’s some elusive challenge. Change is certain. Progress is not.
So what’s progress? Progress in your fitness? Nutrition? Overall health? If change is anything different from the status quo, then progress is a change that is more specific, goal-oriented, and measurable.
Progress is a measure of relativity. You’re moving towards change in a specific direction. Movement on that trajectory is identified as progress. If you altered your habits to lose weight, but it resulted in weight gain, this is change but not progress. If you started a healthy diet to lose weight, and we’re gradually losing the weight, this is progress.
You need a goal in order to measure progress from change. PS- “I want to be healthy” is not a goal, it’s a statement. Make sure your goal has specifics, a timeline, and is measurable.
Specifics: Try “I will eat 3 servings of vegetables daily” versus “I will eat healthy”. By articulating the specific thing you will do, you will be more likely to actually do it!
Timeline: Create timeframes, start dates, and deadlines for yourself. Otherwise, your “Someday” will likely never come. Here’s a sample of a timeline – “I will eat 3 servings of vegetables daily for 6 consecutive weeks, beginning March 9th.”
Measurement: How do you know you’re not at your goal already? How do you know if you’re making progress towards your goal? Most importantly, how will you know when you’ve reached your goal? Measurement. This is key to the whole process of making progress and achieving your best self.
Ask yourself these questions to assess your goal for measurability:
– Can you count it?
– Can you create a percentage from your results to determine your progress? (i.e. I ate 3 servings of veggies 3 out of 5 days thus far= 60% progress towards goal).
– Can you make adjustments to your goal based on your findings from your percentage and experience? (i.e. maybe only 2 servings of veggies daily is more reasonable for you. Maybe 5 days weekly versus 7 is better for you).
*This is not to say that you should lower your standards, but continuing to progress on an adjusted goal is more beneficial than failing miserably on a strict, unattainable goal.
Ok, Let’s go over what we know:
– We know that change will come. The question is how, when, and in which direction?
– We know that progress is necessary for improvement, not just change.
– We need a goal in order to distinguish progress from change.
– Our goal needs to be specific, have a timeline, and be measurable in order to evaluate progress.
If you don’t have a plan, you plan to fail. So make a plan, make progress and achieve your goals. This success will build your momentum for future goals and future successes. Progress, not change, is necessary to become your best self.
I had an amazing time working with the female athletes of CrossFit Providence over the weekend! I never tire of meeting new members and seeing the tenacity and strength in each one! You ladies never fail to amaze me with your accomplishments inside and outside of the gym.
So in honor of the awesomeness of the ladies at the Women’s Workshop on Saturday Jan 25th, I will let all of you in on a little secret I shared with them:
You can have the life you really want!
I know, right?! Amazing stuff! It’s all yours, just waiting for you to believe in yourself, your strength, and your truth enough to go get it! So this is where I come in…
Do you have a dream life? I do – it’s me on a beach, with a good book, great food, and working 4 hours a day. What’s yours? Want your dream life to live forever in dreamland or reality? That’s your choice!
Want to choose to make your dream life your reality? Not everyone does. Some are too afraid to share their dreams with others because then they’ll have to answer for their lack of progress towards their dream. So they never achieve their dream out of FEAR. Remember what I said about fear…
What’s that you say? So you’re not going to let fear run your life and steer you away from your dreams? GREAT!
Now what? Strategize for success! You’re not going to get there overnight, but if you want to make sure you achieve your dream life at some point, you need a plan!
Below is my Life Aim worksheet with steps to:
– visualize your dream life,
– break it down,
– determine needed resources,
– prioritize,
– and goal set!
What’s your Life Aim? Share yours below and you may inspire others 🙂 Want help developing a Life Aim? Work with me!
Be Your Best Self!
Brittany
Meet Dr. McKaila Allcorn. She is just like the rest of us in that she’s a daughter, wife, and has a demanding job.
But she’s different from us in a few ways too. McKaila had the discipline and commitment to significantly change her body, and as a result, improve her life!
So, what was the last straw McKaila?
“I had trained for 3 months to run a half marathon with some friends. I had been running several times per week and pushed myself during the race, only to find that I had lost 1 pound throughout the whole process! I know there had to be a better way to lose weight and get healthy.”
Like many of us, McKaila wanted better for herself and needed to change her ways. She had been busy in medical school and her residency at Kent Hospital, and let her health become less of a priority. But continuing on this path was a not an option for her if she was going to live the life she wanted and help care for others who are sick as an ER doctor.
So what did you do?
“I am from Oklahoma and had a friend back home that had talked with me about this product called Juice Plus+. So I did my research and found that I was going to have to significantly change my diet if I was going get healthy and lose weight.” Juice Plus+ provides whole food nutrition in a capsule so you can get the fruits and vegetables your body needs to run most effectively. It’s then next best thing to actual fruits and vegetables for a busy lifestyle.
McKaila says she loves this product because they provide nutrition plans and education. This knowledge can empower sustainable change for people’s diets. Additionally, the nutrition plan encourages you to try several different diets, such as gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, etc. That way, you can see what your body responds to, and cater your meal planning from there. All diets aren’t right for everyone, so find the plan that works for you and get after it!
But it wasn’t just supplements that changed McKaila’s body. Not even close! Real foods and preparation are requirements! McKaila said she would cook several meals on Sundays and package them up so she’d be ready for work, snacks, and any other time that would tempt her away from her goals.
McKaila said she notice a big energy boost after making these changes – along with better skin, and friends who had reported getting off medications because of the positive effect real foods had on them.
So as long as I eat right I’ll have these results?
Wrong again! McKaila said she was also in search for something that would nourish her physically, mentally, and spiritually. Yoga. Several times a week, no excuses. Rain or shine. “If you’re going to make a real lifestyle change, you have to be consistent. It can’t just be when you feel like it.” McKaila is currently training to become a yoga teacher and share with others the positive experience she’s had with yoga and it’s supportive community at Laughing Elephant yoga in East Greenwich.
Any tips for the rest of us?
“Find your motivation. Mine was my long-term health. I used positive self-talk to get through those tough days.” Time management is very important too. Make sure to make a date with healthy cooking and the gym that you won’t flake out on!
Doctor McKaila mentions that obesity is a risk factor for so many diseases and conditions that are life threatening. So don’t be a victim – get healthy, get active and regain control of your life!
What are your health and fitness goals for 2014? Will YOU be the next person we feature for Serious About Change?
In the midst of the Holiday season, what are you doing to try to avoid an eating overload and sugar comas? We know you can’t say no to mom’s home cooking and Aunt Susie would be totally offended if you didn’t try her pound cake! So how do you deal?
Make a schedule. Find out when all those holiday gatherings are and write them down. Then make all non-party days the time to recover, restore, and reset for nutrition’s sake!
Don’t just take my word for it. Harvard Medical School’s vast scientific and social research has produced the following tips to make your holiday meals a success – without adding extra pounds to work off after New Years!
– Change your perspective! Good eating is not a punishment, but an opportunity. If you know why it’s important and what to do, you’ll find it enjoyable and satisfying.
– Change slowly. By the time you are 40, you’ll have eaten some 40,000 meals — and lots of snacks besides. Give yourself time to change, targeting one item a week.
– Snack on unsalted nuts, trail mix, fruit, raw veggies, Rye Krisp, or graham crackers. Try eating a few handfuls of a crunchy fiber cereal such as Kashi, or nibble on a cereal bar.
– Experiment with new recipes and meal plans. Be creative and take chances. Instead of dreading your new diet, have fun with it.
– Take a long-range view. Don’t get down on yourself if you slip up or “cheat” from time to time.
What is your plan for Holiday survival plan? How do you keep your nutrition in check? Share below!!
I get this awesome box of veggies delivered straight to my work from VeggieBox.com each week. And best of all- all the food is from local farmers in my state if Rhode Island! I love smart initiatives like This that nourish our bodies, minds, and communities!
What did you eat today? Share your best food choice below!
Brittany Drozd, LCSW 