Fitness, nutrition and wellbeing overwhelm? Maintain form over failure by getting the right support in place…
More of us than ever are exercising at home with a new found appreciation of the importance of our health, wellbeing and fitness as a building block to succeed in all areas of life, but with a plethora of opportunities online, how do we navigate our way to achieve our wellness goals and avoid overwhelm?
“I know what I should be doing, but I don’t know where to start!” I hear this so much from clients I coach as it is a challenge to cut through the information overload and to begin on your mind and body transformation. They have already taken the first steps but now they feel pressure of what they ‘should’ be doing. So firstly, reduce the word ‘should’, talk to yourself kindly and seek support.
We all need a road map and a coach…
I myself have a therapist, a personal trainer, a sleep coach and I attend business, fitness, dance, parenting and mental health courses regularly which specialise in an area of my work or life I need support with or want to improve. I too am a coach, in the morning I coach dance and fitness working with women who want to feel strong in mind and body and then on an afternoon I am coaching people media, digital and YouTube skills so they can build a brand online. But I could not give as much as I do or grow in myself if I did not have selected people and consumed content which steered me forward.
“Where our attention goes, our energy flows.”
My attention is on mind and body fitness and supporting my family whilst developing myself, so I adopt an abundance mindset in investing in those areas and put my energy into them.
With this comes opportunities but at times I too am overloaded by courses, classes and information so I have developed these strategies to help me maintain motivation and a laser focus on where I am going in life.
Take a break, from emotional triggers, where possible, and explore your ‘why,’ a passion which is of priority. e.g. I want to lose fat and build muscle so I can feel more confident in myself and most of all have energy to manage my work and enjoy my relationships.
And then realistically schedule in your other ambitions. You don’t have to do everything all at once, as it is about sustainable progression.
Write it down, stick it up and put all your focus into that area so you can adopt a laser focus and say ‘no’ to irrelevant information or negative people. Remember, people who feel inadequate in their own lives often struggle to see others transform, so unless they’re there challenging themselves, trying to grow in your arena, they’re probably not worth listening to.
By saying ‘no’ to what and who holds you back from achieving your goal and most of all feeling more fulfilled, you’re giving yourself more time and space for your huge doorways to ‘yes’.
After doing a little bit of research, select a ‘team’ or a person who will support you to progress, I am a big believer in coaches and employing specialists for this as I will never stop learning but to start with it might be exploring the right group or programme to keep you motivated.
To progress you need to find your flow of what works and make gradual adjustments.
Remember it is about focusing on ‘adding’ to your life rather than extracting.
A lot of women I work with want to transform overnight, they are depleted by the ‘dieting’ mentality rather than seeing their fitness journey as adding value and strength to their life. E.g. I may reduce my chocolate intake, to give myself energy to do a workout and enjoy a colourful meal. Or I am saying no to ‘binge drinking’ on a weekend because I want to feel great for my walk.
By living more intentionally, seeking assistance to maintain our growth and accepting we are all vulnerable in areas, we can cut through the noise of what we should and shouldn’t do and give ourselves space to reflect, take action and celebrate feeling fulfilment.
Read more from Sophie at https://thesparklecoach.com and here regular newspaper columns as published here or to book a free consultation call, email [email protected]
Workout 1
.
1.) Narrow feet squats x10
2.) Slow negative press ups x5
3.) Ab crunches x10
4.) Ski jumps x10 (5 each side)
.
Repeat as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes.
Workout 2
1.) Hamstring walkouts x5
2.) lower back extension x10
3.) crossbody mountain climbers x10 (each leg)
.
Repeat as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes.
For the full video, go to: youtube.com/sophiemeilan
Mind Challenge
How we perceive situations is all down to perspective. Our emotions control how we experience anything in life. Can we transform a challenge into an opportunity or something positive?
How we choose to deal with challenges is up to us. E.g. mini hurdles for me recently… Broken phones = a bit of freedom, Zoom not recording my session = a chance to do a better one.
I have the power of perspective. I have had that many traumas in my life, that small ‘blips’ don’t phase me. Yes it’s frustrating but really at the end of the day all I can control is how I deal and ‘perceive’ a situation.
Life Hack
“Afraid of saying no? Keep tight boundaries.. Every time we say yes when we should say no we allow someone to invade our boundaries.. We are really saying not to ourselves.
People are allowed to make requests of you but do not allow them to make demands of you.
Set tight boundaries and accept great people.”
Becoming a professional Life Coach
Did You Know?
It’s better to focus on form rather than going to failure. Are you ‘all or nothing’ like me? I always push myself to the max in everything until I can’t do anymore but one thing I have learned is to get the right form and technique which has been transformational for my mind and body.
I love high-intensity training, especially in the morning, but I usually do as many reps until I can’t do anymore. And actually ‘less is more’ as my in house personal trainer and partner @greenhealthpt has taught me… this simple adjustment has helped me better manage my stress and also transform my body as I am stronger than ever.