Reminder: You gotta start somewhere

Re; “You gotta start somewhere.” - Unknown

"The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.” - Lao Tzu

These are the sayings on the back of our business cards and that we have hung in our bathroom, respectively. Being a small start-up, we know the fears and hesitations of going for something you want all too well-- but, our dream of making preventative health services like fitness and nutrition accessible to our community was stronger than our fears, so here we are, over a year later than those initial hesitations. Yes, we’re still learning and now have even bigger goals, but having our dream in-action makes those goals that much more attainable and the fire to reach them that much bigger.

Lesson learned: just start.

Set SMART goals (see next tip), get the ball rolling, and do what you can to keep the momentum going. Start NOW-- we know you got this!

Want to lose some weight this year? Grab your coat and enjoy the winter wonderland with a 20min walk today, then pencil in workouts when you get back. Want to eat healthier? Grab an apple as your snack today, then sit down and create your next grocery list. Want to get stronger? Do a wall-sit for as long as you can right now, then record a time of how long you would like to be able to hold it for.

Whatever your goal is, just start.

S.M.A.R.T.ly set your goals

Yes, we’ve all heard the SMART acronym in school when they were teaching us how to goal-set, and for good reason. Thinking about your goals in this fashion help you determine what your true motivations are, and allows you to create manageable, mini-goals that make it possible to reach your seemingly unreachable dreams.

Here’s the acronym characteristics of a strong goal:

S= specific: well-defined result (ex: Eat one piece of fruit per day vs eat healthier)

M= measurable: let’s you know that your goal is achievable and when you reach it (ex: perform 20 push-ups vs get stronger)

A= agreed-upon: create a support and accountability network by getting everyone that’s part of the family decision-making on the same page (ex: husband will help by cooking dinners with a protein and veggie source vs you eating your chicken and broccoli while your family eats pizza)

R= realistic: the goal is within the availability of resources, knowledge, time and physiological capability (ex: Complete a 5km-race running program and compete in the annual fundraiser run in June vs finish a marathon in February)

T= time-based: sufficient time period to reach your goal without rushing or losing motivation (ex: Lose 10lbs by my vacation in 8 weeks vs lose 10lbs this year)

As you can see, this simple method for goal-setting helps you hone your true aspirations so that your efforts can be maximized.

Let’s get after it!

Don’t restrict yourselves, ADD food

When people think of their New-Year goals, a lot of them involve restricting or eliminating certain foods. Now, there are obviously some food items that we recommend limiting in favour of others, but we’ve found that the best adherence stems from slow, small changes in the diet.

And a good way to start on your healthy diet is to ADD food-- counterintuitive, right?

As you know, a “healthy” diet primarily consists of good protein sources, nutrient-dense carbs, and “good” fats. What does this translate to? Natural, whole foods like meats, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

So, what we propose, is to add as much natural, whole foods as you can to your diet. Instead of immediately eliminating all pasta, ADD a large side of veggies to your supper. Instead of skipping your morning bagel, ADD a handful of nuts. Instead of eliminating your afternoon snack, ADD some cut-up veggies and hummus, or a piece of fruit.

The idea is to introduce more protein, veggies and fruits to your diet slowly and without eliminating those foods that have been a staple in your diet too quickly. As you get used to incorporating fruits and veggies in all your meals/ snacks, it will be much easier to start reducing or completely swapping out other food choices to get you to your health goals, and the “diet-change” will likely become a lifestyle.

May the TriForce be with you in 2017!