The First Step

Change...it's a scary word to a lot of people. Why? Because it means we have to step outside of our comfort zone. There is actually a book titled Change or Die. It's sad to say but many of us would rather die than change because it just seems to painful to make a change. We become complacent and comfortable with a routine, and even the thought of putting a fork into it can paralyze us.

Fortunately, the first step is usually the hardest along the journey. Once we can wrap our head around what it is we want/need to change, the actions steps become easier with each step. For example, I recently started running again. Initially, I had to talk myself into running. Now after two months of more consistent running, I look forward to it! It's my way to unwind from the daily stresses.

How do you get over that initial hump? Tie your goal to something bigger than yourself. Many times people will set a goal and it isn't tied to anything, so after they lose the weight for the wedding the pounds eventually stack back on.

What we have found is that if you can associate that goal to something greater than yourself, it is more likely to last. Say you want to lose weight so that you can be more active and play outside with your kids or to be a role model for them. Now you have your family to help motivate you to reach that goal and to help you stick to it.

Once you've made up your mind and found a noble cause to tie your goals to, you just have to jump in and take that leap of faith. It will get easier with each step you take.

Devastation Reminds Us to Be Grateful

This morning I was looking through one of the slide shows of pictures from all of the deadly Midwest tornadoes that have happened this week. The devastation in these pictures are amazing. As my heart is sad for everyone affected, it is also a reminder to be grateful for all I have.

There are times of struggle in my day-to-day life that begin to bog me down. That's why it is so important to take time each day to think about the things I am grateful. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own problems that I need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Even when I am facing a big giant, I can find many things to be thankful for...family, friends, health, shelter, etc.

A great way to start is to begin a gratitude journal where each day you write down things you are grateful for. If you are married or have children, each night before going to bed share with each other a few reasons you are grateful for each other. It's an amazing way to end your day and enter into blissful dreams!

Burning Desire

My burning desire is for people to realize that health comes from within. You can’t get if from a pill or potion. You can’t buy it. You don’t get it from great genes alone. It is a choice each of us makes every day…actually, it is a great number of choices we make all day long.

Do you get up when the alarm goes off and eat a healthy breakfast before heading to work? Or do you hit the snooze button repeatedly and skip breakfast? When you get home at night, do you read books or articles that build you up in strong and noble thought? Or do you sit in front of the idiot box (aka TV) watching hours of mindless shows?

What’s even more important is that all of these choices we make daily are providing a blueprint for our kids to follow! When we look at the declining health and increasing obesity rates in our youth, it is sickening! It breaks my heart to see this! Last summer, I visited the Omaha Zoo and saw a scene that is way too common and it infuriated me. A young girl about 4 years old was standing with her belly hanging out of her shorts and over her jeans while this girl’s mother handed her a soda that she began chugging. The poor little girl was been trained from birth on acceptable dietary choices by her parents. Children are fast learners and these lifestyle choices are imprinted on their developing brains.

Make the decision for not only yourself but your family to choose health. Choose to be aligned in all aspects of your life: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Choose to eat nutritiously, feeding your body with the good stuff your body needs. Choose to think positively, with a mindset of success. Choose to feed your brain & body with movement through exercise and activity.

These simply steps can and will change your life.

Nikki L. Huls, D.C.

Awesome Website for Those Interested in Exercise & Nutrition

Yesterday, I re-discovered a website www.mapmyrun.com. When I was in high school and college, I can remember getting in the car and driving my running route in attempts to figure out the length of my run. Boy, how we have progressed. Now you can just pull up a website, enter in your beginning location and just click away along the roads or paths you traveled. It totals up not only the distance you traveled but also the elevation gains. You can then save your most common routes. You can even look up other people's routes in your community and see what they have to say about it.

In the past, that was the extent of how I used this website...but now it is really more of a social media site and a health log. I LOVE IT!! There is both a workout log and a nutrition log. So those walking/jogging/running routes you saved can be easily pulled up and you can enter your time, the weather conditions, how you felt or any other remarks. It calculates calories burned based on your height and weight. But it's not just for running. This week I logged in a Cardio Blast workout I did at Tryon Gym For Her and also a workout on the elliptical machine. Again it calculates approximate calories burned for the length of time, distance and your vital stats.

How does it get better?? It does the same thing with your nutrition! Basically you can create a food diary. It already has a lot of foods/meals pre-entered for you with calories, fats, carbs, proteins, etc. After you log in your entire days meals, you can look at how you compared to what your daily intake should be and your daily expenditure with your exercise program.

Now I've done this before...old school style with a notebook, pencil and calculator...and always thought it was so interesting. But Map My Run has made it so much easier. If you are a fitness fanatic or just looking to get into better shape here is one way you can hold yourself accountable without any added cost.

Just to let you know, I am in no way affiliated with the company nor do I get any incentives for sharing this. I found it fascinating and hoped it could help others reach their health and wellness goals.