 I know I talk about habits a lot. It's because I know how important it is to achieving long lasting change. I know that I refer often to this so wanted to go into a bit more detail. Although this of course applies to every single aspect of life, I will mostly only refer to health related habits within this blog post.
What is a habit? A routine or practice performed regularly; an automatic response to a situation. Examples of habits:
How you can create a new habit Simplicity will always win. Keep it simple and it will be easy to do. Keep it simple and you will find it easy to be disciplined and complete it, regularly and it become a habit. If it's easy to do it won't take much motivation, obstacles in the way will make it harder to carry out, thus making it less likely that you will. It should be easy and obvious to do and satisfying once done to create and build a new habit. If you are trying to break an old habit you no longer want you need to make it difficult, remove your cues, make it unsatisfying so it is harder to do it and you don't want the results of what doing it means for you. Think about the habits you want and the habits you want to remove and implement that simple idea. Keep it simple.
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 It's going to be my first blog of 2020 where I focus my energy and enthusiasm for one of my favourite things. Weights. I love training with weights, I also love teaching people how to lift weights and I really enjoy being able to help people of all ages and abilities to lift weights.
It gets me excited. Because I know how beneficial it is, for everyone. There are few exceptions to the fact, that lifting weights or doing some form of resistance training will be beneficial to all. Age is not a restriction, if anything the need to lift weights increases as we age. My current oldest client is in her 80s so please don't feel that you have left it too late to start. Everyone's journey is unique when it comes to lifting weights because everyone's starting point if different, as are the ultimate goals. Benefits of weight training include:
Of course everyone responds differently and it is also important to factor in the quality of training and progressive overload, this is something I will go into more detail in another blog. Today it's just about the benefits and why I would love it if everyone lifted weights! If you have any questions or are unsure about where to start when it comes to lifting weights please comment below or contact me, I will happily answer any questions you might have to get you started!  When we are busy in the day to day I think it can be so easy to lose sight of the progress we are making.
Big goals and hard work are fantastic but whilst we are in the midst of these things, but not having reaching them yet, it can sometimes become a problem. I think it is a great practice to take the time perhaps daily but more likely weekly for most. Take a moment and think about the good things that have happened during the last week. These can vary in significance but are all important in order to move forward and enjoy the process. What you need to try and do is see what is important to you, because the chances are if you have a goal that you are focusing on there are hundreds of little choices that you are making each day that are getting you closer to the end goal. But, because you are not there yet you don't feel like you have achieved.
So, have a think, write it down and let those close to you know! Shout about the small things, so you can really enjoy the journey along the way. It's not about that distant goal but enjoying the small steps of progress and wins! Until next time,.. Vicki x  I love a to do list. I find it very satisfying as I work my way through. I love an opportunity to use stationery and I know I always get more done when I do them!
I have a daily to do list and then I have the big one, all the stuff that needs to be done, ideas, jobs to do etc. Some things are on the everyday list and then I can add other tasks from the bigger picture list. I like to schedule blocks of time in my diary for completing different tasks. Including work, training, house stuff, down time. I will always have busier and quieter days to strike the balance. Sometimes you get stuff done because you want to and are in a good routine rather than having to force every task. Interestingly, I often find myself falling into a groove, a routine, but I still make a note of it in my diary and I plan items in my scheduler because it is good to hold yourself accountable and get the small reward of ticking off an item. Because its easy to stop counting the small daily habits as things and forget how much you have accomplished! I am ready for a busy day working through this list as it always feels great to start the week as you mean to go on! Some Top Reasons Why Do A To Do List:
To Do lists are not for everyone and its important to make them work for you! It's all very well making to do lists but if you don't execute them then is it worth spending time writing them? For some, simply listing the jobs for the day may work perfectly. For others it may be more effective to schedule time for specific jobs. I quite like general to do lists for different areas and then I will plan out my day by prioritising and allocating time slots for all the things of the day, including time for doing a little bit of something I find relaxing! I'd love to hear from you and how you feel about To Do lists... I hope you have a great day and work through your to do list, or perhaps start one! 📃💖 Vicki x  Happy New Year!
As I'm sure you know by now, I far prefer talking about goals than resolutions. So as we enter 2020, a new decade and a great time to focus on the things we want to work on this year. I like to look ahead at things I would like to achieve, things I want to continue with and will make sure I face some new challenges too. Do you set goals, resolutions or both? Tips to get you started: 🔷Write down the things you want to achieve. 🔷Create a vision board. 🔷Create an action plan, looking at habits that need to be in place to reach your goals. 🔷Start small, taking the first step is hard when it feels like you have a mountain to climb. Take pride in each small win. 🔷Progress not perfection. Consistency over time will achieve your goals, if you only accept perfection you are setting yourself up for failure. We can't always make every day perfect but we can make progress everyday. 🔷Start with one habit you want to change. Then build on it. It's amazing how quickly you can build momentum. 🔷Strategy, what habits will form the pathway to your goals. If you want to get a personal best lift, you need a suitable and focused training plan. If you want to consistently drink more water everyday you need to implement methods to aide you. If you want to reduce your alcohol consumption, make it harder to access so you are less tempted. 🔷Change your environment. Make sure the old temptations are removed and the new things you want to do are easy to do and access. What goals do you have? Ask me any questions that you think will help you, if you aren't sure how to tackle a point I am happy to go into more detail 💖 Vicki x Many people who come to me want to look and feel better. Some have never done structured exercise before and others may have joined a gym at some point. Many also come under the umbrella of a yo-yo dieter. For some a quick fix is all they want, being able to get into the outfit for a special occasion. Most people ultimately want to achieve something that is going to last long term. A lifestyle to last a lifetime.
In order to look and feel good it is necessary to have a healthy lifestyle and for many this means making lifestyle changes. Two main areas to consider are diet and exercise. You need to have a good, balanced diet and exercise regularly and consistently. Healthy habits include drinking at least 2 litres of water every day, drinking little alcohol and removing processed food, in particular sugar, from your diet as much as possible. People are time poor. We now live in a fast food nation. Takeaways, fast food we can pick up on the go in petrol stations and corner shops, microwave meals to name just a few. The fact that people are time poor means turning to these options are becoming more common. People are trying to juggle all of their commitments, work and family, this is challenging and that is often why a healthy lifestyle can slip. But lack of time should not be used as an excuse! Planning and organisation is key, fail to plan, plan to fail. It is possible to achieve a healthier lifestyle if you apply some of these methods to your weekly routine. Planning and preparation Make a plan of what you are going to eat for the week ahead. This means you can write a shopping list and ensure that you have everything that you are going to need. It also allows for you to be prepared for potential mid-week shops knowing exactly what it is you need and when. Restocking on the items you need without the temptation of those you do not. It is also a good idea to plan preparation times, when you are able to cook and more importantly when you need to prepare in advance. If you are fortunate to be able to cook each meal fresh that’s great but chances are this is either rarely the case or at the very least will occur. The easiest way of having balanced and nutritious meals throughout the day is meal preparation. Cooking in bulk is a great time saver. Something that you can eat within a couple of days can be boxed up and put in the fridge ready to take when you need it. For some even preparing a couple of day’s food is not enough. You can also freeze meals that you have bulk prepared and then get them out of the freezer the night or morning before you want to eat them. If you are out all day preparation is especially important. Boxing up your meals (essentially a packed lunch) can ensure you don’t miss a meal. The problem if you don’t is you may end up grabbing fast food that you’d rather not eat or reaching the point of hunger and overeating because of that. If you go long periods of time without eating your blood sugar level, energy level and metabolism will drop and these are things that you want to try and avoid. Exercise The same amount of planning should go into your exercise routines. Decide when you are going to work out during the week ahead. What you are going to do for each workout and what your goals for the week ahead should all be considered. Being methodical and organised should keep you on track and potentially increase your enjoyment as you will be achieving goals each week. A feeling of satisfaction at the end of the week is a great motivator for wanting to keep going next week. Focusing on improvements and positive steps will lead you to a healthier lifestyle. Prepare, be organised and make it a lifestyle. Vicki x There is always something that I want to talk about. Sometimes it's due to a conversation I've had or something I've listened to or read which gets me thinking, that makes me want to share, see what you all think about it.
The list is never ending, just as soon as something is ticked off the next two, three, four things have been added. Which is great but I want to try and maintain focus and direction with what I share with you. Which type of sharing do you engage with most? Is it here in a blog, over on my YouTube channel or on a social media platform? Which are you most likely to engage with? Why do you think you engage in that particular way? Do you often look and engage on a personal level but don't click through or make a comment? My time is limited and I want to be producing the best content that will help you as much as possible, so please take a moment to get in touch, to let me know, what you see, and what you'd most like to see in order to support you in health and fitness journey going forward. I'll keep it short and sweet for today. I'd love to hear from you, I'd love the support of your sharing and I will continue to grow and help you as much as I can. Vicki x Have you just starting started running? Thinking of starting? Or struggling to improve or avoid injury? Have you tried supplementing your running with weight training? This YouTube video is Matt's story and testimonial of how consistently lifting weights for the last year has helped his running and has seen him hit personal best times in all of the distances that he has raced in. Matt has always been a runner, consistently attending running training and racing through the year so to see and hear the improvement that he has seen since strength training is fantastic. He has pushed out of his comfort zone (he loves to run) and complemented his training with something that is less enjoyable for him. The results speak for themselves, this is just one person's story of why this kind of cross training really should be part of every runners regime. Ultimately it will mean your running improves and you can get even more enjoyment out of the sport you love to do. If you would like to know more about resistance training to support your running please get in touch. Happy New Year... another year to push yourself further than you thought you could and develop to be the best version of you. Healthier, fitter, stronger, more confident. Work on the things that matter to you. Here is the latest vlog to get you thinking about New Year resolutions and if you should make them. Thanks for watching, please let me know what you think and if you've made any goals for 2019! Speak soon, Vicki x  It's an exciting time for LiveFitNow. We have created a brand new program to help horse riders improve their riding. If you ride horses, RideFitNow can help you become a better horse rider. Whatever your level, including resistance training into your weekly routine can have a massive impact on your riding. From positioning, endurance, muscular balance and core strength the impact on riding is significant Get stronger, ride better. Take a look at my video of client Sophie Austin to see the difference to her riding after 6 months of training with me. |
AuthorVicki is a Personal Trainer, and Online Coach with the aim of helping others achieve their health and fitness goals via training and habit building for a healthier lifestyle, for life. Archives
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