ah ha moment - Lunch walk is NOT exercise

Here's a keeper for the Owners Manual.

So I read this article this morning, and it really resonated with me


http://www.precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?ad=747591


Last year my PN Five Minute Habit was to get out for a lunch walk every day (especially important on office days). This was a perfect five minute habit, some days I go for a 5km power walk and some days I do a short walk over to the art supply store or book store, or if the weather is awful, drive to the mall and walk a couple of loops inside the building.
The key is, last year I didn't see it as "exercise", it was my "Five Minute Habit" that I almost never missed, rain or shine, winter, spring, fall or summer.
Fast forward to this year, since I felt I had mastered that five minute habit, it was now part of my routine. I chose as my five minute habit "to eat a healthy homemade breakfast", I wanted to get away from eating my 'usual' Tim Horton's bagel and coffee for breakfast (a pretty solid habit). So the breakfast habit was a natural choice to try and tackle. Now I sometimes classified my Lunch walk as Active Recovery... RED FLAG... My lunch walk was never exercise, it was me getting outside, grabbing fresh air, moving my body (so I don't cease up), and cleaning out my head space so I could be productive for the afternoon. It wasn't exercise :) (even though it totally is, at the pace I go I work up quite a sweat).

Since I started calling it active recovery and thinking of it as exercise it no longer became my lunch time routine... I started skipping the getting outside.

So, here's the note that I need to make in my Owner's Manual
Getting outside for my lunch walk is part of my routine
It is a mental health break that loosens my body and refreshes my mind, it is not exercise it is as essential as a glass of cold water to quench my thirst.

Today's selfie from my 'Lunch Walk'

The 5 Whys

What do you value?

Dig down for a second.

• What's most important to you in life? Why?
  Bridget
  Ben
  Family
  Health
  Working hard and benefiting from that hard work
  
  
  
• What kind of person do you want to be? Why?
  Honest
  Fair
  successful
  Happy
  Hard working
  

Are you living those values? Chances are, not as well as you'd like.

Do your actions match your values? The 5 Whys
The “5 Whys” was a system originally used by the Toyota Motor Corporation. It’s very simple and really cuts to the core of why we want something.

When you want to accomplish something (or if something goes wrong), you ask one why.
Why do I want to accomplish this?
Then, with whatever answer you come up with, you ask why to that first answer.
And so on, five times.


example:
"I want to lose weight."

1. Why do I want to lose weight?
   Because I want to fit into a smaller size of pants.
   
2. But why do I want to fit into a smaller size of pants?
   Because when I’m wearing smaller pants, I think I’ll look better.
   
3. But why do I want to look better?
   Because when I look good, I feel good about myself.
   
4. But why do I want to feel good about myself?
   Because when I feel good about myself, I’m more assertive and confident.
   
5. But why do I want to be more assertive and confident?
   Because when I’m more assertive and confident, I’m in control and better able to get what I want out of life.
   

 What to do today

1. Do the "5 Whys" exercise to answer this question:
   Why are you doing PN Coaching?
   Write your 5 Whys in the form below.
   
2. Write down a list of your top 5 values.
   Honesty? Integrity? Optimism? Doing the right thing? Ruling the world with an iron fist?
   Whatever your values are, make a list and think about each of them. Why are they important to you?
   

Why are you doing PN Coaching?
Because I want to lose weight

Why is that reason for doing PN Coaching important to you?
Because I want to be fit and health and live a long life so I can participate in my life and Bridget's life  
I want to be successful at something

And why is that important?
 Because being successful will make me feel like I worked hard and earned something great
being successful will make me feel good about myself 

And what difference will that make?
Working hard and succeeding is rewarding, adds meaning to life

feeling good about myself will make me a better mother, a better wife and a better employee and all round a better person

I want to think that my life matters to me and is important to me
and if I care for myself and my body, that is demonstrating that I care about myself and that I am important to me. Being fit and healthy and living to 100 to be around for my daughter and her daughters is important to me.

And why will that previous thing matter?
Being a good person, a happy contributing person does matter, it matters because I will be a good role model for my bridget.

Because Bridget is going to achieve greatness, and I want to be photographing her doing greatness the whole way :)
 

Ready, Willing and Able

Today, we’re going to ask you three questions about change.

1. How ready are you to change?
   
   I think I am totally ready for change.
   I think last year I thought I was ready, but this time I am more ready.
   
   I really dont want to be sitting here next summer going "I wish I could lose weight" - stop wishing start doing.
   
   Since I know and understand what the program is... and the path to success is simply letting go of the thinking and just doing it... taking each habit for what it is, and trying my very best to practice doing the habit for 2 weeks... get a feel for the habit, does it work for me? yes then great keep doing it.
   e.g. veggie habit - does it make me feel good? is it contributing to sucess? then continue doing it.
   vs.
   zero calorie beverage - does it make me feel good? try it... really try it for 2 weeks, does drinking coffee with no milk and no sugar really make me physically uncomfortable? if yes... then don't do it :) but try to practice the habit for 2 weeks. switch to green tea for 2 weeks and then go back to coffee
   This is how I want to approach the progam this year.
   I want to give it a try, this is an experiment,
   
2. How willing are you to change?
   Right now I am very open to change and practicing new habits and routines.
   I know as the program gets deeper and time passes and the newness factor wears off and the
   weather starts to change etc...
   I know that my resovle and openness to change ... changes
   
   This year I know what is coming next, or else I can look back at my materials from before and read what is coming next... there are no surprises so...
   I know that this year i have to RELAX and just do what the program tells me to do. and remember it only is for 2 weeks
   
    
3. How able are you to change?
   What is preventing me from change right now?
   
   - nothing.
   I am physically healthy and have no body aches or pains
   I feel pretty good
   
   Things are pretty dull at work, so much so that I would like more... or a new job
   I could foresee this becoming stressful if I dont get busy soon.
   things that generally get in my way:
   
   - boredom
   - stress (over boredom or being too busy etc...)
   - being out of my element (e.g. on vacation or at in laws etc..)
   - Bridget's schedule - the more she does the more stressed I get
   therefore in the fall, she will do Girl Guides (monday, drop off), Dance on Fridays (fiona to drop off) and Swimming (with Daddy) on weekends. no more Piano... I cant handle the practicing and the lessons
   
   Right now I believe I have all the elements arranged so I am able to succeed at change.
   
   I am ready to let someone else (the PN program) drive my decision making when it comes to food and exercise choices. Just do what the program asks of me.
   
   I need to get out of my head and stop analyzing things...
   
   I need to notice what is happening and why I am resisting
   
   e.g. Why didn't I go for my lunch walk today?
   because it was 12:45... and why did I let that stop me?
   because Im feeling guilty about being not busy at work and not doing much
   
   I need to come up with a plan of action, a strategy to get me moving forward in my career
   
   this will help with the guilt
   

Write your Owner's Manual

Review your "toolbox" of existing experiences, skills, and knowledge.

What do you already have or do that will help you when starting PN Coaching?




What do you need and want in order to move forward over the next year?

Prepare for liftoff

What's your "5-minute action" for today?

To eat a healthy homemade breakfast - 1/4 cup of Bob's Red Mill Muesli

Things I will work on this week

Things I want to work on:

1. Going to bed and lights out at 10:30pm
2. Drinking 1.5 L of water at work each day - the rest is gravy
3. Lunch walk - get outside at lunch for a walk around the block or a little bit farther
4. Breakfast at home
5. Eating slowly
6. Yoga on Wednesday at 7:30pm

Keep the Goal the Goal

WHAT TO DO TODAY

1	Focus on behavior, not outcomes. You can only control what you CHOOSE to DO. Focus on that.
2	If need be, brainstorm and “map out” some ideas. If you’re a visual person, draw yourself the “big picture” of your skills. You can use our handy blank wheel chart if you like. Or make your own with the criteria you think are important.
3	Pick your ONE SMALL habit task for the next two weeks, if you haven’t already done so. This task can either: a) improve a weakness; or b) strengthen a strength.
4	Stay on target. Keep the goal the goal. Client-You: Stick to the task that Coach-You has assigned. Coach-You: Help Client-You stay on track.
5	Do that task today. Then check it off! Yeah Coach!