YOU are important!

Many of us want our kids to be active, involved in sports and eat healthy foods. Why don’t we hold ourselves to the same standards?

Even if you don’t have children, it’s easy to think you don’t have time for anything after work besides taking care of family, pets and household chores! If I told you change is easy, it wouldn’t be true. Sometimes we make changes so fast that we end up going back to bad habits or establish even worse habits!

After the holiday season, many of us like to make lifestyle changes. In over 15 years as a competitive athlete, mom and healthcare worker, I have learned a strategy or two. It is my hope that I can help you implement one of these a week until they stick:

Find the time for intentional movement.

If your child has a sporting practice, use that time for movement and a digital detox. Use sidewalks or walk around the practice field. Ten to fifteen minutes may not seem like a lot, but you will be surprised by the physical and psychological benefits you gain from even a short amount of movement. Add a walk to your lunch break and have your coworkers hold you accountable. Many of you are working from home right now, and it’s even more important to get up and move!

Once you have a good handle on the first strategy, implement the next.

Get your heart rate up!

This is different than intentional movement. Start with short amounts of cardiovascular exercise, such as fast walking, indoor biking or water fitness. Try for twice a week and once you have done that for a month, add on an additional day. If you already have a good fitness base, don’t discount a short workout as opposed to no workout. Look to add intensity to make it more powerful.

My favorite way to stay accountable is to make a calendar appointment. This appointment is not any less important than others.

Add resistance training.

This will support injury prevention and long-term success after bariatric surgery. Not sure where to start? That’s where your bariatric fitness sessions come in. Through these one-on-one sessions, your bariatric fitness specialist will support you with specific strategies personalized for you as well as give you the knowledge to move forward.

Stay hydrated!

Fitness and hydration go hand in hand. Try keeping bottled water under your desk or filling your water bottles the night before to be sure you will take in all that you need for the day. Practice sipping water throughout the day.

Change takes time and effort but since you are reading this, you are ready to start with strategy #1. Focus on peace and the fact that you are making progress. It helps to have a mantra to repeat to yourself when you are in situations where you will tend to make decisions that don’t support the above strategies. What will your mantra be? One of my favorites is “You are worth it.”

Joelle Sevio, RDH, BS, CPT, is a Fitness Specialist at WakeMed Healthworks Health & Wellness. She is a Personal Trainer, Health and Wellness Advocate, former Health and Wellness Chair for the Wake County PTA Council, long distance athlete and has a passion to educate and inspire others to make lifestyle changes for longevity. You can contact her to schedule a session at jsevio@wakemed.org or by calling 919-350-8613.