Oil Pulling and Bike Riding

This morning I had a dilemma. I've been trying to get my morning routine down and running smoothly for a while now, but I haven't quite hit the right order yet. I've been determined to single task more things and not be a crazy multi-tasker any more.

First, I've been Oil Pulling each morning (you can read more specifics about that on our j&kFITNESS blog). Basically, you use as pure of an oil as you can find, and you spend about 15-20 pulling, pushing and swishing it around in your mouth. I've been using organic, virgin coconut oil. I don't even like coconut, but this oil is very refreshing! So you're supposed to do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and before all your morning oral hygiene routine. That kind of grosses me out, but I'm all about trying new stuff and if I get a benefit from it, I work it in (with the goal of new, positive habits replacing bad ones).

You can get a nice size jar of this at Whole Foods

Secondly, I wanted to wake myself up a bit first thing by riding the stationary bike in our home gym. It's not new, but we just got a new bicycle seat. It's a really nice Schwinn Airdyne upright bike, but the seat has always been awful. It was nice and big and looked like it should be comfortable, but it nearly killed me everytime I tried to ride it. This past weekend we took the seat and post to All About Bikes in Memphis. Literally it took about 5 minutes to find a new seat and solve the problem. If you have bike wants or needs, go see Victor and team, they can help you out.

My new bike seat! Yay! I can ride and still sit the rest of the day without pain!

So... what to do? Well, I did them at the same time. While in my PJs and running shoes. And blaring loud music. I'm pretty sure I completely defiled the mental healing properties of my oil pulling, but it was what I had to do this morning. Not to mention that spitting the oil in a cup at the 20 minute mark so I could keep riding 10 more minutes made me feel like my Dad spitting tobacco. Yuck.

Jimmy's manly-man jam box that is usually in his wood-working shop

While I have impressed myself that I can swish oil around in my mouth, ride my bike and listen to music at the same time, without accidentally swallowing, choking or singing my favorite song in an outburst, I probably won't do that again. I think I'll go back to oil pulling first!

Do you do any crazy multi-tasking things in the mornings to fit it all in? Tell me what works for you!

Top Priority: My Personal Health and Wellness

This is it. 

Have you ever felt off track, maybe not a full-blown detour, but like you keep struggling to get back in your groove? I have felt that way for months now, and as of today I am facing it head on, because it's driving me crazy.

The thing is, I can help other people all day long with multiple facets of wellness. But I always seem to push my own to the back burner. This means I tend to end up not meeting my own goals, even though I may be working daily to help other people meet theirs. Don't get me wrong - it's very rewarding. But if I don't take care of myself, I can't keep helping other people. This is how I know I'm off-track. It's a hard lesson to learn. I think we all do it to a degree. We think it's selfish to set aside time for ourselves to take care of even the most basic needs, let alone work toward a major milestone. Parents are particularly bad about this. But it's time we realize that we can't really be effective, and we certainly can't be the example we need to be for the next generation, if we don't take care of the bodies and spirits that we've been given. I want to be around for the people in my life that I love. But it's not enough to me to just exist or survive, I need to really live. And you do too. So I hope that whatever just hit me in the head this weekend pushes you to think about it too.

So from this point on, you're going to hear a lot more about my antics. My ups and downs, my adventures, the goals I hit and the ones I miss. When I do well and when I suck. There will be some people in my life that hear me say the word no every now and then (gasp!). I want to hear about you too. Is anyone else feeling the same way? If you are, tell me about it, and let's tackle this together.

I have some very specific goals that I want to meet this year. Surprisingly, they have precious little to do with scale weight and just marking things off a to-do list. I'm focusing on healthy habits, my performance, how I feel, what kind of impact I'm making on the world, things like that. As I work through these healthy habits, I'll share them here. I'd love for you to share your thoughts with me too. Tell me when you think I'm crazy and when you feel the same way. Let me know what you are doing to make your life DIFFERENT. Let's live and not just exist!!!!

5 Strategies for Holiday Health & Fitness

I must say that I enjoyed my Thanksgiving holiday weekend! We actually hosted our family dinner (20 adults and 6 kids) on Wednesday this year - which meant that I also enjoyed a second dinner at my sister-in-law's house on Thursday. Then came Black Friday shopping, leftovers, lazy time and rainy weather. While I was all very nice, it's time to be realistic and assess the damage. The things I always find challenging are:

• Rich Food
• Less Water
• Sporadic Sleep
• No deliberate exercise
• High stress

Did you encounter any of these this week? I did! It's really all about strategy. Some things can be avoided, and other things just need to be approached a little smarter. Think about it as a game! Let's go back through each one and talk about strategy. These strategies can apply to pretty much any holiday that involves a special meal or party.

1. Food strategy
Here's the key: eat squeaky clean the entire week, and the day of your holiday event. Then when the time comes for the meal or party, use it as a cheat/treat/splurge (whatever you call it) for that week. I generally think that trying to make traditional holiday foods low fat, low sugar, low sodium just ends up making them tasteless. The food detour might just be a positive jolt for your mind and body. Enjoy the best things to eat. Concentrate on those that are unique to the holiday, that you don't get other times of the year. Don't waste your calories on common foods you can get any time. If you're celebrating during the day, about 3 hours after your meal/party, eat a small super healthy snack to reset your mind and body.

2. Water Strategy
Go into the holiday fully hydrated. You most likely will be drinking other stuff, but if you go into it well hydrated you won't be as thirsty for some of the other things. Also, don't drink things just because they are there. Decide what you really love. If you're going to drink some calories, don't waste it on anything that's not your favorite. Again, be choosy, and focus on the unique drinks for the holiday. Drink a big glass of water before your meal or party.

3. Sleep Strategy
Go into the holiday rested. Do whatever it takes to get a full 8 hours of sleep every night leading up to the event. Take a nap the day of if you know you're going to be up late. Be organized enough that you don't have to sacrifice sleep. It's not worth it, and it make take some pre-planning or starting your holiday prep much earlier than you are used to. When you feel tired, rest. Use the time for active recovery (doing fun stuff) and getting in extra down time such as naps and meditation. Your body will thank you. It's supposed to be a holiday, remember?

4. Exercise strategy
You just have to schedule it. Make sure you stay on track with your exercise right up until the event. If you can, get your workout in the day of before you go to your dinner or party. Wrestling a 22 pound turkey into the oven, miles walked during a shopping spree and hours on your feet may not cut it. The next day, or the next few days, you'll have extra calories on board. Take advantage of it! You'll be surprised how strong you might feel at the gym, because usually those calories are extra carbs. Hit it hard and with intensity. Get in a walk after dinner and every chance you get. Run and play with the kids, do some stair sprints, burpees in the living room, anything you can to keep moving.

5. High stress
Be with people you love. Get some time away from those who drive you nuts. Have some time each day set aside to be quiet and still. Protect your mind from negative thoughts. Ask youself, "what is this in light of eternity?" and keep things in perspective. Avoid that family debate that makes you raging mad, or the toxic people. If you can't get it all done, let it go!!

We have about 5 weeks before the new year. Don't just throw in the towel now! Those are 5 weeks that you can be productive in your health and fitness goals. Why not start the new year with a leg up? You can do it!