5 things to help you stick to an exercise program

Know your exercise personality

Trying to rest my resting bitch face

Do you like it fast and furious or slow and steady and no I am not talking about sex. I used to think I like it fast and furious until a certain kickboxing class, well… kicked my ass. Now I’d say I like a slow build with some fast-paced intervals thrown in for good measure. The only way to know your exercise personality is to try lots of different exercise and see which ones you like most and why. Also, listen to your body at all times. 

Consider the best time for you to exercise.

Are you a morning person or a night owl? If you’re a night owl, schedule your workouts around that particular moment maybe at the end of your day when your energy is at its most. You might also want to consider your current home and work situation. Are you at your busiest now at work? How about your personal life? Then the last thing you want is the added guilt of not exercising as regularly as you would have wanted to because you overextended yourself. For me I am at my peak in the morning so I know if it doesn’t get done in the morning it probably won’t get done at all.

Start small but don’t underestimate the power of small wins over time

Start at the smallest unit you can perform even if all hell break lose and then build up from there.

The goal is to incorporate exercise slowly into your routine. Take for example the simple habit of drinking a green tea in the morning instead of coffee. Seems pretty simple and easy, right?  But practiced over time this small and rather insignificant action can have a ripple effect in the long run. I know for myself that when I start my morning with a nice cup of green tea it prompts me to make a better breakfast choice. A better breakfast choice in turn gives me more energy for the rest of the day and I am less likely to be tired and heavy comes lunch time. Since I am less heavy and tired at lunchtime I’ll most likely go for a quick walk. The effect continues on and on and pretty soon I am going to lunch hour walks and lifting weights in the mornings. Nothing makes me feel more accomplished and able to tackle the world than a green tea and some weightlifting afterwards.

It takes a period of 6 to 8 weeks to notice any significant change

Most people want quick results. They want to go from living in the fridge to living at the gym. They don’t understand that if it took say a year to put on 30 pounds it’ll most likely take just as much if not more to lose the same amount of weight. So during this period of time instead of constantly hopping on the scale, monitor your energy level, your sleep, your mood, etc… And remember feeling better usually precedes looking better. Use this period of time as a frame of reference when monitoring results. Only check results every 6 to 8 weeks and use your clothing as a measuring stick.

Buy yourself a few outfits for your current size 

Try to find a way to love yourself the size you are now instead of constantly trying to fit  back into your skinny clothes. How? First thing is to buy yourself a few outfits for the size you are now. Change your make up, change your hairstyle and your hair color if need be and change your wardrobe too. People morphology tend to change when they put on a lot of weight so keep that in mind and make changes where it matters.

When the cat thinks she’s prettier

Constantly trying to fit into your skinny clothes will only serve to remind you of how fat you’ve become. So whatever you do, don’t do that. I beg of you. As you start to lose the weight these new clothes will start to get loose which will highlight your progress and not your failure.

What about you? what are your favorite tips when it comes to sticking to an exercise program? Don’t forget to comment like or share this article! Check back December 3rd for a new post. Talk soon!

Are you afraid of being happy?

Are you afraid of being happy? I am. But it wasn’t always the case. It started about 7 years ago. I remember it as vividly as the day it happened…

It is April fool’s day, year 2010 and I am at work. I am just finishing up a call and the other line is ringing. It is close to lunchtime but I figured one last call won’t kill me. Plus it could be my sister calling with some last minute details.  Nancy is travelling with some friends to some exotic place and is sending my niece to stay with me a couple of weeks. So I pick up, very excited. It is certainly not the voices I am expecting to hear. It is a person with a very formal and cold tone of voice.

• “Hello May I speak with Mrs Duplessy?”
• “This is she”
• “Well , we have your niece here with us and she would like to speak to you.”

I relax. It is my niece. She probably missed her plane and is running late. Typical. Asking my niece to catch a plane on time is like asking a mouse to catch fish. It’s against nature. I wait readying myself with a long list of “I told you so”.  The minute I hear her voice I start:

• “Well, well, well, let me guess you missed your plane again?”

No answer at first then I hear sobbing. I am a bit shocked and embarrassed.

• “Don’t tell me you’re crying because you missed the plane?”

More sobbing. This time louder. She is becoming a tad bit hysterical. It is only then that it hit me. She is not at the airport and something is very wrong. Impatient, I ask her: “What’s wrong?”

• “She is dead, she answered. Nancy’s dead!”

My brain went dark. Shutting down to process the piece of information I’ve just received.

“She is dead”, she keeps repeating as if she is trying to process the information too. I hear the voice with the cold and formal tone again. Someone who’s probably hospital staff took back the phone and is trying to explain the situation……

This was April 2010. Fast forward to 2017. I finally have enough distance to realize I was preventing myself from being happy. I was afraid as soon as I’d allow myself to be happy something wrong would happen. I simply had lost faith in life.

But now I know better. I have regained my faith in life. At least a good amount of it. After all, isn’t it what being happy’s all about? Being happy is choosing to have faith in life even though we know fully well things may take a turn for the worst in the blink of an eye. It’s to accept life’s ebb and flow and realize we can’t control everything no matter how hard we try. I should know. I am a control freak masquerading as a free spirit.

Here are some of the things I tell myself when I notice myself slipping back into “I am afraid of being happy” territory:

• You’re 40 now. Technically you could be halfway through your entire lifespan so don’t waste it by thinking about what could go wrong.
• Life is short. This could be your last happy moment so enjoy it.
• We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
• Preventing yourself from enjoying this moment won’t spare you the hardship that may come.
• You’re making memories to get you through the tough times when and if they come so embrace the moment.
• Happiness is a matter of perspective so find a new perspective.

What about you? Are you afraid of being happy too sometimes? Do you know someone who’s afraid of being happy? How do you cope with those feelings? I think we all know at least one person.

Once again don’t forget to comment like or share this article! I’ll be back on the 25th with another article. Maybe out of sheer desperation of what to write I’ll share my food journal for the week 🙂

5 THINGS I LEARNED WHEN I TURNED 40

Last month I turned 40, October 10th to be precise. It was scary. It was good. I felt younger than I ever felt in my life. I also felt older than I ever felt. Why is that? I ask myself.

I was born in Haiti and when I was a child I remember I couldn’t wait to be older but not older like my mom. No. Older like my grandmother. It seemed to me she had it all. Children to guilt trip whenever they refuse to give into whatever she asks them to partake in no matter how unreasonable. Grandchildren to annoy. In Haiti older people are revered. They are believed to be wise and of a good influence. Although my grandmother was more like a very tall and old-looking child. Sometimes she behaved even worse than us children. She threw more tantrums than a teething baby.

Around here, it is like they expect people to fight to stay young at all cost. Specially women. and although it pains me greatly to admit it it does influence me in the end. While I consider it a privilege to grow old, there is a thought that has been haunting me lately.  At 40 years old, I feel as though I am sort of halfway through my life duration, that is of course if I am lucky enough to live to be 80 years old. So with that constantly in mind, I feel an overwhelming need to simplify my life. In life so much rests upon so little. Everything is so fragile. So today I want to take time and share 5 things I learned when turning 40. So here we go:

1)Keep a journal

No matter how hard a time you’re facing now, remember it won’t last forever. One day you’ll look at that memory and be amazed at how far you’ve come and you’ll be so proud of yourself. You’ll look fondly at something that used to traumatize or frustrate you and realize that nothing has changed except you. Naturally if you’re lucky it would also mean you’ve survived. I admit keeping a journal is something I struggle with but it is so worth it.

2) You can’t see the light without seeing the crap

Usually seeing the light is most often seeing as this sort of epiphany, like a life changing moment and it is but I think that’s rather the glamorized version. Unfortunately seeing the light also comes hand in hand with seeing the crap. It is like having 20/20 vision. At 40 I felt like somebody piled up all of my crap and locked me in a room with it. Everything is made clear including past mistakes, negative patterns, lies we keep feeding ourselves, etc.

3) Time our most precious resource so don’t squander it

Nowadays I won’t even blink in the direction of things and people that are not worth my time and energy. I feel like I can’t afford to. I have no tolerance for repeated pettiness, crassness, pure selfishness and all the likes. Lately I’ve gotten into the habit of constantly reevaluating everything and everyone in my life to see if they are deserving of my time and energy and forever redirecting that time and energy towards people and things that deserve to be valued and cherished.

4) You are the most important person in your universe

Try and spend time with yourself, protect yourself, cherish yourself, love yourself above and beyond. You hold it all together. You give it meaning. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to pursue things that make you happy. It is okay to say no to things and people that no longer serve you even if it is a family member. Only you know what you need. Nobody else does. Care for yourself first. Everything starts and ends with you.

5) Life is in the simple things

Little moments of happiness are as important as big ones if not more. Don’t neglect the small stuff. Nothing makes me happier than a juicy burger and Netflix with dear husband on a Friday night. Dynasty marathons never gets old to me. Christmas playlists even when it is not Christmas yet. Hot tea on a cold day. The list goes on and on. Once you start paying attention to the little things, you find even more little things to enjoy.

Does any of that resonate with you? Would love to hear your thoughts! Please don’t forget to comment, share or like this article. I hope to be back on the 19th with another article, wish me luck!