Via in Italia! 

As I write this, I am looking down on Rome for the first time from the plane’s window. So excited about this. 2 weeks of visiting beautiful sites and eating delicious food in Italy with Scott. This trip has been 2 years in the making and coincides with our 20th wedding anniversary. What better way to celebrate 20 years of marriage than with pasta in Italy? Today I want to talk about rules and discipline. We all live by some sets of internal rules. To some that can feel restrictive, to me it’s just the way I know works for me. In order to get somewhere new, you may need to change your habits, and you may need to change them forever if you want those habits to last. Wouldn’t it be better to live by rules that don’t feel restrictive to you? A lot of it comes down to mindset and how we view the things we do. I logged out of MyFitnessPal last night and I don’t plan on worrying about it one bit. What once felt like a crutch to me is finally feeling like just another tool in my arsenal.  

I’ve realized that in the past, the rules that I lived by came from a place of fear and restriction. Today, they feel more like self-awareness and knowing what ultimately works best for me. 

I should really thank you all for this; having the opportunity to coach one on one for the past few years gave me the opportunity to take a step back and look at my own mindset more closely. It has taught me what I value the most and what brings me joy. But most importantly, it has helped me to let go of goals that no longer serve me. 

At some point in my journey, I realized that perhaps I was working towards something I didn’t necessarily desire and had to reconsider what I truly wanted and needed to be happy. I had to come to terms with changing my end goals and not pursuing something that would result in a life that I don’t want.

There’s a big gap between being overly restrictive and in constant pursuit of weight loss to just saying “fuck it” altogether. People are great at living in extremes but not so great when it comes to being somewhere in the middle. 

That’s where I’d like to come in.

You need to let go of your restrictive mindset in order to escape the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t have any more “rules” instilled into your life.

I still live by my own rules, rules that were born out of knowing what works for me. 

Being active and moving daily is a rule. If I move, I feel better. It has a ripple effect in everything else that I do: when I exercise, I care about what I eat. For me, these two go hand in hand. When I exercise I care about my sleep, my eating and how well I treat my body. 

The first thing I pack when traveling is my gym stuff, and we always find a gym before we arrive and make it a priority to do something physical most days. Every time I exercise it reminds me of how much better I feel when I’m eating well and moving often. It’s important to figure out what kind of changes you need to make to be the best you, and how to create lasting changes in your behaviours.

Create your own set of rules, so to speak. 

What are my rules?

  • Daily movement. In and out of the gym. This goes from the energy I get from walking 10,000 steps a day to the boost of endorphins I get from the gym. My mind is clearer when I move. I’ve learned over time that I need to manage my intensity and take rest days, but overall my body just wants to move. 
  • Sleep! I think that should have been number 1, but it’s a given for me. If you know me, you know I protect my sleep fiercely and aim to get 7-9 hours nightly. I know for a fact that when I am tired I am 100 times more likely to skip a workout or make bad eating choices.
  • Drinking enough water. Seems basic, but I always have a water bottle with me. Water is essential to life, more so than food. 
  • Eating protein at every meal. I am a big meat eater- actually, I am a big eater in general, but I know that eating protein keeps my appetite in check. It’s the most satiating macro, and I know I will be a lot more “snacky” when I don’t get enough of it. Whenever I’m travelling, I come prepared by packing some protein powder, collagen and a few protein bars. When eating out it’s always easy to get enough carbs and fat, but protein tends to be the thing that is harder to find, you need to make an effort at it.
  • Fibre- It’s not unusual when travelling to have poor digestion. I know for me, it comes down to sufficient water and fibre. Trying to get in 5-6 cups of veggies a day keeps my tummy happy. I look for fresh produce wherever I can, and since we will be in an Air BNB for half of our trip it is within my control to do so and shop right.

I know for a fact that if I don’t live by my rules, I will end up feeling terrible. That in itself is self-regulating. Who wouldn’t want to come home from a holiday feeling great! It has taken me a while to come to this mindset, but I am here to tell you it is possible to get off the all-or-nothing train. I cannot wait to visit new gyms in Italy, pound the pavement walking and taking in the sights and most importantly, to try all the amazing foods and I promise to keep my Instagram stories flooded with pasta and pizzas. 

Ciao!❤️