Last week I got excited. I was thinking about my health, and honestly, I tried on a pair of jeans that fit nicely not two months ago. They now wouldn’t go over my hips. This wasn’t a matter of washing machine shrinkage and the timing of New Years was purely coincidence – promise. It had more to do with the brie and crackers I was consuming, pretty much daily.
Something had to give and unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be my jeans.
I know how it works. I’ve had past experiences with working out 3 times a week, eating healthy and understand portion sizes. Currently, I’ve been making a choice not to care and it’s finally become too obvious to ignore. I have not been working out regularly since I started working full time because “Who has time for that?”. Honestly, I am all for the “Life is too short” mentality but there are just too many health issues in my family tree to keep on this way. I want to have the best chance to be here for my kids AND I know mentally it will help my anxiety, mood and overall well being.
That’s what drew me to FourFold Lifestyle. I kept seeing the posts on social media that spoke to four aspects of health – Physical, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual. I recognize this is not about just my body – that’s why I keep starting and stopping. It needs to be a lifestyle. So, I reached out – hopeful that this lifestyle will include the odd slice or two of Brie still 😉
First Things First
The first thing we did was meet – online- for 30 minutes so that Jenn, the creator of FourFold, could talk with me about my needs and what they offer. Another great thing about the program is she does everything online, but she is located in Alberta. I learned that there are two different programs offered, one being a little more “hand holding” than the other. That’s the one I went with because I need to be accountable and I like support.
Another reason for writing this post – I am putting it in writing for all of you to see. That in itself is motivation.
Next Up
Jenn sent me some forms to fill out, and an App to download that will be set up with my specific program. The App also syncs up to MyFitnessPal and Fitbit which is really great for me since I use both of those! We met online for our first 1 hr chat. In that conversation, we discussed sleep, my current level of activity and the importance of hydration. We also talked about exercise I have enjoyed in the past.
She also gave me lots of great tips. For example, I’ve been having trouble getting to sleep early enough to get up and work out before the day begins. I’m a morning exercise person – I have no desire to do anything in the evening so she suggested a great Yoga Nidra album I was able to download on Google Play. If you’ve never heard of Yoga Nidra, it’s this amazing guided sleep meditation that just makes your body chill out.
Small steps right?
This first month I’ll be focusing on my water intake, reading labels so I know what’s in my food and sleep. I will have a plan. My exercise program begins next week too! Having someone “in my corner”, helping me along on my health journey is amazing. Jenn really cares, she loves working with women and makes me excited about learning how to make this part of my life. She’s already been so encouraging and that means so much to me.
I’ll be sharing some of my journey on our Instagram and my personal Instagram as well. My successes and the blips!
I could certainly use some cheer leaders. 🙂
This post has been written in partnership with FourFold Lifestyle and an Alberta Mama is receiving partial services in exchange for advertisement. As always, all opinions are our own.