A story about getting lean by doing less.
I received a message this morning that read something like this: “I went on vacation and ended up LOSING 3 pounds and 5 inches. I think I need to go on vacation more often!”
While the vacation part may not happen as quickly, the relaxation piece of this story can. Keep reading to see what I mean.
This photo has me wearing a tank top that says salty hair, sandy toes, and sun-kissed nose… While I love that idea, I have to admin I’ve only been to the beach 2 times this entire summer due to so much work and work travel (Spartan races are a part of TheAthElite.)
Back to this doing less point.
For me, more relaxation doesn’t mean more beach time. It means saying “no” more often. This is really hard for me because I am your text book people pleaser with all of the psychological programming to go along with it.
Saying no is usually harder for me than saying yes and gutting through it.
BUT saying no more often has not only helped me to have less stress, it has also helped me to shed body fat because I’m not in a constant state of fight or flight.
I personally research techniques, design, and test my clients’ training. It has been specially programmed to get my clients results without spending more time than necessary. If you can believe it, working out is often the simplest part.
The challenging part is juggling life. I share this with you because I wish someone would have shared it with me about a decade ago. I didn’t get it until I started working with clients and seeing the pattern from an outside perspective.
This is a list of things I have changed to make my downtime truly re-energizing:
- Limiting social engagements to events I truly want to attend and making a game plan prior to that event… Enjoy a cheat/treat day? Or let the company of the people fill me up? There is no right or wrong way. The pre-determined piece is what eases my mind.
- Scheduling/limiting social media time. I figured out that reading about the dramas happening in other people’s lives all day every day was sucking the life out of me.
- Suggesting active outdoor activities with friends and family. I don’t expect my grandmother to do a Spartan race with me, but if we can spend time in the garden or going for a walk, that beats sitting on the couch.
- Getting enough sleep. Times 10. I’ve actually stopped scheduling most social events for weeknights so I can get my 8 hours in. This step alone can be a complete game-changer.
- Learning that “no” is a complete sentence. The less I explain myself the better.
I watched a woman explain her “no” to 3 different people one day, and in the 30+ minutes it took her to explain ALL the reasons she was saying no, she could have accomplished 1/2 of her list of things she had to do.
Those are the things that have worked for me. I would love to hear what has worked for you.
