Too often, we scramble for solutions without taking the time to really define and understand the problem. That leads to lots of effort with little results. We either solving the wrong problem or implementing the wrong solution, or both. It’s a waste of time & a fast track to frustration.
Today’s episode features a candid conversation with one of my Masters Club clients. Prior to her time in the Fat Loss Fast Track, she was always on a diet. She felt like her only weight loss strategy was “eat less” and she was exhausted by it.
Though she developed a solid strategy that worked for her, she struggled to make consistent positive choices after having a baby and juggling life, marriage & motherhood.
Through the course of our convo we define the problem, toss around potential solutions and determine a course of action to help her learn more about what works for her and get back to feeling her very best.
I used to feel overwhelmed pretty much every day. My to-do list always exceeded my work capacity. There was always more to do than time to do, or at least that’s what I told myself.
I hear from my clients all the time that they are stressed, overwhelmed, have too much on their plate and they drop the ball on self-care because it’s just too much.
If feeling overwhelmed by life & obligations is getting in the way of taking care of yourself, you MUST make a change. Now. You cannot wait until the kids are older or you have more money saved. It has to happen now. This is more about mindset than workload and it’s time to take control.
I have a really simple strategy for days I feel overwhelmed. It is SO BASIC but it has changed my life.
Sometimes we dismiss simple solutions because they seem too basic, but this one has been a game changer for me.
I realized that my to-do lists were made up primarily of things that I wanted to get done, that needed to get done at some point, but weren’t critical for the day to which I had assigned them.
If I feel overwhelmed, I’ll take a look at my to-do list and evaluate every item on there and ask the following question:
Is this something that must get done today or just something I’d like to get done today?
80% of the things on my to-do list weren’t’ critical for the day to which I had assigned them. Sure, I wanted to get them done but the things that were absolutely CRITICAL for the day were far fewer in number.
Though I don’t take this approach every day, I absolutely turn to it when I’m overwhelmed. Every single thing that isn’t critical for the day at hand gets removed from the list.
Couldn’t be more basic, ya know? But it works!
I no longer put myself in the trap of exhausting myself with the things that aren’t critical for the day & then feeling pressured at the end of the day to rush through the things that are critical. I wasted a lot of energy because I wasn’t prioritizing and doing first things first.
Today, for example, the only things that must get done for Primal Potential are:
this blog
tomorrow’s Daily Motivation Podcast
tonight’s Masters Club webinar
Are there 25+ other things that have to get this week and I’d love to tackle today? Of course. But I can immediately ease my mind and feel more in control when I only look at what must be done today.
A workout is something I choose to fit in, but at the end of the day, it’s not required. I did make time for it today, though not at my normal time. I had to push it back a while to make room for today’s priorities.
I wasn’t really in the mood for the gym today but a 30-minute warm up and 15 minute workout made me feel infinitely happier and more energized.
On the food front:
Around 10am I had Paleo Power Meals spaghetti squash with meat sauce. It was literally the only thing I had in the fridge since it’s delivery day & I haven’t picked up this week’s food yet.
Around 3pm I had chicken & broccoli over cauliflower rice and dinner was steak frites around 6:30pm.
I picked up a bottle of Polar seltzer this weekend – pineapple grapefruit flavor – omg, it’s totally my new favorite!
I’m so excited to have one of my Fat Loss Fast Track clients on the show today. She’s in the trenches of creating lasting change and refining what works best for her body & lifestyle.
After feeling great about her first 12 weeks in the Fat Loss Fast Track, she struggled with enthusiasm, engagement & consistency in the second 12-weeks.
She talks candidly about cycles of success and how she’s fighting back to recreate momentum.
I think it’s powerful to see & hear what strategies work for people and how they overcome obstacles. Today’s episode is a great example.
If you’ve been following these posts, you know that I’m not a great runner (yet). I love to lift weights but running has been a struggle for me since I was a kid.
My mom insisted that I run on the Cross Country team in grades 5-8 and I came in last in every.single.raceexcept one. The only reason I didn’t come in last in that one is because I got lost and only ran about 25% of the course.
These days when I see a workout that involves running, I work hard to avoid thoughts like “Oh shit. I hate this. This will be hard.”
Today’s workout involved running. During the warm-up, as I thought through the three 600m runs ahead of me, I decided I was going to fall in love with running.
As I warmed up I thought, what is there that I can love about running?
I love running because I can do it anywhere without equipment
I love running because I have lots of room for improvement and watching myself make progress feels great
I love running because I have strong legs
I love running because it feels good to workout outdoors and feel the breeze on my face
Throughout the workout, I focused on why I love running. It made a huge difference.
You know what’s crazy? After the workout my coach said to me, “Elizabeth, you’re getting really good at running!”
Ha. Would you look at that!
This same strategy applies to everything.
What can you love about eating well?
What can you love about working out?
What can you love about sticking to your budget?
What can you love about being kind and patient?
Here’s a look at this wonderful Friday workout.
“Bells & Whistles”
21-15-9:
DB Hang Squat Cleans (35’s/25’s)
Push-ups
600m Run
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the 21-15-9 framework, the workout goes like this:
21 dumbbell squat cleans
21 push-ups
600m run
15 dumbbell squat cleans
15 push-ups
600m run
9 dumbbell squat cleans
9 push-ups
600m run
I love to run!
On the food front:
I’m headed out of town for the weekend so I’m eating a little lighter today. It’s a travel day, I’ll be sitting on my butt for most of it, so my body just doesn’t need that much fuel.
After the workout I had 2 cups of hormone free greek yogurt with shredded coconut mixed in. I don’t eat a lot of dairy but boy do I love greek yogurt every once in a while!
A half cup of nuts served as lunch when I was on the road and dinner will be (I’m publishing this before dinner) a caprese salad & meat or fish. Probably fish.
Enjoy the weekend! Make choices that make you feel proud!
Yesterday I worked from the pool. In a bathing suit. Without clothes on over it.
Can we pause for a moment of mental victory? This has nothing to do with the way my body has changed and everything to do with the way my mind has changed.
This has everything to do with my deliberate choice to step outside the confines of my comfort zone because I know that’s where all the beauty is.
For most of my life, I wore pants & sleeves to the beach. I have evidence!
Does this mean I’m super confident and proud to rock a bathing suit? Nah. Not exactly. But I’m surely working on it, mentally & physically.
Here’s what I thought as I sat out in my bathing suit:
I cannot care what others think of my body.
(Note that I didn’t say I do not care. I said I cannot care.)
People look at Beyoncé and say she’s too big, too white or too black.
People look at Jennifer Lawrence and criticize her facial features. To some she’s too big, to others too small, to others, just right.
Insert whomever you think is beautiful. People still criticize. They always will.
It’s not our business what other people think of our bodies.
It’s our business what WE think of our bodies.
I am not willing to hold back who I am due to insecurity stemming from what others might think.
You know what’s sexy? CONFIDENCE.
You know what’s not sexy? INSECURITY.
To the ladies who are reading this post: confidence is a sexy trait in a man, right? Insecurity can be a turn-off, right?
Men feel the same way! Confidence is sexy! Insecurity is not only a turn-off, but it’s a recipe to NEVER be happy.
Here’s what I think: I would have looked more beautiful in the above picture if I were wearing a bathing suit and a genuine, confident smile.
Confidence is sexy. Insecurity is unhappiness.
I could have looked at myself in the mirror yesterday & seen wide calves and thick thighs.
I’m going to believe what I focus on. I’m going to see what I choose to see. I’m going to attach to the story I tell.
I’m telling a different story.
Yesterday I chose to be confident. I wore my most beautiful smile I focused on things I love about myself and I enjoyed the moment without giving any of my precious energy to what others may think.
Life is too short to worry about what others think of my body. There will always be someone who will criticize it and I don’t care.
I often repeat to myself something I heard from Tara Brach:
Say yes to the life that is here.
That doesn’t mean I can’t work to improve my life & my body. I can, I do & I should. But saying yes to the life that is here means LIVING FULLY NOW and not putting off experiences or embracing who you are until some future date or weight.
Confidence is sexy and security brings happiness. That’s what I choose!
#endrant
#notquite Wear your damn bathing suit & pair it with a brilliant smile.
#reallyendrant
I loved today’s workout, though the push press got spicy real quick. I did quick sets of 7-7-6 for those guys.
“Dead Weight”
AMRAP 15:
30/20 Calorie Bike
20 DB Push Press (35’s/25’s)
10 Deadlifts (245/165)
I was proud to RX this one (aka, do it as prescribed versus modifying).
As I write this, I’m sitting out at the pool again, in my bathing suit with my brightest smile.
I choose confidence.
On the food front:
Since there was a lot of volume in today’s workout, I opted to have my carbs post workout with steak frites (sweet potato fries) from Paleo Power Meals. It was around 9am when I chowed down on that.
At 12 I had spaghetti squash with meat sauce and around 5pm I had a cobb salad.
I’ll tell you what – I feel best when I don’t snack. My body feels better and I’m less distracted.
I’m currently doing a 30-day challenge with my Masters Club clients and part of my nutrition standard (we each define our own standards) is no snacking. While I don’t hit it every day, I feel soooo much better when I do!
