Fitting in Fitness

“Whole Fitness” is a concept I use with my clients to emphasize that fitness needs to be incorporated in to our lives without thinking of it as a task or a means to an end but rather a part of everything we do. Once you begin to look at something as a task, you begin to look for the end of that task even before it’s started. In our journey for a healthy lifestyle, it should be looked at as a journey, not a means to an end.


There are certain “Whole Fitness" tips I focus on for both myself and my clients:

• Make ourselves priority

If we can find time for TV, conference calls, dry cleaning runs, school meetings and facebooking, tweeting and myspacing, then we can find time for the number priority we overlook most frequently, ourselves. If we don’t commit to being the number one priority and take care of ourselves first, we cannot give 100% to other important issues such as our spouses, children, families, work, etc. A wise man once said, “You cannot continually fill the cups of others unless you refill the pot.”

• Look for easy answers

“Whole Fitness” is not rocket science. No fitness is rocket science. Many people feel overwhelmed by what’s out there for information. My best advice to my clients, make the most out of the day by making simple, but obvious choices.

 Use the stairs

 Park the car at the other end of the lot

 Use the bathroom on a different floor from where you work

 Stand up rather than sit for conference calls, or while being on the computer at home or the office.

 Get your kids involved – play tag, play football, challenge them to a walk, jog or run

 Make the most of lunch – WALK! For every 2000 steps we take we burn approx 100 calories, so get a pedometer and challenge yourself.

• Be food conscious

What’s the best way to know what you are eating? Write it down, of course! A food journal needs to be your bible. For one week, write everything down, without making any changes to your daily routine. Once you write it down, you own it! Once that week is over, reread it and look for patterns. Then give it your spouse, your friend or someone with an honest eye and ask them to do the same. Then you can look for patterns, pitfalls and ways to improve. Keep the bible(food journal) for a few weeks after that and stick to it.

• Support

No man is an island, and no lifestyle is changed alone…so buddy up with the ones you are with the most…your co-workers. We spend most of our day with our other families. The ones we work with…so get them involved.

Agree to meet before and/or after work and walk for 10-15 minutes.

Walk at lunch.

Agree to walk to one another’s desk instead of calling or emailing.

Agree to make one another a healthy lunch and trade off during the week.

If you are stay at home, motivate your children and family. Everyone can benefit from improved awareness about healthy lifestyle changes. Once you enlist help, you make yourself accountable for their lifestyle change too. Mutual support to recognize our pitfalls and successes is key.

“Whole Fitness” means getting the most out of everything we can for a healthier lifestyle. It means looking to make healthier more efficient, smarter choices in a lot of what we are already doing. Mostly, it means being proactive in our own lives and looking for ways everyday to make improvements.

Be well - Alicia