No Excuses November • Ready. Set. Go!

What is it? No Excuses November is the first of a series of better days for you (and your friends and family too). Beginning November 1 through 21, we are inviting anyone who wants some added motivation to stay in touch for three weeks worth of encouragement geared towards your lifestyle and wellness success.

Why are we doing this? For FREE!? (We’ve had a lot of questions to that effect.) The short answer to that question is that we know how much social support means to the success of lifestyle change. We know how it feels to be on track, and how it feels to be derailed. We’re ready to get ourselves together, and thought we would offer our support and encouragement to others on the way.

​DAY ONE • Set your goals!

Although we know that some of you have already done so, day one of No Excuses November is a perfect time to sit down and determine your ultimate goals. Do they involve stress relief, moving more, having more energy, trimming down, more social time? Jot them down and place them somewhere you can see them each morning. Once you have done that, it’s time to determine your action plan. Identify your biggest challenges. Choose achievable markers of progress.  Gather your supplies.  (And talk to your supervising doctor if necessary.)

​WEEK ONE • Ready. Set. Go!

We are excited to begin this “reset” for ourselves and hope you’re excited too! Though our goals are personal to each of us, we are all aiming for success no matter how large or small. To help you achieve your goals, we will be providing daily lifestyle tips covering any number of different topics such as stress relief, nutrition, environment, water, sleep, et cetera. If you have questions, be sure to holler, we’ll help wherever we can. We’ll be posting updates to Facebook and maintaining a database of useful information on our website (www.thegreatescape4u.com). No more excuses!

Visualize It!
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​Making personal notes, diagrams, vision boards, picture collages, goal charts and journaling are great ways to remind and motivate yourself along the way.  Experts know that physically writing it out, by hand will help solidify an thought or idea in the brain and can better aid in success when reaching goals. ​

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​THE EIGHT "LAWS" OF HEALTH

​Life is a balancing act. As we grow and develop (well into adulthood) and determine who we are and what role we play in this lifetime, we are constantly managing a myriad of different factors that make, or break, our wellness. What are these factors? In short they are Air (fresh oxygen), Water (daily intake, eight 8 ounce glasses minimum), Nutrition (fresh whole foods), Rest (sleep and relaxation), Exercise (strength, cardio and stretching), Sunlight ​(moderate daily sun exposure), Temperance (abstaining from what is harmful), God Time (uninterrupted spiritual time with God).  [Note: Some people also included Generosity and Gratitude as key factors in a well balanced life.] Determining how well you are currently managing your key lifestyle factors can be an eye opening activity well worth taking a detour for. Using the chart and simple instructions below, mark your own progress to determine how "balanced" your life currently is, the answer may surprise you! 

​Print off a copy of the Wheel of Health image (left). Using 8 colored pencils, highlighters, or crayons of your choice and mark each word in the flower with an identifying color (e.g.: God Time = sapphire, Air = gray, Water = teal, Sunlight = yellow, etc.).

Now, imagine that the center of the flower represents a value of "poor" or "0" (zero); and the outer edge where the petals connect represent a value of "excellent" or "10" (ten).

​Using the same color you chose for each word, mark a dot somewhere on the line below (separating one petal from the next) representing the number or rating you would give yourself for your current efforts towards that aspect of your overall wellness. Be honest and thoughtful about the reality of your present circumstances. 

When you have made a dot on each line for each corresponding word, use a pencil or black pen and connect the dots, following in line around the circle.  (Your flower should look something like image two.) 

​Lastly, imagine yourself taking away the rest of the design, leaving only the center dot and the dots you drew along with their connecting lines.  Would your "Wheel of Health" roll like a well formed circle? Would it get very far at all?  This exercise should give you a picture of how well you are doing, and whether or not you have areas which have room for improvement.  The object, to have a "wheel" that rolls like a well balanced circle.  By focusing on each area of your life one by one, you can improve your wellbeing and help others along the way!

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​MAIN "MENU" • Meal Planning & More

​For most of us, meal time is a big issue. We work hard, play hard, and sleep hard, and often there doesn't seem to be much energy left for cooking healthful meals in between. The irony of this problem is that it is all too often our fast and convenient foods that slow us down, sap us of our energy, and generally make us feel "blah".  So what's the best answer for meal planning? Honestly, this varies with each individual and family and to give a one-size-fits-all answer here would simply be self-defeating for many of us. That being said, there are several key thoughts I'd like to share about nutrition here:​

FOOD CRAVINGS ARE OFTEN TRIGGERED BY
​Dehydration
​Poor nutrition value
​Boredom
​Social environment
​Addictive substances (MSG, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, sugar/refined starches, etc.)
Stress

​MEAL TIME SUCCESS COMES FROM
​Planning ahead
​Selecting high nutrient foods
Incorporating high fiber foods
​Keeping it simple
​Drinking plenty of water between meals
​"Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, dinner like a Pauper"
​(eat a large, fiber rich breakfast; a moderate, nutrient dense lunch, and a small, light supper if anything at all - this helps self regulate metabolism, ensure better sleep and avoid GERD)​

​ALWAYS HAVE A HEALTHY PLAN "B"
​Let's face it. Life happens. Knowing this, it's important to always have a healthy plan "B" ready for the unexpected. ​High fiber, nutrient rich foods make better on-the-go meals as they digest more slowly and provide the body with essential fuel which ultimately keeps those hunger pains at bay.  Freezer meals and make-ahead meals are wonderful fail proof ways to ensure there is no last minute trip to the local fast food chain. Smoothies, especially green smoothies are another nice alternative, coupled with a healthy whole grain bagel or veggie loaded burrito.

​​BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR FAVORITE HEALTH-RELATED WHOLE-FOOD SITES
Forks Over Knives
​Chadron CHIP Club (local)
Oh She Glows
Engine 2 Diet

​And remember to take a peek at our RECIPES page too!

​Stay tuned for more...