Not Destroying Myself while Chasing a 5 Year Old
- The Cavill Challenger
- Feb 11, 2024
- 3 min read
I've decided that I'll start doing my posts on Sundays
(unless I have particularly good news to share).
Happy Sunday everyone! This week, I've had successes, fallbacks, and of course all the normal things that life throws at me.
Here was a typical day of food for me for this past week:
Breakfast
Icelandic Skyr ( Icelandic Provisions Coffee Skyr...it is my favorite discovery this year.)
A Cup of Blueberries
16oz Non-Fat Latte
Lunch
Everything bagel with homemade egg salad (using lite mayo), lettuce and tomato
Snack
1 cup of sliced Jicama
2 tbs of Classic Hummus
Dinner
Homemade lentil and vegetable soup with a slice of whole grain kalamata bread and oat milk butter
Water throughout the day.
I know it's not super perfect, but this is WAY better than how I was eating before. So, I'm counting my food consumption as a win this week!
As far as exercise goes, this week was also an improvement! I'm dog sitting for my neighbor which has given me that push to get out and walk. I've walked approximately 3 miles this week with her. She's about 12 years old. So longer walks aren't going to be a good choice for her but... as Henry said in the Instagram post above,
"...it genuinely does feel so good to be back in it. I'm not destroying myself everyday. Just working towards improvement by pushing hard enough to elicit change." -Henry Cavill
And this is what I need to remember! Pushing myself a little bit more each time will be the best way to get back into a routine. It also does feel good to get back outside for a walk.
Another way, is chasing your 5 year old down the sidewalk while she rides her bike. Seriously. If there were ever a time I needed to make running a full on habit, I would stay behind my daughter who isn't super steady on a bike yet. She was riding on the sidewalk near our home. We live on a street where people like to speed frequently, and I'm always terrified of her going out into the road. So, walking behind her and watching her slowly veer towards the curb caused me to break into a run. Not destroying myself! But quick unexpected burst of energy. This caused us to walk to the park where it would be safer for her to ride, and for me to not have a heart attack. I did end up doing a lot of jogging to catch up to her, etc.
While most wouldn't consider the above exercise... to me it is. After years of being rather inactive, a short jog is a lot for me.
I was also rewarded with little notes from my daughter who loves to practice her writing. She has
started to notice that I'm up and about, and ready to engage in more physical things. Including kicking a soccer ball in the kitchen with her while I made dinner. These are highly motivational for me.
Finding motivation is always the key for getting healthy. Whether that be physically or mentally. Motivation can come from a lot of sources.
Check out this information from BetterUp
There are two types of motivation:
Intrinsic motivation: You’re self-motivated to do something because of how it makes you feel, not because of a reward. For example, someone who plays piano and practices because they enjoy learning new songs and improving their skills.
Extrinsic motivation: You complete a task or work toward a goal to receive a reward or avoid a consequence, like someone who plays piano and practices to win a competition or avoid chastising from their teacher.
Whether intrinsic or extrinsic, your brain’s reward system controls your motivation. It’s this system that influences the levels of dopamine in your body — a hormone and neurotransmitter that drives motivation.
According to reward theory, a group of hypotheses that focus on the role of positive stimuli, we’re attracted to people and experiences that benefit us and fill us with positive, happy, and exciting emotions.
My motivations should be pretty clear by now, but let's spell them out:
My daughter- being healthy to live longer for her and be an active participant in her life.
My own mental health- my current body is triggering a lot of negativity and I want to resolve that.
Henry Cavill is a not a motivation, but a great motivator!
Comments