Healthy Chicks

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In life, it’s very easy to get stuck in a routine. We find comfort in going to our favorite restaurant week after week, always ordering chocolate ice cream, wearing that sweater you’ve had forever one too many times because you love it too darn much. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but it is what it is: a routine we get used to.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about “getting stuck in a rut” or following the same ol’ routine, particularly when it comes to my workouts and eating habits. In fact, I had a conversation with my roommate about it this morning on how we were both looking for a little change in our everyday run-of-the-mill workout schedule. Don’t get me wrong: I am a spontaneous, vibrant girl who loves variety. But even the most adventurous of souls can fall into the trap of a routine.

Well that’s exactly what’s happened to me this past month. I got so used to running (nearly every day) while training for my marathon, that I put strength training and other variations of cardio on the back burner. Sure I slimmed up my tummy and lost a few pounds running, but what about toning up the rest of my bod, particularly those “troublesome thighs”? Not to mention the fact that I’ve been so busy with other things that my go-to grocery list has even become routine. Sure I eat healthy, but it’s the same darn veggies, lean meats and grains every. single. week. How about a little variety once in a while?

Well, I’m looking to break out of that mundane routine and challenge myself with a little something called CHANGE . Why change something that’s not necessarily a “bad” thing, you ask? It’s because I’ve realized, with a little help from my boyfriend, that change can actually be a good thing. After all, too much of anything is never good, and variety is the spice of life. Plus, it’s true that when our bodies get so used to something we can hit a plateau without seeing any more positive results, and what’s the good in that? If you keep sticking to running every day or your favorite elliptical workout, you will never see any real changes in your body. WE NEED TO CHALLENGE OURSELVES for that to occur, just like in every aspect of life.

The good news is change isn’t as hard (or as scary) as it seems, and you can do it too! It’s all about baby steps. For starters, I’m going to start running three times a week to keep up with my newfound love, but make sure I practice Core Fusion* at least twice a week for toning, and also squeeze in a yoga class for sanity. If you’ve fell into the same workout routine, try buying a new workout DVD on Amazon, signing up for a yoga class you’ve never thought you’d do, or joining a running club to help ween you into exercising with a fun twist!

As far as my grocery list goes, I’m going to add a little more spunk and color to my grocery cart, something I urge everyone to try to do this week. For starters, I picked up a few new items to get me going: a gluten-free rice cereal from Trader Joe’s I’ve never tried before, a red pepper (something I’ve been slacking on), red wine vinegar instead of balsamic, some cottage cheese for a calcium boost, sliced Havarti cheese for my sandwiches instead of Provolone or Mozzarella, frozen organic spinach and asparagus instead of broccoli, and some vanilla soy to get back into making protein shakes! Now how’s that for a lil change?

I’ll keep you posted with how my new routine goes, but I’m ready to take on change like a champ! It’s nothing to be afraid of after all.

How do you cope with change? What do you do when you find yourself “stuck” in a routine?

*If you’d like to see what one of my favorite workout DVD’s Core Fusion is all about, you can buy the entire collection for less than $2o on Amazon. If you’re new to Core Fusion and just want to test out one DVD, I highly recommend Body Sculpt for quick results on sale for only $11.99.