The Keys to Success in Health and Fitness Week 10: HALT!

In this series, we've covered the importance of developing healthier habits to aid you on your road to greater health and fitness. We've talked about how vital it is for us to have support systems of people who share our vision for ourselves, and just last week our series covered how essential it is to make sure we're filling our lives with the things we love.

In fact, for the most part we've been talking about the “do's” of health and fitness – do reflect on and change any limiting beliefs you have, do keep an exercise and food journal, do trade unhealthy habits for healthy ones, and so on.

Today, though, we're going to take a slightly different track and talk about things to avoid, all of which are huge roadblocks in the way of health, fitness – and, really, enjoying our lives as a whole.

Because acronyms can make remembering easier, I like to think of these things in terms of HALT! Avoid becoming too:

_Hungry

_Angry

_Lonely

_Tired

HUNGRY
Obviously, being very hungry makes it very difficult to stick with our meal plans, particularly if we're in a place where healthier food options aren't readily available. If my stomach is growling and uncomfortably empty, for example, I’m far more likely to make a hasty, unhealthy choice just to get relief from that uncomfortable feeling.  Imagine hunger as the enemy of our good-decisions-gate-keeper. When we’re hungry, that gate keeper goes off duty and we are open to attacks, bringing our hard work to ruin.

So how do you avoid becoming overly hungry in the midst of your busy schedule?  Make time to plan ahead, even if that means throwing a protein bar or a handful of nuts in a plastic baggie in your vehicle cover hunger “emergencies.”  

DO NOT SKIP MEALS! By now, we all know the most important meal of the day is breakfast.  It’s also the one that is commonly skipped. Why?  Certainly we’re hungry and ready to break our 8 – 12 hour fast.  Perhaps breakfast is skipped because it is the quickest and least social of all the meals.  Think about it.  Do you skip breakfast while secretly planning to take the time to enjoy more food at your other meals?  Start your day right with a proper meal.  It will improve your outlook and get you on the right course for the day.

ANGRY
Anger is an emotion trigger that has the potential for creating confusion.  While our emotional energy is focused in an unhealthy direction we become agitated and lose sight of what is really important.  Don’t allow this to happen.  Anger is generally slow burning wick.  You know what lights you up!  When you sense you are starting to lose control of your emotions just STOP, breathe and evaluate what is really important.  Channel that energy in a positive way and regain focus.  Don’t become a victim of your own anger.  Keep your mind and heart trained on what is good, true, healthy and lasting.  As we say in our family – drop the rock!

LONELY
Being lonely, by definition, creates a void, a vacuum that you want to fill by “Hoovering” comfort foods.  But we know we cannot replace companionship with food.  Again, we are looking at an emotional trigger.  This is a part of the journey you need to travel in solitude, figuring out what works best for you.  Please know that I have experienced this emotion and have adapted methods for coping with the void.  It can be filled with things other than calories.  It is up to you to reach out for support.  We, your friends, family, community, are out here ready to support you.  It’s up to you to reach out your hand.

TIRED
Anyone who has stayed up all night cramming for an exam, preparing a presentation, with a new baby, etc., knows how it feels to have to function with little or no sleep.  There is endless data about the negative effects of sleep deprivation.  The best advice is to make sleep a priority on par with proper nutrition and exercise.  Do not compromise your needs.

Yet, sometimes, we are unavoidably tired.  I cannot stress enough the importance of awareness as the key to successfully dealing with these triggers. When you aware you tired, hungry, angry, or lonely, you realize that your decision making skills are compromised.  You acknowledge that you are vulnerable to succumbing to temptations or tripping over roadblocks that you would, under better circumstances, easily dispatch.  Time is on your side. Slow down, breath, think it through, move into the next moment successfully, going minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day until you get to a stronger place.

Every letter in HALT can feel like a thing we don't have any control over, the simple (but not always easy) fact is that we have the power to guard against HALT just like we have the power to change our habits, stick to healthy eating plans, and get off the couch and exercise. All it takes is a commitment to your becoming your best self.

Best wishes, and RydeOn!