Day: May 27, 2020

A NOTE ABOUT SPIRITUALITY. WHAT IS IT TO YOU?

on By

Author / Drea Osborne

Spirituality is a broad concept. Basically, it’s a sense of connection to something greater than ourselves. It can give people values, a source of comfort, or even a meaning to life. 

But if you want specifics, I can’t give that to you. Why? Because it can mean something completely different for each person.

For example, spirituality can be: religion, talking to your ancestors, using crystals, incense meditation, and fasting. But it doesn’t stop there. Whatever one deems as spiritual to them, is practicing spirituality. 

Since I can’t talk about all things spiritual, I’ll talk to you about what it means to me.

What made you believe in spirituality?

I was raised in a Christian household, so for me God was always guiding my life. But honestly, my spiritual life didn’t really start growing until I became an adult and even more so in the past 5 years. This growth happened when I felt abandoned, experienced abuse, and some other not-so-pleasant experiences that challenged my outlook on life. Honestly, the fact that despite these events and not only did I still have my positive outlook, but I’ve also been blessed afterwards encourages my belief that there is something greater out there. Somebody watching over me.

What makes you want to be spiritual?

Being spiritual gives me something to believe in and values to work towards. Also it encourages me to put my petty feelings to the side and treat others well, even when it’s hard. The way I look at it is I’ve been mistreated, so let me treat others good and hopefully it’ll be infectious. 

What are 3 ways in which you practice spirituality?

 

I read the bible.

I do yoga followed by meditation.

I pray.

 

The benefits that are included in practicing spirituality are vast. It can decrease stress, blood pressure, increase gratitude, and positivity which will uplift your mood, and it can even enhance relationships, romantic and platonic.

So now, I want you to take a deep breath, in and out. Take a minute for yourself and visualize a place where you find your peace. What does that look like? How do you practice your spirituality?

 

COMMITMENT IS EASY WITH THIS 3-STEP-STRATEGY TO NUTRITIONAL WELLNESS

on By

Author / Drew Wilson 

It doesn’t matter if you’re well into your fitness journey or just beginning, everyone can use a little inspiration to get better at their wellness habits. What better way to do that than a simple 3-step strategy for not just beginning your wellness journey but maintaining it as well. Let’s jump right into it. . .

We say wellness “journey” because it’s exactly that: a long-term commitment to better health. This isn’t your typical “we’re dieting this week” philosophy (as my mother likes to say). That’s why it’s important to avoid the common mistake of diving into something like the ketogenic diet (keto), that requires great discipline and is quite restrictive. It’s important to find a plan that is sustainable, conducive, and one that you… dare I say… ENJOY.

Beginning a nutritional journey can be a daunting task, but I’m here to fix that! No more trying to stay on-top of the latest fad (Whole 30), trying to figure out if you should be eating eggs or not, and learning what, when, and how much you should be eating. There is no one-diet-fits-all. 

So to make it easier and increase the chances of success, we’ve laid out a 3-step strategy to beginning your sustainable nutritional wellness journey below:

Step 1: Set an intention

This is the why of your journey. A well-formed intention sets one’s attention and informs the goals we set along the way. Whether it’s to cut a few pounds, increase your athletic/cognitive performance or to maximize the quality and quantity of your lifespan, setting an intention that’s personal and meaningful might be the greatest overall indicator of success.

Step 2: Make incremental improvements

This is the how of your journey. At DC Run Crew, we refer to these as “small wins” (the story of that saying is not as pleasant as this one) and it ties back into the idea of not diving into some highly restrictive and foreign diet — a recipe (pun intended) for failure — but making small, incremental improvements (replacing cookies with an apple, pizza for roasted chicken and veggies, and generally replacing pre-packaged/processed meals for whole foods, and continuing this cycle until you’ve reached a healthy, sustainable place. You should save money doing this as well!

Step 3: Choose a diet

This is the what of your journey. Picking a diet that not only works for you from a nutritional perspective but also your tastebuds’ is a key factor in maintaining. I’m not here to tell you to go plant-based, but find what works for you (I always suggest a reduced-grain Mediterranean diet for easy entry). Equally important to the food that make-up the diet is making sure it’s something you can maintain logistically (that is, it’s easy for you to maintain daily at work, during travel and other unpredictable parts of your lifestyle).

Modifications:

  • Cheat meals: eating should not be miserable, it should be a time of enjoyment, nourishment, and, as much as possible, fellowship. GET the cheesecake when with family and friends and eat pizza when you’re craving it (believe me, I do). Cheat meals are a part of the plan, enjoy them at the moment and know that you’re not always getting dessert.
  • eggsIntermittent Fasting: want to take it a step further? Once you’ve hit your stride with the 3 steps above, look into time-restricted eating, commonly referred to as intermittent fasting (IF). It’s not a diet, but a daily fasting strategy that can be paired with a healthy diet for maximum effect (think roller skates with rocket boosters… weeeeeee!!!).
  • YES! EAT ALL THE EGGS! Okay, maybe not all of them… But, in 3 international studies of 177,000 subjects across 50 countries, the authors “did not find significant associations between egg intake and blood lipids, mortality, or major CVD [cardiovascular disease] events.

We hope you enjoyed this guide and it brings you better health in your future. How do you plan to start your journey? Or, if you’ve already started, what small-wins are you going to implement to take the next step? Let us know in the comments below!