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June 1, 2023

Positivity on Low Battery: Boosting Energy and Optimism When Tired

Being positive when you’re tired can be challenging, but it is possible with a few strategies:

Practice Self-Compassion: Acknowledge that it’s okay to feel tired and give yourself permission to rest and recharge. Treat yourself with kindness and understanding, rather than adding self-judgment or negativity to your exhaustion.  You wouldn’t judge your phone for needing to be recharged after a full day’s use, so give yourself some grace too!

Shift Your Focus: Redirect your attention to positive aspects of your life or the tasks at hand. Remind yourself of the progress you’ve made and the goals you’re working towards. Find small moments of joy and gratitude, even in the midst of fatigue.  Anything that makes you smile!

Practice Mindfulness: Engage in mindfulness techniques to bring yourself to the present moment. Pay attention to your breath, sensations, and surroundings. Let go of worries about the past or future, and embrace the present with a positive mindset.  Everything is more difficult when you’re tired and that’s ok.

Seek Inspiration: Surround yourself with uplifting content or engage in activities that inspire you. Listen to motivational podcasts, read inspiring books, or watch videos that energize and uplift your spirits. Expose yourself to positive influences that help counteract fatigue.  Listen to your favorite music.

Take Breaks and Recharge: Incorporate short breaks into your routine to rest and rejuvenate. Use these breaks to engage in activities that replenish your energy and bring you joy, such as going for a walk, practicing a hobby, or simply taking a few moments to relax and unwind.  This is a perfect time to hydrate too!

Practice Self-Care: Prioritize self-care activities that support your well-being, even when tired. This can include getting enough sleep, eating nutritious meals, staying hydrated, and engaging in gentle exercise. Taking care of your physical health can positively impact your mental and emotional state.  So often we put our health aside and, honestly, good health is one of our greatest wealths.

Lean on Support: Reach out to supportive friends, family members, or colleagues when you’re feeling tired. Share your feelings and experiences, and allow them to provide encouragement and understanding. Sometimes, a listening ear or a few kind words can boost your positivity.  Surround yourself with friends that remind you to give yourself grace.

Set Realistic Expectations: Adjust your expectations and be kind to yourself when you’re tired. Recognize that you may not be able to accomplish everything at your usual pace and that it’s okay to prioritize self-care and rest when needed. Set realistic goals and focus on progress rather than perfection.  Break goals into smaller, more manageable bits.

Remember, being positive while tired requires self-awareness and intentional effort. By incorporating these strategies into your routine, you can maintain a positive mindset even when fatigue sets in, ultimately supporting your overall well-being and resilience.

May 16, 2023

New Yorkers on the Move! 

Coach Cathy recently spent a long weekend in New York City and observed New Yorkers in action. 

Walking around the city (Manhattan and Brooklyn), I noticed how many people were huffing it. Whether walking to or from work or the gym, running errands, or walking/running as a form of physical exercise, they were all trucking at an impressive clip—no slow pokes.  

I picked up my pace and wondered if city folks exercised more daily than folks in Midcoast Maine. The answer is yes, probably because it’s their way of life. They must walk at least part of the way to their job, school, gym, grocery store, or a night out. We have many places to walk and hike on the coast, but it’s more for recreation and not a necessity.  

Over the years, there has been much speculation about how many steps the average American takes daily and how many steps per mile. According to Mayo Clinic research, the average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps daily, roughly 1.5 to 2 miles. Other sources, such as verywellfit.com, say the average is 5,000-7,000 steps daily. Either way, it’s still less than the golden rule of 10,000 steps.  

Did you know the 10,000 steps recommendation is not grounded in scientific research? Although impressive, 10,000 is a nice round number used in advertising for tracking devices. There are many things to consider when choosing your daily step goal, such as age, height, length of stride, occupation, and fitness goals. The number of daily steps is not one size fits all. Gradually increasing your step goal is more sustainable than jumping from 2,000 to 10,000 overnight.  

While I enjoy visiting NYC, I craved greenery versus pavement as I traversed the boroughs. NYC prides itself on the number of parks open to the public. The parks provide safe spaces for small children and pets to burn energy and quiet spots for relaxing away from the hustle and bustle of the city. They are also quite beautiful, with flowers, trees, and boardwalks along the water.  

I meandered through one of the parks, searching for a place to sit to eat my chocolate glazed donut from Peter Pan Bakery. Yes, the Brooklyn bakery in Spider-Man where MJ works! Maybe I stood in the exact spot where Zendaya and Tom Holland stood while making the movie. From my comfy bench, I noticed that aside from flying feet, New Yorkers were moving in many ways. I saw yoga classes on the grass, calisthenics on the sidelines, runners everywhere, and an awe-inspiring bike tour.  

It was the 45th Anniversary of the TD Five Boro Bike Tour by Bike New York. It’s a 40-mile bike ride through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island. The streets are closed to cars; participants can use their bikes if they own or rent city bikes. It is quite the event uniting 32,000 people to fund building miles and miles of bike-friendly lanes and fundraising for many individual charities.  

The takeaway is that New Yorkers certainly know how to get moving and keep moving every day. For the record, I had no guilt about eating my chocolate glazed donut while watching the fury of exercise surrounding me because I had 11,000 steps, including 32 flights of stairs, and it was only 10:00 am—still lots of time for yoga in the park. Even though I am back in Maine, moving like a New Yorker will help me close the rings on my fitness tracker. Time to increase my step goal! 

May 5, 2023

20 states, 5800 miles, time with family – priceless!

Life is all about balance.  From time to time, one of our Hybrid team members takes time away to recharge their batteries.  We’ve enjoyed hearing about Brandon in Egypt and Cathy in Nepal!  Last month, I took a three week drive across half the country to celebrate my Mom’s 80th birthday!  Here are a few highlights of our adventure state by state.

  1. Maine – Fielder’s Choice ice cream before it started snowing & before we left the state for awhile!  Mainers love their ice cream!
  2. New Hampshire – isolated wicked snow storm then Polly’s Pancake Parlor for a delicious breakfast! 
  3. Vermont – temps went from 58 degrees to 70 in less than 5 minutes!  Lots of covered bridges & snacking on yummy aged cheddar cheese!
  4. New York – HOT!  80 degrees, thunder, lightning, heavy rain & winds but the hail missed us!
  5. Pennsylvania – some highway, some back roads & popped out in …
  6. Maryland – found the perfect crab shack with crab soup, crab dip on delicious french fries, huge crab cakes, and soft shell crab sandwiches!
  7. Virginia – Saw my cousin that we haven’t seen since he was just a kid.  It was nice to chat & just pick up where we left off!
  8. North Carolina – Had delicious NC BBQ with my Aunt, then a quick hello to a cousin, her son & their famous dog Leo.  Spent a warm summery day walking the NC Zoo.  Had coffee with a friend from grammar school that we haven’t seen since 1987!  Drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway to our next state…
  9. Tennessee – Spent the day in Chattanooga, went up Lookout Mountain on the funicular and toured The Hunter Museum of American Art!
  10. Popped into Georgia for a few minutes, back to Tennessee, then on to…
  11. Alabama – Stayed in Rocket City, Huntsville.  Saw Eggbeater Jesus & a rocket!
  12. Mississippi – found the birthplace of Elvis and drove the Natchez Trace Parkway for a couple of days.  Unfortunately we saw a bit of tornado damage here from 6 days earlier. Toured the civil war cemetery at Vicksburg and was reminded of another time our country was divided.
  13. Louisiana – Drove through & saw the capitol, Baton Rouge.  On to the gulf.  Had a DELICIOUS meal at a food truck.  It was a restaurant until a hurricane took it out in 2015, they rebuilt, then another hurricane took them out again in 2020.  They are temporarily working out of a food truck, making delicious seafood and making the best of their situation.  Took a ferry over to…
  14. Texas!  Drove down to Galveston, then on down to Corpus Christi & Padre Island for a couple of days.  Up to San Marcos to see a niece and her pups, over to Lockhart (the BBQ capitol) for delicious brisket, Bastrop & Round Rock to see two of Neal’s brothers & our sister-in-law.  Had delicious pecan goodies from Bastrop and lots more wonderful BBQ and brisket.
  15. Popped over to drive through the forests of Oklahoma on our way to
  16. Arkansas – Beautiful wildflowers, green rolling hills – baby calves everywhere!  Back to Tennessee for our third time to hit Memphis & Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken.  Unfortunately, more tornado damage from a few days prior was witnessed going through Covington, TN on our way to …
  17. Kentucky – Saw Mom’s sister & another cousin!  Had delicious homemade lasagna & carrot cake with family.  Got Mom a hot brown on our way across the rolling horse and cow farms of Kentucky.
  18. Winded through West Virginia – stopped to finish up our delicious leftovers!  Made our way back to Maryland, then Pennsylvania.
  19. Our 19th state was a stop in Connecticut to see more family and drop in on Neal’s grammar school friend doing a blues gig.  He got the whole bar singing happy birthday to my Mom and she became the night’s celebrity!
  20. Massachusetts was our 20th state to hit.  Neal whipped us off the road at the Johnny Appleseed rest area to see New England’s largest apple!  Back through New Hampshire, then on to Maine.  We finished the trip at my Dad’s favorite restaurant, Billy’s Chowder House in Wells, Maine.  They opened in 1979 and we’ve been going there since the early 80’s.

20 states, about 5,800, lots of laughs, reconnecting with family & friends, delicious local foods, time with Mom – priceless!

April 12, 2023

let your body and mind relax

Pampering helps to beat a plateau! (Psst, highlighting a few of our members below. Keep reading)

Yup, I’m not necessarily referring to eating an entire box of chocolates in one sitting. However, that does sound inviting, mainly when I see a flat line representing my progress toward my fitness goal. Coach Hunter would say that maintaining is still progress, but it bites me a little when progress takes a hiatus. 

The pampering I am referring to here is physically letting your body and mind relax by putting yourself in a well-deserved time out from the daily bustle. 

What does pampering mean to you? 

Lying on a warm beach? Soaking in a bath? Lounging on the couch with a good book? 

What about time at the spa? 

The spa is less expensive than traveling to a warm beach in the winter. The trip is worth its weight in gold, but what if you can’t make that tranquil trip happen? We can take a bath at home to feel a sense of relaxation most of the time. We can even try to read that good book in the tub, but when I’m in the bath at home, my to-do list doesn’t stop running through my head. I can also hear other people in the house. I know that at some point, they will need me for something. I have found that I am worth the price of any spa treatment for the jump start it gives me and then some. 

In the past, I viewed a spa treatment as a reward for reaching a goal. I now know that relaxing and rejuvenating my whole being helps me reach that goal. It gives me an extra boost to put some wiggle in the flat line of a plateau. 

Time at a spa is heavenly because it makes your body and mind feel better. Think of it as an extension of your medical and fitness plans to keep your body in its best possible condition.

Any spa treatment (massage, manicure/pedicure, facials, body scrubs, float therapy, etc.) benefits your well-being. 

  • It helps relieve pain, whether chronic, injury, or delayed muscle onset soreness (DOMS) from pushing yourself in the gym. 
  • It increases blood circulation bringing nutrients and oxygen to all the cells of the body
  • It brings a moment of complete disconnect from busy lives
  • Depending on the treatment, exfoliating the skin can be a benefit for shedding the old and promoting regeneration of new skin cells to make your skin glow
  • Stimulates the lymphatic system to eliminate toxins, increase energy and release serotonin to help with sleeping, healing, and digestion
  • Enables physical and mental relaxation to boost mood and relieve tension

Sounds lovely, right? 

Ready to schedule a pampering appointment? 

We happen to have a few Hybrid members that I am aware of that offer massage and nail care. Please let me know if there are other members.

Samantha Parker is a massage therapist and nail technician at Mia Bella Salon, 99 Park Street in Rockland, (207) 230-0228.

Trish Young is a massage therapist at Green with Envy Salon at 453 Main Street in Rockland, (207) 593-8510. 

Amy Mitchell owns Rockland Massage Therapy at 16 School Street in Rockland, (207) 691-7490.

If you feel in a slump or hope to shake up a plateau to reach your fitness goals, please consider calling them. After all, YOU are worth having it be a part of your wellness plan for life because YOU are a rockstar!

March 31, 2023

How to Get Started with Fitness When You Feel Like You Have No Time

Well, hello there!

If you don’t know who I am, my name is Dusty, and I’m the operations manager here at Hybrid Fitness. I also coach & train from time to time. As a coach, I find it extremely important to be able to have those really tough conversations with members and clients (and to be quite honest, even myself) when needed. This is generally in the sense of helping someone overcome an obstacle when they think all hope is lost, all while keeping their best interest in mind. These conversations aren’t always easy to have, nor are they easy to accept. But, that’s part of the growth process and why you have a coach; to guide and challenge you in order to reach your goals. 

So in the sense of trying to help more people, I figured I would touch on some topics from time to time that are generated around these tough conversations. Now I’m sure that not everyone will agree with what I have to say, and that’s okay. I just ask that you be open to challenging your current way of thinking and maybe, just maybe, it will help you start a revelation of your own!

If you are, let’s dive into this week’s topic!

When it comes to personal fitness & overall health, there’s generally a barrier to getting started for the majority of people. And, if I was to pick, the number one excuse has got to be “I don’t have time”. While it may seem like a valid excuse in the moment, the truth is that lack of time is rarely the real issue.

Yes, I’ve labeled it an excuse and this may not sit well with some. 

Don’t get me wrong, not everyone’s 24 hours is the same. I understand that. But, we all do have 24 hours in a day. What you CHOOSE to do with those 24 hours is completely up to you. Whether you are a busy parent juggling multiple jobs all while continuing your education, or a business owner wearing multiple hats just to keep the doors open (yes, those are both choices), if you truly value your health and fitness, you’ll find a way to make time for it.

It all comes down to whether or not you value it enough to make it a priority. 

Why is it that you keep telling yourself that you should start going to the gym or improve your nutrition? 

Is it because you want to lead by example and be a positive influence for your family? 

Maybe you want to be around long enough to watch your grandkids grow up?

Perhaps you enjoy things like traveling, hiking, or playing sports and don’t want anything to get in the way of being able to do it?

Or maybe you just want to feel better in your own skin?

Uncover your why and use it to drive you!

Here’s the thing. Exercising doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. If you currently aren’t doing anything, even just 30 minutes one day per week is going to be 100% more than what you’re doing now. Start slow, start small, and slowly build upon what you can be consistent with. It’s not an all or nothing thing. Meet yourself where you currently are and just try to improve upon it over time. 

Even then, you don’t need to exercise 2 hours a day. In all honesty, you don’t even need to exercise every day to see benefits or results. If you could eventually work your way up to 5 hours per week, you’d be doing better than most. 5 hours. That’s 3% of your entire week. 3%!!!

Not so daunting when I put it like that, is it? And I would even bet my life savings on the fact that once you start noticing positive changes due to your increased activity, you would automatically begin prioritizing it and it would somehow find its way into your busy life without you even having to force it. 

But, let’s assume you’re not quite there yet, or you’ve even proven me wrong and I currently have nothing left in my retirement accounts. What are some actionable things you can do to open up your schedule for what’s most important to you?

In some cases, it’s not that we have to find time for these things, but rather we need to MAKE time for them. 

“I’ll just start going to the gym once my schedule opens up”. 

This would be fantastic if that were actually true, but what I typically find is that how someone manages their time is very unlikely to change. Most of us will just find something else to fill that void because we’ve established a particular workload threshold so to speak. That, or we’ll establish and fill it with poor habits such as scrolling through TikTok or binge watching the top trending show on Netflix (Stranger Things, am I right?!).

Anyway, back to the actionable steps…

They really come down to simply just auditing how you spend your time. The first one is much simpler, but if that one doesn’t get the job done (I can’t imagine it won’t), perhaps the second will.

Numero Uno!

We are surrounded by tech and for some of us, it can be all consuming. Luckily, not all use their powers for evil! Whether you’ve got an iPhone or an Android, you’ve probably got a cool little app already installed on your device that will tell you just how much time you spend on it! Not only that, but it will even break down how much time you spend on individual apps (for Apple users, it’s called “Screen Time”. For Android users, “Digital Wellbeing”)!

Now, these apps are only going to tell you how much time you spend mindlessly scrolling through social media, playing mindless games, or watching cat videos. They won’t actually provide any value unless you actually use that information and make the change yourself by replacing the hours of screen time with hours of gym time. 

“But Dusty, I don’t spend time staring at a screen”. 

Well, grab your quill and ink, because we are going the old fashioned way for step number two!

Create a written log for how you spend your time everyday. You can start by writing down what you do during each hour of the day. If you still can’t uncover areas of wasted time, knock it down to 30 minute blocks or even 15 minute blocks. 

You might find that there are blocks of time where you are just wasting time doing mindless things, or that you actually do have time, but just in smaller chunks throughout the day. Managing your busy blocks closer together might open a bigger empty block at other times. 

I know it doesn’t sound fun, but just remember your “why” that we talked about earlier. That should make it worth it. If not, and this might sound awful, but you probably just don’t care enough (see what I mean by “tough conversations”?).

Creating awareness is the key to change. It may be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s the catalyst that could very well change your life for the better.

Ultimately, not having enough time is generally a terrible excuse when it comes to exercising (hell, it’s a terrible excuse for anything if it’s something you truly value doing). There are plenty of ways to fit exercise into even the busiest schedule, and it’s up to us to make our health a priority. By making a commitment to exercise regularly, we’ll not only improve our physical health, but also our mental and emotional well-being. And when you take care of yourself, you have more to offer to those you care most about.

Don’t sell yourself short. You’re worth it.

I appreciate the time you took to read my rant, and I hope you were able to take something positive from it. If you’d ever like to ask me a question or even have one of these “real talks” yourself, shoot me an email at Dusty@Hybridfitnessgym.com

Much Love,

Coach Dusty

March 23, 2023

Coach Brandon Pictures from Egypt

I recently took a trip to Egypt & have a few pictures & thoughts to share.

The Great Pyramids of Giza. The Pyramid of Khefru (481ft) was the tallest structure on Earth from the time of its completion around 2,500BC until the construction of the Eiffel Tower in 1887! Since I was a small child I have been amazed by these pyramids.  After seeing them in person I am somehow even more blown away by them than ever before.

 

The Great Pyramids with the Sphinx in front. The Sphinx has been dated back to around the time of the construction of the Pyramids but new research is showing it potentially could be much older and predate the Pyramids by up to a couple thousand years!

 

One of our earlier mornings. A sunrise hot air balloon ride over the farmlands of Luxor. Luxor was once called Thebes and was the first ever capital of ancient Egypt. Definitely a unique and wonderful thing to experience.

 

 

Temple of Hatshepsut. Built sometime between 1,500-1,400 BC.

This temple was built for a Pharoah with a very interesting story of how she gained and kept her rule by sending her stepson (the rightful heir to the throne) to Sudan. She ruled for multiple decades after. After she passed away her stepson came back to Egypt and destroyed many of her statues and temples as to try and not let history remember her. He failed, as Queen Hatshepsut was loved by most people she ruled over.

 

Inside one of the tombs at the Valley of the Kings. Around 1,600BC kings stopped building pyramids and started building chambers in the caves and cliffs of Thebes in an attempt to keep grave robbers out.

The pictures in this tomb are approximately around 3,300 years old but have kept the paint incredibly well due to being buried for so long.

I personally did not have high expectations for the Valley of the Kings but left Egypt with it being one of my favorite stops we had.

March 14, 2023

I once wondered….

I have the unique position of being a long-time member of Hybrid Fitness as well as a team member of Hybrid Fitness.  I am thinking back to things that I once wondered about.  

Is this right for me?  Choosing to focus on being healthier is always a good choice because what we focus on is what we get more of.  Focusing on good health helps us with more good health!  

Do I have time for this?  Time is one thing we cannot get more of but we can take a look at how we are currently spending our time & make our decisions accordingly.  Is how you are spending your time now in alignment with where you want to be in the future? 

What if I can’t do the exercise?  This was me to a tee.  I got winded quickly, had bad knees, and a slipped disk in my back.  I couldn’t do squats & had to be careful with my back.  Hybrid was perfect for me because of the professionally trained coaches that knew how to tell me to do each exercise correctly or which exercises to do instead.  It snuck up on me, but as I got stronger, I could do squats and other exercises I couldn’t do at the beginning!

Can I afford this?  Hindsight is 20/20 and I realize now that battling cancer is way more expensive (mentally & physically) than Hybrid rates plus it’s a lot more fun, you get coached by caring professionals, the workouts are designed for you, and everyone wants you to succeed.  I walk in & do what I’m told – lol!  

I don’t know anybody.  Will I fit in?  Your gym time is what you focus on, what you want it to be.  It can be solitary, quiet time or it can become a group of friends-fun-time or anywhere in between!  We’ve had more than one instance of members meeting, dating, & getting married!  We’ve had many instances of best-friend relationships formed.  It’s a judgement-free zone & you make it what you want to make it – with a smile, you’ll fit in just fine!

No question, I’m biased!  Hybrid is now deeply entwined in my life.  It’s my family, passion, and career & I couldn’t have imagined any of this when I had all of these questions back in 2018!

March 2, 2023

Cheeto Fingers will be just one chapter of my life story

Growing up, my Dad worked for the Frito Lay Company…

Which meant that we would have boxes and boxes of the stales (product that had gone beyond expiration date) in our garage at home.

Whatever chip flavor you could imagine, there was an unlimited supply within a few steps from my kitchen.

And sometimes… every couple of months… we’d even get the leftover bags of beef jerky.

What a treat.

I remember playing video games all day in the summer, and sprinting into the garage in between games to grab my next bag of choice, pebbles stuck to the bottoms of my feet because I couldn’t take the time to even slide crocs on.

Often, that bag of choice was Cheetos.

This was when I learned about the irreversible damage Cheeto dust can do.

Not only does it stick to your fingers, but it’s a magnet to everything you touch, including your Xbox controller.

Some lessons you have to learn the hard way, I suppose.

In this story, one might describe me as a Junk food eater… a Video Game nerd, perhaps?

Call me what you want, this story isn’t a fair representation of who I am today.

And it certainly doesn’t dictate my actions today.

I say this because…you may have a story you remember.

Maybe it replays in your head quite often.

A story from long ago, or maybe more recently.

Know that that story doesn’t define who you are today.

Every day you have a decision. A fresh start.

To decide what actions you will take today.

And who you will become.

Who you are.

And you don’t have to feel guilty for those old stories.

They are a old chapter in a book you are still writing.

Chose to be 1% better today, whatever that may be for you.

And look back on those chapters, proud…

proud because of how far you’ve come.

So, what story will you write today?

Love,

Coach Hunter
#SmallStepsBigResults

February 15, 2023

Mr Watson, come here, I want to see you

Perhaps, we should take a different look at changing our behaviors.  What if we look at it like a designer?  What if we think in design iterations? 

Let’s take the telephone as an example.  The first telephone didn’t look at all like the telephones we carry around today.  You sat at it.  It had a huge drum like thing, a needle & wires.  What if, after that first iteration, designers gave up.  What if they said ‘it’s been a month, that’s the best we’ll get’ or ‘I can’t do any better, this is how the telephone will always be’.   

If that’s too much to imagine, imagine still only having the first generation iphone from 2007.  What if Apple said ‘that’s it, we’ve done enough.  That’s the best it’ll be.  Enjoy your iphone.’  

That would be CRAZY! 

We wouldn’t have wireless phones capable of running businesses, taking pictures, playing music, making phone calls, keeping schedules, assisting with tasks, translating, providing directions, reviews, social contact, ….   The list goes on and on and the capabilities are increasing with every iteration. 

I hope there’s an aha moment here for you….  What if you start thinking of your life and your behavior change as something to be designed?  Something to be worked on, tested, improved upon?  If something doesn’t work, it’s back to the drawing board to make a tweak versus throwing up your hands and completely giving up!  

When you start to think in baby step iterations, guess what?  Your thoughts of failing fade away because it is no longer black and white (success or failure).  Now you’re thinking like a designer…  ‘we want this, what steps can we take to do it?…  ‘we’re here & we want this better.  what can we do to get this better?’   ‘Ah, that didn’t work….  What else can we do to get this better?….’   There are no failures unless we stop trying.  There are just iteration improvements; like going from one iphone version to the next!

I encourage you to start thinking of your health journey like a designer!  Our coaches here at Hybrid are ready with many tools to help you design your way to your health goals!

February 9, 2023

The Math Lesson You Never Knew You Needed: 2 Proven Weight Loss Hacks

There are two lessons we learned in math class years ago that can help us achieve our weight loss goals with less stress. I use these everyday with my clients to help them not only make progress in their weight loss goals, but to do it in a way that is sustainable for them! Here are the two rules we follow:

Rule #1: Faster Weight Loss Results with The Order of Operations

The “order of operations” rule in math tells us how to prioritize exponents, parentheses, multiplication, and addition when solving a problem. Unfortunately, most people with weight loss goals don’t use this concept in their lives, causing them unnecessary stress and guilt.

Applying this to our daily routines, we learn to prioritize tasks. For example, in the morning, I might make breakfast and dirty some dishes. But instead of cleaning them right away, I leave them for later in the day when my willpower is lower, so I can focus on more important tasks, whether it’s for health or work. This is because my willpower is strongest at the beginning of the day, and I want to conserve that energy for tasks that really matter.

To determine what tasks are truly important, ask yourself, “will I regret not doing this five years from now?” For example, I might not regret not doing the dishes, but I could regret not working out or not putting more effort into a business idea. Just keep in mind, while this can be great for your goals, your wife MIGHT not like dishes sitting around all day! You have been warned!

Rule #2: Say Goodbye to Scale Worries with the Power of Averaging

Stepping on the scale every day can be overwhelming. When you want to see the weight go down, but it goes up instead, it can be discouraging. Try to avoid daily judgment by using weekly averages instead. Add up each daily weight entry and compare week to week. This helps avoid fluctuations from lack of sleep, water retention, or sickness. Use the numbers to determine if you need to adjust your calorie intake.

Example: Two Week Weight Log

Week 1:
Monday: 150 lbs
Tuesday: 149 lbs
Wednesday: 151 lbs
Thursday: 153 lbs
Friday: 152 lbs
Saturday: 151 lbs
Sunday: 153 lbs

Weekly Average: 151.7 lbs

Week 2:
Monday: 153 lbs
Tuesday: 151 lbs
Wednesday: 150 lbs
Thursday: 152 lbs
Friday: 151 lbs
Saturday: 150 lbs
Sunday: 149 lbs

Weekly Average: 151.1 lbs

Comparing the weekly averages, we can see that there has been a slight decrease in weight from week 1 to week 2. This can give a clearer picture of progress, rather than being discouraged by daily fluctuations. Based on this information, the you can determine if you need to adjust your calorie intake or keep it the same!

These are the two rules we learned in math class that can help us achieve our weight loss goals with less stress! If you need further guidance, or need some accountability and coaching to help you reach your health goals, check out hybridfitnessgym.com and apply to learn more!