Be present. Enjoy each moment. Enjoy the Holidays but also…start preparing now for the future (2019).

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Simple thoughts for the end of the year. Enjoy this time. Start preparing for the future. Don’t worry about what/how you “used to be” or even what you “hope” to be in the future. Take a kind inventory of who you are and where you are today. If you’d like things to be different, start working on a realistic plan to put in motion in the weeks to come. Starting in the new year, I plan to shine some strong mojo outward to help. Till then, get your mind right. I will do the same. Let’s tell ourselves these words: “don’t be afraid to be strong”. This starts in the mind and in our hearts. It’s about so much more than health or fitness. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Dec 17, 2018 at 7:47am PST

Try Hanging to get the body stretched out…

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Today, try hanging (safely) from something sturdy and stable. Count how long you can hold. It’s absolutely ok if you can’t manage this just yet. Be patient. In time, you may find it possible. See if you can find and practice an easier version till you get stronger. Also, keep in mind that any extra weight will make this more difficult. For those that can already do a pull-up, great, you might try adding in “breathing” pauses at the top (or bottom) to change things up. The point of all this is to get some regular hang-time in each week, if not daily. The body needs to expand. This is an easy way to accomplish this. Hanging lengthens the spine and gets our arms overhead, something most of us don’t do often enough. It may sound crazy but most folks find this strangely addictive once the habit is formed. My body has actually learned to crave stretching in this manner. It’s also worth noting that the “big fitness 3” (Flexibility, Strength & Stamina) can all be improved if appropriate variations are applied. Practice. Enjoy. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Dec 10, 2018 at 7:57am PST

Priorities during Disruptions: Travel, Vacation, Holidays, Company in town…

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Vacation. Travel. The holidays. It’s important to enjoy some down time. It’s also important to spend time with family & friends. Maybe it’s just you? That’s great too. Alone time is also very important. But what are the priorities for someone who is trying to shed unwanted body fat during such disruptions? The most important thing is your total calories each day (aka “how much we eat and drink). Don’t worry so much about exact numbers. We are all aware of what “reasonable” and “obnoxious” looks like. Aim for more reasonableness, less obnoxiousness. Don’t worry so much about exercise either. By all means, if you can or want to, do so. Enjoy. Just know that your main secret weapon will be walking as much as possible. Every single day. All day long. Walk your ass off if possible. Of course, that’s not possible. Good thing too. Personally, I like to do short 5-10min workouts most mornings. Not because I may burn a few calories, which is probably less than 100 calories in this particular case (less than a can of soda). I exercise because it makes me feel better, gives me energy plus helps maintain my basic strength levels and lean muscle mass, which increases in importance as we age. I suppose I could do a longer workout but why?! At some point, exercising longer just to burn a few more calories becomes counterproductive, disruptive and unhealthy. It makes much more sense to consume fewer calories to begin with. I hope you see my point. I was just gone for 2 weeks. Each morning I did 10 deep squats, 10 pushups and 10 pullaparts with a old rubber tube that I typically travel with. I did 3 rounds of that, stretching between each exercise. That’s it. Nothing too complicated. (The details here are not really too important.) I have said this before and will say it again now: what we eat & drink (and how much) affects our body-fat levels much more than exercise ever will. Exercise is super important, for many other reasons besides being a tool to help burn calories. During such temporary disruptions, control what you eat and drink. That way there’s less to deal with later. Be reasonable. Reasonability, in most situations, is a very good friend. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Dec 3, 2018 at 12:59pm PST