I wanted to share something I feel is important. My wife posted about it on Facebook a while back and it made me think, there are a lot of people who are dealing with very similar issues. How can it help them too? If you relate in some way to her, I hope you find this helpful.
“Because
a lot of my friends ask me why I think Shakeology is so awesome and I vomit my
whole story on them, I've decided to do a little series called "Why I LOVE
Shakeology." My #1 reason is: There is NO SUGAR or even FAKE SUGAR for
that matter, in it except the naturally occurring sugar from the fruits in it
and then the naturally sweet Stevia Root. Most of you know how
"anti-sugar" I am, but most of you don't know why. A few years ago, I
decided I was sick of being on Depression Meds and after realizing how much of
an impact eating sugar had on my mental health, I decided to cut it out of my
eating. Unfortunately for me, I have a MAJOR Sweet tooth. It was super hard to
avoid the temptation. A few months later, some friends of ours, Eric &
Chandra introduced us to Beachbody & Shakeology. I was SUPER skeptical. I
wasn't sure it was really worth the money for "one of those shakes."
So my awesome husband made an executive decision and took the leap for me. I'm
forever grateful that he did. Shakeology tricks me into thinking that I AM
getting a treat...(My chocolate Milkshake) and I can avoid crap because I don't feel
like I'm being deprived. So that is my #1 reason, I get a treat still without
really eating treats. PS. Everything you see in this picture IS IN SHAKEOLOGY,
but we'll talk about that later.” - Rachel B.
The thing I hated most about growing up, at the time was, the endless amounts of fire wood I had to split and stack for my dad. My dad would go out and cut trees bringing back what seemed to be the whole forest, and my brothers and I had the pleasure of making sure it was split and stacked for those cold winter Central Oregon nights. Little did I understand at that age the benefits of what was taking place as I swung a splitting maul over my head; making stove size pieces of wood over and over again. As I look back on this life changing event, I now realize the multiple health benefits that were not so evident to a teenage kid who would rather have been inside than standing in front of the chopping block. The physical activity of swinging a splitting maul and stacking all that wood was in fact producing all the wonderful effects associated with a workout. It's well known even short spurts of exercise create a natural high as some call it, where your body releases endorphins into the brain and produce an improved mood and reduced stress levels . "Regular physical
activity will provide more health benefits than sporadic,
high intensity workouts, so choose exercises you are
likely to enjoy and that you can incorporate into your
schedule", says the American College of Sports Medicine brochure Finding Your Motivation for Exercise. So if these benefits are so good for us, why is it so hard to stay consistent? Why wouldn't we want to always feel good about ourselves and overcome the down swings? That's what I've struggled with over the years and as a kid it was hard to see all the benefits I was providing myself. I didn't know back then, but chopping wood was most likely keeping both me and one of my brothers from joining the crowd of those who take prescriptions to offset the effects of depression. I still feel the onset of what I might call depression at times, but I focus on being consistent with my workouts (living an active lifestyle), and eating healthy. It's hard to measure, but I think how I feel speaks volumes for the effort I'm putting into it. If you find yourself struggling with feeling down try a few activities you like vs trying to attack a super intense workout. Maybe it's walking or riding a bike. It could be a couple of sets of 30 second planks to help strengthen your core. What ever it is, get after it and in the words of my Dad, "get out there and chop wood!" If you find this inspires you to take a step toward helping yourself feel better, pass it on and share it with someone you know who may need help. You're worth it and so are they!
