Lifestyle Planning: From Olivia Cooney
No. 1 rule – don’t sacrifice happiness for the sake of unrealistic weight loss goals. Overall wellness is not just physical but mental and emotional. In fact, if you don’t feel good then you are less likely to give yourself the ass whooping necessary to get that adrenalin rush we all secretly adore and that feeling of accomplishment only achieved ‘post-workout’.
No. 1 rule out of the way, the method in which we incorporate this rule is by creating yourself not just a maintainable daily routine, but one that excites you – a lifestyle design tailor made to you your available time and your tastes. If you have demanding ‘9-5’, a self made online business on the side and 3 children to juggle you are less likely to have the time the ‘twenty-somethings’ are able to use to trot from spinning to ‘barre’ or have the time to leisurely flick through the latest cookbooks.
Setting up structured planning with your own diary will mean you are less likely to flake out. Plan your week ahead on the Sunday, schedule in your favorite workouts throughout your week and commit to them like a date – a date with yourself. Focus on your end goal and mix it up so you can look forward to your week ahead and also mentally prepare.
Remember the basics when it comes to diet and think of yourself as a Ferrari – what fuel are you going to put in to make it run perfectly - not the cheap stuff right? My top tips- don’t shop when you are starving and shop in your workout kit, there has been scientific research to say that you are less likely to make unhealthy choices while wearing your workout gear and I must say I agree! I am far less likely to pick up the chocolate-coated raisons while wearing my Sweaty Betty ‘Halasana reversibles’ which leads me to rule No.2 – never say never. The minute you say you are going to cut something out completely, you are already setting yourself up for failure and potentially jeopardizing a lot of happiness to be had – such as missing out of dinners out with friends or a slice of birthday cake on a special occasion for the sake of your non maintainable ‘zero carbs’ diets.
It is ALL about moderation and balance, eat fresh and healthy throughout the week and if you are invited out for dinner after a long week take the Rioja, enjoy it and look forward to your scheduled week ahead that is sprinkled with your favourite workouts. Invest in your health and happiness, of course the best advice I have for the ultimate lifestyle kickstart, is of course a Pop-Up Fitness Retreat!
Olivia Cooney is a PT and co-founder of Pop-Up Fitness Retreats as well as being a Neat Ambassador! She has a strong desire to be the helping hand and the motivating push clients need to reach their goals, kick start a complete lifestyle change and ultimately produce results. Pop-Up Fitness use the world’s stunning nature as a gym – bootcamps, hikes, and exhilarating runs, even lunchtime abs blasts! With every session designed differently.