Life is not an Advice column: HT get back on track after a holiday . . .

Is your email inbox flooded with advice?

‘Problems will be solved,’ ‘Find a true deep sense of accomplishment,’ ‘How to tell if your idea is good,’ ‘live the best’ . . . and the one I loathe, ‘DETOX!’

All of the advice I received in 2016 had good intentions. All of it wanted to help. Email after email of articles telling me ‘how to . . .’ 

It’s a few days into 2017, are you still doing what you did before? Why?
The hard part is committing to it. Doing it. Sticking to a schedule and getting the work done.

‘The largest hurdle to get over is ourselves’ 
I don’t know who said this but this is SO true!

Around this time of year everyone seems to have advice. Everyone seems to have a New Year’s resolution. 

I propose you create a New Year’s excuse.

    “I can’t do (blank) because of (blank)” 

This is the identity of the victim, of powerlessness. My arms are too short, my back hurts, I don’t have time, my friends/family don’t . . . 

My excuse - ‘My teacher said that when going deeper in my practice it is necessary to decrease the amount of physical adjustments given to students.’ Or my poor interpretation. . . I can ease up on my practice when taking students deeper in their practice. . .

BAD MAN!!!! (I know!)

Perhaps I didn’t read enough articles? Perhaps I read too much and didn’t know how to implement it? Maybe I don’t believe I’m worth it?

Sound familiar?

At least I know what my out is. When I make this excuse I know where I am at in the psychological game.  It’s an attitude thing.

It’s way easier to blame everyone else for you health issues. It takes effort and responsibility to self-educate about health and nutrition. Americans spend over $60 billion/year^1 for the idea of fitness, health, and weight-loss.

No one forces you to eat anything as a grown adult. No one MAKES you follow the governments recommendations for nutrition. And those recommendations are based off of a FOR-PROFIT industry anyway. They make money off of you eating what they tell you is OK. And then they make money off of you when you get sick. 

It is not in the FDA’s best interest to serve your health. They are serving their wallet. 

I was reading the list of ingredients on a bag of Cheetos in 1999 on a road trip with my buddy Brian. “The preservatives in the food help to preserve me. I’m going to live forever!” he said. He grabbed the bag back as he told me this, polishing it off and licking his orange stained fingers.

Don’t be Brian.

You already know that the cheeper and healthier food options (in the long run) are fresh fruits and vegetables. But an estimated 45 million Americans will ‘diet’ this year spending billions on nutrition supplements and multi-vitamins.

You probably already follow some fitness and nutrition plan. If you don’t e-mail me at: morgan@ashtanganurse.com 

If you fell off the wagon for the holiday, or an ‘extended’ holiday

Ashtanga Nurse RX:

Life happens - injury, sick, family, etc.
Most advanced practitioners can handle a few days off. They have the ability to maintain muscle memory. They can get back in the game quicker. If you are newer practitioner, be gentle. Give your body a little more time. You have 30 more years to practice, why you hurry?

Novice:
Missed 7-10 days of practice
Work back to Navasana
Missed a month or more
Practice Standing only for the first day

Intermediate:
Missed 7-10 days of practice
Practice Primary 1-3 days
Missed a month or more:
Practice primary 1-2 wks to build strength back up.

Factors to consider:
Illness, Travel leading to lack of sleep and poor diet. Emotional stress r/t divorce, moving, careers change, death of a loved one. Take the time to heal. Focus on long term goals and gains vs. comparing to the past.

On the contrary sometimes a vacation, a honeymoon, can do the body good and the practice returns quickly. The gains return and practice excels.  All of the food, the rest, the sun, and emotional break does the body and mind good.

So, what are your New Year’s excuses? What are you going to tell yourself that keeps you where you are right now?

^1 https://www.marketdataenterprises.com/studies/#WORKSITEWEIGHTLOSS