One of the main reasons people fail to start a more active lifestyle is that when asked they mostly indubitably answer:

“I don’t have time!”

When my students tell me just that, I show them a picture that I got from the Internet and that I love!

“One hour a day is only 4% of your time.” … It’s all perception.

However, I have been in that situation. When I moved to the US and started a corporate job, my routine changed dramatically. Office work, business travels and family to take care of. I just had a few hours for myself. I gained more than 8 pounds in just 9 months, and I always felt exhausted. I did not know what to do; I thought that my lifestyle was over! I was about to accept in all essence that this was my new way of life. I said to my self, I don’t have time! And felt It was true. I began to believe that being fit, healthy and full of energy was a fairy tale. Definitely I had to do something … and fast!

I realized that the only thing that was pulling me away of my healthy life style were my thoughts …

I used to believed that:

• To be Fit, I had to exercise all day long
• To lose weight, I had to eat lettuce and tuna in all my meals
• No carbohydrates in my daily routine
• If I’m successful in my carrier, then I couldn’t take care of my family and myself

These paradigms probably worked for me in Venezuela, where I had a different routine because my mom helped me with my daughter and with the house responsibilities. But now my reality was different one.

I was determined to go further. So I was persistent to change and got creative. This is what I did.

Just my size

The first mistake as well as for many other people is to go from nothing to try to do everything. From not moving a foot, to pretend that I or anyone can to go every day to the gym for two hours. Here is the crux of the problem. We start strong for maybe a week, but at the end we are exhausted and aching all over. Spouses complaining that we are never at home and everything is upside down. It’s not sustainable.From there, I designed a simple and manageable program adapted to my routine. I set my goals and I started again with my running routing. I woke up half an hour early, three times a week during weekdays and one day of the weekend; baby steps.

I set bigger goals

Once I managed to maintain this routine for two months in a row, it is then that I was ready for the next level. I also needed something to keep me on the way to my goal. I decided to run my first half marathon in the city of Miami. I kept the same routine during the weekdays and during the weekend I increased the running time. I had a clear purpose that kept me on track.

Support was critical

When we are starting with new routines and habits, what we mostly need is moral support. In addition to having the support of my family, I decided to join a running club that was near my house. We trained every Saturday at 6:00 a.m. and when I could also joined their workouts Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. This kept me motivated and focused. I remember, the day of the competition I had slept just a few hours the night before, I was just coming back from a business trip , my agenda was almost 12 hours of work each day, I was exhausted . But I had my goal and had to accomplish it. My fellows runners at the running club were very supportive, we ran in group. It was an unforgettable experience and I crossed the finish line in 2:12, not bad for my condition and fatigue.

Today my healthy lifestyle is back, and with this experience, I realized that it is possible. The key elements are:

1. Incorporate your new habits little by little into your routine, not the other way around.

2. Set your goals clearly and keep focus.

3. Finally, search for moral support.

I’m sure that as I created a plan for me, there is also a plan just for you .

Foto: Photos.com

Erika Rosas Greenawalt

Profesional en Marketing, apasionada por el deporte y la danza. Desde los 3 años se inició en el Ballet Clásico, donde hizo carrera por 12 años. Luego, a los 18 años, ingresó al mundo del deporte siendo instructora de aerobics y compitiendo en maratones. Desde hace 7 años, además de ejercer su profesión de marketing, se ha desempeñado como Instructora en las disciplinas de Training Byke, Realryder y Zumba; primero en Venezuela y ahora en Miami. También ha dedicado parte de su entrenamiento al ¨running¨, y compitió en carreras famosas en Caracas como: 10K Nike, Caracas Rock, Avon, Locatel, y en Miami el conocido ING Miami Half Marathon.