Healthy Living with Jilisa Ghareeb: Right Now or Right Now?

Happy March! I am so excited for this month because we get to Spring ahead!! Oh, it is one of the bestest days of the year! Did you miss me in February? I apologize for missing, life hit hard, and I dropped a few balls, but I’m back and looking forward to hopefully bringing you another year of tips and knowledge, healthy recipes and moves you can add into your daily exercise routines.

I have been asked these 2 questions a few times over the years and my answer is always the same. What questions you ask? The first is “When is the right time to work out?” and “When is the right time to start a program/health journey?” My answers is and will always be the same…”when it works for you” and “right now”!

The Best Time is Right Now!

There is no right or better time to start a health journey. I know we have heard in our lives people say things like when we have this much money…we can get married, have a baby, get a dog. Or when I lose this much weight…then I will be able to help people, be happy, go to the beach. Or how about if I had the energy, then I could (insert anything here). But this is all backwards. We (most humans) tend to put pressure on the negative in order to get to the positive. But what if we said:

I will have the energy when I do this

I will go to the beach now and be happy.

I will do this even if I don’t have a million dollars.

We need to flip the script and start telling ourselves a different story. You are writing this book so write a better one. There is no right time to start a health journey because the time is right now. When you decide to make the simple small impactful intentional decisions that are going to create big long-lasting change in your life is the right time. If you follow me on Instagram, you will see that I post about this almost everyday of the week. You are responsible for making every decision in your life and the outcome of those decisions is all on you. So, stop asking when the right time is and just start.

Morning or Evening?

Now that you have made the decision to start working out, you now ask the other question; when is the best time to work out? Most people ask this question because they are overwhelmed with all the information that is out in the world about what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Again, there is no right or wrong answer. You will not lose more weight or lose it faster because you work out first thing in the morning or later in the day. The real question is what works for you. Personally, I get up in the morning and am working out between 5 and 5:30 am. The reason I do this is because my body feels the best in the morning and it is the best opportunity for me to have some moments to myself. I will work out in the afternoon if I have too, but I usually feel weighed down from the day and heavy from all the food and drink throughout the day.

In the battle of morning or evening, I do have to say that if you can workout in the morning you are more likely to get your workout in and be consistent than if you do so in the evening. The reason I say this is because when you wake up in the morning, you have nothing else to do! During the day, all sorts of events can come up that could pull you away from your workout. Until you have developed the discipline to say “no, I can’t come for drinks after work, I have an appointment”, you will probably need to work out in the morning when there will be less distractions and less chance for the excuses to win.

Working out is supposed to make you happy. I know what some of you are thinking and I want you to stop right now. Working out is not a punishment for what you eat or what you don’t eat. You do not work out because you have to. You work out because you get too. Flip the script and tell yourself that you are strong and getting stronger. Tell yourself that this is hard, but the benefits far outweigh the hard. You can do this! I know you can.

No matter where you are in your fitness level, this move of the month is easy to add into your arsenal.

If you have a loop, go grab it and let’s get started. If you don’t have a loop, you will still feel every bit of this move.

Move of the Month: Wall Sit with Loop

Grab your loop and carefully put it around both legs just about your knees. Back up to the wall and squat down, just as if you were sitting in a chair. Make sure that both feet are planted firmly on the ground. Keep your core tight and your back fully against the wall. Use the loop to create resistance as you push your knees out slightly. If you are not using a loop you can still push your knees out. Start with 30 seconds or as long as you can and build from there. For an advanced variation add weights, 1 or 2 dumbbells resting on your thighs. Wall sits can be used as an alternative to squats. Because you are using your lower body, you will be torching calories and building endurance. Try it today and let me know how long you went.

And to give you a little zip of energy and a whole lot of nutrition, give these cookie bites a try.

Recipe of the month: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies bites

Recipe and Picture from Beachbody

Ingredients:

Parchment paper
1½ cups/120g dry rolled oats
½ cup/130g all-natural almond butter
2 scoops Vanilla Whey (or Vanilla Plant-Based Vegan) Shakeology
⅓ cup/80ml unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup/80g raisins

Instructions:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Add oats, almond butter, Shakeology, almond milk, maple syrup, and extract to a large mixing bowl; stir until cookie dough consistency is reached.
Add raisins; gently fold to incorporate.
Form dough into 24 (1-inch / 2½-cm) balls; place on parchment paper. Flatten into cookie shape. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 2 weeks.

A couple of notes: Substitute any kind of nut or seed butter for the almond butter. Use Chocolate chips instead of raisins. If you don’t have Shakeology (talk to me about it and let’s get you some), you can use a protein powder.

The serving size is 1 cookie. You can have dessert; you just don’t need to eat all of it.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Starting and navigating a new journey can be intimidating and overwhelming. Working with someone who has been in your shoes is extremely helpful and encouraging. Journeys are better when in the company of others.

Jilisa Ghareeb has been a Beachbody coach for 6 years.  Her favorite part of being involved with fitness and nutrition is watching her clients change and open up a whole new world.  As a coach, she is able to help others by introducing them to a change that is often scary, intimidating, and full of “what ifs” to an encouraging and inspirational lifestyle full of “I cans”. She uses her own story to show others that everything is possible with hard work and determination.  If you’re interested in reaching out to Jilisa for more information you can contact her via email, on Instagram, or Facebook.

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