On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending Zone Perfect’s Perfectly Simple event at Chelsea Piers. The day was centered around Zone’s newest bar, each made without high fructose corn syrup and with fewer than 10 ingredients.
It was a gray and gloomy day- perfect for a few indoor hours of pampering.
We started with a little light yoga in the (very nice) studio at Chelsea Piers.
We focused more on stretching than sweating, but I think we all appreciated it. A workout doesn’t have to leave you gasping for breath to be effective! Sometimes all it takes for you to relax is someone else- in this case, our instructor- telling you how to.
Om.
After yoga, we migrated to the golf club for lunch.
Zone graciously put together a veg-friendly meal for me: roasted vegetable sandwich + mixed green salad. Plus Food Should Taste Good chips!
Over lunch, we heard from three different speakers with tips on how to streamline our diet, fitness and organizational skills.
First, we heard from Heather Bauer, a registered dietician and the author of Bread Is The Devil. Since breakfast, “the most important meal of the day,” tends to be a meal most people forget to eat, she gave us tips on how to breakfast smartly anywhere.
5 BREAKFAST IDEAS FOR DIFFERENT LIFE SITUATIONS
Hotel: If you travel a lot for work, treat your business trip like a spa trip. Walk by the buffet first; it’s not a race to see who can get through the line fastest! Sometimes ordering off the menu is a healthier option than the all-you-can-eat choice.
Car: Instead of hitting the drive-through, bring high-fiber bread with almond butter if you’re driving. If you’re a passenger in the car, eat Greek yogurt with berries and nuts.
Morning rush: Keep a bar in your bag that you can eat on the run.
Weekends: We tend to want more indulgent breakfasts, so try making oatmeal pancakes. Heather makes hers with egg whites and cottage cheese.
Next, we heard from Kathy Alcoba, a personal trainer at Chelsea Piers. Rather than focusing on “quick-fixes” and fad fitness, Kathy gave us tips on how to integrate fitness and exercise into everyday life. Find what motivates you. You have to want to get your workout in; if you hate running, don’t schedule a run for yourself five times a week!
How to fit exercise into your busy schedule
- Walk and cycle to work
- Stand on the bus/subway instead of sitting
- invest in home equipment
- find DVDs you like and bring them on trips
No gym membership?
- Cardio: You can dance, jump rope, box with resistance bands, and play with your kids. You don’t have to jump on an elliptical to establish a good baseline.
- Strength training: use stability balls, resistance bands, small weights; try lunges, squats, and planks at home.
Create a psychological connection outside of a short-term goal. Instead of saying, “I want to lose ________” or “I have to run _______,” think of exercise as something healthy and necessary to the physical and psychological health of yourself and your family.
Finally, we heard from Bonnie Dewkett, who gave us some insight on how a better organized home can wholly improve our lives.
First, ask yourself: why get organized? Where to start? Which areas of your home are the most annoying? These are the spots where change will make the biggest impact.
Write down ONE goal, followed by five-to ten “action goals.” For example, my goal is to clean my closet. The “action goals” are 1) removing clothes from the closet, 2) trying on the clothes I want to get rid of, 3) putting those old clothes in a bag for Goodwill, 4) organizing the remaining clothes, etc. Then, write appointments in your calendar for these action goals. Next Tuesday, I’m going to try on my old clothes and see what still fits and looks good.
Do one thing a day that helps accomplish your goals. Putting my shoes in my bedroom instead of kicking them off by the front of the door makes the hallway look tidier, reduces my family’s risk of tripping over them, and I know where to find them in the morning when I’m rushing to work.
Scan paperwork and get rid of your filing cabinet. How many random pieces of paper do we have scattered on desks, tables and folders? We probably won’t even look at half of them again. Scanning them will put everything neatly in one place where they can’t get lost, and will free up tons of surface area.
Bonnie sold me on the idea of a purse organizer (that green roll below)… mine always weighs about 20 pounds and I can never find anything!
For more of Bonnie’s tips, check out her radio show on iTunes.
Thanks to Zone Perfect for a great event! You’ll be able to find the Perfectly Simple bars on shelves very soon, in three yummy flavors: Toasted Coconut, Peanut Crunch, and Cranberry Almond. They’re all tasty, but I think the Cranberry Almond is my favorite!
Starting now, how will you make today simpler?
