Greetings, today we bring you Minneapolis-based guest, Coach Lindsey Heiserman. Lindsey helps people discover wellness and fitness though both life coaching and fitness training.

In browsing, Lindsey's blog, I discovered topics ranging from stroke recovery, to weight loss, to poop and periods. Yes, even poop and periods are measures of health, not to be overlooked!

Taking a deeper dive, Lindsey goes beyond the physical to examine how we interact in harmony with our environments. How do we actually feel good, so we are not just numbers on scales?

Today, Lindsey shares a finding that surprised me. I had associated January as a time for New Year's Resolutions and re-commitment to goals; Lindsey noted that most new fitness clients actually get started in September. We'll take a dive into the why behind September being the season of fitness renewal, as well as strategies you can use at home right now, within your busy lifestyle, be re-commit to fitness before 2020.

Why is September the season of renewal in health, wellness, and fitness?

If you live in a place where it is very seasonal, you can feel that summer is winding down; the kids are going back to school; you're not vacationing anymore, so you're getting into a new, or new instance of an older routine. With this routine change, people are looking to where they can make changes in their health and fitness too. They ask, "what does my routine look like now that it's not summer?" People are ready to become a bit more routine and set some goals surrounding their health and fitness.

As the fall rainy, cold weather comes, what advice do you share with clients when they don't want to go out for a walk?

I love fall and winter, but most of my clients are in that moaning phase of "oh no, it's fall, which means it is winter!" Fall and winter can be incredible if you can enjoy them. If we are talking about fitness, movement, and health, the thing that you have to find is the thing that you want to do. We'll come back to strategies in a few minutes. If you don't want to go outside, then stop thinking that you are going to go outside and create something else. Most of the time people say, "well, I should . . ." (and they always use the word "should"), but really they're not going to. Being honest about what you are willing to do, or want to do is the first step.

With so many success and transformation stories on your blog, is there one transformation or success that really stands out?

That is such a hard question. One of my favorite clients is 83. I've trained her for over a decade. Many times, she says "my friends keep dying." She's 83; most of her friends are really sick, or dying. She had a hip replacement, and she still comes to training. She really sees the value in moving her body and getting stronger. The cool transformation lies not only in the training, but the life coaching element. She said, "I really thought I would have this all figured out by the time I was 83." The cool thing is that she was still willing to explore her beliefs, thought patterns, your habits, the way you operate in the world, and you're still learning. She got her yoga teaching certification too. She is my own personal guiding star and the example that I often share with clients, in that it is never too late to start something. She was 72 when we started working together. It is never too late to transform your thought patterns, nutrition, movement . . .. She's so inspirational.

When people are thinking about this September season of renewal in terms of being more healthy, fit, or just feeling better, what are 2-3 tips that people can engage with right now in their own busy lives?

I think there are three categories: mindset, exercise, and nutrition.

Mindset

Mindset-wise, most people have heard this, but I've seen it work in my own life and so many peoples' lives. Write down three things you are grateful for every day. If you feel ambitious make it 10. If you are feeling extremely ambitious, try for 10 different things each day. We fall into the trap of writing the same things every day. The attitude of gratitude is real. It can change your perception on almost anything. I've gotten to the point that I wake up and my brain automatically says things it's grateful for, and that wasn't the case in the past. Wherever you are at, you can always put gratitude into your life.

When people struggle in knowing what to write, or give up because they are writing the same things over an over, what are some examples of how we can get unstuck?

When I first started, my cup of coffee was the first gratitude every day. So if you think something is too small to be grateful for, it's really not. Start with those little tiny things. If I'm feeling in a rut, I start with, "I am strong. I am healthy. I have an able body. I have opportunities. I'm grateful that I have a home. I have a working car." It doesn't have to be complex; it can be very simple. I also sit and look around the room and say what things in the room I'm really grateful for. It gives you an opportunity to develop awareness and creativity, as we gloss over all of those little things in our life. It's easy to get trapped in the mindset of wishing we had different things, like a different house; that goes right in line with the "shoulds;" "I should be doing this . . .. I should be doing that . . .." Then I shift, "my house has heat; it's comfortable. I'm lucky to have a house. It has a washer and dryer . . .." Once you get started, the mindset spiral continues. In two minutes, you can feel so much better about your situation.

I wrote this practice off for a long time, but it really does make a difference. Just start. Write 2-3 things each day.

Fitness

How can people get started if they aren't sure what to do, or where to begin, or if they had a bad experience in life that makes them believe they don't like fitness?

Community

When I work with clients, a lot of people think "I can do it alone," or "I should be able to do it alone," but they actually need accountability. I recall some clients I train now that we used to work with in a 6 am group setting. We laugh because we wonder how we all showed up at 6 am. It was because we liked each other, we loved the group, and the group kept everyone motivated. It was fun; it was motivating. People knew if you were or weren't there.

Do something you love

If you're struggling, the biggest thing you can do is find a group of some activity that you love. It doesn't matter what your neighbor, partner, or whomever does. If you don't like it, you aren't going to do it. If you like water aerobics, do it. If you like Zumba, go. There is a lot of social media on "the best exercise," but it's not the best if you aren't going to do it. The best exercise is the one that you are going to do.

Stop setting your goals too high

I would get new clients with energy and a goal to workout six days/week. I would respond, "that's awesome, but let's be real. It's not going to happen." They would look at me; "aren't you supposed to be the encouraging one?" I would respond, "let's start with one day a week. Once you crush that, go to two, and then three." The odds of going to six days a week starting from zero are very small, and then we fail; that's frustrating. Instead of setting astronomical goals, set small ones and work your way up.

Nutrition

I've gotten really honest with my friends, family, and clients. If you aren't willing to look at your nutrition, you aren't going to feel better or accomplish your goals. However, it's not that complicated even though it takes effort. My client noted that meal prepping takes time. It's worth it though. We worked on shortcuts, like buying pre-cut vegetables. In my own life and working with clients, I keep it simple. There's a vegetable, a protein, and a carb. I eat them, and that's that. I think people complicate it by focusing on the amounts. Instead, eat some protein, eat some vegetables, and have a little carbohydrate; you'll feel better. It's like exercise, we overcomplicate it all the time. Will any of us be perfect? No, but I guarantee if you eat real food and balance it, chances are you will feel better.

Sometimes people strive for perfection. They think it's either junk food, or it's perfect eating. It's a spectrum though; if we just move a little down the line, we're making improvements.

Start adding things like water, vegetables, and a healthy snack instead of focusing on cutting. If you keep cutting, you end up thinking you can only eat carrots.

I have tried the spectrum myself, going from junk food to eating overly well and avoiding certain foods. It takes time to appreciate that instead of being a certain size or on a certain plan, we want to feel good, feel energized, and be able to go about the day with exercise, competitions, racing, etc. If we can start the day with the mentality of "how do I feel good," we can examine what we can add to feel a little better. Even if we want a donut for breakfast, if we add a little protein, we still feel a little better and move the dial toward a better diet.

These practical strategies really support September as the season of renewal, as they focus on how we can feel better versus having to be a certain size, or drop a certain number of pounds, or lift a certain weight. The practical strategies shift us from "should have, could have, would have," which leads to giving up to "here's how I can put small strategies in place in mindset, fitness, and nutrition" to feel better and actually give us more time in our daily lives.

Need extra motivation? Do a sticker chart!

• 3 things in my gratitude journal
• ate a vegetable
• 10 minutes of movement

= 3 stickers. Yea! You're crushing it. Even as adults, the sticker chart is motivating!

Additional closing thought bonus:

Stress plays a role in life too, especially if we micro-focus on exercise or diet. There are always overarching things in life. This is why the gratitude journal is so important. Even for two minutes, it brings your stress down. It centers you. It's not just food and exercise; we need to take in the whole picture.

Interested in more mindset, fitness, and nutrition strategies as we head into the September season of renewal and beyond? Contact Lindsey at [email protected]

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