Be Spontaneous!

I talk so often about planning.  Planning your meals and snacks, planning your exercise, or planning your strategy for attack at a potluck. Most often planning absolutely helps you stick to your healthier habits, but it is a little harder this time of year.  Planning can be difficult with more traveling, events with friends and family, house guests, strange work schedules (what day is it again?), and anything extra that may pop up out of the usual day-to-day routine that is typically so easy to plan for.  It was during times like these just last week that I found being spontaneous can work in your healthy habit’s favor too.

Last Tuesday, I had spent my last good long day at work before a few days off for Christmas, arrived home, enjoyed dinner, changed into warm pajamas and was sitting under a heated blanket on the couch listening to the rain come down outside.  Does anything sound better?  Soon however, as I was perusing Facebook, I came across a post from one of my Zumba instructors that expressed looking forward to the time ahead with family and food, but that “tonight, we dance!”  Hmm, I had not planned to go to class that night because I rarely do go to later evening classes, I had accepted that I would have fewer workouts this week, and I had already settled in, but “what the heck! I am going to go!”

It was fun! “I am being spontaneous!”  I threw off the blanket, got in some feel good workout clothes and headed out the door.  I am SO glad that I did!  So many of the Zumba regulars were there and we all had a blast dancing for an hour.  All smiles and sweat!

During times when you’re not sure you can “plan in” a workout, take any opportunity that presents itself.  Downtime visiting family?  Nice weather?  Huh, maybe a good opportunity for a walk, jog, run, game of tag or maybe touch football?  Or maybe you need this strategy just to get started at all, no matter the time of year.  Prefer spontaneity over schedules and plans?  Set a goal to take advantage of any exercise opportunity you’re given – then do it.  You could checkout Groupon or something of the like and let the coupons decide your workout for you.  Try a bunch of different workout styles and locations at a discounted price.  It will keep things mixed up and never boring or uninspiring (ex. you may take hip-hop abs somewhere, then hot yoga, then Pure Barre, then cycling, then Zumba, then kick-boxing, then Cross-Fit…you get the idea).  Be spontaneous!

On a different note, I also practiced some spontaneity in my food choices last week.  Nothing in the fridge?  Or is there…?  I was searching for some lunch and could have easily said that “we don’t have anything” and gone out for something, but instead I made it happen.  Out of a leftover wok dinner (chicken, broccoli, and carrots), whole grain tortilla chips, black beans (from our black bean encrusted fish dish posted a while ago, but enjoyed again last week), salsa, sour cream, and a sprinkle of low fat cheese came a rocking plate of nachos.  I successfully turned nothing into a healthy and filling something.

On occasion it could be fun to step outside your food box, be okay with the fact that there isn’t something ready and raring to go at a moment’s notice, and avoid diet sabotage.  What can you create with what you have?  A few random ingredients and a good imagination and you could create a new fav.

So plan when you can, but when you can’t, take advantage of opportunities when they come.  The alternative may be resorting to doing nothing and feeling all out of sorts by the end of the “out of the ordinary” weeks of Christmas and New Year’s.  Be spontaneous this month! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to all!