The same thing.
The same thing.
The same thing.

Does that describe your food choices?
Does that describe your exercise routine?

It DEFINITELY described MY food choices.
And it DEFINITELY described MY exercise routine.
In the past, that is.

I decided that THIS TIME and GOING FORWARD
I wouldn't let my diet
And my exercise
Become BORING or ROUTINE.


:: DIET

Recognize when I write the word "diet",
what I'm talking about here is "the food that I eat"
NOT some book diet.

EVERYONE has a diet.

I do.
You do.
The guy eating two boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese and a half gallon of Edy's does too.
Just not a particularly healthy one.

And just as eating a diet heavy on the boxed macaroni and cheese and ice cream isn't good.

Either is restricting WHAT you will eat to just a few things.
Even if those things are healthful.

Because eating the same thing.
The same thing.
The same thing.

Gets very boring.

And if you GET BORED with the food you eat.
You're likely to stop eating those things.
Those things that ARE healthful.
And start eating other things.
Other things that might not be so healthful.

So my approach to this is to mix it up a bit.
Different veggies.
Different fruits.
A varied lunch menu, meaning not always Subway subs.
Because I'm not Jared.
Nor do I want to be - not that I don't like Jared - because eating subs is expensive and, quite honestly, gets old.
So I still eat them.
Just not every day for lunch.

One constant is that I eat a lot of veggies.
And I encourage YOU to do the same.
Eat your veggies.
And to combat your sweet tooth...
Eat your fruit.

I like grapes, oranges, apples, bananas - standard stuff that you can generally find.
Plus berries - particularly blueberries and strawberries.
And kiwi - have you had kiwi?
Delicious.

Mix up your food choices folks.
Don't let it get old and boring.
And you know what?
You'll find that YOU like a lot more food than you probably thought you did.


:: EXERCISE

At one point in my early twenties I rode my bike often.
It was easy for me to ride 60 - 120 miles in a week.
I was never a great cyclist.
But I did it often enough that I developed pretty good endurance on the bike.
For a not-so-great cyclist.

But I tired of the routes.
And eventually gave that up.

I had stayed between 92 and 95 kilograms without really worrying about what I ate.
Because I was burning a LOT of calories each week.
But then I got burned out.

In my thirties I walked a lot.
That was my primary exercise.
Walking the treadmill to nowhere.
And that can become very B-O-R-I-N-G.
I eventually got tired of that.

And guess what I did?

Yes, I gave that up too.

Now, in my mid-forties I'm ensuring I don't get tired of my workouts.

I DO walk on the treadmill but it isn't my ONLY exercise.
And having podcasts or TED videos or sometimes music helps
To take my mind off the fact that I'm
Walking on a belt
And going nowhere.

I've added the kettlebell to my exercise program.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the kettlebell.

And the medicine ball.
SMASHING the medicine ball into the ground is good fun.

And I've added the agility ladder to work on my footwork.
That gets the heart pumping.

Plus I walk the dogs when the weather isn't horrible.

And I've moved my weights out of storage and did dumbbell bench presses today.

And I'll probably add some other things along the way to keep it interesting.
And to work different muscles.


Folks, mix it up.
Don't let your diet or your exercise get boring and routine.
Because THAT is a recipe for backsliding into your old ways.
Try some new foods.
And try some foods you like in new ways.
Add some variety to your exercises.
And try something new that you've never done.

Do this and you might find some new exciting ideas for your menu and your workouts.

Keep it fresh and fun!


And hey...

Make it a great day!
Matt