Diet and Exercise: Don't Be Afraid To Mix It Up

by Marc A. 

"Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend." ~ Bruce Lee

Typically, when it comes to diet exercise, we do a lot of searching to find the thing that "works" for us. We look for that routine that will get us where we want and that type of diet that will shed us some weight. Usually when we find them, we stick to them and keep doing the same things until we reach a plateau and wonder what happened.

What happened is you didn't mix it up!!

What do I mean by mix it up? Try different things. Don't wait until things get stale to switch it up. If you're not too keen on doing on following a specific routine or diet all the time, don't be afraid to throw in something else. If you don't want to do Paleo 7 days a week, drop it to 5 days and throw in a different way of eating. I chose flexitarian eating because I wanted to live the way of a vegetarian yet still enjoy a steak or some chicken from time to time and you know what? It works for me. Not only that but it gives me consistent results (when I eat the right foods!)

Even moreso, mixing it up applies to physical fitness. Who says you have to only run as a work out? Don't be afraid to swap out a run and throw in some time on the bike or elliptical or jump in the pool. Even if you're following a prescribed plan, it's okay to throw in part of another plan if you want to do a little something else. If you're following Insanity and want to swap out some days and throw in some P90X, go right ahead! If you're lifting weights daily and decide to skip it and do some calisthenics, do your thing! In the end, your body will benefit either way!

The main point I'm trying to make here, just like Bruce Lee said, is to be formless, shapeless, able to adapt. Don't let yourself be defined by one style, make your own style! Let your style be a mix of styles, a mix of exercises, a mix of ways of eating!

Are you willing to mix it up?

Marc A. is the editor and founder of the health and wellness blog, Dr. Marctagon™, and he also runs a tech company and blog, Marctagon™ IT where he offers his consulting services and discusses the latest news, productivity tools and technology for homes and small businesses.