CalebTheTiger

Yeah, never is both impossible and mentally depressing - thanks for sharing!

Hi Calanthrophy and Taddea! I found both of these perspectives interesting and enlightening. Calanthrophy, would it be more helpful if someone else gave you permission to cheat with a specific, limited group of things. Say, once a month they give you a care package of sweets or treats (some of them might even be healthy but not on your diet) and that is essentially your license to cheat. You can spread it out over the whole month or just have a major splurge day with no guilt. To me, that sounds awesome. What are your thoughts? Taddea, so you're on a calorie count diet then? I'm mostly wondering about people who are on stricter diets where they don't eat sugar or gluten or things like that (assuming it's not allergy related), I would think that having a day or a meal where the rules don't apply would be necessary to survive that type of diet mentally. Your plan definitely makes sense if calories are all you're concerned about.

Love this question! I was homeschooled - I was also the first-born. That meant I was the guinea pig! My parents were not homeschooled so we made lots of mistakes during my early years of schooling. But, even so I knew that it was the only way to educate my children (I now have three and we're starting soon with the oldest). I'm a proponent of hybrid un-schooling. The reason why is because every child is different. They learn in different ways and at different speeds. Public schooling has attempted to conform every child into an age-based grade system that assumes children will learn at the same rate. That breeds two things - kids feeling left behind and kids feeling held back. Homeschooling allows you to personally interact with each child on a one-to-one basis. It's an incredible relationship building opportunity, which is one reason I believe it to be essential for parenting in general. You have an opportunity to invest in your child consistently, every single day. A chance to instill the values that are most important to you and you wish to be carried on to the following generation. Instead of shipping your kids off every day to someone else and allowing them the privilege of bonding with your kid and instilling their values in them. Why would you accept that trade off? We like hybrid un-schooling for similar reasons. I had 7 brothers and sisters and as the oldest I participated in most of their education. Some enjoyed math and went super far (even college level), some didn't so they stopped at Alegbra 1 (like me). Some really enjoyed English so they went really far and others couldn't read until they were 9 years old. Every kid is different and learns different, so why should we force them into a general mold? Instead, I believe in teaching my children the basics of education (reading, writing, math, and some science) so they can function in the world and then focusing the rest of their education on the things they are most passionate about. If my kid wants to grow up and be an entrepreneur I want to enable him to have an education tailored to that desire (even if he changes his mind, he'll learn more faster if the initiative and drive is there). I also believe experience is the greatest teacher, so we'll spend less time in books and more time out experiencing the world. What better way to learn math than to see what it's like to run a business for a day? What better way to learn science than by experimenting in creation? I'm not a total un-schooler - but the principles are definitely worth a look, regardless of how to practically apply them.

I am that guy! I'm starting a new blog soon called "We Hate Fitness", because I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. My wife is seriously into fitness and healthy living - I'm just not. I enjoy the feeling of being fit and healthy, but I bore easily of the process and I never get that "high" that people talk about when they work out. People who like going to the gym just annoy me. I can't relate at all. I also LOVE food. I get depressed when we have soup for dinner or something basic - I need some spice in my life. Realizing that eating healthy didn't have to be depressingly dismal was a huge breakthrough for me. I recommend getting a paleo (or other diet) meal plan that focuses on fancy or creative recipes. If your husband enjoys cooking (like I do), let him cook the healthy food - also don't get legalistic about it. Not everything has to be the most healthy. If he uses olive oil instead of coconut oil, that's fine. Baby steps. Also, part of the We Hate Fitness brand is about incorporating comedy into fitness. We want people to have fun while they workout and realize that you don't have to like the work out but you can still have fun while you do it. We also love "cheats" at WHF. Cheats are giving yourself permission to go "off program" and eat a candy bar or splurge on sundae. One of the best ways to do it is to have a set day that is always cheat day. You can also "win" a cheat by meeting a certain goal. With people like me (and your husband), rules have to go out the window. My wife does a good job of helping me get my workout done my way - so I'm not always doing it right, but i'm making progress. Same with meal plans and diets. Strict rules will burn us out SO FAST! Just be loose and make it as fun and personalized as possible. I've come to believe that there is no right way or one-size-fits-all approach to staying healthy. For some people, they need rigid steps to follow and stay on track. For people like me, we need less rules and more fun. We need creativity and something tailored to us. I also recommend just loving your husband through it. If he loves something unhealthy, do it with him once in a while. Keep him interested in wanting to be healthy by letting him know it's ok to be unhealthy sometimes. Reward him for being healthy, but don't penalize him for not being healthy. I hope that helps. It's what I would want.

I've travelled a ton with my three kiddos - twin 3 yr olds and a just-turned-one year old. My #1 piece of advice is to BUILD IN EXTRA TIME. If you think it will take 5 hrs - plan on 7 hrs. If you do, you will have a more enjoyable experience getting there and you won't feel stressed that you're behind time. Kids tend to drag out car trips - they need time out of their carseats and you need time to regain your sanity. Until your little ones get used to long stints in the car, it can be stressful needing to stop so often. So, we just plan on it. Visual stimulus is also important. I recommend DVD players, mirrors, or some sort of mobile that gives your baby something to look at and doesn't easily bore. In the car, kids can go through a million toys. They get bored sooo much faster. Some form of audio calming agent is a lifesaver. For my kids, I'm a musician and so are my parents - so we played our music over and over because our kids loved it. At the moment, it's "The Bare Necessities" that plays about 100 times a day. If you do need to hijack your car audio system to keep your little one happy, I've found a pair of earbuds with my favorite music/audiobooks to be quite helpful to stay the monotony. Hope that helps!

Hey everyone, I'm new here so hi! Nice to meet you. Quick question: i find that anytime I'm on a strict eating plan or fitness program, I need a cheat day. Something to look forward to and keep me motivated. I'm one of those people who isn't motivated by fitness itself - but I like to be healthy. So, here's my question for you. Do you consider cheat days (where you go off the wagon just a little for a short period of time) to be necessary breaks in the routine to keep things exciting? Or are cheat days just excuses not to stay focused on the goal? How do you view cheat days? Positive or not-so-much...?

I love these answers! Thanks so much for the awesome responses. I'm kind of the guy that counts jogging to the store for donuts and soda as exercise. haha But, I do love the concept of incorporating fitness elements into things that already make you happy (or that you have to do anyway). Has anyone found any gadgets or training programs that really amp up that side of fitness for you?

Hey everyone, So, I'm not as insecure as my title suggests...I only mean that I don't consider myself a nerd. I do, however, consider myself a storyteller and from what I've seen many of you would self-identify as such also. So, if I don't belong just let me know and I'll scurry off to some other brothel of fitness junkiedom. Here's the other thing: my previous statement would suggest that I am a fitness junkie. I'm not. At all... In fact, I hate fitness. It's why I'm starting a new blog called wehatefitness.com - I don't think I'm alone. I'm thinking my people may even be here on this site. Let me explain. I enjoy being fit. I like the feeling of being in shape and feeling healthy. I love playing sports and I don't mind eating healthy (as long as we're creative about it). But, I can't stand working out! I hate the process of getting fit and staying fit. I've tried lots of things and I get burned out stretching before I ever start anything intense. My best attempts at working out are always 1-2 weeks long and then I'm just done - I'm unmotivated. My wife is completely different. She enjoys the process of getting fit - but she is a Mom of three and struggles to find the time to do everything she wants as far as healthy living goes. So, for a totally separate reason she also "hates fitness". As a storyteller, I've developed a couple of character types. I wonder if any of you fit one of these profiles. If so, please share below. 1. Caleb - This one is me. The guy or gal who can't stand the process of getting and staying fit. You get burned out easily. The people who love going to the gym annoy you. You have a hard time being motivated to find time to work out - you practically have to be forced into it. 2. Steffanie - My wife. Someone who just struggles to fit a healthy lifestyle in to the already busy day. You might be a stay-at-home parent or a busy business person or just someone with lots of responsibilities throughout the day. You enjoy fitness, but the inconvenience sometimes makes it feel like an obligation and it's not fun. 3. Brandon - My brother in law. Slightly overweight, can't lose weight no matter how much healthy eating, dieting, or working out you do. Wish you could get in shape, but have a difficult time staying committed because you never see results. I'm developing some others - so maybe you can help me with those. What are things you struggle with that make you hate the process of fitness? Wouldn't it be great if fitness felt more fun? If you've figured out the secret, I'd love to know what makes fitness fun for you. How do you keep things fresh and exciting? How do you keep a "work-out" from feeling like plain old work? Thanks guys! Happy to be here. CalebTheTiger