Saturday, June 11, 2011

Just some thoughts -

It’s not like I haven’t tried to be healthy or get fit before. I have actually been moderately successful before, but something would always happen and I would just run out of motivation. Getting to the gym got harder and harder until not going was a treat and then a habit.

Why this time is different:

1) I’m doing this for the right reasons. In the past, when I started a new health kick I was focusing on how I looked, like fitting into a dress or something. The problem with that kind of goal is that it suggests that once you meet it, you’re done. And, it has nothing to do with your health. I’m not saying that the way I look has nothing to do with my motivations now – no, I have very specific goals in that area! It’s that fundamentally, I want to be healthy. I don’t want below average lung function anymore and there will be no heart attacks in my future. And I want to be strong too. It’s the little things, like not struggling to put my carry-on in the overhead compartment, and bigger things – being able run a mile and enjoy it, actually doing one (or several!) proper push up. Not to be dramatic, but if I ever had to, I want to be strong enough to defend myself.

2) I’m going to fix my eating problems AND exercise effectively. Before, I amped up my exercise routine or I targeted my diet, but to do this right I’ll have to handle both.

3) I’m going to follow a plan. Whether this means I hire a personal trainer or follow a popular program, I won’t be haphazardly approaching my workout like I have before. At the very least, I will plan what I’ll be up to at the gym before I get there.

4) I’ll be writing everything down – what I eat, what exercises I do, my stats, how I’m feeling, everything. Part of the reason I would lose my motivation in the past was because I would stop seeing results. But if nothing is written down, how do you know if you are progressing? And if you’re not, how can you decide what changes need to be made if nothing is written down?

5) I’m realistic about the timeline. I know now that seeing the changes in my body that I’m hoping for isn’t a one month or three month thing. As annoying as it might seem, if I reach my goals after nine months or a year, that’s ok. So, I have staying power.

6) Last, but not least: I have time and no excuse. I have about 4 months of downtime in which I’m not expected to do much. At the very least, making workouts a priority is the one thing I should expect from myself.

No comments:

Post a Comment