In the pursuit of any goal, you have to be tenacious to expect progress. Fitness, health, lifestyle changes are all no different. Except where they are.
Chances are good that we all have made more unhealthy choices than healthy ones. We grew up scavenging for candy like starving vultures. Circling the candy dishes, sneaking an extra piece or two and rushing off to devour our most recent kill. We likely begged the adults in our lives to allow us another scoop of ice cream, a milkshake with lunch, a handful of their french fries, or a super mega size sugary fountain drink.
We continue into adulthood with the inclinations intact. We tell ourselves things like, “Gosh, work was tiring this week. Maybe I’ll just indulge a little, not exercise yet, and make some yummy cookies!” We are fully grown people dang-it. We can do whatever we want. If that means eating a bowl of cookie dough while finishing the last 8 episodes of that show we sort of like but can’t stop watching, that’s what we are going to do. Period. You can’t stop me.
So if and when the point comes when we need to decide to turn our health in a positive direction, we have to battle these old ways. To battle anything, you must be fierce. You must not surrender. You must win!
Right?
Maaaaybe not. In my experience, with health-motivated actions anyway, this can actually be a great formula for failure, burnout, and resentment. The problem is we are but human. We DO get tired. We DO get busy with that home renovation project, that big work assignment, those sick kids, etc… And that interrupts our well-crafted plans to become fitness ninjas. So what do we have left as a course of action? Forget all about our plans? Forget all about our other life obligations and be muscly yoga hermits? Neither.
I suggest you have clear, achievable effort-based goals and/or attendance goals that are not easily shaken by other life events. Stating that you will do some kind of Pilates twice a week and cardio once a week is not as sexy sounding as “becoming a size 2” or “having a ripped six pack”. But there is a major difference between the 2 goals. One is based on factors you can control and the other is not. You can decide to participate in an activity which makes a positive impact on your health. You cannot force your stomach to become a particular geometric shape, especially one that looks like an ice cube tray.
Think about that for a minute.
Can you BY SHEER FORCE OF WILL tone your butt? No. You can’t. You can put in the work that “should” make that happen, but in the end, you cannot force results.
In a significant way, we are like farmers. Our bodies are the soil and our efforts are seeds. Our only true course of action is to exert effort in the way we best know how and wait for results. Plant those squats, water with lean protein and rest, and hope a booty will grow.
Don’t settle for lack of activity, for unhealthy diet habits, for a slothful life. Also, don’t settle for an all–or–nothing mentality. Both will fail you. Instead, realize that you will need to adjust your efforts to conform to the other circumstances in your life. Make it to the gym 3 times this week even if you only run on the treadmill for 9 minutes each time. You made it. Then next week when things aren’t on fire, get back to work on your regular routine. You will net the most results over the long haul by showing up and doing something. So do it.
Abacus Fitness and Money 