Fighting Our Exercise Demons
Since: Saturday, 25 May 2013
REMEMBER THESE.......
1. Tomorrow is a better day to start.
2. I could do it if I wanted to.
3. I don't really care.
4. It doesn't matter to me that much.
5. Missing one day is no big deal.
6. My head/knee/ankle/shoulder/earlobe hurts.
7. My body needs a break.
8. I'm not like her/him.
9. I don't want to be tired today.
10. I've been doing really well, so......
11. Today is different because.....
12. I need the extra sleep.
13. When things settle down, I'll get back on track.
14. Well I already screwed up today so I might as well enjoy it.
15. I can't.
16. I shouldn't.
17. I won't.
18. I don't want to.
19. This isn't working.
20. Why should I even try?
21. I'm not in the mood.
22. I'm too sore.
23. I'm too old/fat/weak/scared/etc.
24. I can't change now.
25. But....
Choose wisely. :)
Okay, I’m gonna rant here.
There are a few things in life that I am highly passionate about and this is one of them.
I’ve had it with fad diets and media hoopla about the "next big thing in weight loss."
You’ve got Atkins, and Jenny Craig, LA Weight Loss and Nutri-system. You’ve got the Grapefruit Diet and South Beach and a bazillion more that I’m sure many people have tried.
Right now, of course, it is HCG drops. Please, someone tell me how this can sound healthy to ANYONE?! And I get truly irritated that doctors will “supervise” this nonsense.
Give me a break!
So apparently if I want to become a millionaire all I have to do is tell you to eat only 500 calories a day, squirt a couple drops under your tongue, and I can guarantee you results.
Well duh. Anybody would lose weight eating 500 calories a day. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Come on people, you are smarter than that. I don’t care what the “science” is behind something…if you aren’t learning to change your habits the results of your weight loss absolutely, positively, WILL NOT LAST!
Can I say that again? There is not a single “diet”, not even gastric bypass surgery, that will give you lasting results. They are not designed in such a way that you can live them forever and therefore, when you stop whatever crazy “program” they have you on, your weight will come back—and then some. I promise.
You have to learn to eat, live and exercise the right way. It’s as simple as that. The sooner you realize that the sooner you will get to where you want to be.
If you ever see the words “Lose 10 pounds fast!” or “Lose weight and eat whatever you want!” or a million other phrases like it, suggesting you don’t really need to do anything to lose weight and be healthy…RUN. They are marketing tricks designed to get your money, not change your life. Don’t ever buy into one of those schemes again.
It is easy for the people running quick-fix schemes to get testimonials because what they do will get you results…almost instantly. Most people that give the testimonials are in the first week or two of using the product and are happy because they have seen results so quickly. But have you ever seen a testimonial from someone 2 years out that did the Grapefuit diet or Atkins? No? That’s because they have gained all their weight back and then some. They can’t maintain the “diet”, nobody could, and they never learned the right habits, so they find themselves back at square one looking for the next diet to fix them. It’s a vicious cycle.
I understand that you want the weight off RIGHT NOW. We are an instant gratification kind of nation. But you have two choices here…you can get some weight off now, only to have it come back with a few new friends OR you can take the weight off the right way by learning new habits and patterns and putting in the work to take it off. It will take more time, but it will last.
You don’t have to battle weight for the rest of your life, but the more you buy in to gimmicks and schemes, the more you will struggle with this. Just accept right now that there is no “magic pill” and there never will be. The sooner we accept that, the sooner we are ready to make real changes.
Real changes take time. You’ve spent a lifetime developing the habits you have, they aren’t going to change overnight or even in a couple months or a year. It will most likely take you several years of diligently changing your habits and patterns, depending on how bad and deep set they are. Some people less, some people more.
The fact of the matter is, if you don’t change them now they will be even harder to change in the future.
Oh no, there we go getting all nervous and panicky thinking about change.
Let it go. Change is good and very possible. You aren’t going to starve or never get to eat what you want again. That’s a trick your mind plays on you to sabotage yourself.
We have to learn how to care for our own bodies.
We are only given one…we’d better take good care of it.
I have had several people tell me that they often put off their workouts and try to get other things done because they sort of dread it. They are always glad once they have done the workout, but they allow it to loom over them for some time before getting to it.
Those of you who do, or have done, this, let me give you a word of advice.
Whenever you have this feeling come over you...a dread of the upcoming workout, a tendency to put it off, DON'T. Any time you can feel yourself doing this ATTACK YOUR WORKOUT. Get angry at those feelings. Don't let them have power over you.
Hit your workout so hard that those feelings know they have no place in you. Let it be a motivating factor for you. As soon as feelings of nervousness or dread come into you when thinking about your workout, do not put off your workout-face it head on as soon as you can. Drive those feelings out by pushing through your workout. Pretty soon you will have retrained your brain and body that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. (thank you JFK :) ).
Attack your workout-you're sure to win.
Excuses are a funny thing. They show up everywhere and if you're not careful, they can rule your life. They are easy, convenient and we all have them.
The interesting thing about excuses is when you decide that you won't allow them to be a part of your life; you get a lot more done. You accomplish things you never thought you would.
When your alarm goes off and the first thing that goes through your head is "I'm too tired" it is most likely followed by a back up excuse that is something like this: "Resting is probably more important for me today" "I don't feel that well" "I can go later today, I don't need to go now" "I really need the sleep" "I have a busy day, I probably shouldn't go" "I don't really have time" "I'm too sore", etc.
Do any of those sound familiar?
Many of them are probably true, but when you don't allow excuses in your life then you make adjustments where you need to.
After all, how many of us find an excuse not to brush our teeth each day?
"Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow."
--Doug Firebaugh
I just wanted to take today to tell each one of you thank you. Thank you for being part of RaceDay Training and thank you for inspiring me.
As I was doing my triathlon on Saturday I thought of everyone on here. I thought about Julie doing her first 5K. I thought of Jenny making progress by leaps and bounds, pushing herself to new limits every day. I thought of Angie feeling so good after a workout she wanted to jump around the house. I thought about Lea, Kate and Diane working so hard to make Consistency Club--and making it! I thought of each of you and the progress you have made and it made me push harder.
When I started RaceDay Training it was to inspire other people, I just had no idea how much each of you would inspire me.
Thank you.
"If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self."
--Napoleon Hill
Those of you that did the No Sugar Baby Challenge, and did it completely, congrats!!! It wasn't easy.
What I hope you used this time for is as an evaluation period. To truly be able to evaluate something objectively you need to remove yourself from it, or remove it from you, as the case may be. To be able to evaluate just how much sugar is readily available and offered to you and your family on a daily basis you have to be in a state of mind where you are aware of it and are turning it away. Turning it away makes you acutely more aware--am I right? :)
I hope you have or will ask yourself questions like: How much sugar do I feel is okay in my life and the life of my kids? Why do I feel like I need sweets/treats? When do I feel like having sweets adds to my life and when does it take away? Etc.
There are definitely times and places where sweets and treats are okay and can enrich your life or your experience, but if food is the main source of enrichment in your life then something is off. You need to attack the underlying problem. It's not that you're addicted to sweets, it's something else you are trying to substitute sweets for. I know they taste good and you think that's why you're going back for more, but it's not. There is something else going on and if you'll stop for 2 seconds to try to evaluate why you're doing that and what you're feeling just below the surface, you may find some answers. And when you find the answer you can solve it with what it needs to be solved--and it's not donuts. :)
Another thing to note in this crazy society of ours is that you are almost looked down on or ridiculed if you do turn down sweets. "Oh, are you on a diet?" "Look at you, why aren't you eating?!" And on and on. People try to make you feel bad if you aren't shoving your face full of the junk they are. Just because sweets are there DOES NOT mean you have to eat them. It should be a choice, an active choice, every time. Not an obligation. Not a reflex. Not a reaction. A choice--yes or no. And then feel confident with your choice and nobody will question you, including yourself.
Having been removed from sweets for 30 days write down different thoughts and feelings you had. Set terms and guidelines for how you want to handle sweets and sugar in your life. Do you feel like making cookies once a week is something that will add to your life or with all the other sugar around is that too much? Do you just want to have sweets at celebrations or only at certain celebrations? Once you set some guidelines for yourself you won't have to re-decide every time you go somewhere.
Decide how to take care of your body and good health will follow.
"We are either progressing or retrograding all the while; there is no such thing as remaining stationary in this life."
--James Freeman Clarke
One of the biggest questions people ask is "What should I eat before a race?" or even a workout. This is such a hard question because it is so individual. I found this little video on Active.com that is a really great explanation. Specific enough to know what to do, general enough to be able to apply it to yourself. Click HERE to view.
If you get a chance, you might also want to just glance through his top 5 Race-Day nutritional tips. This is more geared towards triathletes but can be translated to other race forms.
It is very important to keep your body properly fueled when you exercise and race. Take a minute to learn from an expert a little more about how you can do that.
This is just another reminder that the 90-Day RaceDay Challenge is coming. It will be something that people can do even if they aren't RaceDay members so if you have friends or family who are needing to learn healthy habits and kick them into gear, get ready to have them do this with you. It's gonna be good.
Also, just wanted to give a shout out to our Consistency Clubber's. I believe that Diane, Lea and Kate are all on track to be initiated into the club this Saturday!!! Three more days ladies, and you're in. Keep up the great work.
Remember, you can work towards Consistency Club at any time. 30 days of exercise in a row, 6 days a week, and comment on the workout so we know what you've done. That's it.
START TODAY!
One of the most important parts of training is to remember that your brain tells your body what to do. I assure you, it does.
Next time you are training try it out. If you tell yourself “I can’t finish this set”…you will struggle to finish or not be able to finish. If you tell yourself “I’m going to finish this set stronger than my last set”…I bet you will.
Of course there are certain situations that it doesn’t always work for, but for the most part our brain is the main controller.
Stay focused.
It makes all the difference.
It occurred to me yesterday that life is sort of like a game only we can choose if we want to play offense or defense. It has been my tendency in the past to play a lot of defense, to try to keep things from happening to me, to prevent the bad as much as I can. But yesterday I realized that as long as I am playing defense I can't score. And scoring is the only way to win the game.
Switching from defense to offense means now I move forward with purpose. I'm not trying to keep something from happening, I'm trying to make sure something happens.
Now I'm in control of the game.
Switching mentally from defense to offense gives you power. You're not a victim in your life, to your weight, to your current physical or mental state. You have what it takes inside of you to "score", all you have to do is move with purpose. Don't wait for something to happen or change...make it happen.
You make the changes.
Make just one change today.
Don't get frustrated -- Get focused!
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