Monday 18 June 2012

Step 3: mindset and motivation

This is the bit I am terrible at. Yesterday I just wasn't doing fitness and today I am, the blog got me excited about it but what worries me is that this random starting a fitness program could turn into a random stopping.

2 years ago I started a 10 week plan. I started two weeks before Christmas and over the holidays I did not over eat and I went running, even in snow and ice. After the holidays I came home and went for another run in the snow and then I went sledging. I strained myself sledging (it is really hard work) so could not exercise for a couple of days. For some reason I never started again, I can't explain why.

I must find a way to start again if I do stall!

For motivation I do have a couple of important points though:

1. You must feel like it is possible, that you can achieve your goal.
2. You must realise that it is not down to chance or luck, that you are not a special case, it is just a matter of stressing your body so it gets stronger and creating a calorie deficit so fat is used up.
3. You must not be a perfectionist, you don't have to be perfect to lose weight and get fit. When you gained weight you did not do it perfectly, some weeks you did not gain weight some weeks you lost it but you drifted in the "right" direction.
4. You should look to the future and be pulled along by what might be rather than beat yourself up for what is or what has been. Carrot not stick.
5. Short term goals are important, telling a friend about the run you did which was slightly longer than the previous one. Losing the weeks kg or finding a way to deal with a difficult situation (like a buffet) can all become challenges that when met give satisfaction. See over the hillock to the little pot of gold and it makes the slope less painful.
6. You have to make your diet and exercise an immovable object, like a birthday party you just can't miss. That way you force yourself to find solutions. If I must do exercise 3 times a week and I am busy every night perhaps I use my lunch our, if that is taken perhaps I get up early....

Anyway the slightly sappy motivational speaker style of the above is not lost on me and of course I struggle to follow most of it :)


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