Tuesday, September 4, 2012
What Are You Fighting?
When I ask someone about their health, there is a sense from them that I want to hear something positive. This is true to a point. Do I like hearing success stories? Of course I do. I like to hear about people doing things well and making positive changes to their health.
What I don’t like is to hear people tell me what they think I want to hear. There are so many ways to live healthy and so many reasons to do it, that I wonder why we aren’t all doing it. That doesn’t mean that I expect it to be easy. I know that living healthy is a challenge. Actually, it is a series of challenges.
The first challenge seems to be getting over the fight with yourself. When I talk to people about health for the first time, there is often a struggle for them to find a reason that things aren’t as good as they want them to be or as good as they would like to tell me they are. There is a strange need to please that people have causing them to want to give the best reports and share that they are “doing what they are supposed to do”.
Doing what you are supposed to do is challenging. It is hard to do and not many are very good at it. Doing what works for you is easier to do and will always be more fulfilling. The problem is that we have to figure out a few things:
1. What do you want to do?
2. Why do you want to do it?
3. How are you going to do it?
4. What is stopping me from doing it?
When it comes to health, you need to be able to focus. You need to know what you want to do, why you want to do it and how you are going to do it. If you don’t know any or all of these things, you are going to struggle. One of the reasons for people struggling is not being able to identify these options.
That seems to be the biggest reason people are off track. It’s not that they can’t do it. It’s not that they don’t want to do it. It’s more about not taking the time to set up a plan. We could talk about the importance of planning all day. We could talk about it until we knew our plan inside and out, but that wouldn’t help us get started.
What helps us get started? First you have to get over your hang-ups. What are your hang-ups? What are my hang-ups? They are likely different and that is the point. Everyone has their own reasons for not getting started. They want to get going. They know they should get going. They even know why they should get going, but they don’t know how they are going to do it and can’t get past their inner hang-ups that are keeping them from getting started.
Let’s walk through the steps:
1. What do you want to do?
Let’s talk about exercise. When you want to get more active, what do you have to do? You have to get more active. It sounds simple and even too good to be true. Well, it is too good to be true. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. You have to start by deciding exactly what you want to do. Do you want to run? Do you want to bike? Do you want to walk or hit the gym? There are countless options, but until you choose one of them, you can’t do any of them.
2. Why do you want to do it?
When it comes to exercise, there are many reasons to get started. There are health benefits, weight loss, looking good and many other reasons to do it. Until you identify those reasons, you can’t motivate yourself to do anything. You have to keep the reasons in mind when you get started so you can keep going when it gets tough.
3. How are you going to do it?
This sounds simple and even sarcastic, but I assure you that you need to mind this step. The way you are going to get active is important. The plan is even more important. For example: If you are going to go to the gym, you need to have a bag and a time set aside to go. If you are going to ride a bike, you need a bike. It doesn’t get any simpler than that, yet many struggle to establish the how before they try to get going.
4. What is stopping you from doing it?
This is where we fail. If you are not doing something, you are being stopped. Something is stopping you from doing it. The people that I talk to with excuses and stories about what has happened or not happened are being stopped. Who or what is stopping them? They are stopping themselves. There is a fight that we all have before starting something new. If have you haven’t gotten started, you are fighting yourself and losing.
Setting up your plan can mean the difference between success and failure. If you don’t do it, failure becomes far more likely. Failure is certain if you are fighting yourself. Health takes support and dedication. When met with a fight, health often loses. We can all put up a good fight and fend off a healthy routine. The world around us makes that easy.
But, what are we fighting? We are fighting a good healthy routine. We are fighting energy. We are fighting better sleep. We are fighting long-term health. We are fighting the look in the mirror that we can be proud of. In other words, we are fighting the things we want.
It doesn’t make sense, does it? Of course it doesn’t make sense. When we are asked, we tell ourselves and others that we want to be healthy. When it comes to the action, we often start that fight. If health brings such good things, why do we fight it?
It doesn’t make sense, but if you follow the steps and ask yourself 4 questions, you can win the fight. Ask yourself what you want to do, why you want to do it, how you are going to do it and you will be able to get started. You may want to ask yourself one more important question before you get too far: What are you fighting?
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Eliminate Quitting From Your List of Options
When it comes to health, everyone wants to be better. If you are feeling that you are in poor health, you want to get started with something. If you are in good health, you want to be in great health. Even if you are in great health, you strive to maintain it and even push yourself further. No matter where you are, you always want to see results and achieve more.
The best way to do that is simple: Do it. There is no way around it. If you do things that are good for your health, you will get healthy results. You will be healthy. If you don’t do these things, you won’t see the results. That is as simple as I can put it.
Why is everyone having trouble getting the results they want? Well, I don’t think that it is lack of awareness of what they need to do. We all know what healthy food looks like. We all know that moving is good for the body. There is no secret to health. The fact remains: When you do healthy things you are going to get healthy results.
The best part about health is that you have so many options. You can do anything to move your body and count it as exercise. You can eat a variety of foods that will bring you good nutrients and you can even eat the good foods that you have always eaten, in moderation. The problem is that there is one option that seems to be more powerful and enticing than all the others. There is an option that seems to be stronger than all of the others combined and often ends up being the one we choose.
This option is quitting. Quitting is something that we have all done in one area or another. We have all been in a situation where things looked difficult and we decided not to go forward. We have been there, we will likely be there again and there is no shame in it. Quitting is part of life. There are even times when quitting is the better option when you think about the results you are going to get.
In health, quitting is not a good option. In fact, it shouldn’t be an option at all. What are you saying when you quit? You are saying that you don’t care. You are saying that you don’t want the results you would get from going forward. What are you saying when you quit on your health? You are saying that you don’t want it and you don’t care about your own well-being. You are saying that you don’t want to be healthy. What’s worse is that you are saying “I don’t think I can be healthy.”
Quitting seems like an easier option. I think that is why we tend to jump to it so quickly. It is always easier to move backward. It is easier to picture yourself back where you started because you have already been there. There is a certain comfort in familiar territory. If you have seen it and know how it feels, it is much easier to accept.
That is actually the key to health. Quitting seems easier in the beginning. When failure and poor health are the norm, it is easy to go back there. The same is true for success and good health. When you are used to moving forward, you get comfortable with that and keep doing it.
Even small steps and small changes are positive. The healthiest people are not just fanatics that live and breathe exercise and grow their own food while shunning everything that “normal” people eat. The healthiest people are able to break their options down and choose one that works for them. They are able to do this day in and day out and that is why their results are what they are.
It’s not enough to want to be healthy. You have to live healthy to get healthy results. You have many options. Quitting is one of those options, but we know what it gets you. It gets you nothing. It actually gets you worse than nothing because each option you choose can become a habit. The more you choose an option, the more comfort you will feel with it and the easier it will be to do.
When it comes to health, many of us are looking for better results. There are many options to achieve these results. The best thing you can do is eliminate one of your options. Don’t let quitting be an option and you will see much different results.
The best way to do that is simple: Do it. There is no way around it. If you do things that are good for your health, you will get healthy results. You will be healthy. If you don’t do these things, you won’t see the results. That is as simple as I can put it.
Why is everyone having trouble getting the results they want? Well, I don’t think that it is lack of awareness of what they need to do. We all know what healthy food looks like. We all know that moving is good for the body. There is no secret to health. The fact remains: When you do healthy things you are going to get healthy results.
The best part about health is that you have so many options. You can do anything to move your body and count it as exercise. You can eat a variety of foods that will bring you good nutrients and you can even eat the good foods that you have always eaten, in moderation. The problem is that there is one option that seems to be more powerful and enticing than all the others. There is an option that seems to be stronger than all of the others combined and often ends up being the one we choose.
This option is quitting. Quitting is something that we have all done in one area or another. We have all been in a situation where things looked difficult and we decided not to go forward. We have been there, we will likely be there again and there is no shame in it. Quitting is part of life. There are even times when quitting is the better option when you think about the results you are going to get.
In health, quitting is not a good option. In fact, it shouldn’t be an option at all. What are you saying when you quit? You are saying that you don’t care. You are saying that you don’t want the results you would get from going forward. What are you saying when you quit on your health? You are saying that you don’t want it and you don’t care about your own well-being. You are saying that you don’t want to be healthy. What’s worse is that you are saying “I don’t think I can be healthy.”
Quitting seems like an easier option. I think that is why we tend to jump to it so quickly. It is always easier to move backward. It is easier to picture yourself back where you started because you have already been there. There is a certain comfort in familiar territory. If you have seen it and know how it feels, it is much easier to accept.
That is actually the key to health. Quitting seems easier in the beginning. When failure and poor health are the norm, it is easy to go back there. The same is true for success and good health. When you are used to moving forward, you get comfortable with that and keep doing it.
Even small steps and small changes are positive. The healthiest people are not just fanatics that live and breathe exercise and grow their own food while shunning everything that “normal” people eat. The healthiest people are able to break their options down and choose one that works for them. They are able to do this day in and day out and that is why their results are what they are.
It’s not enough to want to be healthy. You have to live healthy to get healthy results. You have many options. Quitting is one of those options, but we know what it gets you. It gets you nothing. It actually gets you worse than nothing because each option you choose can become a habit. The more you choose an option, the more comfort you will feel with it and the easier it will be to do.
When it comes to health, many of us are looking for better results. There are many options to achieve these results. The best thing you can do is eliminate one of your options. Don’t let quitting be an option and you will see much different results.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Fitting Exercise In: Next Steps
We all know how important exercise is. We all know that there are many benefits to exercising. Unfortunately, we also know how difficult it can be to fit exercise in. That is why I’ve written countless articles about why it is worth fitting it in despite the challenges. The difficulty you have fitting in exercise now pales in comparison to the difficulties you will face later in life.
Exercise isn’t just about weight loss. Exercise is about quality of life. And despite the stigma it gets among those that don’t want to do it or find it too hard to do, exercise is something that you will enjoy. Even if you don’t enjoy each and every session, I assure you that the results will be enjoyed. Think about the benefits of exercise for a moment. These benefits include:
1. Weight Control
When you burn calories, you lose weight. When you don’t burn them, you gain weight. It’s simple and we all know it.
2. Long-term Health
Exercise prevents many chronic conditions and helps you live a longer life. Certain risk factors (like heart disease, diabetes to name a few) can be dramatically reduced for a longer life and more healthy and enjoyable years.
3. Mood Boosting
Exercise is proven to boost mood and is even being used by therapists to treat depression.
4. Energy
Exercise wakes the body up and helps you get going. It works at any time of the day, so get moving for more energy.
5. Sleep Improvement
Exercise helps us regulate sleep patterns. By moving more during the day, we are better able to shut down at night.
Do any of the things on this list sound bad? Do any of them sound like things you should be avoiding? Of course not! They are all things we want every single day. We want to be healthy, feel good and have more energy. No matter who you are, I can guarantee that these are things you would like to have in your life.
Well, are they in your life? If so, you have realized the importance and started taking action. If not, why are they still not part of your life? Is it because you haven’t found a way to fit exercise in? This is not uncommon. In fact, it’s the norm. Most people are not active. About 30% of Americans don’t exercise at all.
Why is this? We know all of the good things that exercise brings, so why are we still not doing it? It’s simple: we are not finding ways to fit exercise in. It is simple to understand why exercise is good. It is also simple to understand why people are not able to get enough. We all have busy schedules, obligations and not enough time to complete them. That is no surprise.
It is not so simple to understand how to fit exercise in. That is a big reason that so many are not fitting it in. It takes planning, preparation, dedication and motivation. It takes what some think is too much. But, I don’t think it takes as much as everyone thinks. I think it takes one step on one day and a willingness to stick with it. Sticking with it doesn’t mean gritting your teeth and doing something you don’t like. It just means adjusting so that you can do something to keep it going.
We will get into that later. First, let’s take a look at some tips for fitting exercise in:
1. Know Your Schedule
Sit down and take a few minutes to determine what times would work for you. It is easy to say: “Oh, I’ll fit it in at some point.” How has that worked in the past? Exactly, if you don’t have time, you won’t do anything. You have to look for realistic times and realistic blocks of time.
2. Use Your Schedule
It’s not enough to say: “I’m going to start working out every morning.” You have to think about what makes sense for your schedule and your comfort level. Once you have don’t that, put those times on your calendar. The more formal you are with your schedule, the more likely you are to stick with it.
3. Own Your Schedule
Once something goes on your calendar, remember how it got there. You put it there! If you put it there, only you can take it off. If you have something important and beneficial to yourself on the calendar, there is only one reason to take it off. That one reason: If something is more important and more beneficial to you. I didn’t say “more urgent”, I said more important. There will always be urgent things that come about. These things are not important. They may scream for your attention, but unless we are talking about an actual emergency, urgent does NOT equal important. Put it on, don’t take it off. The little things can wait until you are done. In fact, they may even feel easier because you are energized.
4. Keep Your Schedule
It does you no good to hit it hard for a week and then quit. Don’t think that exercise is going to be something that you start and instantly perfect. It will take time to work your way into a routine. Many people do it without thinking about it, but many others still struggle to fit it in. The difference is the first 3 steps. The next factor is looking at those steps in a long-term view. You have to know that you are doing to do this for a long time. I even suggest thinking about what you want to do for the rest of your life. It sounds extreme, but how many days in a row are you going to do that fad workout program? How many times are you going to force yourself to go to the gym that is too far away just because got a deal?
You already know the reasons for fitting exercise in. You know that you want to do it and you know why you want to do it. These are really the next steps. Apply them and know that the more you try, the better it will work. The longer you can commit the more results you will get. The list of results is long and it makes no sense to fight it. The difference between success and failure is having a plan. These steps should be the first in your plan to fitting exercise in.
Exercise isn’t just about weight loss. Exercise is about quality of life. And despite the stigma it gets among those that don’t want to do it or find it too hard to do, exercise is something that you will enjoy. Even if you don’t enjoy each and every session, I assure you that the results will be enjoyed. Think about the benefits of exercise for a moment. These benefits include:
1. Weight Control
When you burn calories, you lose weight. When you don’t burn them, you gain weight. It’s simple and we all know it.
2. Long-term Health
Exercise prevents many chronic conditions and helps you live a longer life. Certain risk factors (like heart disease, diabetes to name a few) can be dramatically reduced for a longer life and more healthy and enjoyable years.
3. Mood Boosting
Exercise is proven to boost mood and is even being used by therapists to treat depression.
4. Energy
Exercise wakes the body up and helps you get going. It works at any time of the day, so get moving for more energy.
5. Sleep Improvement
Exercise helps us regulate sleep patterns. By moving more during the day, we are better able to shut down at night.
Do any of the things on this list sound bad? Do any of them sound like things you should be avoiding? Of course not! They are all things we want every single day. We want to be healthy, feel good and have more energy. No matter who you are, I can guarantee that these are things you would like to have in your life.
Well, are they in your life? If so, you have realized the importance and started taking action. If not, why are they still not part of your life? Is it because you haven’t found a way to fit exercise in? This is not uncommon. In fact, it’s the norm. Most people are not active. About 30% of Americans don’t exercise at all.
Why is this? We know all of the good things that exercise brings, so why are we still not doing it? It’s simple: we are not finding ways to fit exercise in. It is simple to understand why exercise is good. It is also simple to understand why people are not able to get enough. We all have busy schedules, obligations and not enough time to complete them. That is no surprise.
It is not so simple to understand how to fit exercise in. That is a big reason that so many are not fitting it in. It takes planning, preparation, dedication and motivation. It takes what some think is too much. But, I don’t think it takes as much as everyone thinks. I think it takes one step on one day and a willingness to stick with it. Sticking with it doesn’t mean gritting your teeth and doing something you don’t like. It just means adjusting so that you can do something to keep it going.
We will get into that later. First, let’s take a look at some tips for fitting exercise in:
1. Know Your Schedule
Sit down and take a few minutes to determine what times would work for you. It is easy to say: “Oh, I’ll fit it in at some point.” How has that worked in the past? Exactly, if you don’t have time, you won’t do anything. You have to look for realistic times and realistic blocks of time.
2. Use Your Schedule
It’s not enough to say: “I’m going to start working out every morning.” You have to think about what makes sense for your schedule and your comfort level. Once you have don’t that, put those times on your calendar. The more formal you are with your schedule, the more likely you are to stick with it.
3. Own Your Schedule
Once something goes on your calendar, remember how it got there. You put it there! If you put it there, only you can take it off. If you have something important and beneficial to yourself on the calendar, there is only one reason to take it off. That one reason: If something is more important and more beneficial to you. I didn’t say “more urgent”, I said more important. There will always be urgent things that come about. These things are not important. They may scream for your attention, but unless we are talking about an actual emergency, urgent does NOT equal important. Put it on, don’t take it off. The little things can wait until you are done. In fact, they may even feel easier because you are energized.
4. Keep Your Schedule
It does you no good to hit it hard for a week and then quit. Don’t think that exercise is going to be something that you start and instantly perfect. It will take time to work your way into a routine. Many people do it without thinking about it, but many others still struggle to fit it in. The difference is the first 3 steps. The next factor is looking at those steps in a long-term view. You have to know that you are doing to do this for a long time. I even suggest thinking about what you want to do for the rest of your life. It sounds extreme, but how many days in a row are you going to do that fad workout program? How many times are you going to force yourself to go to the gym that is too far away just because got a deal?
You already know the reasons for fitting exercise in. You know that you want to do it and you know why you want to do it. These are really the next steps. Apply them and know that the more you try, the better it will work. The longer you can commit the more results you will get. The list of results is long and it makes no sense to fight it. The difference between success and failure is having a plan. These steps should be the first in your plan to fitting exercise in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
