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“Today you want to eat everything in sight. Here's how to just say no:”
Someone once said, "Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself." Was this person trying to lose weight? It's an unknown, but it certainly fits doesn't it? Why do we lose our self-respect so quickly? We live for the moment all too often. That's how we got up to our current weight, eh? Which do we want more: a cupcake or to lose 10 pounds? The cupcake is available to us now, the 10 pounds we have to wait for, to earn. Like a small child we kick our feet against our willpower and whine, "I want it now, now, now!" Gain your self-respect. The next time you have the urge to satisfy today's cravings in lieu of tomorrow's weight loss, put your shoes on and go for a jog or go for a walk. Or, call your girlfriend for an impromptu visit to the gym. You know who you'll have to answer to later if you don't see the scale! Pretty scary. Discipline yourself early. Just say no!
“Do you feel like you just can't achieve your goals? It's time to clear your mind of can't”
"I can't lose weight. I've never been able to stick to a diet. I have a bad back so I can't really work out much." If you've said these things (or similar) before, you may be your own worst enemy. Starting today, clear your mind of "can't." Think about it. There are probably very few real cant's. Someone with no legs might be justified by saying, "I can't walk." But with prosthetic legs that wouldn't even be true. The truth may simply be you don't want to. It may be difficult for you to do something, but that's not a can't. Helen Keller once wrote, "I am not everybody, but I am somebody. I can't do everything, but I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." You are somebody who can. Focus on your "can do's" and see what happens.
“Pessimism never won any battle. Shield your eyes, here's how to look on the bright side:”
What goes through your mind when you think about yourself, your health and fitness efforts, and your successes? Are they criticisms in disguise or full-throttle accolades? For instance, do you think, "I only lost one pound this month," or do you think, "One step closer to my goals!" Do you think, "I still have so far to go," or do you think, "I'm already feeling better and looking better." Being negative is all too easy and it has no up side, and really, do you have time for it? You've got a positive life to lead. Instead of listening to negative thoughts, kick 'em to the curb. Immediately replace them with good thoughts, productive thoughts, and happy thoughts. You do have control over what thoughts you allow in your noggin. If being negative hasn't achieved good results in the past, it's time to try something different. Take a big dose of a positive attitude and see where that gets you
“Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Here's how to not make it permanent:”
When the holidays come, the temptations may be more than you can handle. Over indulgence at a get-together, busy schedules, celebrations, picnics and bags of holiday treats can tax your willpower beyond their limits. It doesn't make you a failure because you partake of holiday festivities now and again. Just don't lose sight of your goals. Do what you can during the holidays. You're only a failure if you completely give up after you give in. If you know there's just no way you can (or want to) avoid the holiday goodies on a particular day, give yourself permission. But, make a conscious effort to get in a few good days afterward where you are sticking with your regular regimen. Once over you can think back with a smile instead of regret.
Hello :) How are you feeling? How long did it take you to get approved for the surgery? I am just starting and very anxious to know so many things. I hope you are doing fabulous and are very happy with the surgery. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
“Losing your motivation? Here are some tips to help you find it again:”
1. Ride on someone else's motivation. Do you have a friend, sister, or co-worker that wants to loose some weight for an upcoming event? Partner up with them - you won't want to let them down and their inspiration may fire you back up.
2. Set a new goal. Give yourself something to shoot for and make sure there's a reward at the end. Make it a short term goal for real motivation.
3. Take stock of why you started on this path. Will quitting do anything for you? Doubtful. Perhaps you just need to modify your program a bit. Re-evaluate and regroup, make some adjustments and start fresh.
“You want a change, but it's such a long, steep climb. Here's how to lace up your boots.”
It's the old adage of "a journey starts with the first step." It might seem overwhelming when you start that journey, and you wonder if you'll ever make it. Everyone, who has ever done anything (lost weight, learned Swahili, become a lawyer, doctor, taekwondo master, gourmet chef, or dog groomer), at one point they didn't know anything about doing those things. Someone once said, "If you only do what you know you can do, you never do very much." Look at whatever you want to do as an adventure, lace ‘em up, and step out toward success and you'll be one stride closer.
“You stepped on the scale today and the reading was dismal. Here's why you don't care:”
Okay, fine, so you care a little, but you have to access the whole picture. Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you look better than on your last weigh in? A little toner here, a little less pooch there? Were your measurements improved? If you're putting on muscle it's got some weight to it - the good news is it takes up less room on your bod and it looks a whole lot nicer. Lastly, do you feel better? Sometimes we get so caught up in all our peers that we forget there's so much more than fat coming off. There's cholesterol and blood pressure lowering, there's more stamina, there's pride and confidence building. No matter what that scale says each month, remember that it's just a small window into the new you.
“You totally pigged out the last couple of days. Just like always, you're back where you started. Here's why you're not throwing in the towel:”
Do you want to know a secret? Everybody has cake sometimes and they eat it too. Maybe they have some French fries, or chips, or they eat the popcorn at the movie theater with the trans-laden fat! This is not the end of the world. If we are living life, eating right doesn't mean we only eat bran and lima beans. The key is eating right the majority of the time. If you had a bad couple of days, well, you're just like the rest of us: normal. The difference will be whether you make the over-indulging an ongoing Olympic event; or, will you shrug it off and eat right today? As Robert Allen once said, "You don't drown by falling in water. You drown by staying there."
“You've started working out, but your muscles hurt so bad you don't think you can go on. Here's how to go on, and on, and on.”
Yesterday you did squats and now you have to stop yourself from screaming when you sit down. You walked a good distance, and now your shins feel like you got hit with a crow bar. You pushed and pulled with some resistance and you whimper when you flex your arms. Okay, we've all been there. Likely, this will not kill you. If you overdid it, it's okay to go easy for a couple of days, but don't quit or not only will your pain be in vain, but it will take longer to recoup. Until your muscles get used to what you're doing to them, they will be sore. Go easy on the exercises that affect those areas and work harder on other pain-free areas. The "No-pain, no-gain" thinking doesn't have to apply, but if it happens, you will survive it.