I can be an all-or-nothing kind of gal. This means when I set goals for myself I’m either running towards them at 100 MPH or I’m lying on the couch eating. Those are my two speeds. When I realize that putting food in my mouth on the couch is not moving me towards my goal weight, I put plans in motion.
Sometimes I set forth with my plans and they are a wee bit unsustainable. If my workouts have been slacking, I vow to change those up big time. Let me take every great workout there is and start them all at once. I’ve read that cross-training is important so let’s do it. What about swimming? I should probably add that in along with yoga. Aren’t Pilates supposed to be really great for you? I can do that a few times a week. Stretching should occur with some regularity. Where is my foam roller again? I should roll out on that bad boy. LUNGES! I’m going to do hundreds of lunges and have buns of steel. Okay, so my workout regime now is cross-training with swimming, biking, and running. I will probably do the elliptical as well along with my strength training, foam rolling, stretching, yoga, and Pilates each week. I can totally do this! I will be healthy and look great naked! This all makes perfect sense because if I’m having issues exercising consistently, attempting to do a multitude of activities will be even better. I am so smart.
While I’m getting my workout plan scheduled in my calendar, I should probably look at my diet. I’m eating way too much. It is time to get serious about this TODAY. Every day I will be PERFECT, which means 1500 calories maximum per day. I should be eating clean, only organic, and avoid sugar at all costs. I can DO THIS. This is maintainable if I focus and plan. Mind over matter! Nothing feels as good as skinny feels! Yay for being so health-minded!
Should it surprise anyone when 8 days later I am exhausted, defeated, and laying on the couch with empty food wrappers around me? No, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
This TED video was shared on the Shrinking Jeans Facebook page the other day and it really stuck with me.
What is one thing I could work on this month? I’m fighting the urge to try and change all of my bad habits in one month and focus on just one and not attempting to change forty-eight habits in one day like I normally do.
This month I chose to focus on my emotional eating. I’m embarrassed to admit that this has become such a bad habit for me in the evenings. My husband travels a lot for work and many times at night when I find myself alone, I turn to food. The food helps numb my feelings of boredom, stress from the work day, or loneliness. I’m choosing to focus on this one habit for the next 30 days.
Without the added pressure of trying to change my whole lifestyle in 24 hours, I’m actually doing okay. Granted, I’m only about 9 days into my new evening routine, but it is working. I’ve dusted off some yoga DVDs to practice mindfulness and relaxation. My list of things to do instead of eating in the evenings is written and ready to be used. I’m trying to figure out what I’m feeling so that I can deal with those emotions instead of stuffing them down with unnecessary calories. I realize that my emotional eating will not be cured in 30 days, but it is a start.
What is one thing that is holding you back from reaching your health and fitness goals? Pick your one item and let’s tackle it together in the next 30 days. Don’t worry about the next sixty years, just this month. Deep breaths and let’s do this.