Something Different

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Beating your head against a wall isn't smart.

It's painful, pointless and people get sick of hearing about it. Yet, this is the position many people find themselves in when striving for a goal.  Particularly with fitness and fatloss, it is not difficult to find people that have been trying, and failing, to get fitter and more sleek for years. Sometimes decades. 

You wouldn't settle for that lack of progress in your career or personal life would you? If you went three years without a bunch of flowers, a romantic dinner, a payrise or promotion, you might decide that something needs to change. It's the same with fitness and fatloss.

If you are not happy with your results, something has to change.  You have to look at what you are doing and consciously decide to do something different.

It doesn't have to be a radical life overhaul, and it certainly shouldn't be something stupid, like this little 'Pro-Ana' gem I found in the Kindle store (yes, thanks to kindle self-publishing, your teenager can download a book for $8.95 that teaches her how to get skinny like an anorexic... but don't worry, according to the author, she will only lose fat, water and the unhelpful proteins from the joint spaces (?) ).

*insert facepalm here*

Where was I? Little changes, made consistently, add up to a lot. It is also manageable, even when you feel bogged down in a rut. For example, today's something different could be getting 8 serves of veges. Then tomorrow's something different would be not entertaining your usual habit of indulging because you were good yesterday.

The idea is to notice those habitual thoughts that lead to behaviours that keep you treading water, then act against them. For example:

The thought that tells you to finish your plate even though you are feeling full.

(something different: 'today I will stop eating when I'm full')

The thought that suggests you can't have that one piece of cake (that you really want) because cake is bad

(something different: Eat the damn piece of  cake, then forget about it).

The thought that says you MUST eat that piece of cake because it's there and might be good, even though you are not really hankering for cake.

(something different: remind yourself that you can have cake when you really want it, and don't need to have a pavlovian response to this piece. Step away from the cake.)

The thought that tells you to just keep eating because you have already blown it today.

(something different: realise that however bad it is, it can get worse. Better to stop eating and settle the day into the plain old 'bad' category).

The thought that exercising just doesn't seem worth the effort.

(something different: Remind yourself that the feeling great comes after the butt moving, then get up and start movin' it).

You know the ones. There are many.

Including the especially dangerous one:

The thought that tells you that today doesn't matter, you can start again tomorrow.

That one can keep you smacking your head against the wall for a long, long time in a crazy mental short-cicuit. It is tempting to let today slide and tell yourself sweet little lies that tomorrow will arrive with some superpowers that you don't have today.  But you know the truth:

Today is the only day that does matter. You're ON. Right now. Even if you are sick, broke, lying around with a broken toe or feeling fat. Breaking the 'I'll start tomorrow' habit, catching those self-sabotaging thoughts and doing something different is the way to move forward.  

What will you do differently today?