Just Doing It - Day 3
This morning seemed like more of a breeze, not really like a hump day to get past. I woke up 5 minutes before the alarm and up and out the door I went to my work out. I increased my treadmill time and intensity.. not much but enough to burn an extra 50 calories. That felt like a mini victory to me.. so I will enjoy it as such.
Yesterday I read an article that spoke of INTEREST vs. COMMITMENT when it comes to forming good health habits. It really struck a chord with me. It explained how we can be interested in making changes to our diet due to our desire to lose weight, look better, etc. That interest will get us going towards a goal, but after the initial excitement.. our interest tends to dwindle. We become distracted. When you’re just interested in dieting, you depend on seeing results to keep you on target. So, as long as the scale keeps moving, you stay motivated. But if you hit a plateau or you don’t see much progress for a few weeks, you may throw your program out the window. Then, when you struggle, you blame everyone but yourself. You accuse your friends of ruining your diet because they eat potato chips in front of you. In addition, you fall into “if only” thinking, saying things like, “If only I had more time, more money, a new job, or a supportive spouse, then I’d be able to stay on my plan.
Being COMMITTED to something gives you a completely different outlook. Being committed means that you stick to your goals… no matter what distractions arise. Rather than depending on results to help you stay on track, you work on keeping your motivation strong, knowing that results will follow. You don’t blame circumstances or other people for your struggles. Instead, you stay on your diet in spite of not having enough money, time, or supportive friends and family members.
Being COMMITTED causes you to “just do it” no matter what. You do not wait for the convenient time to arrive to do it or for when you are feeling in the mood. You learn to focus on your actions, not just your feelings. On days you’re not in the mood for exercising or eating right, tell yourself to do it anyway.
This morning I was interested in working out… I was in the mood and ready to go. But, maybe tomorrow morning I will be tired, or sore… or have a headache. Then I will get to see how well I can flex my Commitment muscle.