Last week I shared I wasn’t #winning my get healthy goal or my polite way of saying the belly budge was #winning, not me. I decided to treat each day as its own goal. Seems easy enough, right? How could I possible fail? Ummmm … it’s a lot harder than it looks!
Cats are creatures of habit, but I never realized how much of a creature of habit I am too. How many things I do unconsciously that trip up my good intentions. I must become vigilant and pay attention to my actions and my thoughts, especially you, dear thoughts. You’re always causing trouble! Otherwise, I will continue not #winning and that is totally unacceptable to me. Here is my plan.
1. Create Daily Rituals
I consider myself to be an optimistic person or a glass half full kind of girl. But I am also a worrier. Sometimes I get stuck in worry mode, which flows into overly anxious mode and ends in woe is me land. I don’t want to view the world through dark, cloudy glasses.
What helps me is journaling and practicing daily gratitude, and I need to turn it into a daily practice. Writing down my thoughts prevents them getting sucked into that never-ending loop inside my brain. Somedays all I see is what could go wrong or has gone wrong. Gratitude reminds how good my life truly is. Starting and ending my day in gratitude helps set a positive tone.
2. Plan My Day
I have a general idea of what I need to accomplish on a day-to-day basis, but it’s typically work-related, which is only part of my day. I meal plan for the week but some days I’m not in the mood for the meal scheduled or I don’t have the time to make it. To know this from the get-go, gives me time to throw something in the crockpot or thaw a freezer meal.
Exercise has always been a problem area for me. I don’t like it. And I use my dislike of it to find any excuse to avoid it. If only there was a way for me to earn money making up excuses not to work out. I’d be a millionaire!
Most morning go something like this:
Good Tanya: You should get out of bed and go for walk.
Lazy Tanya: I don’t wanna!
Good Tanya: You’re supposed to be getting healthy.
Lazy Tanya: So?
Good Tanya: You can’t get healthy if you don’t exercise.
Lazy Tanya: Bite me!
Good Tanya: Are you five years old?
Lazy Tanya: Shut-up!
Basically every morning I convince myself that I will exercise tomorrow. And tomorrow I promise to exercise the next day. You know the drill.
I am very good at making excuses as to why I cannot workout. This is my biggest opportunity and an area that I am the most resistant to doing as well. I’m a bit embarrassed by this, but it’s the truth. So any suggestions on how to get motivated or what you do to keep yourself motivated are very welcome.
Right now I lean towards finding an exercise DVD that I love and getting a new swimsuit so I can use my apartment’s pool. I do enjoy swimming and it’s great exercise. While I also enjoy walking on the beach, I have to drive there, which makes it easier for me to find a reason not to do it.
3. Be Positive
I am outwardly a positive, can-do person, and I thought that is who I was, inside and out. To my surprise, my thoughts tend to be pretty negative. A few years ago, I attended a retreat where they asked us to go on a 7-day Mental Diet. Essentially you had to watch your thoughts and catch yourself every time you thought something negative about yourself. I made it a whole 30 minutes before I started mentally calling myself stupid because I left my hair clip at home. I had no idea that I did that to myself.
It’s an incredibly hard exercise and you’ll be surprised by your mental dialogue when you learn to tune in. I truly believe your thoughts create your reality, so I need to pay better attention to my thoughts and switch it up when I start belittling myself.
If you’re interested in learning more about 7 Day Mental Diet, let me know in the comment section and I’ll send you the details on it. It’s incredibly hard but really enlightening.
4. Celebrate Success
My friend, Corina, mentioned that she had a reward system to treat herself for eating well. And I thought that was a great idea. I do respond positively to rewards, who doesn’t? I haven’t figured out mine yet, but it’s on the to-do list. Acknowledging small but real victories is definitely a good way to stay motivated.
5. Let It Go
Sometimes you just have to let go and give yourself a break.
Yeah. I went there. Sorry to any parents who lose their mind every time they hear that song. My only kid is a 17 lb cat who doesn’t care what I listen to as long as he gets feed three times a day. 🙂
Sometimes you just need to let go. Let go of fear, pain, sorrow, regret, disappointment, hurt feelings or whatever is holding you back. It’s easier said than done, but I’m committed to letting go. Fly away worries, I don’t want you.
Ta Dah! Now I Just Have to Implement It
The plan is the easy is the easy part. Implementing and staying true to it is what will actually make a difference. So today, I officially start the plan and recommit to getting healthy.
Tanya