Strive to Like Who You Are

I recently read a post on Affection for Fitness where Marion mentioned I "strive to like who I am at the end of the day".  I think this is a great viewpoint to adopt.  Don't get me wrong because I do like who I am at the end of every day, but who couldn't like themselves just a bit more?  My husband may beg to differ as I can have a pretty big ego sometimes.

Actually, a lot of what Marion has been writing about lately and what my husband has been discussing with me for a long time is starting to connect. 

• Make fitness a priority
• Have a positive outlook
• Stick to your goals
• Do exercises that you enjoy
• Try new things
• Attack fitness with the same determination as other life areas
• Consider fitness my new job
• Focus on being healthy
• and more!

I've always gotten it intellectually, but now I've decided to act on it and stop waiting for some epiphany that just doesn't seem to be headed my way.  I'm not going to wake up one day and decide I'm ready to go for a black belt, or compete in some crazy race, or achieve some insane fitness goal.  I wasn't that person when I was young and fit so why do I think I will be that person now?  Instead I am a person who wants to be capable and confident of doing fit things should I choose to do them.  Perhaps when I reach that point the fitness expeditions will become something I want to achieve, but I'm okay with it if that does not happen.

So how am I going to do this?  Clearly what I have been doing is not working because I'm choosing for it not to work.  I have to ask myself what did I do differently the one and only time I did successfully lose almost 30lbs?  I was committed to fitness and I made it a priority.  I looked forward to going to the gym most days.  I didn't make up any excuses. 

How did I do this?  I decided to do it.  I made it a goal that I would go to the gym every workday.  I went to the gym every workday (5 days) before I went to work.  I got up early.  I went.  I came home and showered and dressed for work and then I went about my day.  I did exercises that were no-brainers.  I hopped on the bike and then I did the weight circuit.  On days when I didn't feel like going to the gym I didn't have to think about it - I went and I went through the motions.  I did short workouts (30-40 minutes) so it wasn't inconvenient to my day or too taxing on my body.

What I've discovered about myself...I can't commit partway.  If I say I will gym 3 days a week I have 4 days a week where I can say "Oh, I'll go tomorrow instead".  The problem is I don't go tomorrow either.  I try and take on too much in order to match up to people who have already put forth the baby steps.  I need to start small and not think about what I need to do next.  Early morning workouts do not work with my adult work schedule and I won't go to the gym if I come home first, so I need to go to the gym directly from work.  Everything else can wait the extra hour for me to gym, drive home, and shower.  I need to pack a pre-gym snack or else I will eat junk food on my drive to the gym to make up for missed lunches during busy work days at my schools.  I need to get over the 3 week only commitment hump to make this part of my life.

The new mindset:  I am committed to going to the gym all 3 days after work and when I wake up on my 2 non-work days for the next 4 weeks.  I will not miss a day even when I am on my cruise (which is conveniently during week 4 to help get me over the slack-off hump).  In 4 weeks I will assess my happiness. If I am a happier person I will continue with my new mindset and determination.  If I am not happier then I don't know what I will do next, but at least I will know I tried with full commitment.