Every year at about this time people of the world look in the mirror and go “oh no,” or “what happened?” or “are we sure that was there yesterday?” All that New Year’s resolution has fizzled out faster than the gas in a bottled Coke you kept in your handbag for three days. That pure guilt at how much you ate over December kept you going for the month of January, the gym contract with the free Kauai kept you going for February, and now we’re at March. Now what? You have anti-exercise syndrome. You’ve even found this on Web MD. It’s a real thing.
What do you do about your growing waistline and growing lack of motivation?
Throw out your running shoes? Give up and go drown your feelings in a bowl of bacon and whipped cream?
The horrible thing about exercise and diet is that the more sad and emo and I-want-to-give-up you feel, the less likely you are to actually change anything. It’s okay.
So you’re sitting on the couch as you’re reading this with your slippers and a bowl of cheese Doritos chips wondering if this is you?
Let me help you:
• You don’t feel motivated to train anymore
• You welcomed sugar back into your life
• Your pants are tighter today than they were a year ago
• You feel lethargic and tired.
• You feel trapped and sleepy
• You’re close to giving up on yourself and the people that want to help.
If that feels about right, here’s the key factor to change: it all starts with your mind.
When you focus on all of the things that you hate – like the size of your thighs, your energy levels, the shape of your butt, or the way your belly looks – then you’re putting all of your energy into the negative stuff.
1. Take it one battle at a time
You may have five, 10, 25 or 50 kilos to lose before you reach your perfect weight—and, boy, that can be overwhelming. The truth is weight loss like that won’t happen overnight—it takes months of dedication. Which is not a great thought – I get it.
Don’t worry about winning the entire war today, instead focus on conquering one battle at a time. Take it one meal at a time, and one day at a time. A healthy meal, a good workout, and you’ve won a battle. Remember, 50 kilos is broken down into 350 000 calories. Sure, that sounds like a lot, but all you have to do is focus on burning more calories than you take in today – in the end weight loss will be inevitable.
2. Use a trigger
How many times throughout your day do you find yourself plagued with negative thoughts? I’m too fat. I’ll never look as good as I used to. I’m not attractive.Yikes! Thoughts like these will ruin your chance at regaining your six pack – they are total momentum killers.
Here’s a tip: whenever a negative thought enters your mind instantly do the following:
• Breathe out and squeeze your abs for five seconds – three times
• Throw away any junk food within arms reach
• Plan to exercise that day
Make negative thoughts a trigger to take positive action toward your goal.
3. See what you want
If you have weight to lose, mirrors are a nightmare. Every lump seems to jump out with alarming illumination. And it doesn’t help that most of us see things as worse than they really are.
When was the last time you closed your eyes and pictured the body that you wished you had? It may sound weird, but I’m serious. Your mind is very impressionable, and when you bombard it with only the negative then you will be stuck on that image.
Take time each day to visualise your ideal body. Close your eyes and put yourself in that ideal body – feel what it feels like to be fit.
4. Get serious
Sooner or later you will decide that you are fed up with your Doritos and your sad feelings. You will decide that your health is important. You will decide that you deserve to look great. And you will do what it takes to achieve amazing results.
Identify your goals, find workout programmes that you enjoy and create a routine that works with your schedule. It’s that simple. You think you can’t do it, but you can. You really can.