This morning the alarm went off, I opened my eyes and really, really didn’t want to get out of bed. I didn’t want to get up, change clothes, set up the weights and workout. I wanted to stay comfy and warm and asleep. An all too short weekend had given way to an all too real Monday including the week’s workout schedule.
Days like this happen to everybody. They can also mean the end of even the best intended fitness and weight loss plan. How you get through these times can make all the difference.
Over the last 12 years I’ve rapidly lost weight, gained back and stabilized. I’ve rolled from one workout routine to another upping the intensity every time. I’m now 65 pounds below my peak weight and leaner and tighter than ever. Staying motivated hasn’t always been easy but I’ve found a few tricks to keep rolling.
Little things:
Even when it was all diet just to get the weight off every day didn’t see shedding pounds and I had to look for little things to keep myself on target. Then it was all about getting back into the pants I wore before my medical Residency brought on all the extra weight. I’d try on the old pants and notice they got closer and closer to closing even when the weight didn’t change.
Now, it’s still little things that get me through. Weight lifting can be fun but it isn’t always. The mirror keeps me rolling, though as the little changes in definition provide the motivation keep going. My biceps are still small but they are better defined, maybe someday they’ll take on a little size.
Plan:
The famous aphorism that “failing to plan is planning to fail” is absolutely true. Whether it’s just diet or a full on fitness regimen, planning is key. The unexpected always comes up, and for dieters it’s often an unexpected meal out. Knowing how to handle the unexpected by having a definite plan gets you through. Planning ahead by having a snack-sized bag of nuts or raisins in your desk means you don’t end up with cookies or candy from the office vending machine. Planning the day in advance avoids unexpected extra calories and frankly makes it easier to say no when treats get offered. It’s not on plan, sorry.
Fitness plans are just as important. Today’s workout needn’t be completely structured but if it’s cardio today then it’s cardio — no fooling around at the gym. Push it and push it hard. That’s the plan. If it’s resistance training, then push that. It’s in the plan.
Conviction:
Over time you’ll get where you’re going, but only if you know deep down that you will. I got out of bed this morning because I knew, because I believed that what I was doing was important and that I had to. Without conviction, I’d still be lying in my warm bed enjoying the down comforter and curled up with feather pillows. I might have rolled over and put some music on, but I doubt it. Instead I did work out. I am up. I am energized. I am rolling and I am writing.
The journey from fat to fit is long and unending. Take your victories where you can along the way. Stay motivated and true to your conviction and warm bed on a chilly spring morning need never stand between you and further success.
