How to Stop "Pressing Pause" on Your Health
I'm going to take a guess that many of you (if not all) at one point or another has felt that if you miss a workout or eat the wrong thing, you failed. I'm also guessing that you've probably felt like if you take a break until you have more time, you're more likely to succeed?
Well, let me tell you that if you've ever had those thoughts, you're not alone. Luckily, this is a totally normal feeling to have, and most people have felt this way at one point or another. Unluckily if you're still thinking this way, it's a sure way to sabotage your plans to improve your health. The reason being: It's much harder to start from scratch than it is to keep going.
Life often gets in the way of our health goals. Whether it's work deadlines, kids, social commitments, stress… it's easy to wait for the "perfect time" to begin/continue your health journey. Unfortunately for us, there's never a perfect time, other things will always come up.
Life doesn't pause, so neither should your health. If you keep pausing, you'll never progress and always fall short of where you want to be.
I always tell my clients, "Something is better than nothing." So here's how I'm backing that up. Instead of having an "all or nothing" approach, I'll show you a way that's an "always something" approach. The best part is that if you follow this, you'll never have to worry about "falling off the bandwagon" and you'll always be making some improvement to your health routine. This will help you build new skills and life habits, rather than trusting your willpower to stick to a given diet, or workout plan (ex: "6-Pack in 30 days") which usually isn't sustainable long-term.
Here are six different ways to adjust your "life dial" to always progress. Each dial has 10 "volume knobs" that you can turn up or down depending on what you're ready, willing, and able to do today. I mean that, only think about today. Once you start concerning yourself with tomorrow, that's when it's easier to fall off that bandwagon.
Before we jump in, just know that with each one of these dials, it can be different every day and you should never feel guilty about what you choose. What matters is that you are doing something. You will always have some better days and some worse days, this is a normal part of life and happens to everyone, even elite athletes.
Note: There's a big difference between turning your dial to 3, 2 or 1 and turning it off completely. Once you realize how doable and effective those dials are, you'll see there's no reason to hit "pause".
As you can see, this can range from parking a block or two further from work, encouraging you to walk a little bit extra in the morning and afternoon. Or if you're up for it, you can go anywhere toward the other extreme of very intense daily workouts. Make sure to pick something that you know will get done today. If none of these suggestions work for you, find something that does.
I'm sure you've heard this before, but whenever you want to change your body composition, it's 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. (OK, truthfully there's a bunch of other factors that have an affect as well, but those are the basics, so for our purposes, we'll stick to that.) Again, take a look at the dial and pick anywhere from 1 to 10 and commit to doing that today. Tomorrow is another day, don't worry about that now.
I'm sure this won't come as a surprise to you, but a reminder is always nice… If you want to progress (whether it's lose/gain weight, get stronger, faster, etc.), you need enough sleep. While you're asleep, that's where all that good stuff happens. Regarding movement and exercise specifically, while sleeping, your muscles are able to grow and recover, and your body finishes digesting. That being said, improving your sleep is a key component to a healthier lifestyle.
Most people don't think of a good social life as being a part of a healthy lifestyle, instead it's considered to be a "bonus" once they've completed their regular tasks. Guess what? In order to complete the regular tasks each day, it helps to have a great support system. The following 10 dials will help you get on the right track. Whether it's as simple as asking a loved one for a hug, or a bit more effort like searching for groups of like minded people, this positive reinforcement will help you attain your goals!
*For some extra positive reinforcement, tell your social network of your goals so that not only will you feel more accountable and more likely to do it, but hopefully they will encourage you along as well, and maybe even join in! You can tell them verbally, but written is always more solid. Jot your goals down and put it on the fridge or even on your Facebook wall. Ask for comments, encouragement, and for them to hold you accountable. People have a natural inclination to want to help, so you'd be surprised how effective this can be.*
I'm sure most of you know that you are regularly stressed, and if you don't, think about it for a second and I have no doubt you'll get there. Whether it's money, work, or family/friend-related, anything can stress us out when something doesn't go according to plan. Everybody also has different ways of coping with stress - some good/healthy, some bad/unhealthy (trust me, I'm guilty of the later as well).
My guilty pleasure is watching TV. As soon as I'm done work or on a break from work, I turn on the TV, sit my butt on the couch and pretend the world around me doesn't exist (often that includes Mitch, my incredibly understanding hubby). Although all my stress goes away at the moment, I know it's only a distraction until a later day/time when I go back to work. This is a form of avoidance for me. Instead of dealing with my stress/problems head on, I'm essentially running away from them, avoiding thinking about them or processing them, inevitably not figuring out a way to deal with them.
Before picking what you're up for on this dial, it'd like you to take a step back for a second and think about whatever your coping mechanism is. Is it really de-stressing you, or is it just masking the stress until a later date when it hits you even harder? Once you've done this, proceed with the dial and take your pick of what you are ready, willing and able to do today to improve your stress. Once again, remember you can pick something different every day.
Unfortunately, our environment isn't always something we can control, however, there are many things within our environment that we have control over. As humans, we often have a victim mentality. (Once again, I'm guilty of this as well. Just ask Mitch how often he tells me to stop playing the victim role, and for the most part I'm completely unaware until he points it out.) I have little-to-no control over what my family, friends and co-workers do that affect me, but I can control everything I do. Self-awareness here is key.
Here are a few examples of how I changed my environment to produce my desired results:
1. Since I love food so much but am very limited in the foods I can eat and often lack self-control, I avoid going to restaurants unless it's an absolute must. When I do, I check the menus beforehand making sure I can eat something. If I can't, I eat before going and don't order anything. I also try to host dinners or parties so that I can control the food. When I go to people's houses for dinner, I generally bring my own food. It can sometimes be uncomfortable, but I rather be that than in pain.
2. Despite being a personal trainer, I don't always have the motivation to exercise. I pay for a monthly subscription to Peloton which gives me unlimited classes - spinning, yoga, strength, etc. Now, on the days where I have no motivation to come up with my own workout, I open the app and follow one of their recorded workouts. It's easier than my own workouts, but it's better than doing nothing.
3. I hide junk food in a cupboard that I need a stepladder to get to. Not only do I open this cupboard infrequently, but it actually requires the extra set of me getting a stepladder. For the most part, this added step gives me enough time to really consider if I want that food or not. Sometimes I do, but most often it deters me.
Keep in mind that each dial represents 10 examples ranging from simple to extreme. Everybody is different, so if these don't work for you, find what does.
Giving thought to your life right now, where is your dial set? Would you like to make any adjustments? Could you move the dial up one? If so, what would that look like? On the other hand… Should you move the dial down one so you can stick with health and fitness even during a difficult time?
Key takeaways:
Perfection never happens in real life, so don't aim to be perfect.
Do the best you can with what you have. That’s okay.
You can always improve/progress as long as you don't hit "pause".
I hope you found this helpful. If you would appreciate some pointers on how to adjust any of your life dials (even environment, social or stress), please feel free to reach out. You can comment on this blog or contact me directly: marissa@hauptintoshape.com