Raise your hand if you’ve ever stated you need to eat better and exercise more in order to reduce weight or modify anything about your appearance.
Okay, I can’t type with one hand, but I understand.
This is true for my mother, sister, friends, and every other woman I know. Every woman I know dislikes something about her physique and has attempted to modify it via diet or exercise. I’m no different.
We do our best for a week, eat well, drag ourselves to the gym, beat ourselves up when we fail to follow “the rules” and fall off the blasted wagon, and then we go about our lives till the next time. Of course, we’re still blaming ourselves since we’re not flawless and clearly can’t keep it all together.
WHY DOESN’T IT WORK TO LOSE THOSE STUPID 10 POUNDS IN ONE MONTH?
Losing weight, enhancing your skin, and becoming toned are not compelling reasons to eat better or exercise on a daily basis. Unfortunately, staying healthy isn’t one of them.
Do you understand why?
Because there are “easier” ways to accomplish all of those goals.
Why spend all of your valuable time and energy achieving something when you can do it with little effort and time?
It seemed simple enough to eat better for three weeks and lose ten pounds. It’s not difficult… But you have to get through those three weeks, right?
What’s less difficult?
I’m not doing it.
The reality is that you can always look better or lose weight even if you don’t put in any effort or modify your lifestyle (at least for a brief moment). Here are several possibilities:
cosmetic surgery
makeover
dietary supplements
teas for detoxification
lieu of exercising, get a massage.
coverings for the body
Instead of eating in moderation, starve yourself.
SHORTCUTS DO NOT RESULT IN LONG-TERM CHANGE, BUT WE TRY ANYWAY.
When I was a youngster, my parents even bought this ab gadget that would electrocute your abdominals, so you could acquire abs…
The commercial depicted a joyful couple sitting on the couch watching TV as their abdominals were electrified. They then grinned and displayed their toned bodies.
“I honestly can’t think of a reason why this wouldn’t work?” says my mother. “Of course, we have to purchase it.”
She didn’t say it just like this, but they did get this absurd thing. Surprisingly, none of us had abs. Yes, I tried it when I was 9 years old.
LISTEN TO YOUR FEELINGS AND ACT ON THEM, NOT ON NUMBERS.
Why would you want to eat better, exercise more, and live a healthier life if it wasn’t for weight reduction or improving your appearance? Here’s one of the reasons:
To alter your feelings and how you conduct your life. Each and every day.
Not only how you’ll feel in a dress in 5 months. But how do you feel right now?
I’ve said it before, but eating properly and exercising have an instant impact on how you feel.
It is critical to recognize the difference in how you feel in order to remain motivated.
So, even if you don’t see any changes on the first day or week, you will feel different. It may not be something huge, but if you pay attention, you will notice a change. This change in how you feel is critical for remaining motivated. Those sensations will lead you in the direction of what you desire. They will force you to accomplish what you need to do every day in order to reach your objective. And to remain there.
It’s discouraging when you’ve been working out for a week and only see one sad pound go. Is that why you’ve been putting in so much effort?
If you instead concentrate on the fact that you feel better? Different? Stronger? Lighter?
Or that you can go up a flight of stairs without becoming out of breath? If this lifestyle adjustment enables, you to reach other goals that you really desire? Aside from reducing weight and getting healthier? If it enables, you to achieve something you couldn’t before? Is it then worth it?
Naturally, it is. Isn’t it a no-brainer?
But it’s easy to get caught up in chasing numbers on the scale instead of doing things because they feel good and make life better. Every day.
WHERE IS J.Lo?
Take, for example, J.Lo. Does she exercise and eat healthily in order to look good? Probably.
She must, however, be in good condition in order to dance for 1.5 hours throughout her performances.
She couldn’t dance for two hours if she was hungry or had just two burgers, fries, and a huge soda.
And it would be a waste of time and money for her. I’m letting myself go and having a cheat meal because J.Lo said screw it.
So, apart from looking wonderful for a 49-year-old or even a 25-year-old, she takes care of herself so that she can accomplish whatever she wants in her daily life.
WHAT ABOUT THE US, ORDINARY HUMAN BEINGS?
Of course, you may say, “It’s simple for J.
Her duty is to perform and be beautiful. My plan is to spend the whole day sitting on my buttocks, typing, and scrolling through everything. I don’t have time to even grin. “Or you could pee.”
The fact is that you don’t have much influence over many aspects of your life, but you do have a lot of say over many of them.
It is entirely up to you what you do with your leisure time before and after work.
If you want to have more energy in the morning, then skipping breakfast and completing a quick early exercise would help. (Along with, of course, sleep!)
To feel better in the evening, instead of eating spaghetti for lunch and snacking the rest of the day (like me), take a salad and go for a walk during your lunch break.
It is entirely up to you whether you slouch when sitting or maintain your core firm and shoulders down.
Make a decision on what you want to do and how you want to feel. Then do the things you know would make you feel this way.
Set a goal that isn’t related to your appearance.
Maybe it’s to avoid the want for a snooze around 3 p.m. Maybe it’s to be able to trek to the summit of a mountain? Or is it to be able to walk a bit further at the end of the week? Perhaps you’d want to be less stressed? Or to work more quickly?
WHY DO I EAT HEALTHY AND EXERCISE FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES IN THE MORNING EVERY DAY?
My current why is to think clearer and feel stronger physically (and, of course, intellectually!), so I can stay more focused at work, read more (without falling asleep after 2 minutes), and improve my basketball skills so I can raise my nephew for more than a minute without hurting my back. (I’ve started playing basketball for the last 2–3 weeks, and it’s fantastic! If you don’t feel like going to the gym, taking fitness courses, or performing home exercises, ball/team sports are ideal!)
So, these are the things I remind myself of whenever I want to eat something unhealthy (and more of it!) or when I’m tempted to miss my morning exercise in favor of scrolling through my phone.
This occurs on a daily basis, many times a day.
But that concept, the direct consequence of my actions — makes it so much simpler to make the correct decision right now.
Is it Coke or juice that helps me feel more alert? Juice.
What makes me feel more powerful, scrolling or planks? Planks.
So, I drink some water first, and then I do what I know is proper and will help me achieve my other objectives.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?
If you can’t seem to remain motivated to eat healthily and exercise, here are some questions to ask yourself:
What motivates you to eat better today?
How do you feel after eating healthily?
What happens when you don’t?
Are you able to do all of your tasks when you have your cheat meals?
What do you want to achieve today, and how will eating healthy and exercising help you get there?