It’s too easy!

31^st January 2012

A person who wants something will find a way; a person who doesn't, will find an excuse.  Stephen Dolley Jr

It’s too easy!  What losing weight? Nah silly – giving up! 

Being negative is easier than being positive that’s why so many take that option and find an excuse to stop, a few I heard only yesterday were, “I feel under pressure”, “I had a couple of bad experiences with the leader”, “Weight Watchers just isn’t working for me at the moment” and “I’m just not feeling the enthusiasm today though” 

My own personal battles yesterday included last night sitting there thinking, “I just fancy a glass of wine”  I even went as far as opening a bottle of white, tasting it and admitting it wasn’t nice (I actually think it was off, my brother bought it round new year, think it’s been in his cupboard a few years!), then I opened a bottle of red, tasted it and realised that wasn’t what I wanted, so instead of wasting the 6pp I had earned running on that, I made me a cheese & salad pitta and had an early night. 

WOW that took some effort to do that last night, but this morning I’m so glad I did because I’m one day closer to a weight loss, yep I’m taking it one day at a time, and I’m also reading all my positive self help type of books whilst watching the television at night to get me feeling good.

My other battle was running, I never quite understood that thin line between love and hate until I started running.  I usually run straight from my meeting on a Monday but the last two weeks I’ve gone straight to Morrison’s for fruit and veggies which I’ve decided is more important.  So when I got home yesterday I knew I should run, but I really didn’t want to, so I changed out of my work clothes into my running gear just to see if it put me in the mood – it didn’t!  After sitting doing paperwork and deciding I wasn’t going to run, I sat chatting to various people via texts and facebook and realised how negative everyone was being and how hard they were saying everything was.  So I gave myself a good kick and went, I ended up running 5k in 34 minutes along country trails which wasn’t bad at all, it wasn’t easy and I swore constantly for the last 4 minutes running, but I did it and again I’m glad I did it because it’s taken me one step closer to a weight loss! 

YES WE CAN!

If you’re in danger of ditching your diet, cos the novelty of new year resolutions has subsided and you’re feeling negative because you’re not 2 stone lighter already like you imagined you would be!  Get off that mental hamster wheel of negative thinking and take a more positive approach.  “It’s not about major changes; it’s altering the little things that really counts, as all those small steps add up,” remember the daily choices from last week.

So it’s time to learn to control your negativity and stress and not be a victim of them, here’s a few tips I came across in an old magazine cutting yesterday;

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE
Adapting the words we use is a simple way of changing the message we send out to others and
ourselves. Be aware of how often you use words like don’t and can’t, as it immediately focuses on the negative. Start to swap "I don't think this will work" for "This could work"'.

DIVERSION TACTICS
We get stuck on negative emotions and can't switch off, so instead divert your mind. When
caught up in that downward spiralling thought pattern, try saying the alphabet slowly in your head,
seeing each letter in your mind's eye. If you indulge and wallow in negative thinking, it takes root
and stays with you.

BACK TO REALITY
Fantasy is counter-productive and only increases stress when real life bursts the bubble and we're left disappointed. If you need a temporary escape, use your own reality; think of a great memory
and replay it for 30 seconds - don't embellish it, but allow yourself to enjoy that perfect moment. (Ooo this could be a time when you got on the scales and had a weight loss that you were thrilled about)

REPETITIVE THOUGHTS
Avoid these as they are invariably negative (I’m a failure", "I can't do that"). Instead, be proactive and mentally track back the feeling you had before, so you can start to see what emotion triggers it.
There's always a pattern, and by identifying the emotion that starts the spiral, you can start to change it.  (This is where affirmations can be a fantastic help, ooo I might talk about them tomorrow)

STOP THINKING IN ABSOLUTES
Constantly saying "I hate my job" or "My husband doesn't appreciate me" keeps us stuck in our own negative emotional default pattern. Start to break it down; you only hate aspects of your job -  maybe you love your colleagues but hate the hours; you quite like the boss but you don't like the
pay' and so on.

Think about it and answer the question - what did you do yesterday that took you one step closer to a weight loss?  Does it make you feel good, it did me!