Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill.
What a day yesterday was with
all that rain, it really is going to be a totally wet week I think and luckily
for me Alfie is a lot better than he was and was up for walking in it, he doesn’t
seem to realise it’s raining, he’s a bit thick or tough I’m not sure which, so
we got wet yesterday morning, but I had my waterproof on so it was ok.
I got back from my meeting at
lunchtime, a fab meeting if I do say so myself and when I added their weight to
the weight loss of my members so far this year, we are now at a staggering
10,000 pounds, or 714 stone, wowser, and 30 members have achieved their goal
weights too. That really is a stunning figure,
almost as stunning as the figures you’re all gonna end up with losing this
weight.
So it’s lunchtime and I know I
need to get back into my running, I looked to see when the last time I went was
and it was 20 days ago, one thing and another been stopping me, all valuable
reason – NO! So yesterdays excuse was
going to be the weather until I gave myself a good talking to and realised I’m
waterproof, well my skin is anyways. I'm
not made of sugar and I didn't melt, I managed 30 minute and actually didn’t
really notice the rain until I walked in my cool down.
Yes, it's too easy to find
excuses not to do something, it really does take effort sometimes to remember
and remind yourself of why you were doing those things in the first place. When I got back from my run, my arm and
shoulders had both stopped hurting and they’d been bothering me for day. To help remind me of how well I’m doing with
my running because I keep thinking I should go 3 times a week but only ever
seem to manage once or twice, I added up how much running I’d done so far this
year and it’s 80 miles which I’m really pleased with because that’s an average
of 5 miles a week running and it’s made me realise anything is better than
nothing.
What is it you keep putting
off? What are your excuses?
We all make them, we all put
things off but when it comes to your health procrastinating isn’t a good move, because
the longer you put it off the worse you feel.
I’ve only eaten good food since Saturday, I didn’t buy any processed
stuff this week so that I couldn’t eat it and I already feel so much better for
it.
Are you putting of taking care
of yourself? If so here are a few suggestions
to hopefully push you towards starting a bit of self-care. Firstly accept there is no magic wand, you
have to make some effort, but remind yourself of the rewards of doing that -
looking better, more energy, feeling good about starting each day!
Our words are so powerful, so
watch the ones you choose when talking about getting healthy (notice I say
getting healthy and not going on a diet). Words have feelings attached to them
which affect how we feel or behave about things, ‘diet’ let’s be honest is a
swear word for some. Try changing the words "have to" and "can't"
to "choose to" and "choose not to" - this won't always be
true, but it will probably be more honest most of the time. After all, you
don't have to lose weight nor eat healthy - you are probably choosing to
because you know of the benefits.
Think about the kind of person
you are, of your values and your expectations. Assess whether these
"fit" with the way in which you are trying to tackle improving your
health and losing weight - do you need a new approach? There are similarities in the members
behaviours that succeed but there are also differences, tweak the plan to suit
you.
Most importantly, recognise
self-defeating behaviour and its associated thinking. Try to work out why you
procrastinate: what do you gain from it? Find out how to overcome such
behaviour, you may be able to do it yourself, or you might need to ask for help
in your meetings, talk to other members and ask them for help, the solution
might be on esource or in your programme material.
Identify your goals and make realistic
decisions about how to achieve them, and prioritise. Ensure that you have the right tools and
information to help you. Some
time spent in preparation and planning is vital - but not to the extent that you
never actually start.
Break down your journey into
manageable bits. Set yourself small goals - to drink 2 litres of water a
day; to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg; to walk for 30 minutes five times a
week – take it one step at a time.
Boost your motivation. Dwell
on your strengths, on tasks you have accomplished and feel good about, in order
to remind yourself that you can be successful.
Remember the fruit you ate and the water you drank, rather than the
slice of cake you succumbed too.
Give yourself rewards when you
accomplish something. Remember they shouldn’t be food rewards, if you want a
specific food, have it, ProPoint it don’t treat it as a reward, find non-food
rewards instead.
When you are getting stuck,
rather than just stopping, try a different strategy - take a pencil and
an old, half-used piece of paper out of the bin, and scribble down ideas, talk to other members in
meetings or look online for new ideas.
Quite often putting off
getting started is connected to anxieties about whether we’ll succeed! At times
like this, it is worth remembering that it's better to do your best than not to
do at all!
Have a lovely day – go play in
those puddles. x
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