“I Give Up”
Sticking to a fitness routine over the long haul takes guts, determination, courage and a dose of motivation. If being fit and healthy were an easy proposition, everyone would look younger and live longer, but given it is not easy, grasping on to some distant visions of who you are likely to become down the line, may just be the right dose of medicine without all those needles.
Common reasons to “give up” range from no time to no motivation to no results to boredom. No time, boredom, and no results are a function of the when and how, but for now let’s focus in on motivation. It seems backwards that as a broad majority we tend to put little value on our health, until we lose it. When we lose our health due to illness or injury, suddenly our health becomes our top priority. Just think for a minute about people in your circles or perhaps you yourself. When you got sick or injured you hated it and longed for the days when you would regain the former you.
Much of what we see in today’s illnesses can be mitigated by a healthy life style that pays attention to the quality and frequency of meals and to how one moves. High blood pressure (HBP), as an example is the largest chronic medical condition in our country with one in thee having HBP. Many of mankind’s maladies are avoidable, if we have the diligence to work at our health consistently, as an ongoing lifestyle. Look, there is a 100 percent chance that you will die, we can not avoid that. The question is, when and how, and by not knowing that eventual outcome, the questions should shift to: how do I prolong my days and what should I do?
A good motivator may be to look at your family from a gene pool perspective. What physical situations came their way? It’s not to say that what happened to them will happen to you, but it is a good indicator of things to be aware of and defense against as you age. It is a widely held view, backed by science, that good nutrition and exercise are the best deterrents of disease. True health care should be about prevention.
Look at your fitness program as a journey with no end. It is the long haul that matters. You will have some peaks and valleys along the way. Not every workout will be your best, and yes with some, you will have to drag yourself to them. But in those latter cases, once done, you will feel much better about yourself. Once you begin to quit on you and your workouts, this becomes a slippery slope to come back from, both mentally and physically. Chipping away at it, is best practice. Pick a few timeline event oriented goals in your life to work toward on the calendar; a birthday (anyone’s), a trip, a wedding, a vacation, a party, end of summer, start of spring, anniversary, your annual physical. Pick something that time bounds your efforts, that becomes an accountability partner.
Chip, chip and chip.
On the eats side, shoot to eat clean 95 percent of the time allowing for some cheat room. It is not possible to maintain a strict nutrition regimen for the long term. Abstinence can create hyper demand and the “hyper” is where we get in trouble. Cheat, but do so mindfully. Mindless eating is common, so if you make conscious choices using the 95/5 Rule, you more than likely will have health gains simply out of mindful choices. Take on the mentality of one workout, one meal at a time over time, allowing for and expecting setbacks, which if viewed correctly, can be “set ups” for your long term health. Our current “Health Care System” is designed to fix what is broken. Real healthcare is self driven, designed to prevent being broken. If it is to be…it is up to me.
Fitness Together Mission Hills offers personal training with qualified professionals by regular appointment in private suites. Exercise and nutritional programs are custom designed to fit your needs and abilities. Call (619) 794-0014 for more information or to schedule a free fitness diagnostic and private training session. See what others are saying about us on Yelp and San Diego City Search.
Category: Health & Fitness
