I read an article on fitness
that aptly stated “you can’t out run your silverware.” Unless you are a world class athlete that
partakes in several high intensity workouts for eight plus hours a day, there
is no amount of exercise that can cancel out a diet that consists mainly of
processed foods, junk food and calories from low quality liquid sources such as
soda, processed juice and alcohol.
I don’t know if it’s the
influence of pop culture or relaxing social values, but people in today’s
society have an amazing and creative ability to justify and rationalize almost
anything, yours truly included. For
example, I have never been a fan of swimming so when I first started practicing,
each morning on the way to the pool I would find a host of reasons to justify
and or rationalize cutting the workout short and most days I almost believed
myself.
According to author Steve
Kamb, we use rationalizations to justify horrible behavior and then compound
those decisions by saying things like “well, I already made one bad decision,
so today is ruined. I’ll start
tomorrow.” Another example is, “well I don’t feel like swimming 2,600 yards
this morning, so I will just do 1,000 and I will come back and make the rest up
later today.” If I only had a dollar for
every time I said that and never went back to the pool.
Starting or maintaining an
exercise program can easily fall victim to the demons of justification and rationalization. To live a healthy lifestyle you need to take
time and think about all the reasons you “want” to get and stay healthy. You
then need to “want” these reasons and the change in lifestyle more than you want
the current state you find yourself in.
As my blog title says, “How Bad Do You Want It?”
When choosing to change to a
healthy lifestyle, there are some axioms you need to consider and accept that
will make your transition to health smooth and will help you establish new
habits.
Exercising for an hour or
more that burns 300-400 calories and saying “you earned this” to justify eating
1,000 calories worth of (insert junk food here) is a negative proposition. If
you can rationalize or justify this, STOP it immediately.
Exercise does not mean
running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike for four hours and hating
every minute of it. The end goal of getting healthy should not be devoid of
fun. Find something you do and remember
the goal is to elevate the heart rate and the more intensity, the more calories
burned. If you find something you enjoy,
you will likely do more of it.
Your diet is responsible for
80%+ of your success or failure when it comes to losing weight or getting
healthier! Yes, it is that important!
Every decision is important
and every choice you make is like putting a deposit in the bank. One bad
decision does not ruin a day or one day off doesn't ruin a week. One week off
can ruin a month if not timed correctly and can take you further away from your
ultimate goal. Don’t let being tired or not feeling like doing a workout turn
into a habit or justification for not doing it. Some of the best workouts I
have had were on days when I didn't feel like doing them.
HERE’S TO
BEING FIT FOR LIFE!
Chris is a Certified Personal Trainer, USA
Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, exercise and endurance
enthusiast. He competes yearly in
numerous running races, marathons, ultra marathons, triathlons and other
endurance events.
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