Getting Ready for Summer - Part 2: Prepare Your Mind for the Long Game
“As long as you start from where you are, know where you’re going, and take the steps to get there … you’ll arrive. It’s time to get started.”
In this five week blog series, I share with you what YOU need to do to get ready for summer.
Last week I wrote about the importance of Stepping into the Sunshine. This first step is so important, because we can’t get results while in hiding.
After years of hiding, which only brought me
social isolation
depression
weight gain
I learned that getting toned results has to begin with coming out of hiding.
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The second thing you need to do to get ready for summer is to prepare your mind for the long game.
Let me ask you this: When is the last time you told yourself:
“I’m really serious this time…I’m going to do whatever it takes to get rid of this body fat.”
If you’re like most people, you’ve said this to yourself at least four times over the past year.
This is part of a self-defeating cycle that a dieting, short term mindset creates.
We think to ourselves:
I need results yesterday
if only I could get motivated
what’s wrong with me
maybe if I go “cold turkey”, I’ll succeed
Here’s the thing … when it comes to food, we are human … and we need to eat.
Changing our eating habits is not the same as giving up drinking, smoking, or biting our nails.
We actually need food. As a result, we have a whole complex appetite and metabolic regulation system that ensures our survival. This system is what tells our body to produce muscle or get rid of fat.
The trouble is that when we diet, it’s not just about
A - B = C
it probably looks something more like
If E<SF, then (A-B=G), whereas If E>SF, then (A-B=L), except where S=/~8, then A-B=A+B … etc.
And what this all means is that diets don’t work … (except for some short term goal like a bathing suit competition where you’re already 99% there.)
Instead, what does work, is modifying our behavior for the long game.
Because here are some truths:
Will power is a myth
Habits (good and bad) win every time
Good habits can be developed with a Growth Mindset
If we’ve gained weight over multiple years, it’s going to take more than two weeks to lose it.
The answer to sustainable weight loss is changing our habits with a long view in mind.
And how do I do that?
resist the urge to panic
tackle one habit at a time
know that it is through daily action that you will get results
The barriers to our success are not in having insufficient knowledge. Instead, we fail because of our inability to change our habits.
I’ve gained my Life Coaching Certification to help people do just that. We get results, not through a sprint, but by changing our habits for the long game. Jump on a call today to share your goals and identify the barriers to achieving them.
“It is in the act of becoming where a person’s character is revealed, not always in the end result.”
-Rebecca Boskovic
Remember … the Tortoise wins the race … not the Hare. If you are stuck wanting a quick win, and keep sabotaging yourself as a result, reach out for help. There’s nothing in the rule book that says you have to go it alone.
-Coach Rebecca