Who Do I Want to Be Today?

Who Do I Want to Be Today?

This is the question I try to ask myself daily.  Why daily?  Because on the days I don't ask - and answer - this question of myself I tend to fall into apathy and inaction. 

There is a danger in NOT asking myself this question on any given day, because if I don't ask - and answer - this question on a given day, the likelihood I will IGNORE the question again TOMORROW increases exponentially.  And it gets harder to ask the question.

And then I don't like the question.  And then I don't like the answer.  And then....guess what...the weight begins to come on again.

No, I have found that ignoring this question is NOT an option for me.  I have learned this, dear readers, through many years of trial and error, and I tell it to YOU because I want to encourage you to guard against apathy.

Apathy and inaction for me go hand in hand.  It's like the second law of thermodynamics, in my brain, and then my body.

Kind of a "use it or lose it" sort of scenario.

Establishing the HABIT of asking myself this question, and then continuing in the HABITS I have developed incrementally over time of creating health in my life is vital.  It is essential.  It is a matter of life or death for me.

When I am actively asking myself this question daily, and when I am taking the actions that agree with my answer daily, I feel at peace with myself, and at peace with the process.

When I am NOT asking myself this question daily, when I am IGNORING the question and not taking some time to THINK about the answer then follow it up with ACTION, I fall into disrepair.  Literally.

So what is my answer to this question "Who Do I Want to Be Today?"

I want to BE a fit and healthy woman who is living the LIFE that a fit and healthy woman lives, authentically.

When I don't ask - or  answer - that question then my day deteriorates into randomly going from activity to activity, none of which specifically promote any degree of health in my life.

Here is the difference in MY life, in MY day, of asking/answering the question, and of NOT.

ASKING/ANSWERING the question day:
Wake up early-ish.  Have a healthy health-promoting breakfast.  Go for a run.  Engage with my clients.  Engage with my family.  Go to bed ON my eating plan.

NOT ASKING/ANSWERING the question day:
Hit the snooze button.  Hit it again.  Wait for my husband to bring me coffee in bed.  Drink another cup of coffee.  Ignore my run.  Binge-watch a few episodes of whatever mini-series I am actively engaged in.  Waste the day.  Eat off-plan.  Feel sorry for myself.  Feel bad about myself.  NOT want to engage with my clients because I feel like a shmuck.  Go to bed feeling defeated.

Now, over time, which of these two scenarios do you think lead to attaining and maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle?  Ding ding ding ding.

So what do I do when I pull my head out of the sand after a few months of the UN-healthy scenario?

I ask the question.  I answer the question.  I prioritize my day around those actions and activities which will achieve what I want to achieve.

And the great thing is that it is never "too late" to turn the ship around, to halt the tide of what people call the "inevitable weight re-gain."

I absolutely reject the notion that it inevitable for someone who has lost a significant amount of weight to re-gain that weight.  Will there be some ups and downs?  Sure, because none of us is perfect.  But I refuse to allow my imperfections to be an excuse for inaction and plain laziness.

So.  There you have it.

Rinse and Repeat!

STOP the MADNESS!

Have you ever had to pull yourself back from the brink?  Have you ever felt like you were a spectator, just watching yourself spiraling out of control with your eating habits?  Wondering "What the heck, what is going on?  Why can't I seem to get in front of this freight train that is heading the wrong direction at lightning speed?"

Do you feel like you need Superman to swoop in and save the day?

You don't need Superman.  You need YOU.

Weight cycling is a very real phenomenon, and for people who have been significantly overweight or obese in their lifetimes it seems like it happens on a fairly regular basis.

How do you stop the cycle once you feel it has "taken root" in the "wrong direction?"

The skill I have learned and have practiced is to recognize that you have simply fallen back into old unhealthy habits.  Unhealthy routines. 

After recognizing that you have done that, no matter what STAGE of weight regain you are in, initial intermediate or advanced LOL, you CAN CHOOSE to begin to practice HEALTHY HABITS again.

I'm not saying it is easy.  But it IS simple.  Engaging in your healthy habits again is definitely some hard work.  After all, they aren't habits yet.  They WERE habits, but somewhere along the line you forgot them again.

Step 1:  Make a fundamental decision to get healthy again
Step 2:  Pick up Dr. A's Habits of Health and begin to read it again.
Step 3:  Organize your day, choose your 5 portion-controlled meal replacements and plan your Lean and Green.
Step 4:  Spend ONE DAY ON PLAN.
Step 5:  Go to sleep
Step 6:  Rinse and Repeat.

YOU can make the decision TODAY that you will do all of those things TODAY.  While it is still called TODAY.  Not TOMORROW, not THE NEXT DAY, but TODAY.

What will you choose?