When it comes to living a healthy life and establishing habits that help us stay fit and strong we become master storytellers. It’s amazing what stories we create to avoid being pulled out of our comfort zone. Here are 3 of the most common stories aka lies we tell ourselves, the truth behind them, and the right thing to do instead:
Story #1 I don’t have time
How often did you tell yourself (or others) that you simply don’t have enough time to work out, to cook healthy meals, or to go to the farmers market to buy organic fruits and veggies?
The truth:
Working out and eating healthy are simply not priorities in your life right now. If they were, you would find a way. We don’t have time, we make time!
What to do:
First, you have to make a decision that being healthy is one of your top priorities and that you will do anything to reach your fitness and health goals. The next step is to make time for exercise and cooking. For the next week keep a log and write down everything you do on a regular day. You might find that you watch 4 hours TV a day. If that’s the case, cut it down to 3 hours and voila you got an extra hour per day to do your workouts. Or maybe it turns out that you spend hours and hours on social media, maybe you talk to your best friend on the phone for what seems like forever. When you review your log after a week and you find that there is really no time in your schedule at all, then you can still get up an hour early every morning. It will take a few days to get used to it but eventually it becomes a habit and won’t bother you anymore.
Story #2 I have heavy bones
How often did you use this excuse?
The truth:
While everybody has a different body composition, chances that “heavy bones” are responsible for you being overweight are close to none. I know this sounds harsh but sometimes we need some tough love to finally wake up and realize that the stories we are telling ourselves are complete and utter BS.
What to do:
Stop making excuses! It is time to realize that you are in total control of your body and your life! By making up lies like this, even if they are just meant as jokes, you give up responsibility for your actions and therefore every chance to change.
Story #3 I’ll start tomorrow
Yeah, right!
The truth:
We both know this is just another way of procrastination that won’t lead to anything. There might be different truths behind this one. Maybe you are scared of failure, maybe you don’t know how to change, or maybe you are simply too lazy.
What to do:
No matter what your truth is, the answer lies in taking action NOW. Once you made the decision to change the way you eat and to be more active, you need to send a signal to your brain that you are serious. Start cleaning out the fridge right away and throw out everything that is not good for you, put your running shoes on and go for a jog, or do some sit-ups. Let your brain know: This is gonna happen!!
Takeaway
When it comes to our health and fitness we have to stop making up stories and telling lies! If we don’t face the truth, we will never change. And if we don’t change we are most likely headed towards a future of overweight, aching joints, and frustration. Stop telling stories and start to live!
Written by: Jen
The Online Personal Trainer for Women