Me, at the gym at midnight.. because I was too lazy to go earlier like I should’ve!
You know, I get it.
If I’m having a long day, I may forget to eat. That hunger hits me. I wander over to the donut table in the break room. I take the first bite… and the angels sing.
The chain of events is something like this: The problem presents itself. I take action. Immediate results. Immediate as in… right then and there.
Let’s see if we can apply the sentence in bold to another hypothetical imaginary situation.
I gain 40lbs. I “forget” to keep track of my fitness. The warning symptoms hit me. I start to work out. First day on the treadmill, and…
…nothing? What do you mean, nothing? Aw screw this, where’s the donuts?
I mean, I get it. The problem presented itself. I took action. Where are my immediate results?
What do you mean, I don’t get any immediate results?
This is why it’s so hard to stick to our fitness routines. We could work and work and work and work and work… and see nothing for weeks. It starts to feel like all of our hard work is in vain, and we only fall off with fond memories of how we busted our tails, failed miserably, and will probably skip giving it another shot. Whereas, if I am starving and I scarf down a giant triple whopper (1,200 calories, 88g of fat, 1,600mg salt)… I get my immediate satisfaction. Like, right then and there.
I am here to tell you, as straight-forward as possible. Screw all that.
If there is one thing that I have learned and am still learning, it’s that fitness requires a level of faith far beyond hope and silent thoughts. It requires you to put your all – your 100% – into something you may not see for weeks or, in cases like mine, months. It requires you to believe in yourself, what you are capable of, how you care for yourself and your ability to seek out and find what you need to better yourself. Fitness requires faith… in yourself.
You have to believe in yourself. Believe in your efforts. Believe that your goal is one worth achieving, because you are worth the effort it takes. It might not give you the same instant satisfaction as a donut, but consider the feeling you get when you turn that donut down. You slayed Goliath! You got a monkey off your back.
If the problem is the lack of instant gratification, get it from a good strength training workout. Get your satisfaction on the elliptical trainer. Get your release from some quick in-house cardio. Get your gratification from the pride you feel when, instead of devouring the entire pint of ice cream, you get a glass of water instead. (Yes. I said water.) Find new fitness-related ways to get your satisfaction, and you will always win. Every time.
So, just dive head first into it! You know you shouldn’t be eating [insert item you know you have no business eating], so put it away/throw it away and feel good about it. Heaven knows I’ve thrown away my fair share of food! You know you shouldn’t be skipping the gym, so go and feel victorious about that battle with the treadmill! You may not see the results today, but you will feel them today… and see them tomorrow! What helps you stick to your routine?