“I’ll start tomorrow” turns into “I’ll start next Monday” turns into “I’ll start on the 1st.” I can admit that I was, and still am undoubtedly a slave to this mindset. This attitude does not contribute to a healthy perception of fitness whatsoever. It constitutes the concept of fitness to be a chore; a negative task impeding on the things and activities you enjoy. Trust me, it does not have to be this way. It has taken me months and months to come to the one and only useful conclusion about health and fitness. Being fit is all about discipline.
I confess that I am weak in terms of avoiding binge eating and all the emotions attached to it. I decide that tonight will be the night that I am allowed to binge on EVERYTHING that I crave, every sweet, every bar of chocolate, every grain of sugar that my budget will allow me. Tomorrow will be the day I resume eating healthily. This never, ever works for me, both emotionally and physically. I feel ashamed and guilty, and want to pretend that that night never happened. My confidence is inevitably low and I begin to dislike the way I look. The next morning, my body is groggy and lethargic in every action in takes. More than likely, I’m starving the next day because for some strange and inexplicable reason (for me, anyways), I become a ravenous human once I overeat.
The one true piece of advice I reiterate to myself on a severely regular basis is that being healthy is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. A lifestyle is all about habits and discipline, it does not have to be encumbered by restrictions and unattainable goals. Every single person on this planet is different, they harbour their own quirks and traits. But every single human, can be attuned to the art of discipline.
Discipline is about setting goals, and staying true to what needs to be done in order to attain them. Discipline is about being self-aware and knowing what you can and cannot do. Discipline is understanding when self-reward is needed. Lastly, and in my opinion, the most dominant definition, discipline is about habit. Once our bodies succumb to a habit, discipline follows.
Again, we are all different but here are some of the following habits I introduced to my lifestyle, which allow me to (nearly always) be disciplined in terms of healthy eating and exercise.
- On Sunday nights, I schedule my week in regards to what days I will go to the gym, and what workouts I will perform – this habit improves my discipline as I have to factor in time constraints. I am obliged to stick to these schedules or my workouts will not be completed.
- I plan my meals for the week, and only buy the ingredients accordingly – habitual planning and purchasing of meals allow me to be disciplined in the food I eat. I would not have bought food that deviated from my plans, and hence, it is not available for me to eat.
- I allow myself treats, without being accompanied by the feelings of regret and guilt. The most important meaning behind this tip is that having one or two treats does not set you back in your healthy lifestyle whatsoever. Restricting myself from all treats contribute to my frequent binge eatings, whereas this cures my cravings (without the consequences that I mentioned in the first paragraph).
A habit takes 30 days to make or break, you have the choice of which route to take.
Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going.
Stay beautiful, stay smiling,
Anna.