Sometimes the journey to weight loss or getting your body back into shape can be a long road back. The funny thing about getting back your fitness level is that it doesn’t get any easier the more experienced you get, but it can easily get worse. It can take months, sometimes longer, to see real progress. After you take a few weeks or a month off, or in my case longer, when you start again you’re back to ground zero, not much better than someone doing it for the first time. That’s something I’m personally struggling with right now. Accepting I’m not as strong, or fit or fast as I once just a few years ago.
What a gigantic challenge I face ahead of me. I mentioned in a previous post called Exercise is one of my passions that following a major eye operation, and struggling with the effects of a cyst on my brain, my body, the thing that was once my temple, has deteriorated beyond recognition. Not great for anybody, but even less so for someone who was once a physical fitness instructor and owner of a gym. But now I’ve made the decision to start my journey to rebuild my body and get back to somewhere close to where it was before.
This past period of time has caused a massive drop in my fitness, energy and body shape. Well now I have the desire to get fit again. My weight has shot up as you would expect, and my muscles have shrunk beyond belief (or so I tell myself). It has made me grumpy, tired and feeling low! Well no more. On this journey, I hope I can inspire some other 50 plusers to get themselves on to the road to a healthier and fitter body. I am beginning to rebuild my body. I remind myself that success never comes to those who quit, so no matter how hard this may be, there is no turning back.
As an online entrepreneur and blogger much of my time is spent sitting on my backside working on a computer. Not good particularly for someone who used to take classes and stand all day long on the gym floor.
I have a long road ahead. I have got to lose my weight, get my fitness back and get to where I was before. And I can have no excuses. After all as personal trainer and a healthy lifestyle guru I have tortured (not literally of course) hundreds of people helping them to achieve their fitness goals. You have to be cruel to be kind has always been my motto. Well now it’s time for a bit of my own medicine.
I often use quotations to inspire me, so may I offer one that will help you realise why I believe the challenge of getting my body back into shape in my fifties is worth it.
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” Jim Rohn.
If you need to be doing the same make a start. And before you tell me you haven’t got the time, which I admit is an excuse I’ve heard myself say just a few times, here is one more quote for you.
“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning” Thomas Jefferson
Of course it’s not just exercise but also a good healthy lifestyle eating plan program that will help me speed up the results. Both of these are essential for you to achieve success.
But the most critical thing is your mindset. It’s to easy to quit finding all sorts of excuses why you can’t do this. Losing weight and getting fit seem to be things that many people find almost impossible to achieve.
I wrote yesterday about the importance of motivation. So today I want to build on that and write about a key area, and that is how we use pain and pleasure.
There are two driving forces that control everything we do.
1. The need to avoid Pain
2. The desire to gain Pleasure
You know what I’m talking about. That takeaway meal seems so much more pleasurable than a chicken salad. Sitting in front of the TV more pleasurable than burning calories in the gym.
To me, my inspiration comes from the fact that if I exercise regularly I will look and feel good. I will be able to live life to the fullest.
We have to overcome the instant pleasure of indulging in junk food or to avoid the instant pain that exercise may bring along.
I’m going to go into more detail tomorrow.
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