Get Your Mind Working

It's time to think about why you let yourself stay unhealthy in the first place. When you decided that the time had come to get healthier you may not have been expecting the task of self examination beyond the physical sense. Sure, you have to take a look at your physical self and figure out what you want to change and how you are going to do it. It can be a painful process, and one that isn't a lot of fun. As if this wasn't bad enough, however, you really need to take a look at your reasoning behind why you allowed yourself to get to an unhealthy status in the first place. Why is it so important that you do this self exploration? Simply put, you need to understand why you do things so that you can stop yourself from doing it again.

Some psychologists will assign a variety of reasoning behind why people allow themselves to remain unhealthy. For example, one theory about overweight people is that they layer on the extra pounds in order to remain distanced from close relationships. If you are overweight then a theory like this either sounds ridiculous to you or gives you a real "A-ha" moment where you feel as though you may have cracked some type of code. It is theories like this one that can prompt you to start examining why you allow yourself to be unhealthy.

If you hear a theory that sounds like pure baloney to you then you don't have to accept its validity - after all, a theory is not proven…it's just an idea - but it should get you to thinking about what your particular reasons actually are. Using the theory for overweight people, you might say, "I don't have any fear of close relationships, so obviously this theory doesn't pertain to me. What could be the reason instead?" Don't allow yourself to dismiss this very important self examination by simply saying, "Heck, I like cookies, that's why I'm overweight." 

Allowing yourself to blatantly live an unhealthy lifestyle is self destructive behavior, so you need to figure out what makes you justify the behavior in your mind and, more importantly, what caused it to begin with. This is an ongoing exploration, and probably not something that you can figure out in one sitting. Whether or not you decide to enlist the assistance of a therapist or other mental health professional to help you figure out this particular issue you still need to realize that it will probably be an ongoing exploration. Start by putting the question in your mind and mulling it over for a few days. You may be surprised at what you come up with. You may also be pleased to find that it's easier to stay motivated when you know what you're up against.

DO YOU SABOTAGE YOUR OWN EFFORTS?

On the surface you may think that it's a completely ridiculous thought that anyone would ever sabotage their own efforts to get healthy, but when you really think about it people do it all the time. You need to figure out if there are things you are doing to make it harder on yourself to get healthy. For example, have you ever decided that you were going to start a new dietary regime of healthy foods only to soon talk yourself out of it? Maybe you go to a friend's house for dinner, and this friend just so happens to be notorious for serving up huge portions and getting highly annoyed if guests do not clear their plates. Or perhaps you start out with the best intentions to eat right and then convince yourself that you are too hard on yourself and besides, you'll probably be unhealthy your whole life so why try so hard? Thoughts like this are common, especially when you are starting to follow a new health plan.

Any kind of change can be difficult, but it's particularly hard when deprivation and hard work is involved. You may want to take the time to figure out what the things are that you commonly do that may be sabotaging your efforts. The fact is that you may not even realize that you are sabotaging your efforts, and this makes it even harder to stop. If you realize what you do to sabotage yourself then you can stop allowing yourself to do it. For example, in the previous story of going to a friend's house for dinner, you might approach the situation from a couple of different angles. You might simply decide not to go because you realize what you would be getting yourself into, or you can go but prepare yourself to tell your hostess in no uncertain terms that although you will enjoy the meal and the company, you will only indulge in a regular sized portion and you won't be bullied into eating more.

If you go into the situation knowing that you are entering into a potentially sabotaging event then you can be prepared to take the necessary precautions. Too often the hardest person to deal with when trying to change your life isn't a critical spouse or an overbearing parent, but instead it's you. Nobody can sabotage your efforts unless you let them do it. When you're motivating yourself to get more healthy you need to remember that not only are you responsible for motivating yourself but you're also responsible for not sabotaging your own efforts.

You're going to have to replace the bad behaviors with good ones. One of the hardest things many people deal with when trying to get healthier is the deprivation; if you are used to having a candy bar every day during your drive to work then the lack of your daily candy bar will be difficult. Maybe you always watch television for a few hours before heading to bed. If you have a particularly hard time with something like this then you may find that it's easier to replace the missing item or activity with something else that is more conducive to your efforts. Instead of having the candy bar on your way to work, try snacking on some grapes or some other type of food that will actually help your body instead of harming it. Although it is true that grapes are probably pretty low on your list of yummy foods when compared to your favorite candy bar, you will find that it's easier to avoid the candy bar if you replace it with something else instead of just completely depriving yourself of any food at all on the way to work.

With the other instance of watching television for a few hours a night you may find that distraction is the best tactic. Replace watching television with going for a walk or heading to the gym. If you have a really hard time letting go of the television habit then you can at least do something for your health while you watch it. Most gyms offer cardio theaters where you can watch your favorite shows while you work out, or you might consider placing exercise equipment in front of your television at home. Try to think of this time as less of TV time and more as workout time. The shows you get to watch are merely a bonus for your hard work. It will be easier to stay motivated if you don't deprive yourself of the habits you have had for so long. Instead, focus on replacing the bad habits with other things that will actually help you get healthier.

The steps toward better health are not greatly-guarded secrets. In fact, most people know the essential tips associated with getting more fit. The problem arises when people start to also realize the hard work and certain degree of deprivation associated with the initial efforts to improve health. This is why it is so vital that you find the kind of motivation that will push you through the inevitable desire to throw in the towel and give up on all your efforts to get healthier.

On the next page we will discuss Other Health Considerations.