4 AM. The alarm goes off. Your Inner Excuse Maker (IEM) wastes no time getting started. It lays out a case for staying in bed with all the smooth, logical precision of a defense lawyer. There are some pretty convincing arguments, you have to admit.
But no, there is iron out there just waiting to be lifted and treadmills needing to be taught a lesson. You are not paying for a gym membership just to stay in bed. Sensing resistance, your IEM kicks it up a notch. You worked out so hard yesterday. Muscles grow while you rest, every fitness magazine says so. Plus, you don’t want to overtrain. You could get injured. All valid points. Or so they seem at the time.
Your bed is so warm, but then you remember you have a goal: lose that unwanted fat and tone up. You even wrote “I will lose 20 lbs” on a white index card and taped it to the bathroom mirror. You know that won’t happen unless you get up and get your ass into the gym. Yet…maybe you’ll start tomorrow…
You need Goals. Goals are a compass, keeping you focused and heading in the right direction. A solid goal meets three criteria: First it is specific (Lose weight). Second, it must be measurable (lose 20lbs). And third, it must have a deadline (lose 20lbs by July 1st). But goals are not enough. You need a reason. You need to know why you want to accomplish those goals. Goals are the destination. Reasons are the vehicle that carry you there.
Reasons are something you believe in, something that ignites passion when you think about it. Reasons are deep and personal. Reasons force you to make the right decision when you feel like ordering a beer or cheese cake or sleeping in and not going to the gym. Reasons are the thing that keep you motivated and going when dark and difficult moments come. And those moments of self-doubt and questioning what the hell you are doing, why you are sacrificing so much time and energy to eat a certain way and move iron up and down and run and run and run, will come. In those moments merely having a goal will not see you through, but knowing your reasons why, will.
An extreme, but unfortunately common, reason to eat right and exercise is your doctor telling you to drop weight or you’ve got 2 years, or less, before your heart gives out. Talk about a motivating reason! It makes french fries a life or death decision not just a should I or shouldn’t I scenario. (you shouldn’t btw) Other reasons for wanting to drop 20 pounds might look like this: I want to play in the park with my kids and not be out of breath; I want to live to see my grandchildren; I want to be accepted; I want to attract a partner; I want to stop being ashamed of myself; I want a better sex life; I want to take charge of my destiny; I want to escape this fat body and start living life to the fullest; I want to be a fitness model. I want to feel good. There are thousands of reasons, each one unique and personal to the individual wanting to make a change. There are no right or wrong reasons. They are yours and yours alone.
If you want to lose 20lbs and you are staring at a box of donuts on the lunchroom table you have a decision. If all you have is a vague desire to lose weight it is too easy to believe your IEM and think one won’t hurt, or I’ll eat less later or some other excuse. But when you know you want to lose 20lbs so you can run in the park with your children and not keel over out of breath, the decision is easy; the donut is not even tempting.
No matter what obstacle may come your way, no matter what decision you face, when you have a goal and you know your reason for having that goal, you will find the strength you need, you will make the right choice and you will accomplish your every dream.
OMH