Friday, March 04, 2016

The future or the past?

My apologies for those who follow my blog...all two or three of you, but I just have not had much to share without repeating the same crap over and over again. Many other bloggers struggle with postings now and then. I feel I am in good company.

LIFE:
February has been a horrid month for me. I suffer from depression more often at this time of the year. It usually isn't acute enough to go to see the doctor. Way back when, years ago, when I realized what was happening I was amazed at how predictable this time of year could be! Anyway, knowing what is going on, does help get through this time of moodiness, but it still is a drag. 
I am doing pretty good this week. At least I feel like I am. I don't know what next week will bring. I read that if you are depressed, you are often living in the past. If you are anxious, you are often living in the future. If you are at peace, you are often living in the present. That future anxious thing is me in a nutshell! Oh how I go on with worry about the "what-ifs"!!!
Abby just hides behind her rose colored glasses. She pretends that everything is just hunky dory and that there is nothing wrong:
It would be better for her to face her fears than to ignore them until she drives herself and others around her, batty. Better isn't always the easy way to do things though. Abby and I will be fine. We ARE fine. Life goes on and so do we.

AROUND THE 'NET:
I read a great article the other day. It is from Coach Calorie. www.coachcalorie.com

I copied it here as it really is a very good read!

By: Tony Schober - Coach Calorie
Like most of you I've been through my cycles of weight loss and weight gain. Something would spark my motivation and I would be hyper focused for weeks at a time.
And then the drive would start to taper. That taper would lead to a few missed workouts or some off plan eating.
This would continue until losing weight was no longer my #1 priority any more. It looked something like this:
  • Yeah, let's do this!
  • It's working!
  • This isn't so bad.
  • I'm gonna look awesome come summer time.
  • I'm hungry, but I'm doing great, so I can afford to eat that.
  • I'm feeling too lazy to work out today. Missing one workout won't matter.
  • Man, I haven't worked out in a week. I need to work out tomorrow.
  • OK, it's been another week without a workout now.
  • Ugh, my weight is starting to go back up from all that garbage I've been eating.
  • I did all that work for nothing.
  • Eh, what's the point. I should just be happy with who I am. It's wintertime anyways.
  • I. Hate. My. Body.
Rinse and repeat - over and over and over again.
I see people going through those same cycles as I did. The thoughts might be slightly different, and the motivation to lose weight might come from a different place, but almost everyone goes through the following cycle:
 
Our ultimate goal is to take that initial motivation and extend it all the way until we reach our goal, which is forever, as there is no real destination - only a way of life. Our goal is to make motivation into a habit itself.

The Most Effective Weight Loss Motivation: I'm not going to throw out a bunch of gimmicky motivational tools in the hopes one of them sticks. Yes, pictures of fit people, pictures of overweight people, music, workout partners, swimsuit season, and fear of embarrassment are all potential motivation sparks. But they are short term sparks. They won't last forever.
Here's how you create forever-lasting motivation for weight loss...
You make every aspect of your weight loss program enjoyable. You love what you eat. You love how much you eat. You love your exercise. You love moving your body. You love the way it makes you feel. You love the way it makes others feel.
And this next part is what's most important - you don't care about what anyone else thinks about what you're doing. That means if you were the only other person in this world you would still do all the same things. You would still eat all the same things. You would still do all the same workouts.
The people who are always in shape LIVE for fitness. They are passionate about it. It is their life. It's what makes them happy and brings them pleasure - not the end result, but the simple act of doing.
They love the journey - not the destination. And when they think that way they receive the instant gratification that is necessary to always feel motivated.
You can have what you want today - right now in this very instant if you change the way you think about your weight loss.
There is no destination. The destination is forever, and the sooner you see that the sooner you can enjoy the NOW and find the energy and motivation to change.
Latch on to what makes you happy right now and go with it. Get excited about it. Look forward to it.
That new cycle will push you forward forever.
Have a healthy day!
Tony Schober
Founder - Coach Calorie
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right."
* * * * *
Isn't that a great article? I know it sure spoke to me. "There is NO destination-only a way of life!" Once we get to the weight we want, then what? Weight loss is a destination. We need to form a better way of life that incorporates the weight we lose. It IS a lifestyle, not an end.
I will leave you with all this reading, to contemplate on your own. Until next time, walk-on!

3 comments:

Cynthia said...

Hi Sherri! Just wanted you to know I still check in on you from time to time. Sorry to hear things are not going well. I, too, struggle with February and March and usually have to cook up some month-long "event" to give me something to look forward to every day. Just a little something I give myself "permission" to do to help make the month special. It works for me, but I know coping strategies are very personal. Hang in there and remember that your no-nonsense approach to thinking and writing HAS helped others over the years.

Sherri said...

What a sweet note Cynthia! Thank you! That is a great idea, to plan ahead and set up something for the month of February to make it easier to get through. I will make notes on my calendar to remind me about this, long about December. I could arrange a special holiday gift to myself, redeemable in February!

I am working on another posting soon. I hope it will be a little more upbeat. I am really doing alright....I am holding my own. This is far better than I have done in the past, when I have given up and gained all the weight back. I have never kept off this much weight, for this long a period, in a healthy way that is sustainable.

Again, thanks for stopping by and for your kind words.

Crabby McSlacker said...

I'm late to the party but always appreciate your posts!

As to the journey vs destination thing: great point. I'm totally on board. Healthy living should be a joy in itself, but...

Realistically, even the virtuous path has some potholes. I love a lot of the healthy living stuff, but I also hate it too.

If I were the only person in the world, I would eat more hot fudge sundaes. (If they still had freezers for ice cream). But that doesn't mean I don't like kale and cabbage and running around getting my heartrate up too.

After the frenzy

Abby is still around and about.  I know she's been pretty quiet though.  She kinda over celebrated the new year's arrival. A souther...