Good morning, blogfriends! I hope you're all well and having a great weekend! I know that I am. I've had a really good week, actually. My weight-loss story was featured in our local newspaper and my best friend and I got to go on a fancy date! On the weight-loss front, I'm down to 167.5 and inching closer to my goal of 100 pounds. I'm smaller, faster and stronger than I was when I was in college and high school. Yesterday I ran 3 miles for the first time to prepare for my upcoming 5k! Things are going really well on that front.
But guess what, team? Yesterday I did not want to run 3 miles. It was about 40 degrees and raining where I live. Running in circles around my neighborhood was about the last thing I wanted to do. I did it anyway, but it definitely took some mental doing. The good part was that it got me thinking about the little tricks I've used throughout my process to get myself moving!
People report that getting to the gym is one of the hardest things for them to do-- so, the following are my sneaky self-trickery suggestions!
1. Trick Yourself with Small Steps. If you're like me, yesterday afternoon I was curled up in my computer chair with a blanket in sweatpants, moccasins and a sweatshirt. (Sidenote: I am FREEZING approximately 400% of the time now-- my body cannot figure out how to regulate its temperature for the life of me.) It was windy as all-get-out and I did not want to go outside for any reason. I did not want to be a Lizsicle. But you know what I could do? Put my exercise socks on. I put my exercise socks on and soon I found myself trading my sweatpants for my thermal running pants. Then my sweatshirt for my "tech" jacket. Then I was in the kitchen, lacing up my running shoes and making sure my latest Zombie Run mission was downloaded.
The very hardest part is that first step. Here's the trick: it's likely that after you take that first step, the other steps will be easier, eventually leading to you moving your body. Agree with yourself that you will start with something tiny, like putting on your exercise shoes. Most likely, once you're standing up and in your exercise shoes (or outfit, or whatever small piece you choose-- the actual exact piece does not matter), you will start feeling more motivated, and it won't seem so awful to get all the way dressed. Then going outside or to the car won't seem as awful-- before you know it you're in the gym parking lot or trekking around the neighborhood. You might feel a little confused as to how this happened to you, but rest assured, it's only because you manipulated your own brain, like some kind of awesome super villain.
All because you put your socks on!
2. Think About Two Kinds of Rewards. If you ask me why I want to get and stay healthy, I might actually get a little emotional as I explain to you how I want to live a long life with my husband, be a good example for the children in my life, feel free to travel and hike, and look and feel like my best self. I might start quoting people and saying things like "Excellence is not an act but a habit," (Aristotle) "Rise up, take courage and do it." (Ezra 10:4) or "Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible," (Shakespeare). It's like "if you give a mouse a cookie," yo. You should probably honestly not let me start-- I'll probably start crying and tell you about my "best self."
However, on the days when I don't want to work out or I really really want some cheesecake, it's most often not those large-frame ideas that keep me on the healthiness path. To be completely honest, when I shove myself off the couch, it's usually because I crave the tiny rewards I've set up for myself like feeling proud of how many steps I've taken on Fitbit, filling my workout box with pink highlighter, looking forward to my morning weigh-in or just remembering how amazing, exhausted and content I feel after a hard workout.
Are there some days where just the thought of being my "best self," gets me to the gym? Sure, but not very many-- usually thinking about my best self just makes me want to write essays. It's because those sweeping ideals are somewhat intangible and we live in a very feedback-obsessed, instant gratification world-- on a daily basis, it's easier to focus on small rewards. I find I need to have deeper reasons for what I'm doing in general but I also need a reason for doing it today.
Team, my suggestion is to think about your big reasons to get healthy, but also keep some tiny rewards for yourself-- those are the ones that will get you through the drudgery. Your tiny rewards don't have to be the same as mine-- give yourself a dollar or eat a hershey's kiss every time you go on a workout! The only rule for this is that your little reward shouldn't be a food more caloric than your workout-- don't go for a half-hour jog then eat a whole Qdoba burrito as your reward. I promise this will not result in healthiness in a long-term way.
3. Think of the People Who Support You-- and the People Who Don't. Back to my story from yesterday-- it was actually a text from my dad that prompted me to even use my "put your socks on" trick in the first place. My dad is absolutely one of my biggest supporters. We can talk about running, weight loss and healthiness for hours and hours. Here is our text conversation from yesterday:
Well, I can't very well disappoint my biggest supporter, can I? Especially since my dad actually ran TWELVE miles yesterday. I played the "just put your socks on," trick on myself and went.
It's not always my dad that I think of, often it's people I barely know or people who I haven't talked to in a long time. I think of the people who read my blog or click 'like' on each of my 10 pound pictures on facebook. Oftentimes it's people who've told me that they have started working out and getting healthy because I inspired them-- which has been one of the most rewarding parts of this process. I don't want to disappoint these folks. I often think about the people who encouraged me right at the beginning, when my healthiness process seemed like a barely-achievable pipe dream. I often think of my mom and my family and my best friend and my husband, who have all loved me at an incredible variety of weights.
You need your supporters for obvious reasons. Someone has to be there to cheer your successes and encourage you in your struggles every day, not just on the healthiness front. These people are there for you whether you lose 5 pounds or eat an entire box of toaster strudels.
However, there will always be detractors. I don't have a lot of them that I'm aware of, but I know there are a handful of folks who kind of wish I'd stop it and shut up. I know at least a few people straight-up scoffed and thought I couldn't do it. No one has said this to me directly, but people do love to pass information along. Gossip is powerful, teammates. I think of the people who say and have said hurtful things about me and other overweight women. I think about the icky societal standards for women to be thin and twiggy and I find I can do a few more pushups. This is rarely what gets me out the door, but it is sometimes what pushes me that extra mile.
Superman is just a weirdo with a cape without Lex Luthor. You need a nemesis even if it's just glutinous fat, unfair societal grossness or your own skinny jeans and not an actual person.
Conclusion: If you can trick yourself with small steps, be sure you have those two types of motivation (both sweeping goals and little treats) and utilize all of the people in your life-- well, I've lost more than 80 pounds, so it worked for me! If you do enough of these things on a consistent basis, you might start finding yourself at the gym the same way you find yourself in the shower or at work. It'll just seem like a normal place to be; a normal thing to be doing. Maybe I'll see you there! :)
 |
| We are just ridiculously adorable. |
But guess what, team? Yesterday I did not want to run 3 miles. It was about 40 degrees and raining where I live. Running in circles around my neighborhood was about the last thing I wanted to do. I did it anyway, but it definitely took some mental doing. The good part was that it got me thinking about the little tricks I've used throughout my process to get myself moving!
People report that getting to the gym is one of the hardest things for them to do-- so, the following are my sneaky self-trickery suggestions!
1. Trick Yourself with Small Steps. If you're like me, yesterday afternoon I was curled up in my computer chair with a blanket in sweatpants, moccasins and a sweatshirt. (Sidenote: I am FREEZING approximately 400% of the time now-- my body cannot figure out how to regulate its temperature for the life of me.) It was windy as all-get-out and I did not want to go outside for any reason. I did not want to be a Lizsicle. But you know what I could do? Put my exercise socks on. I put my exercise socks on and soon I found myself trading my sweatpants for my thermal running pants. Then my sweatshirt for my "tech" jacket. Then I was in the kitchen, lacing up my running shoes and making sure my latest Zombie Run mission was downloaded.
 |
| Or wet. Usually I just feel wet and a little concerned that I might have I hit my head awhile back and just don't remember it, because otherwise, why am I running in the rain?! |
The very hardest part is that first step. Here's the trick: it's likely that after you take that first step, the other steps will be easier, eventually leading to you moving your body. Agree with yourself that you will start with something tiny, like putting on your exercise shoes. Most likely, once you're standing up and in your exercise shoes (or outfit, or whatever small piece you choose-- the actual exact piece does not matter), you will start feeling more motivated, and it won't seem so awful to get all the way dressed. Then going outside or to the car won't seem as awful-- before you know it you're in the gym parking lot or trekking around the neighborhood. You might feel a little confused as to how this happened to you, but rest assured, it's only because you manipulated your own brain, like some kind of awesome super villain.
 |
| You know your brain... now TRICK IT! |
All because you put your socks on!
2. Think About Two Kinds of Rewards. If you ask me why I want to get and stay healthy, I might actually get a little emotional as I explain to you how I want to live a long life with my husband, be a good example for the children in my life, feel free to travel and hike, and look and feel like my best self. I might start quoting people and saying things like "Excellence is not an act but a habit," (Aristotle) "Rise up, take courage and do it." (Ezra 10:4) or "Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible," (Shakespeare). It's like "if you give a mouse a cookie," yo. You should probably honestly not let me start-- I'll probably start crying and tell you about my "best self."
 |
| Except... I am training for a 5k, and I do kind of want to impress you... I guess this isn't super-accurate. |
However, on the days when I don't want to work out or I really really want some cheesecake, it's most often not those large-frame ideas that keep me on the healthiness path. To be completely honest, when I shove myself off the couch, it's usually because I crave the tiny rewards I've set up for myself like feeling proud of how many steps I've taken on Fitbit, filling my workout box with pink highlighter, looking forward to my morning weigh-in or just remembering how amazing, exhausted and content I feel after a hard workout.
Are there some days where just the thought of being my "best self," gets me to the gym? Sure, but not very many-- usually thinking about my best self just makes me want to write essays. It's because those sweeping ideals are somewhat intangible and we live in a very feedback-obsessed, instant gratification world-- on a daily basis, it's easier to focus on small rewards. I find I need to have deeper reasons for what I'm doing in general but I also need a reason for doing it today.
Team, my suggestion is to think about your big reasons to get healthy, but also keep some tiny rewards for yourself-- those are the ones that will get you through the drudgery. Your tiny rewards don't have to be the same as mine-- give yourself a dollar or eat a hershey's kiss every time you go on a workout! The only rule for this is that your little reward shouldn't be a food more caloric than your workout-- don't go for a half-hour jog then eat a whole Qdoba burrito as your reward. I promise this will not result in healthiness in a long-term way.
3. Think of the People Who Support You-- and the People Who Don't. Back to my story from yesterday-- it was actually a text from my dad that prompted me to even use my "put your socks on" trick in the first place. My dad is absolutely one of my biggest supporters. We can talk about running, weight loss and healthiness for hours and hours. Here is our text conversation from yesterday:
 |
| People are always surprised how much I text my dad. I remind them that I am four on the inside and four-year-olds badly need their parents :) |
Well, I can't very well disappoint my biggest supporter, can I? Especially since my dad actually ran TWELVE miles yesterday. I played the "just put your socks on," trick on myself and went.
It's not always my dad that I think of, often it's people I barely know or people who I haven't talked to in a long time. I think of the people who read my blog or click 'like' on each of my 10 pound pictures on facebook. Oftentimes it's people who've told me that they have started working out and getting healthy because I inspired them-- which has been one of the most rewarding parts of this process. I don't want to disappoint these folks. I often think about the people who encouraged me right at the beginning, when my healthiness process seemed like a barely-achievable pipe dream. I often think of my mom and my family and my best friend and my husband, who have all loved me at an incredible variety of weights.
You need your supporters for obvious reasons. Someone has to be there to cheer your successes and encourage you in your struggles every day, not just on the healthiness front. These people are there for you whether you lose 5 pounds or eat an entire box of toaster strudels.
However, there will always be detractors. I don't have a lot of them that I'm aware of, but I know there are a handful of folks who kind of wish I'd stop it and shut up. I know at least a few people straight-up scoffed and thought I couldn't do it. No one has said this to me directly, but people do love to pass information along. Gossip is powerful, teammates. I think of the people who say and have said hurtful things about me and other overweight women. I think about the icky societal standards for women to be thin and twiggy and I find I can do a few more pushups. This is rarely what gets me out the door, but it is sometimes what pushes me that extra mile.
 |
| Just imagine someone you don't particularly like stroking this cat in a pretentious office. BAM! Instant personal super villain! |
Superman is just a weirdo with a cape without Lex Luthor. You need a nemesis even if it's just glutinous fat, unfair societal grossness or your own skinny jeans and not an actual person.
Conclusion: If you can trick yourself with small steps, be sure you have those two types of motivation (both sweeping goals and little treats) and utilize all of the people in your life-- well, I've lost more than 80 pounds, so it worked for me! If you do enough of these things on a consistent basis, you might start finding yourself at the gym the same way you find yourself in the shower or at work. It'll just seem like a normal place to be; a normal thing to be doing. Maybe I'll see you there! :)
