Stay out of that mental plateau
Over the holidays I purchased a book by Jocko Willink. I had listened to him on a podcast and was fascinated with his life as a navy seal, and now advisor to major corporations.
The book is title "Discipline equals Freedom”. I'm not sure what I expected, but I guess we all search for that book which might impart motivation, whether that be getting one's work done, eating well, exercising regularly, or just to stop procrastinating.
Well, this book is not for the faint of heart. He is direct, demanding, and expects to push through any barrier, mental or physical. One has to admire the discipline he demands of himself. Getting up early no matter the day, doing exercise, tackling the hardest job he must face that day or week, never allowing himself to put off what is necessary in his life to get done.
A lot of people have hit a plateau over the holidays which I believe is more mental than physical. They seem stuck as to how to get out of their rut of eating excessively, not exercising and feeling disappointed where they are.
Which brings me to this book. There is no magic solution. There will be no motivation to change tomorrow unless we force it. It comes from within. We must just do it, no matter how we feel. If I feel tired, I cannot let that feeling be an excuse not to do some activity. Push ups, sit ups, squats, short treadmill walk, walk around the block; anything. Our tiredness is mainly mental fatigue and we must push through it.
Food is the same. If you are back into evening snacking, then just don't buy the snacks. They shouldn't be in the house. No excuses. As harsh as this sounds, we must try to get out of our mental/physical plateau and it needs to start now, not next week or the week after. Once we establish habits of exercise, proper sleep, less snacking, then our minds will not be full of self-loathing, or questioning ‘Why can't I do this?'
This is a New Year, and time to develop habits that propel you forward to get your weight off, get in better fitness....whatever your goal or goals are.
If you want to be challenged then Mr. Willink's book is an easy read. Simple writing, short chapters, with a directness that I believe a lot of us need. Overcome your barriers by just doing some basic things day by day. I'll quote two lines from his book which sum it up. "Take the risk, take the gamble, take the first step. Take action. And don't let another day slip by.”
You can do it.
Never give up on yourself!
Dr. Doug