Every moment is a new start but New Year’s Day’s is the most laden with weighty expectation.
Every moment is a new beginning but New Year’s Day’s new beginning feels even more laden with expectation than any other new start. While I’ve managed to maintain my weight at around 85kg while being on holiday but I notice that, based on how my clothing is fitting me, my body shape is changing. It’s not that I’m bored nor that I’m hungry but I am eating more than I usually do while I’m not in my usual “work” routine although I’m trying not to be too hard on myself providing that the scale keeps me where I want to be.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Despite having a detailed exercise programme I’m not working out hard enough at the gym unsupervised. Look, it’s not a train smash – I’m still training almost every day and getting in about 30 minutes of cardio and doing bicep curls and triceps kickbacks, but I can see that my tummy is flabbier than it has been recently and my shoulders are not as strong as I’d like them to be.
Planning ahead is my proven solution to not overeating. I took along my own meal to last night’s old-year’s dinner even though I didn’t end up eating it then. Knowing that I had a meal with me allowed me the opportunity to choose wisely what to eat and not to succumb to making bad choices because I was hungry.
I have to train first thing in the morning. Even if I manage a second bout of physical activity later in the day my window of willingness closes the moment I’ve had breakfast so I have to plan to get to the gym, onto my bike or both along with the sparrows.
The more people hear my story and affirm the way I’ve changed my life, the more anxious I feel about regaining the weight. Without exception, everyone who tells me how they’ve lost weight continues to say they’ve regained it. I hope that by sharing my experiences here that I will stay conscious and keep up the healthy lifestyle that I’ve worked so hard for.
If your new beginning is about becoming healthier in 2013 I hope that I’ll be able to contribute to helping you achieve that.
Those of us that are faced with new ways of being are challenged with significant fear; that the old habits will manifest themselves again with a greater order of magnitude! This ancient wisdom was recorded in the Bible, although right now I cannot find the reference. I firmly believe that success for us lies in replacing the one all-consuming activity with another healthy occupation. Our attention needs to be focused, better on health pursuits than on destructive ones.
I wish you a wonderful 2013; the neurologists suggested that this year brings change and rebellion against authority (ties into the current affairs of most of the world).
Much love Chris
Thanks again Chris for this perspective. I think you’re right. My experience is that the more I focus on being active and remaining conscious about my want to stay healthy the easier it is. And, if this means that I’m replacing one addiction with another, so be it. At least I’m not killing myself in the process.