Do you ever feel like you are tipping the scale in more ways than one? Overwhelmed? Too much work and social obligation, and then before you know it, you’re heading in a downwards spiral of inconsistent exercise and eating poorly? Read on, and I’ll show you how to make it all work in your life.
For the majority of us, when we’re stressed during challenging times, it’s easy to forego the commitments that we made to ourselves to get in shape. For whatever reasons we are very quick to justify to ourselves that our own health and fitness can wait, while everything and everyone else comes first. This may or may not describe you. Even if it doesn’t, there is a good chance you know someone who it does resemble in your life.
Let’s not kid ourselves, times are challenging for most of us because we are doing our best to stay positive and focused with so much distraction around us. Much of our positivity and focus is directed towards taking care of business and family matters because these days there is not much room for lack of focus and negative thoughts if we are going to keep up with our current responsibilities, while contributing to our future.
I know too many people who are so caught up in making ends meet, that they put their health and fitness on the back burner. The fact is that life is always going to show up in some way that may appear to be more of a priority than taking care of yourself.
When we are stressed out, and downtrodden, we sometimes feel like withdrawing, or staying in our room and sulking. However, this emotional state of “hitting the bottom” is the moment when we would benefit most from physical activity (endorphins, confidence, sense of accomplishment, et cetera…).
Let’s get real right now…the bottom line is that the only one who is responsible for you taking care of yourself…is YOU. No one else is going to do it for you, or can make you do it for yourself. You’ve got to want to do it because you see the immense value it has for you in your life.
If we truly see the value, and are committed, then each day we get to look at what is either contributing to our success, or getting in the way.
What’s Working vs. What’s Not Working
Ask yourself this each day to gain perspective on how focused you are on your commitment. For obvious reasons you want to keep doing what’s been working, and make the appropriate steps to eliminate what’s not working by doing the opposite. That part is pretty simple in theory, and challenging in application.
Results vs. Consequences
Focus on the Results of having good health and fitness such as increase in energy, vitality, self-confidence, longevity, focus, and strength, which will in turn be the foundation of reaching for your dreams. On the other hand, we could look at the Consequences if we don’t have our health and fitness. This might possibly lead to lethargy, depression, low self-confidence, increase risk of disease, unproductive, obesity, which may in turn lead to a lower quality of life.
The most beneficial and energy-cost-efficient approach is to focus on what you want, instead of what you don’t. Of course if we are to think positively, we are focused on how health and fitness is as important a cog in the wheel of life as everything else we do. However, if at times we must resort to looking at the consequences of having poor health and fitness in order to recommit to ourselves, then that’s doing what ever it takes to keep to your commitment. We just have to be careful not to become fear driven. It’s always a healthier, longer lasting, and more successful position to be goal driven.
Gratitude vs. Victim of Circumstances
We get to use exercise and eating well as our way of showing gratitude for what we do have. Coming from Gratitude opens up possibility, and allows us to take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way. It is a real privilege to live in a society that gives us the freedom to have access to healthy foods, and the resources to exercise. We are surrounded by opportunity to succeed, but sometimes our “blind spots” get in the way of us noticing what has been right in front of us all along to create better circumstances. That is when the “victim of circumstance” shows up, and pretends to only know and see limited possibility. Therefore there is justification for broken agreements either with the individual or others. Choosing to be grateful, coming from possibility, and seizing the moment sound much better to me.
Conclusion
IT IS TIME…IT IS TIME to put our health, and our well being FIRST! It is taking a stand for yourself to be better and do better than ever before. It exemplifies self-respect, self-love, and can inspire others around you to do the same. So get that it is not selfish in any way to take time for yourself to focus on your own health and fitness. It is self-fulfilling, self-confidence and self-esteem boosting, therefore generating only Possibility in your life to be as great as you want to be for yourself, and others that may depend on you.
The fact is that work and stress will always be there. There will always be more work to be done, and stress inducing deadlines. That is reality for many. That is why we look for distractions to quiet the noise. Some distractions are productive, and some not so much. Exercise and focusing on health is just what the doctor ordered to overcome the stresses of day-to-day life.