...the lie is that you tell yourself it's permanent.
Every day you decide whether to find the closest parking spot you can to the entrance, or just any random space. Every day you decide whether to drive or walk down the block. Every day you decide whether to keep glaring with jealousy at your skinner/healthier friends on social media, or make a healthier choice yourself. Every day you decide whether to talk about how you used to be a smaller size, or how you are working toward that size. Every day you decide whether to reminisce about your old running or biking or volleyball days, or to start up again.
You can stop hating your body. You can stop telling yourself you "can't wear that". You can stop being embarrassed during summer. You can stop feeling ugly. You can stop feeling ashamed. You can stop being jealous of and irritated by those more fit people on your feed. You can stop telling yourself you enjoy being lazy, or you're embracing yourself as you are, or you don't have the discipline or money to eat a special way.
You don't have to be a gym rat. You don't have to have a special watch to tell you how many steps you've taken, or how many calories you've burned. You don't have to cut out sugar or flour. You don't have to quit coffee; hell, you don't have to quit smoking. You don't need running shoes or headphones or moisture-wicking UnderArmour. You don't need to "make a life change". You don't need to "become" anything that you're not.
You just have to start a dialogue with yourself. Set a small, attainable goal. The point of this goal is to reach it! To fit into your same jeans, to lose fifteen pounds, to take a twenty-minute walk once a week for a six weeks, to not eat desserts for thirty days, to cut out alcohol for a week, to drink only water as a beverage all day... pick something that is meaningful to you, that is slightly better than what you currently do, and that you know you can do.
When you know you're about to do what you always do, or eat whatever you usually eat, just check yourself and adjust. And if you don't? If you just do the same thing? That's okay! Negative self-talk never made anybody change anything! It just makes you resent yourself.
You also have to forgive yourself. Forgive yourself for all the decisions you've made that have created an unhealthy environment. Forgive yourself for when you don't make the good choices. Forgive yourself if you don't reach your goal. Realize every choice you make is a one-time choice. It is not permanent.
If you set a goal of parking far away from the entrance to your job, but you don't do it cause you give yourself an excuse, it's okay! Just ask yourself, "how do I feel about not working towards my goal?" "Do I feel more happy in myself when I make choice A or choice B?" "How will I feel if I meet my goal?" You will have many more opportunities to make good choices! Every time you sit down and watch TV or play on the computer. Every time you lay in bed with your spouse and talk instead of taking a stroll to chat. Every time you walk open the fridge. Every time you go to a restaurant.
It's a split-second decision to have soda or water. It's not permanent; you can change your mind either way at anytime. You get to make this choice every day.
You get to choose to get better or stay the same.
Every day you decide whether to find the closest parking spot you can to the entrance, or just any random space. Every day you decide whether to drive or walk down the block. Every day you decide whether to keep glaring with jealousy at your skinner/healthier friends on social media, or make a healthier choice yourself. Every day you decide whether to talk about how you used to be a smaller size, or how you are working toward that size. Every day you decide whether to reminisce about your old running or biking or volleyball days, or to start up again.
You can stop hating your body. You can stop telling yourself you "can't wear that". You can stop being embarrassed during summer. You can stop feeling ugly. You can stop feeling ashamed. You can stop being jealous of and irritated by those more fit people on your feed. You can stop telling yourself you enjoy being lazy, or you're embracing yourself as you are, or you don't have the discipline or money to eat a special way.
You don't have to be a gym rat. You don't have to have a special watch to tell you how many steps you've taken, or how many calories you've burned. You don't have to cut out sugar or flour. You don't have to quit coffee; hell, you don't have to quit smoking. You don't need running shoes or headphones or moisture-wicking UnderArmour. You don't need to "make a life change". You don't need to "become" anything that you're not.
You just have to start a dialogue with yourself. Set a small, attainable goal. The point of this goal is to reach it! To fit into your same jeans, to lose fifteen pounds, to take a twenty-minute walk once a week for a six weeks, to not eat desserts for thirty days, to cut out alcohol for a week, to drink only water as a beverage all day... pick something that is meaningful to you, that is slightly better than what you currently do, and that you know you can do.
When you know you're about to do what you always do, or eat whatever you usually eat, just check yourself and adjust. And if you don't? If you just do the same thing? That's okay! Negative self-talk never made anybody change anything! It just makes you resent yourself.
You also have to forgive yourself. Forgive yourself for all the decisions you've made that have created an unhealthy environment. Forgive yourself for when you don't make the good choices. Forgive yourself if you don't reach your goal. Realize every choice you make is a one-time choice. It is not permanent.
If you set a goal of parking far away from the entrance to your job, but you don't do it cause you give yourself an excuse, it's okay! Just ask yourself, "how do I feel about not working towards my goal?" "Do I feel more happy in myself when I make choice A or choice B?" "How will I feel if I meet my goal?" You will have many more opportunities to make good choices! Every time you sit down and watch TV or play on the computer. Every time you lay in bed with your spouse and talk instead of taking a stroll to chat. Every time you walk open the fridge. Every time you go to a restaurant.
It's a split-second decision to have soda or water. It's not permanent; you can change your mind either way at anytime. You get to make this choice every day.
You get to choose to get better or stay the same.
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