I have been doing this for the past week or so and it has done wonders for me. 5 straight days of running or weight training.

You know when it comes to losing weight, eating healthy or doing exercise sometimes it feels like I am 2 different people. There is morning Steve, always tired but very motivated and hopeful for having a good healthy day, no junk foods, lots of walking breaks at work, drinking lots of water and looking forward to working out at night/evening etc.. I like this Steve.

Then there is night Steve or more specifically after the kids are in bed Steve. He craves the junk food and does whatever he can to get it. Night Steve is also tired but only when it comes to exercise or meal planning or making lunches/snacks for the next day. For all other activities like working on the computer until 1am, watching movies or driving to the store to get junk food he has boundless energy.

Obviously these 2 personalities clash and for some reason at night after the kids are in bed and it’s Mommy and Daddy time I forget about all the good intentions I had started the day with.

So Simple it Seems Stupid

What I do is this, in the morning before I leave for work is I write myself a note, nothing too elaborate usually just a sentence or a word.

For example yesterday’s note said this “Before turning on the computer run for 30 minutes on the treadmill, you’ll feel great” . I left this on my computer monitor, sure enough last night I came down stairs ready to hop on the computer as usual. I saw the note and immediately it brought me back to when I wrote it that morning.

45 minutes later I had run for 35 minutes and burnt 365 calories. Best of all I did feel great afterwards and I was able to work on the computer guilt free.

The key for me was not to think too much about what else I had to do that night or what else I could have done. Basically not talking myself out of it. I was listening to my motivated self and did what I knew I really wanted to do.

I Don’t Have Short Term Memory Loss

Maybe “forgetting” is the wrong word for my not following through with my good intentions, as I do not have short term memory loss. It’s more like wilful ignorance and I know I’m not alone on this.

My wife thinks it’s funny that I do this and has posted notes around the house with things like “unload the dishwasher” and “change the laundry” mocking me it seems. (Doesn’t work like that honey )

Before you just blow this off as silly or stupid, give it a try first. When you’re motivated in the morning (or anytime you’re feeling motivated) write to yourself and leave the notes somewhere you’ll be most likely to read it or need to read it. (on your fridge,TV, bathroom mirror, in your car etc…). Hopefully this will help you stay motivated or at least remind you of what you really want to do, when your motivated that is.

A word I hear almost everyday that I feel is a huge road block for most people is “Someday”. People say it jokingly or out of frustration. The most common ways I hear it phrased are:

“I’ll get back to my high school weight someday”
“We’ll be rich someday”
“I’ll learn to cook someday”
“I’ll land my dream job someday”
“I’ll get into shape someday”

The list goes on and on. But you know what, that day will almost certainly never come. Not unless you change the way you think about what you want to do in life and how you are going to get it done.

The Universe Doesn’t Care About Your Dreams

I see a lot of websites going on about the “Law of Attraction” and having the universe fulfill your needs. That is all well and good but I honestly do not believe that any of that stuff will help you lose weight or become wealthy or improve your health.

Your life is in your own hands and the small decisions you make everyday will get you to where you want to be in life. But, Someday is not a place you can go or a date to have something achieved by.

How To Get To The Weight You Want

As is relates to weight loss there really is no secret. I mean you see programs everywhere telling you that they have a breakthrough method or a special formula that will make you lose weight. But I’d say 99% of them are crap, just total garbage.

The answer to the question “how do I lose weight” or my comment to people that say “Someday I’ll lose the weight” is this. Set a realistic date and hold yourself accountable to it. The rest you already know, burn more than you consume.

It All Starts With A Goal

Goal setting is such an important thing in not just losing weight but in every aspect of your life. I find it very sad that not enough people are doing it or if they are they’re setting goals that are honestly too unrealistic.

You can find out more about setting realistic goals at Setting a Weight Loss Goal. Remember that the key to being successful is to set a target date or a deadline.

I know I’m over simplifying things here but I without having a target to hit or a deadline to meet you will end up floating through life. Nothing will get accomplished and you’ll end up looking back and wonder what you’ve done with your life? I’m only 31 and I’ve done this more times than I care to admit already.

What are your thoughts? Do you have realistic attainable goals?

You know the routine. You’ve been busy all day either attending school, working or taking care of the kids. The last thing on your mind is going through a workout.  All you want to do is relax and unwind. If you’re overweight the effects of a busy day can wear you down even more than your thinner counterparts. 

So how do you make exercise a daily priority?

I have tried to make it a part of my daily routine as so many experts have recommended. For the most part it does help, but I’ve found that it just became one of my many tasks that I didn’t want to do.  Currently I workout 4 days a week 30-60 minutes per session. I have been able to stick to it because I have made exercise a part of my unwinding and relaxing time. Now I look at it as time just for me to do what I want to do and not what I have to do.

The secret is to make it fun and competitive.

Find a physical activity that you enjoy doing like walking, running, biking or even lifting weights and set a realistic goal for that session. It could be anything from the amount of calories you burn to how fast you can complete a set distance.

For example my exercise of choice is running. I have 2 routes a 5 kilometer one and a 10 kilometer one. On each run I set a goal time to beat. (23 or 50 minutes). It’s an awesome feeling to beat or even reach that goal. It keeps me motivated and I look forward to beating that new time on my next workout session.

Cutting out the excuses

There are so many excuses that can trip you up. “I’m too tired, the gym is too far away, my favorite TV show is on or it’s raining outside” are some of my favorites. All of these can stop your momentum, but can be easily overcome. Here are some simple ways to counter those excuses:

1.) Change into your workout clothes right after dinner.

2.) Set a time to meet with a workout buddy. You’re less likely to skip it if you have someone else waiting on you.

3.) Use your Tivo, PVR or VCR and record your favorite TV shows and watch them on your rest days.

4.) Who says you need a gym to workout. Put on a workout video, run the stairs or do some body weight exercises. 

5.) Work out in the morning as a great start to your day.

My favorite excuse is I’m too tired to workout. There is no better cure for low energy than a good 20-30 minute walk/jog. Motion creates energy and increases the oxygen flow to your brain, essentially waking it up.

Regular exercise can improve your overall health, add years to your life, improve your  self-confidence and make you look and feel better. So good luck and get moving.

I was out having lunch at the mall a couple of Friday’s ago with some co-workers, when something interesting caught my eye. It was a women sitting in a wheelchair at the bottom of the escalator. She was just sitting there staring at the people on their way up. It must have been at least 3 minutes before she wheeled her way over to the elevators.  

I wish I had the nerve to go and talk to her. What was going through her head?

I mentioned something to the others at my table about it, but they were busy venting about work. It got me thinking though about how much we take our abilities for granted. Specifically the ability to just get up and walk whenever we like. I’m amazed at how many people go out of their way not to walk or walk as little as possible. Over the past week or so I’ve noticed tons of examples of this:

• People circle the parking lot looking for a spot closer to my building.
• People sitting and waiting for someone to load groceries into their car just so they could take the closer spot. 
• Countless people I work with will wait up to 5 minutes for the elevator before even thinking about using the stairs.
• My neighbour driving to the corner store, which is a 10 minute walk away to pick up some bread. 

My point is that so many people out there can’t do what you won’t do. So the next time that you feel depressed about your weight, feel like being “lazy” or are otherwise getting down on yourself, just get up off your butt and go for a walk. You will feel so much better afterwards.

But honestly though the only reason that really matters, is because you can. 

What other abilities do you take for granted?