Week 40 - More Deep Thoughts
Wow. Forty weeks seems like a really long time doesn't it? Yet this year and this program keep flying by.
With my weight and measurements still stuck in the same place this week, I'm still feeling a bit discouraged. I had a weight goal for the month that I probably will not meet. I thought I ate well this week despite last weekend's high school reunion-related meals. It just goes to show you that there is no magic formula. You can do everything "right" and still your body is going to respond to it in its own way and it's own time.
So I am thinking a lot about how I plan to push forward into the future. I really have to continue to adjust my expectations, my mindset, and my plan.
I was reading my Lean Eating lesson earlier this week that talks about establishing a "fit identity". We all have an internal struggle inside of us. There is the fit person who will do what it takes to take charge of her health and wellness and an unfit person who cares more about living for the pleasure of the moment without giving thought to consequences. What do we need to do to "feed" the fit person? How do we make the fit person triumph over the fat person? How do we nurture and develop that part of ourselves. We were asked to name five characteristics of a fit person. I started filling in the blanks. A fit person makes the best nutritional choices most of the time. A fit person exercises almost every day. At first it was hard to make the list, but as the days went by I found myself coming up with more markers of a fit identity.
In Lean Eating we refer to challenges as difficult-easy or difficult-difficult. A difficult-easy challenge might be something that is outside of our daily routine, but doesn't feel like much of a struggle. An example of that might be the supplement habits. A difficult-difficult habit is one that truly takes you out of your comfort zone. Probably the most difficult-difficult habits for me are eating only "smart" carbohydrates (because I love sweets, pasta, and sandwiches) and eating to 80% full (because if I'm eating something delicious, I don't want to stop).
When we had the "little more, little better" habit this past summer, I challenged myself to pick three habits each day to follow to the letter. Sometimes they were the difficult-easy habits. This week I challenged myself to truly do what a fit person does. I am challenging myself to do as many difficult-difficult habits each day. Those are the nutrition habits like the 80% rule (I seem to fill up more readily these days and it's hard to walk away from something delicious), 5 vegetables, smart carbs, and calorie-free beverages. I am also trying to get outside more because I really haven't been going outside when I'm not riding.
What defines a habit? It's doing something without thinking about it. By definition a habit isn't something you have to think about or make yourself do. A habit means you automatically make a choice or perform an action. A fit person automatically performs the correct actions. This is something I really have to keep practicing. There is moving forward in the future if my habits are not truly habits.
With my weight and measurements still stuck in the same place this week, I'm still feeling a bit discouraged. I had a weight goal for the month that I probably will not meet. I thought I ate well this week despite last weekend's high school reunion-related meals. It just goes to show you that there is no magic formula. You can do everything "right" and still your body is going to respond to it in its own way and it's own time.
So I am thinking a lot about how I plan to push forward into the future. I really have to continue to adjust my expectations, my mindset, and my plan.
I was reading my Lean Eating lesson earlier this week that talks about establishing a "fit identity". We all have an internal struggle inside of us. There is the fit person who will do what it takes to take charge of her health and wellness and an unfit person who cares more about living for the pleasure of the moment without giving thought to consequences. What do we need to do to "feed" the fit person? How do we make the fit person triumph over the fat person? How do we nurture and develop that part of ourselves. We were asked to name five characteristics of a fit person. I started filling in the blanks. A fit person makes the best nutritional choices most of the time. A fit person exercises almost every day. At first it was hard to make the list, but as the days went by I found myself coming up with more markers of a fit identity.
In Lean Eating we refer to challenges as difficult-easy or difficult-difficult. A difficult-easy challenge might be something that is outside of our daily routine, but doesn't feel like much of a struggle. An example of that might be the supplement habits. A difficult-difficult habit is one that truly takes you out of your comfort zone. Probably the most difficult-difficult habits for me are eating only "smart" carbohydrates (because I love sweets, pasta, and sandwiches) and eating to 80% full (because if I'm eating something delicious, I don't want to stop).
When we had the "little more, little better" habit this past summer, I challenged myself to pick three habits each day to follow to the letter. Sometimes they were the difficult-easy habits. This week I challenged myself to truly do what a fit person does. I am challenging myself to do as many difficult-difficult habits each day. Those are the nutrition habits like the 80% rule (I seem to fill up more readily these days and it's hard to walk away from something delicious), 5 vegetables, smart carbs, and calorie-free beverages. I am also trying to get outside more because I really haven't been going outside when I'm not riding.
What defines a habit? It's doing something without thinking about it. By definition a habit isn't something you have to think about or make yourself do. A habit means you automatically make a choice or perform an action. A fit person automatically performs the correct actions. This is something I really have to keep practicing. There is moving forward in the future if my habits are not truly habits.
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