You have a very stealthy adversary working against you when you try to take control of your weight. Passivity. Working at losing weight can feel like a long, slow, PASSIVE ordeal. The focus is put on what you’re eating–or not eating–and waiting it out until the next time you get to find out if the scale has good or bad news. This breaks you down and makes you vulnerable to falling out of the new behaviors you’re building.
As you know if you’ve been reading my blog lately, I’m working on dropping a few pounds right now. I gained weight while I was writing my book this year as I let myself fall out of my usual exercise routine. My typical diet does not need much adjustment; I am addressing this by increasing my physical activity. Kicking up my calorie burn is what needs to be done these days so I am working on a routine of short bursts of multiple exercise sessions through the day. I realize that this is bringing me a sense of mindful focus. I have a specific purpose I am working to achieve and I am feeling this actively in my day.
Exercise has so many benefits but there’s a very important one you may not have considered. Daily exercise puts you in the mindset for maintaining your focus. It brings you a sense that you’re actively working on being in control instead of passively struggling through days of dieting only. I am enjoying punctuating my work day with brief exercise sessions and it’s making me feel very focused and aware of my purpose!
People try a lot of different ways to “stay on track.” Often it’s by logging food or using some new app. Consider specific ACTION you can take at regular intervals through your day. If you experience greater challenges at certain times of day, be sure to insert that distraction that can shift your attention away from the challenge. I am doing 10 minutes of exercise about every four hours.
What do you think is practical for you to do throughout your day? How do you think specific scheduled activities might help you maintain a more mindful focus on your purpose?
1 comment
I don’t know if scheduled activity would work, but it certainly is something I’d try. Even just a commitment to leave my desk once an hour for 5 minutes might do it. Focus definitely wanes the longer I do this and I continue to look for things that will pull me back so I can get the job done. I don’t think I stray too far from the sweet spot. Unfortunately my body can react a lot quicker to a small (less healthy deviation) than it does to the corrective action. I frequently wonder if I’m ever really going to figure it out.