I was a bad girl yesterday. I’m a rebel by nature, so I allow myself a few of those days. I didn’t want a salad. I wanted Popeyes instead. I didn’t feel like working out; I reasoned with myself that cleaning the kitchen was almost just as good.
I know, however, that I had better have my ass in tights and sneakers this evening. Otherwise, it’ll be another month or year before I get back on track. That’s when it hit me:
Running on the treadmill, doing some squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and weightlifting really ain’t all that hard. I mean, it’s not like you’re just going to go the gym and stand there. Once you’re there, you’re going to work. That’s given. Therefore, that’s not the hard part.
Getting up, dressed, and moving is the hardest part. Substituting your taste for grease, sugar, and fat with the raw products of Mama Nature is the hard part. Twinkies are back in Wal-Mart! Lord have mercy on my soul as I walk past that aisle. That’s the hard part!
Because the healthy lifestyle is mental rather than physical, it can be compared to being in a relationship. All relationships are mental. Sex alone ain’t gone cut it. And even then, good sex requires some sort of mental attraction. The best relationships consist of individuals that are compatible. They are on the same level of maturity, and understand and respect one another. A broken person can’t expect to enter a relationship and be healed. A healthy relationship requires participants that are whole and that knows and loves themselves first.
Now, let’s make the connection.
As I said earlier, I’m a rebel. I’m also an introvert that likes to do extrovert things every now and then. I get bored easily and am equally easily distracted. With that being said, I know that in order for me to have a successful relationship with this healthy lifestyle that I’m striving for, then I’m going to have to factor <me> into the equation.
I’m a rebel. Therefore, I have to allow myself to cheat every now and then. Topping that grilled chicken salad for lunch off with a red velvet (mini) cupcake feels good. I feel like I’m doing something that I ain’t got no business doing and that makes the cupcake taste that much more delicious! But I’m smart enough to know that I can only do it every now and then. Otherwise, I’ll get “caught” by weight gain and a slippery slope of daily visits to the cupcake lady.
I’m an introvert that likes to do extrovert things every now and then. I have to work out alone. I’d rather turn on the treadmill and run for five songs straight or go to the pool and do some laps for about an hour. No, I don’t want to go to the park and run with you. You’ll throw me off—unless, I’m feeling “extrovertish.” In that case, I might do a class at the gym or go jalking (jog-walking) with a friend.
I get bored easily and am equally easily distracted. Therefore, I need challenges. I need something to work toward. This month, my goal is to lose two pounds per week. Maybe next month, I’ll do the squat challenge. Then, I might get crazy enough one of these days to try the Insanity thing. I need fun recipes! I can’t do soups and salads every day. I have to do the fried green tomato sandwiches sometimes, the vegetarian lasagna, sushi, turkey tacos, etc. It has to be an adventure for me. That’s what works for me!
Make a list of your personality traits and another list of what you need to do to make your healthy lifestyle relationship a ‘til-death-do-us-part commitment.