Ever wondered why you can’t stick to something? Well there is a simple answer. You made yourself do it because you thought if you tried hard enough at it that it would benefit you. NEVER do something you don’t enjoy. If you can’t stick to something then you didn’t want to do it in the first place. We have 1 life, and we want to make it as enjoyable as possible. It is my sincere belief that the ‘fortunate’ among us. (The ones who seem to eat what they want and do what they like but don’t get fat), simply have good habits.
If you’re doing something that you don’t enjoy in an attempt to get healthier, you will probably fail. (This is not defeatist, simply realistic). If you were driving to a friends house, but realised you were going the wrong way, you wouldn’t carry on in that direction, you would do a U turn and go the right way, so it amazes me when people do things they don’t enjoy for so long. Endlessly running comes to mind as something that would probably bore the shit out of me, and that’s why I don’t do it. Only recently (less than 5 years ago) did I find a sport that truly inspired me. That sport was the ‘Mixed Martial Arts’, considered by many as savage or brutal, (I think broadly misunderstood), but I digress. Although I do not compete, I am addicted to the path of the Zen Martial Artist. I find it a truly fulfilling thing to practice an art-form of the body while learning how fight, and simultaneously learning about my psyche under pressure, and all the other wonderful things that happen when you are truly connected to yourself both physically and mentally. Now that I have been doing it for a few years I can tell you that I have enjoyed every minute of it, even when I was training for 3 hours a night 3 times a week at the peak of my obsession.
It’s no coincidence that upon beginning my journey as a martial artist, one of the first things I noticed about myself is quite how unfit I had become, and was ultimately the catalyst behind me starting this blog. Which brings me to my next point… I love what I do. It never feels like a chore, and because it never feels like I have to try, only good things seem to stem endlessly from this ‘without me doing anything’.
So.. if you’re on a path, and you’re not enjoying it, then get off the damn path and jump on another one (just not the yellow brick road).
2 simple tips for you to try right now…
- Find something physically enjoyable (but moderately stressful) to do, and start doing it several times a week (not just once a week). You want your body to stay amped up metabolism wise.
- Rather than eat 3 large meals a day, try eating 5-6 snack like meals a day. This works in several ways:
- Firstly, smaller portions cause your stomach to expand less, and so your body craves a little less at meal time. This will eventually become habit and will feel normal.
- It also allows for a more uniform replenishment of blood sugar levels. *Low blood sugar can often make us feel stressed/angry.
- We can satisfy cravings more often.
- We can have more variety.
There’s no time like the present!!. Get involved with something truly rewarding, and never do a day of forced exercise again in your life.
