Begin with the wish to change. The stronger the wish the more effective. This wish protects you against negative people and thoughts. Sometimes we can find ourselves battling upstream in the current of life and it is important to hold on to our determination as a weapon against bad habits, and to give us the strength to find new ones.
In weight loss it is always critical to focus on our habits, not our outcomes. Most people dislike the scale because they first, expect too much and second, are not aware of how habits effect results. For example, we cannot expect to joyfully lose weight when we eat healthy, except on weekends, birthdays, and when we go out. Most people who think they are following a healthy diet only do so about 50% of the time. That will lead to frustration and anxiety. Instead we should understand that those are part of our daily lives and we can plan to overcome them one step at a time.
The next step is steadfastness. How do we continue joyfully over a long period of time? Maintaining a continuous amount of effort is key in reaching our goal. This must be done with skill and our program specifically builds on this principle. Crash diets may work fast but steadfastness keeps you on the right path even after six months. If your wish to lose weight is strong, then you will be able to overcome being over enthusiastic and wanting results NOW! I know you all do but don’t trade a short-term success just to end up with long-term failure. We have to be very deliberate in our actions and our intentions. The person who is not anxious about losing weight but is determined will always meet their goals. The person who is obsessed burns out and finds themselves searching for another program come New Years.
The last step to joyful weight loss is relaxation. Now that you know a healthy lifestyle is one you deeply identify with, and are willing to use skillful effort to achieve, you now need to apply relaxation. Sometimes you will be sick, tired and dealing with life’s train wrecks. That’s okay, listening to your body and understanding the time and commitments you have available help you to apply your wish in the best way possible. Sometimes we can’t plan for everything, especially emergencies but we can guard against laziness and procrastination. We forget how to relax and instead avoid our commitment to ourselves and sometimes others. In fitness we like to call this falling off the wagon. But with our wish to change we can use tools to fight against our own sabotage. Community helps us see that others are on the same journey and we can find solutions and examples. Or if we feel the need to hide from our wish we can think how lucky we are to have the opportunity to try. Some people are unable to use their limbs or have access to our resources, we can remember that while we hold this wish it is only through action and gratitude can our goals be achieved.
Nothing is without effort but it can still be a joyful path. If we know what we want, have a plan with just enough effort, and pay attention to our lives keeping our priorities in check we can achieve our goals.
At Taiso we try to always focus on improvement never perfection.
Taiso Fitness and Nutrition
If you are looking for a unique gym experience try Taiso Fitness and Nutrition. We are Tacoma’s fitness and nutrition gym for people who want to get out of pain or improve performance, who need immediate, measurable results, and want to make educated decisions to take control of their health.
Ready to get out of pain or improve performance? Looking for a gym, personal trainer, or unique boot camp experience? Set up a complimentary consultation, or start a 21 Day Risk Free Trial. Stay up to date on the latest information through our website at www.taisofitness.com
