Oh no, not an overused slogan. You deserve better than that!
Earlier today I posted a photo on Facebook that was meant to encourage people to get going and do some exercise. I even used the Nike adage, to encourage people to “just do it,” and I’m not gonna lie – this wasn’t my best post. I could make excuses and tell you how preoccupied I am because work has been pretty intense lately; how tired I am because we’ve got family coming to visit and my partner has us cleaning the house like crazy people (seriously no-one will know if the storage cupboard in the laundry is dusty); or how I have no time because I run another business from home in my spare time… but who am I kidding, you didn’t come here for that!
I could even give you decent reasons for making such a crap post – Facebook wants you to stay active, so I needed to post something in a hurry; I was short on ideas and time this morning and wanted to keep connected to you; I really, genuinely want to give people a hand but I’m not a literary genius so good posts take time… but you didn’t come here for that either!
My terrible post this morning got me thinking about why you good people do come here. I wanted to create a space for real people to hear what actually works, not some bullshit motivational slogans! This got me thinking about my own motivation – both for losing weight and for writing that post.
What to do when you discover you’ve lost it!
About 6 hours into my weight loss mission I realised that I hated people nagging me. Even when they weren’t really nagging, I felt like they were and I resisted like anything. As soon as they opened their chops to encourage me with a carefully chosen motivating phrase I could feel my eyes starting to roll, and even though I appreciate the sentiment I usually couldn’t stop feeling resentful. The worst part was that even though they were trying to be helpful, actually I hated it and it never motivated me to do much of anything! When I took a second look at that post, it took me back to that feeling. It was a reminder of the insecurity I had about exercising, insecurities that were only amplified by people telling me what they thought I needed to do.
Hold up, there’s some similarities here!
I had all sorts of reasons for writing that post this morning – ranging from work, to tiredness, to a lack of time – but when I think about it, these are exactly the same excuses that I used to use for not exercising! Don’t get me wrong, they are certainly legitimate reasons for feeling like the motivation has gone AWOL, but it doesn’t have to end there.
When I was 127kgs, and full of excuses, there were a few things that helped me out and made sure that I could ditch my own bullshit excuses:
- A good exercise partner – someone that I had made an agreement with, who I knew wouldn’t take no for an answer, unless MAYBE I was on my deathbed.
- Reminding myself how it felt when I’d done it last time. You’ll find, as I did, that you mostly just don’t wanna do it. But the biggest sense of accomplishment comes when you do it anyway.
- Finding something you enjoy. Exercise doesn’t have to suck. It wasn’t until I started walking instead of running, or skipping, or crazy burpees that I started to enjoy it. As I got fitter I made it harder, and at some point when you’re much more comfortable with who you are, and how you look, you actually start to make it suck on purpose.
I’m not here to nag, I hated it, why wouldn’t you?! My goal is to share my experiences and document the things that worked and help you avoid some of the mistakes I made.
– Shane
I have just been introduced to 127 kgs and I am thankful learning and practicing the advice and tips. Much appreciated!
Thanks for stopping by Ala, I’m glad you’re finding the site helpful. Good luck with your own mission! Feel free to email me anytime if you have any questions.