The Mind Your Body Podcast: Tools for Healthy Transformation
Health & Fitness
MYB EPISODE 38: ADJUSTING THE DIAL OF INTENSITY INSTEAD OF
THROWING IN THE TOWEL
Most of us have viewed “getting healthy” as a series of sprints. We go ALL IN when conditions are perfect, focus hard on achieving a short-term goal, then we do one of two things:
Neither of these “finish lines” create sustainable health or healthy habits. This is why yo-yo dieting or on-the-wagon/off-the-wagon plans are the norm.
LET’S ACCEPT THAT LIFE HAS NO PAUSE BUTTON.
The key lesson here is that, like it or not, the game of life keeps going.
There is no timeout.
There’s never going to be a moment when things are magically easier.
You can’t escape work, personal, and family demands. Nor can you escape the need for health and fitness in your life.
We can’t “take a break” from parenting, from our marriage or partnership, or from our job or business.
We understand that we just have to muddle through, even when it’s hard or we don’t feel like it.
We find strategies to make it tolerable, to make things work better, to customize our own approach.
This is what we need to do when it comes to taking care of ourselves.
HOW TO STAY ON OUR OWN TEAM, NO MATTER WHAT
As we discussed in Episode 37, it’s NOT about being perfect, it’s about staying WITH ourselves no matter what “Life” is throwing at us.
(Episode 37 here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/37-embracing-imperfection-other-superpowers-for-getting/id1286869495?i=1000460000175)
As with everything in life, the “All or nothing” mentality rarely gets us “all”. It usually gets us “nothing”. Our new mantra should be “always something”, no matter what it is.
SKILL 1: Adjust your intensity to fit what’s happening in your life.
Instead of focusing on what you are NOT up for, put your energy and focus on what you ARE willing and able to do today to be healthy mentally and physically.
SKILL 2: Aim for a little better.
Don’t overlook seemingly small opportunities to make better choices. This is the OPPOSITE of throwing in the towel!
Examples:
SKILL 3: Identify likely obstacles and plan for them. Otherwise known as: Know thyself!
Becoming aware of our patterns and most common obstacles – and getting creative about workarounds – makes life feel so much more peaceful!
Examples:
EXTRA CREDIT:
To dive deeper into this perspective shift, and the skills required to hold onto it, check out the article from Precision Nutrition that inspired this episode:
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/pause-button-mentality
We’d love to know your thoughts. Was this helpful? Do you have other topics you’d like to hear us discuss? Let us know on our MYB Facebook page!
xo,
Lisa and Jenny, co-hosts
The Mind Your Body Podcast
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