There are a ton of fad diets and dubious weight-loss products promising you will lose weight.
They might even work. Who knows? The problem with most of us is not going on a diet. One of my friends goes on a diet almost every day until dinner when he hits his favorite diner for a monster burger and batter-dipped fries.
The problem is sticking to a diet.
Today, I’ll show you a way that will significantly improve your chances of sticking to a diet.
Here goes:
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I hate the gym. Seriously. I don’t like going. I don’t like the way it smells. And unlike so many other people at the gym, I’m not into the whole “people watching” aspect.
For lack of a better word, I find the whole gym experience boring.
People who know me find this answer surprising since I go the gym 5 days a week. In fact, just the other day a friend of mine told me that I must “lover” going to the gym. Well, I don’t “love” it.
So, why do I go to the gym 5 days a week?
Actually, there are a few reasons why I do it, and it all has to do with the benefits of exercise. I do a combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise. In my particular case, I do very little cardio and more strength training.
I don’t train to bulk up, but simply to maximize the muscle I already have. Why do I keep doing it even though I claim to hate it?
Well, I might not like the gym, but I do like to exercise. And there are 3 good reasons why I keep doing it.
1. More energy
Some people ask me if I feel tired after working out. Far from feeling tired, I get an energy boost. A month ago I was working 12-hour days for a week. And I worked out during my lunch hour (yes, I did eat properly which is just an important for health as exercise).
By the end of the day, I still had plenty of energy, whereas others were happy to call it a day.
2. Improved mental state
It may have something to do with that energy, but I always feel better after working out. And it seriously reduces my stresses. I used to find it odd that on the occasions where I was feeling a little down that I had absolutely no desire to work out.
I thought about this while I was in a good mood and it made sense. When you feel down, you tend to want to keep felling down. Exercising actually makes you feel better. So, the “down mind” wishes to deny you access to something that will kill it.
And exercise does a pretty good job of it.
One other thing I noticed is that when I exercise regularly I sleep better. And I need to sleep less.
3. Improved appearance
Yes, I am not above caring for my appearance. And, no, I don’t sit around looking at myself in the mirror. But improved appearance does make you feel better about yourself. That’s just a plain fact.
I’ve lost a lot of weight since I’ve started exercising. Part of it is because of a better diet, which is the other key component with exercising if you want to lose weight. But exercising regularly and a sensible diet have kept the weight off.
And my keeping a healthy weight and looking better, I feel better.
So, that is why I go to the gym. For those who do not exercise, I would recommend giving it a try for 30 days to see the benefits for yourself. I still hate the whole gym experience, but I do love to exercise. And I like feeling good.
When you are satisfied with your health and appearance, it creates a real foundation for personal growth. That’s why I consider exercising to be a key component in personal development.
Oh, and I heard a rumor that when you’re healthy, you can live longer. And I’m all for that.
Just let me know if that rumor is true.
‘Tis the season for diet books. A WHOLE bunch of them. I must admit. I feel overwhelmed by the diet industry in general. Form books to pills, it boggles the mind.
But the truth is I understand where a lot of it is coming from. Many people are desperate to lose weight. And most of us want to look good because we want to feel better about ourselves.
I myself am not immune to this. At one point in my life, I gained 25 pounds in a few months after quitting smoking. And for a good year, I was not able to do anything about it. It made me feel bad about myself and hurt my ability to develop.
But I accidentally stumbled upon a very easy diet. And when I say stumbled upon it, I mean it literally. I came up with it after falling down chasing my (at the time) 6-month-old baby. And it’s so easy that you can stick to it with minimal willpower.
With this diet I lost the 25 pounds before my body said “NO more”. And I have more or less maintained the weight (for full disclosure, I have gone on more strict diets in accordance with my workout schedule for building muscle…but this diet is not for building muscle). So, how did I do it?
One day, I was talking with my speaking coach. She looked at me with the most serious face and said, “Carlon, now don’t be offended. You know I tell you things only because I think it will help you.”
I knew this had to be something bad. So, I closed my eyes…
…took a deep breath…
…and waited.
Finally, she spoke.
“This is the last one, I swear it is,” I said to myself as I lit up another cigarette on my way back from buying my “last” pack. I had done it again. Gone a week and watched my willpower get crushed under the wheels of addiction.
I felt like a complete and total failure. I had tried over and over again to quit. But I wouldn’t make it until…
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