Losing weight and getting fit is more than just being self disciplined. There is a simpler ways to trick your mind into doing what you need to do to move forward and all it involves is asking the right question.
Success is what you do on a daily basis
Whatever it is you want to achieve, your success and ability to make progress towards that goal will be based on your habits. Our habits are the key drivers in our lives that push us to take action. If we have developed positive habits then we will achieve positive outcomes.
And if we are not getting the results we want then we have to reflect on our existing habits, identify what kind of habits we need to develop to reach our goals and then implement them in our day to day life until they become ingrained.
For more on how habits are formed we highly recommend you give this article a read.
What type of person do I want to become?
Developing positive habits for the sake of developing habits is not the point. And it’s not for accomplishing a goal either. Our habits shape who we are. If we wish to make changes to our daily actions and make those changes last in the long run we need to be clear on who we want to become as individuals.
Instead of thinking about what you want to achieve with your health and body or how you’re going to get there start off by getting crystal clear on the type of person you want to become; your identity.
In his excellent book Atomic Habits, author James Clear outlines a 2 step process to follow to make positive long lasting changes:
1- Decide on the type of person you want to be
2- Prove it to yourself with small wins
You probably have an outcome goal you would like to achieve such as ‘I want to lose 10kg and keep it off in 2020’.
Once you get clear on the outcome you want to achieve, ask yourself ‘what type of person is able to lose 10kg and keep it off for the long run?’
Here are some ideas:
- The kind of person who exercises consistently
- The kind of person who eats home cooked meals instead of ordering take out food
- The kind of person who is willing to say no to temptations and focus on the long term objective
- The kind of person who is able to bounce back from failures, learn, and keep moving forward
So if you want to lose weight you need to become more like the kind of person who is able to lose weight. The way you do that is by practicing the habits of the person you identified with and achieving small wins every day.
When you go workout in the morning before starting your day working from home, you prove to yourself that you are an exerciser.
When you go to the grocery store, buy healthy food, and cook your meals for the day you prove to yourself you are a healthy eater.
When you go for a walk on the treadmill or in your backyard during your break instead of scrolling through social media you prove to yourself you are an active person.
When you say no to the desserts at a friend’s house you prove to yourself you are a focused person.
These small wins give you the confidence that you can shape your identity and become the person able to successfully lose weight and get fit.
Do you have to practice certain habits every single day without fail? No. Strive for progress over perfection. Aim to get better and improve with each passing day. If you slip up one day and overeat in the evening for example, that’s ok. Reflect on it the next day to learn why that happened and then focus on the opportunity you have today to act in line with the type of person you want to become.
Here’s something you can do today. Whenever you get the feeling that you should do something beneficial to your health (exercise) but would rather do something completely different (watch Netflix) ask yourself this question:
What would a healthy and fit person do?
Once you have your answer, do that because it will move you in the direction of both your goals and the life you want to live.
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