One Key Habit of the Lean, Fit and Healthy

Just think of how much better your life would be and the world would work if you were truly committed to 100% excellence? Maybe you don’t think it would make a difference, or may be the difference is just not clear to you. You see one of the key habits of people who are always lean, fit and healthy is that they hold themselves to a certain standard. It is seen in their level of 100% commitment to; what they will eat, how much they will eat and daily exercise. They are completely unwilling to compromise on that pact they made with themselves. Ever meet someone like that?

There is no partial commitment, no forgetting about it because of rain, busy day, social event or any other thing that might try to de-rail their plans. No person, situation or event will stop them from holding to the 100% commitment they made within themselves! They know that a moment of question, even a 99.9% commitment, will open the door to rationalize, make excuses or de-prioritize their health priorities. Here is an example of what can happen when you soften your commitment even a drop. Did you know that if doctors only held themselves to a 99.9% commitment to excellence then; 500 incorrect surgical operations would be performed each week and 50 newborn babies would be dropped at birth each day…just for starters? Think about it, what if your heart took on a less than total commitment and worked only 99.9% of the time? Your heart would fail to beat 32,000 times a year! Does this sound hard?

Is it unreasonable to be 100% committed to something? Let me ask you, are you anything less than 100% committed to being faithful to your spouse or significant other, less than 100% committed to protecting your kids? When you think about it, you are that committed to a lot of things aren’t you? Remember 100% commitment is easy, 99% commitment is a bitch! If you give yourself even a moment of wiggle room then it can lead to an increase in excuses and rationalization. You will talk yourself out of it more and more, especially if this is a new habit for you. What if every day you had to decide if you were going to be faithful to your spouse, or whether or not you were going to protect your kids. Imagine weighing the options, the pros and cons, imagine the internal struggle. It would be a bitch wouldn’t it?

 That is why committing 100% is easy; there are no questions, no decisions, no room for excuses…you just do it. When it comes to your weight and health, being 100% commitment does not mean 100% abstinence from foods you enjoy. It means that you hold yourself to your rules and standard. It might be.. • Exercise daily for 1 hours...or • Exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes…or • Ice cream one time a month. • Pizza once every two weeks • Healthy breakfast every day • Lean protein and vegetables every lunch mon-Friday. Take the time to design your health rules and then once decided, commit 100% to them! You will see your life and health change!

To Lose Weight You Must Fill the Void

Everything we do is driven by our personal demand to fulfill some of our needs. One of our important needs is that all people have a need for variety or spontaneity. Unfortunately, there are a large number of methods that people use to fulfill this need that aren’t healthy; junk food or food in general, alcohol and drugs - these fulfill this need but could hardly be considered a healthy choice.

 How we try to fulfill our needs can be broken down into two different types of behaviors…

• The first type is the most fulfilling:  the behavior fulfills our basic needs, it is good for us and it positively impacts others.  Exercise, contribution, loving   relationships and serving others are some examples.
• The second type is not beneficial:  the action or behavior fulfills our basic needs, but it is bad for us and it is not beneficial for others.  Using food in this way or alcohol are examples.

Eating foods that we know is unhealthy for us; that make us gain weight, that make us feel bad about ourselves long after we are done eating, that leads to a low level of self-esteem and health – and that negatively impact people around us - are type 2 actions.  It is not a healthy choice for us but unfortunately it is fulfilling a human need.

Let’s say that you have decided that it is time to make a change, to lose weight and get healthy!

When you decide to take charge and make a change, what you must embrace is that this is not only an opportunity to change your diet, but to also change the method you are using to meet some of your needs.  It is a chance to change behaviors from type 2 to type 1. 

If you go on a diet and you don’t fill the void in the fulfillment of your basic human needs created by the diet, then you will quickly feel overwhelmed.  You can’t ignore the human need.  You will experience this loss or void as; feeling uncomfortable, feeling uncertain on how to feel good, and you will also feel like things are boring, a lack of variety in your life.   When you begin to sense that your needs are not being met you will sabotage your diet.

If you don’t want this to happen, then…

…to lose weight - you must fill in the void.  Replace it with a positive, type one behavior.  Find your variety, your spice of life in other ways…exercise, books, conversation, living fully and outrageously.  These are the things that increase your quality of life.  Let’s face it,  when we die…we only get to take our memories with us.  Do you really think that you will remember the dumb T.V. show you watched or the fattening meal you ate while watching it because you were sad or bored?  No!

So fill the void by doing things that enrich your life, increase your health and create a better version of you. Those types of behaviors will fulfill your needs, are good for you, and will affect others around you in a positive way.

Why People Fight For Their Right to NOT Lose Weight!

Many people who are overweight, feel the pressure to lose weight from outside influences, but fight for their right not to do so, why?  Is it ignorance because they don’t know what the repercussions of their weight will be on healthcare and life expectancy?    Or is it that they aren’t self aware enough to evaluate the cost of their weight as it relates to; their self-esteem, their self-image and the effects it is having on themselves, others, and their relationships?

If it is ignorance, then for these rare few there is but an awareness of discontentment, and that discontentment is pushed deep into the recesses of their mind. It is usually not ignorance that has someone fighting to stay overweight, but protection. It is common for overweight people to hide behind a defensive veil, aggressively standing up for their right to be themselves and to be accepted by others for who they are.  Watch out if any of these loved ones suggested losing weight or a healthier lifestyle to these people. It is unfortunate that it is not clearer to these people that any change that their love ones are suggesting comes from wanting the best for them.   It is not non-acceptance that drives a loved one to want the person they care about to be healthier, be more confident and live a fuller more rewarding life… but love.

This defensive veil is their protection,  it is the outer shell that hides their true feelings.   Take the veil and draw it back and you come face to face with a person that wants to change, and who in fact struggles with accepting and loving themselves.   But, with an inability to know exactly how to change, a  self-protecting mechanism kicks in and they stand vehemently up for their right to be any weight they choose and that they should be loved and accepted as they are.

Some use weight as the ultimate protection, a way to push others away.  Some use it specifically to push away opposite sex or the interests of others.  There is no threat of rejection if you don’t make yourself available to being rejected.  By staying overweight and unattractive to others they protect themselves from others.  It is not unusual for people in unhappy marriages to keep their spouses at bay by holding on to excess weight, for them it is easier to push their husband or wife away with how they look then by working through the relationship problems.

It might have become apparent, that being overweight is a selfish thing that affects everyone, it is also a thing that can be manipulated and can be used to push others away. Regardless of whether someone is defensive because they are hurting inside and wish terribly that they could lose the weight, or if they feel that way but have learned to use their weight for their own manipulation and protection, it is very sad.  People should never fail to realize that the love and acceptance they fight for from others is not what they want.  That love and acceptance is and always will be there from the people who love them… but this will never take away the pain they feel inside.

The love and acceptance they really desire, the one that can take away all the pain is not from any of the outside sources they look to, but is from within themselves. The second they take responsibility for their feelings, their attitude and their self-esteem they will be on their way.  They will stop looking to others for acceptance and start taking the steps necessary to create the love and acceptance they so very much need from themselves.

It is only when we love and accept ourselves does one’s relationships with others soar to new heights and does our own self-mastery begin to blossom!