Ok, so we’ve been spoiled this winter and it’s already beautiful out this spring. Warm weather means a lot of great things ranging from outdoor sports to golf (note: golf isn’t a sport it’s an activity designed to make people very frustrated and angry and then every once in a while very happy—which gets you addicted to it!). However, along with the great opportunities comes anxiety for some because warm weather equals less layers and a little more revealing clothing. The problem is, many want to change and see results but don’t like to exercise or eat healthy. So what can you do? We’ll review three simple tips to looking better for spring and summer.
There is no magic pill or gadget sold on late night TV that actually works. Health and fitness comes down to a very conscious mindset and CHOICE. On one hand we have getting in better shape, living longer, feeling better, and looking better (pleasure). On the other hand we have avoiding the discomfort or pain of exercise and healthy long term nutrition (pain). Everyone is motivated by pleasure or pain…..hope for reward or fear of punishment. And unfortunately, pain (or fear of loss) is usually the bigger psychological motivator in the short term, and repeated short terms end up long term. It’s only when the pain of making one choice over the other becomes so great that we are finally forced to change our decisions. So, if you want to help motivate yourself to make a positive change, then reframe the positive to very real but very negative aspects of the pain of continuing to do what you do now. This flies in the face of most mentoring and self-help gurus who try to frame everything in a positive way like puppies and rainbows, but it gets results and I think those are “positive”. If you are trying to get yourself in the habit of exercising, but you are tired in the morning…..remind yourself that if you don’t get up, you are going to die early, lose out on time with loved ones, look horrible in your clothes because they don’t fit, and probably end up with some horrible painful disease. This may seem over the top, but if you stop and think about it, it is reality. If I put a gun to your head every morning and said go exercise or I’m going to pull the trigger, my guess is you would go to avoid the greater pain. The only difference between this and the real consequences in living an unhealthy life is that the pain and loss are not as clear so we fool ourselves. So when you think one more doughnut or super size fries won’t hurt, picture your jeans tearing because your butt is getting so big, friends laughing at you, your heart stopping and your spouse crying as they watch you thrashing on the ground in a violent fit of death. This isn’t pleasant and can hopefully overcome the pain of not getting your sugar fix (at least some of those times).
So to summarize, eat healthier and workout more or you are going to die. Oh, and I almost forgot the three tips. Besides avoiding death, if you want to look great this summer 1) up your water intake to about 100 oz per day, 2) drop bread and sugar from your daily meals to cut down body fat, and 3) workout with a friend and push each other (peer pressure can be a good thing!).