Lesson: Exercise & Stress

Lesson I have learned: It is not worth it to stress over exercise and fitness! The truth is that I am already a person that has nervous anxieties and too much stress. To alleviate my stress in the past I have turned to food which has cause me to gain a lot of weight. In an effort to change and start exercising I have approached my fitness routine with the same stressed and anxious mind-set which is counter productive. It produces a negative cycle. First I stress and then I eat then. Then I stress over my weight-gain, then I stress over my fitness routine which sends me flying back to my old cure, food! I have learned that there is no good that can come from stressing over my body weight and my exercise routine. I need to stop making UN-realistic fitness goals that are based on me trying to shed weight instantly. There is no such thing as instant weight-loss or instant success. Success and weight-loss both come from sustained hard work over a long period of time. Just, because I can instantly fail or instantly gain weight does not mean I can instantly take the weight off. It takes a lot of momentum to move a large mass. It takes months of consistent diet and exercise to see results. I cannot allow myself to by into the myth of instant success when it comes to weight-loss. The body naturally likes to change gradually, this is why it takes nine months to have a baby! It is OK to monitor my weight-loss over time, but it is not OK to make judgements and set standards or punish myself based on the rate of my weight-loss. Watching the body lost is just like watching hair grow, the change is very subtle. I just need to focus on living with these small changes every day! I also need to remember that my weight is determined by what and how much I eat! Walking is simply a moving mediation! Walking can alleviate my stress so that I have less triggers to over eat, it can make me feel good about myself, but it is not a direct tool to drop instant pounds! CLM