Dec 29, 2011

The Journey: Am I Up To This?

One of the blogs I follow is "11 Points." His humorous, sometimes off-color posts are full of useless trivia which are like candy to the brain. I didn't realize it, but the author has been on a Journey of his own. He talks about it here... I'd suggest reading it first before continuing on with my post.

When I decided to cut out soda, I did it 100%. I knew if I just tried to cut back it would lead to an epic failure. In the same way, the author of the blog made a 100% commitment to work out every day in 2011. He knew if he said he'd work out "most" days that he'd compromise one day at a time and before long he'd find he hadn't exercised in months. Which is EXACTLY what I've done over the last 6 months. It's so easy skip a day, promising yourself that you'll hit it hard tomorrow. Only tomorrow never comes...

So, after reading his post, I'm contemplating doing the same thing he did: commit that in 2012 I will exercise everyday. But I'm hesitant... And in the spirit of the original blog, I'll list the 11 reasons why I'm hesitant:
  1. Am I too late? When I made the commitment to stop drinking soda, I gave myself a month and a half to prepare mentally. Every time I had a soda between early February and late March I was reminding myself that soon I'd be quitting. It was part of the process of retraining my thinking. If I make this new commitment, I've got just a couple of days to prepare.
  2. It's not going to be convenient. Something like this never is. 
  3. What if I fail and don't make it the whole year? Do I really want to add another dismal failure onto the pile of failure that is my life?
  4. If I do miss one day, will I have intestinal fortitude to go the next day since I would've already broken the streak?
  5. What if I do go at it this hard and still see no results?
  6. Is it wise in regards to health to exercise every day? I've seen studies that show your body needs periods of rest. Even God took it easy on the seventh day...
  7. If I don't do this am I ever going to get some of this weight off?
  8. What other demands on my time will I have to ignore to make this happen?
  9. Why did I say I'd have 11 reasons? I'm starting to run out of things... How can I commit to a year of exercise when I can't even complete an 11 point list?
  10. Going to the gym is pretty boring... Can I figure out a way to make it more engaging?
  11. What if I fail... Yes, I know I've listed this twice, but it's a pretty big concern. Outside of my marriage & my walk with God, I've managed to mess things up pretty good lately.

So... Am I going to do it? I don't know. I've got three more days to decide. I'll let you know what I come up with. Unless I fail at that too...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Don't be so hard on yourself. You are NOT a failure. There are a long list of accomplishments in your life. Your committment to God, your choice in your lifemate, a beautiful home, a great cook and a wonderful son are just a few. Negative self talk is not a good habit. Maybe make your 100% to do 3or 4 days/wk. Like Mon, Tues & Thurs. or Tues,Thurs, Fri. Set specific days. No use in setting yourself up for failure if your schedule doesn't allow for 7 days/wk.