I had an epiphany about weight loss and quite frankly life in general while listening to my favorite podcast from Father Mike Schmitz. Father Mike who ministers to Catholic College Students (and some 50+ year men like yours truly) has a new series of podcasts for the end of the school year called What’s Next. The first of the series was about the anxiety that is sometimes associated when contemplating what’s next in this world. As soon as I heard that, I got an inspiration. The key question for weight loss and life in general is not What’s Next but What’s Now. I think Father Mike may go there on the next one of the series but since he did not hit this exact point on this first one (listen to it here Fr Mike’s Podcast ), I will!
Too often, we are filled with anxiety about what is going to come next. We set goals, or we face hardships and we worry what is coming next. Will I achieve the goal for which I strive, or will I sink under the weight of some difficulty that is hard to bear? In weight loss terms, we set a path and a timetable to lose 75 lbs. before your reunion and now have only lost 20 lbs with the reunion 3 weeks a way. Or you have a difficult project for which the outcome is uncertain, so you stress each out and eat too many Quarter Pounders with cheese. I am not saying stop setting goals or bearing the crosses of everyday life. What I am saying is the proper question is not What’s Next, it is What’s Now.
There are three variations on that phrase which are insightful when losing the baggage of everyday life whether it is weight or worries:
1. Be thankful for Now and not anxious for what’s Next. When I was losing over 170 lbs. in a year and a half, the times when I went off track were normally related to not being thankful for the strides that I had made that day. Revel in the success of today and don’t worry that the pounds may not be coming off fast enough to hit your goal in a certain timeframe. The weight will come off. Likewise, be thankful for a beautiful sunset or a hug from your child rather than whether you will hit your next sales target. The first two brings well-being, the latter could lead to a rush of cortisol and a palpitating heart!
2. Don’t let the goals of tomorrow, get in the way of doing good today. There is a body and soul connection. In the rush of making the next goal, we miss the chance to help someone out and show a little kindness. When you help someone else out, you feel good about your self and maybe get a little exercise (e.g. helping someone move, etc.) Likewise, when you are kind to yourself, instead of beating yourself up, you are less stressed and less prone to binge eating. Stop striving and help someone.
3. Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today. I know it is a little cliché but maybe this insight into the phrase is not. Sometimes when we are thinking about what we desire to do tomorrow (like run a half marathon), we get frustrated with what we can do today (like walk a half block). When I started off on my weight loss journey, I could walk a few laps in the kiddie pool (because regular walking of any distance would hurt my back). If I had stopped because I was frustrated, I would have never been able to walk the 50 miles in one day that I did a year and a half later. Do what you can do now and do not stress if you are behind in your progress.
In closing, one popular song title said, “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow”. I say STOP and do what you can do in fitness, weight loss, and life today!
Weight Loss and Leadership 