Balance

The way to the middle-way is to not succumb to the perceived value of extremes.  This is why I caution people when they believe in the value of extreme behaviors as a solution to their problems - no matter which end that extreme is in.  Those extremes are the opposite ends of the same stick and usually picking that stick up from one end means that you end up smacking yourself in the head with the other end.

You can balance the stick holding it in the middle a lot essier than trying to stand it on it's end.

Nowhere is this perception, that extreme change is the way to success, more apparent than in health behaviors and fitness goals.  People are forever searching for the most intense program with immediate, extreme results.  They believe that quitting "cold turkey" is easier than reducing their vices, so they go on for years and decades waiting for the right moment to quit all while talking the talk of quitting without any action.  Some order the most intense exercise programs that require them to do dozens of pull-ups, when they never accomplished one good one in high school.  They hire the best athletic trainers that train their favorite athletes and then quit because they twisted their knee or pulled their back and go back to sitting on the sofa while waiting for their joints to heal so that they can get back to this extreme regiment they felt was so successful in the 2 weeks their body was able to keep up with it.  They get on an extreme diet that promises them 30 pounds lost in the first month, when they have never been able to go without a desert for a day.  

This idea that someone could go from no experience or years of deconditioning to following the regiment of athletes and the best trainers in the world isn't just unreasonable, it is downright dangerous and all too often leads to the person eventually giving up any effort at all simply accepting that "they are not the type of person, who can get fit" or that "exercise just makes me get injured"

I know this doesn't necessarily sound like a post by a motivation expert but the fact is that both in my personal experience with clients and my own behaviors, as well as my 24 years of academic study into health and motivation, one thing is constant - those who make moderate, manageable changes to their behaviors maintain those changes while those who jump from one extreme program to another, do not.  You simply can't get straight from the coach to a 5K run without taking a lot of walks in between.  If you cannot accept where you are, you cannot plot the right path to your destination.  Imagine this in more concrete terms.  If you were planning a trip from Orlando to Miami, how successful would you be if you ignored the fact that you are actually in Denver?  

There are some deep rooted beliefs that keep people from even wanting to make an appropriate plan for themselves.  One of them is that most of us want to believe that we are still pretty close to the shape we were in at our best.  The idea that we could be much, much less in shape is a hard one to accept.  If you believe yourself to be pretty fit, then the idea of taking a short walk around your neighborhood will seem like a downright waste of time.  So, ask yourself, "When was the last time I walked briskly for an hour or more?"  If it's been more than 6 months since you did, you will need to start with walking.  

Once you hold a realistic view of where your starting blocks are and you make a gradual plan for getting into your dream shape, there is no harm in visualizing yourself already there!  When you're out walking, picture yourself taking short jogs.  Once you are able to skip appetizers and save half your dinner for tomorrow's lunch, go ahead and google some luxurious healthy recipes and imagine yourself meal prepping.  Positive imagery can be very motivating but it has to happen at the heels of a realistic perspective of what you can actually accomplish today.  

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