I love spring. From the birds chirping to the smell of fresh cut grass, everything about spring time is amazing. The weather is the perfect temperature for having a picnic, throwing the baseball around or even playing guitar under a tree by the bayou. However you spend the short spring we have, it’s mostly pretty much perfect.
Along with the weather warming up comes the packing away of winter clothes and the breaking out of shorts, t-shirts, flip-flops and other clothes associated with the warmer temperatures. As the shorts come out and the jackets go up, a larger emphasis is put on losing weight and getting back in shape.
Gyms all over the country this time of year are being filled with men trying to lose their love handles and women trying to fit into their bathing suits. Even the activity center here at ULM has the annual Spring Meltdown this time of year.
No matter what walk of life you are from or group of people you associate with, it seems that there are always a few people in each group that are on some sort of new diet, meal plan or workout schedule.
While some people truly enjoy working out and cutting back on delicious food, for the rest of us normal human beings, cutting back and being healthier is quite a task and at times, overwhelming.
For many embarking on the quest to get in shape, the pressure of eating healthy and staying active is overcome by the allure of cheeseburgers and lying on the sofa.
So how can one start a diet plan and stick with it? Well of course there’s always signing a contract or having a personal trainer, but I think the most important way is to make sure you’re doing it for the right reason. If you are just dieting and working out because you want to look good, then it will become miserable and you won’t want to do it anymore. It may not seem that way at first, but as time drags on you will definitely feel it losing its appeal.
Dieting and working out is the kind of thing you have to really work at and want to do for the right reason, and that reason is to make yourself better.
If the main goal behind your diet and exercise is make yourself better as a person and to make yourself healthier for your future, then you will be motivated more than for the superficial reasons.
Another important thing to remember is that everyone loses weight in a different way at different speeds. Don’t feel discouraged or start taking dangerous supplements because you’re not losing the pounds like the person next to you.
In the end, the eating healthy and exercising is all about making you better and making yourself feel better.
If what you are doing, whether it is running all afternoon at the activity center or having a protein shake for lunch instead of food, is making you miserable, check and see if you’re being motivated by the right reasons.
If the motivation comes from an inner desire to better yourself you will find the motivation to finish that lap, but if that motivation comes from outside sources then it will be tough.
