I’ll Eat Better and Exercise When…

Photo by Artem Podrez: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-eating-french-fries-4728852/

I frequently hear people say things like, “I’m going to start exercising, just as soon as I get a little more time,” or “I’ll cut out the unhealthy snacks when I get a less stressful job.”

The reasons we may have for putting our health on the back burner are numerous and varied, and they may be completely legitimate reasons (or not!). The problem is, the longer you delay doing the things you need to do to get and stay healthy, the harder it’s going to be, the longer it’s going to take to get results, and the results may be more limited than if you had started sooner (particularly if your procrastination is taking place over a period of years).

A common problem I see is that there’s a tendency to create an ideal plan that requires ideal circumstances to be able to follow-through. For instance, someone might be starting from a point of zero physical activity and grabbing fast food for most of their meals because they’re always short on time and they come up with a grandiose plan go to the gym for an hour per day, four days per week and eat strictly home-cooked healthy meals.

Staying motivated to exercise and eat right is hard enough, but when your plan requires you to carve out several hours a week to make it work and you’re stretched for time as it is, it’s probably not going to happen.

Yes, re-prioritizing is an option. It’s great if you’re willing and able to eliminate some time wasters for the sake of your health, but all too often, people try to simply cram healthy lifestyle actions into already over-scheduled and over-stressed lives without getting rid of any unnecessary drains on their time and energy.

I believe some of the blame for thinking too big lies with the fitness and health and self-help “gurus.” Especially in the United States, there’s kind of a mentality of “go big or go home” and this unfortunately leads to a lot of people... going home.

The typical concept is to set big goals and make ambitious plans to achieve them. When that works, it’s great, but I think a lot of people get discouraged and give up – doing nothing when the big plan doesn’t come together for them.

If you have had trouble getting started with healthy improvements in your lifestyle, my suggestion is, rather than creating a regimen for yourself that requires the optimal circumstances on your best day to get it done, consider starting with a baseline plan that is the minimum amount you can and will consistently do on your worst days.

You might not be able to go to the gym for an hour on your worst day, but maybe you can go for a brisk 15 minute walk. You might not be able to make a healthy home-cooked dinner on your worst day, but perhaps you could choose a salad rather than a burger and fries from the drive-through.

When the option is all or nothing, nothing very often wins, but a commitment to doing something on a consistent basis allows you to access at least some improvements in health and start heading you in the direction of taking actions that prioritize your health and well-being.

There’s a certain power in getting started and doing something, no matter how small it may seem in the moment.

We are a product of our habits, and by doing something, you begin developing a new habit that provides a foundation you can build a healthy lifestyle on.

The time to start is now.

And by start, I mean actually doing – not preparing to do. Researching the best diet and exercise regimens for your goals, looking into equipment purchases, etc. may be helpful and important, but for many people, they often take the place of legitimately getting started. How much intensely-researched exercise equipment winds up being used exclusively to hang clothes on?

By all means, prepare and research, but don’t delude yourself into thinking that doing so means you’ve actually started. All too often, “preparation” is just another word for procrastination.

Actually start.

Consider what you can do now that doesn’t require you to find additional time, buy special clothes, equipment, or gym memberships. What can you start doing consistently right now to improve your health and well-being with what you currently have available?

Do that.

Now.

Add to it when you can.

Until next time,

George Best, D.C.

For past newsletters, visit my Beehiiv page.

For information about my practice, including online scheduling, visit gbestdc.com