by Matt Robinson | Jun 9, 2015 | General, Journal, Triumphs
After about 3 years I finally got back in the pool yesterday. As a teenager I worked as a lifeguard – I loved swimming! (I wasn’t a fan of the distance stuff, but none-the-less I still enjoyed the exercise)
I was expecting it to go worse than I thought. 3 years ago I worked up to swimming about 40 laps continuously. Yesterday I swam 24 laps continuously! I was impressed! Mind you, I’ve lost about 55 pounds since I last went swimming – that definitely helps!
I love swimming mainly because it’s such a great cardio workout and it’s easy on my body. I’ve been having soreness in my shoulders so I wasn’t sure how it would go, but after a few laps my muscles got warmed up and it felt amazing!
If you haven’t tried swimming and you’re having difficulty with the impact your body goes through with regular cardio, I would encourage you to at least consider swimming. It’s relatively cheap, easy on the joints and gives a GREAT workout!
photo credit: 062 via photopin (license)
by Matt Robinson | Apr 17, 2013 | General, Lessons, Motivation, Triumphs
Losing weight is all in your head.
I’ve read a lot of articles and watched many videos about how to lose weight. I’ve tried almost every type of diet from Atkins and Weight Watchers to eating massive quantities of cabbage soup and rice cakes. I’ve tried counting calories. I’ve tried NOT counting calories. Each approach has had it’s merits, but of those attempts ended in failure for me.
Then it clicked.
It was all in my head.
I looked at my state of mind before each attempt and tried to isolate that feeling; that motivation to keep myself going. I also had to look at what ultimately led me to failure. My conclusion was simple: losing weight began and ended in my mind.
“The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t are both right!”
Henry Ford
It’s easy for someone to say they’ve ‘figured out’ how to do something but more often than not, what the person has discovered is something that has worked ‘for THEM‘. All of the methods I’ve mentioned have their pros and cons. You can take something from each one of them. And keep in mind that there are some very sound principles to learn that will help you lose weight. (I’ll share these in future posts!)
But at the end of the day, losing weight is formed and determined in your mind FIRST! You have to DECIDE that you want to change. You MUST discover your reason WHY – without it, getting through the difficulties that WILL come is going to seem impossible. I say seem because nothing is really impossible if you put your mind to it.
You may have heard about the following story. Before 1954 if you had asked anyone if it was possible for a human to run one mile in less than four minutes you would have been laughed at! In fact, there was ‘scientific evidence‘ that the human body could never handle that kind strain.
That is, until Roger Bannister broke the four minute barrier on May 6th 1954. It took all of recorded history for someone to break this barrier – and 2 months later, it was broken again. Today, it has been broken THOUSANDS of times. What was once considered impossible, became possible because of people who refused to limit themselves.
That may seem like an extreme example, but the principle remains. If you want to lose weight, you must first decide that you CAN do it. If you firmly believe this, your body will become a servant to your mind and the transformation WILL take place.
For the past three days I’ve been fighting the worst ear ache I’ve ever had. I’ve been to the doctor and been told to ‘tough’ it out. In the past this advice would have had me stopping my weight loss efforts until I’m better.
But not this time! This time I’ve decided that I CAN continue even through the pain. I CAN still exercise. I CAN eat better. I CAN drink more water. This little battle has been waged and WON in my mind…and my body has followed along!
You don’t need designer clothes, designer programs, designer gyms or designer foods to change your body. You simply need to design your thinking to adapt to whatever you face.
Take it one day at a time. One hour at a time. One MOMENT at a time and decide for yourself that THIS WILL HAPPEN. Your body will follow along!
I’d love for you to get connected with those of us challenging ourselves to live better. Why not Join the 100lb Challenge? Decide in your mind and then work with those of us who are doing the same. Together we can build a strong, solid, life-long foundation of health and success!
photo credit: xopherlance via photopin cc
