Tag: positivity

Little Concentrated Efforts for Positive Lifestyle Changes.

I haven’t been good for a while. Lots of work stress, eating all the crap, minimal exercise and poor mental health. Which has all resulted in a quite crap physical and mental me.

So it begins again. Yes, we’re back here.

I’m considering tomorrow “D-day”. Lets see what I can do to be better. But the thing is, I’m still exhausted, the flat is a mess and I have very little in to eat. And I cannot be bothered to go out and do a shop.

So whilst I “start” tomorrow. It’s not like suddenly everything is just going to just CHANGE tomorrow. Whilst I might be a bit motivated now – I want to be thinner, I want to feel better about myself, I want, I want, I want… I know that even within the hour that will change. And tomorrow I will likely still wake up and want chocolate, and wish I didn’t have to go to work, and I’ll still likely hit the snooze button a million times.

But I want to start to change. And that probably even starts a bit now. Right now, I am tired and grumpy, but my head is FULL of SO MANY things I need to do to “just start”. And the reality is they all won’t happen.

So what I need to do – what is my plan: Little Concentrated Efforts of Positive Lifestyle Changes. I am thinking of the future. I’m not happy now – but sitting on the sofa eating excessive amounts of junk food won’t produce a good tomorrow. And I am not going to be in able to run a marathon tomorrow, nor eat just salad all day.

So change the little things. What can I do in each moment that will be better for tomorrow. I will still have junk food today – I’m craving it, I have it in. But I’ll have less than yesterday. I will recognise and prioritise 2 things that need to be done today. Each time, each moment – what’s best for looking after me? What if you weren’t alone and were with a group, what would be happening? (I look after myself much better when in front of people – I’ll stick to schedules in respect for them, keep things tidier, eat less junk so they don’t judge me).

Like tomorrow. I will set the alarms in anticipation that I will snooze – why would I think that would change overnight? And expecting myself to just “Get up” and meet an earlier timetable – that just sets me up to fail, and produce a negative backlash on myself. Why do that to myself?

Get up as normal. But instead of listening to the craving of chocolate, just go have my breakfast. The somewhat healthier breakfast I can make with the stuff I have in – it’s better than chocolate biscuits for breakfast.

And the day shall go on. Each moment hopefully just thinking how I can avoid the lazy, stuffing my face with sugar option – and do something a little bit better. And overall I hope that will produce results.

In the future, I hope to my journal setup. I want to have planned meals and an exercise routine. I will have work revision built into my week, so it is not something continually hanging over me.

But for now: focus on making me a better version of the right now me. Make each day better. Then hope the week was better – and not the BEST. Just better. There will still be the occasional chocolate bar. And I can’t be productive 24/7 – I need to have some evenings just relaxing, that’s important too. And maybe I’ll miss a run sometimes. But that’s OK. Just, aim for it to be better.

I’m giving myself a kind of 12-week check point. The changes and results won’t be immediate and obvious. If I can keep it up, hopefully I’ll see things change a bit in 8/12 weeks. The end of the month is always a good time to stop and reflect and see how things have gone, or what can change to make things  a bit better the next month. What are typical obstacles, how can I overcome them?

I’m really hoping for some change. Nothing magical. Just a bit lighter, a bit fitter, a bit happier. And then I can start looking at the proper information behind nutrition and health, etc, that I really want to get into for this blog. But I can’t do the extra stuff, if I’m just not looking after myself. That has to come first.

The PMA Way: Positive Mental Attitude. Little Concentrated Efforts for Positive Lifestyle Changes. Each day, choosing the slightly better option when I can. Hopefully, overall, those little things will add up. Lets find out.

You Choose

I wake up and I’m pessimistic for the day. I don’t want to get up. I’m sure there’s loads of things to be done; I should exercise; what will I eat – I want chocolate! It’s misery and woe and I drag myself to the kitchen.

It’s not meant to be like this. Yesterday I told myself today would be The Day. I was going to be optimistic and positive and start my resolutions with determination and vigour. But I guess I didn’t get the memo.

After a breakfast of scrolling through mindless screens, I went to the toilet. And without TMI, I did a BIG poo. It was painful and I was genuinely stressed by it. It felt like I birthed a child. And I felt SO much better after it. The thing is, I did that to myself. For nearly a week, I have sat and filled myself with crap. I did no exercise. There were no vegetables in sight. What you eat matters. It affects your health – physical and mental. I was renewed with promises and plans – I will be healthy! This is it!!

Within 30 minutes, I was back in my kitchen, planless and scrolling again.

You choose. Only you can change you. [this is excluding medical pathology which requires proper treatment!]. Your mindset, your drive. Your will to succeed. It has to come from within you somewhere. And the thing is, it’s not in the big moments. There needs to be a consistency and continual drive that underpins it all. Positivity. And this won’t come easily or quickly. If you’re like me, my past has been plagued with negative thoughts, lack of self-confidence and more recently hopelessness. This seems to be my baseline. This is what needs to change. I cannot expect to eat well and exercise regularly  if I do not remember why I wanted to in the first place. I want to feel better – that is the goal. And it will come from little changes, continually. Not running the full marathon tomorrow, and then never again.

I was listening on the radio yesterday on my way to work. On it they were interviewing a guy whose podcast interviewed famous people and their tips to success. In the short span of time, it really struck something in me.  One of the key things was having goals (there was a fancy term, but I can’t remember). Having that something, a long term goal, that reinforces what each day is about. (I’m going to find out who it was and get his book – I’ll write a review on the book when I do!)

PMA. My initials. But also – Positive Mental Attitude. And ultimately, beyond calories consumed and miles run and litres of water drank; I this may have a heavy influence on our health. Without it, I don’t feel motivated to cook the home meal, or go for that run I know I should do. And this won’t be easy, it’s not a quick app to install on your phone and be done. I’m not even sure how to do it, or have it. But I’ll work on it. I need it. And I will share my journey, the good and the bad, on my way to building and maintain my PMA – hopefully resulting in weight loss and happiness gained.