From Fat to Fit...the mind game a year later.



Have you ever noticed how relatively easy it is to start something new and difficult to follow it through? In January this year I completed a year-long struggle with weight control and by the grace of God, I am still at it.

Last November I shared my story- “From Fat to Fit…” with my readers. That was the story of the beginning. Tough though that was, what followed it was even tougher: the continuation aspect. Gone were the thrills of looking at the scales and noticing how much weight you had lost each month; the fact that I had reduced dress sizes had also been kind of taken for granted. The question that loomed large on my mind was where do I go from here? Do I discontinue? Do I keep at my routine which by now had become boring?

Notice though that in all this, I am basically alluding to my inner dialogue. We all know how the mind has its tricky ways of assuming the dimensions of an independent being inside of us. In my imagination it is like a being that is small in size but powerful enough to paralyze my best intentions. It takes on the aspect of a wicked imp, tempting me with inertia, with the  secret pleasures of not  exercising, with the  illusion that I have trimmed my body to such a level of fitness that even if I now let go, no harm will be done…and so on and so forth. The list is endless as the little being inside us is prolific in cooking up excuses. The fact is if we get good at excuses, we are hardly good at anything else.

Here’s a look at some of  the excuses I manage to come up with.

• Yesterday, I had a long day at work, so I need the extra sleep today. It’s ok to miss the morning walk/ jog. I can do some free-hand exercises later.
• I am experiencing a muscle-pull, so I should skip exercising today.
• I have some osteoarthritis-related problems, so rest-day today.
• I have some extra work in office; I’ll have to go in earlier than usual. So, no time for gym.
• I feel light, all my clothes fit fine, so what’s the need to exercise.
• It’s hot today, so I’ll sweat a lot anyway
• Yesterday I exercised a lot, so I burnt a lot of extra calories.
• I didn’t eat much today, my calorie-intake was not high, so I can put it off toady.
• One day will not make a difference, since I am generally regular

The creativity in this aspect is limitless. How do I deal with these? I have no formulaic answer. Most of the times, I try to trick my mind : I comfort myself by stating , “ I will not run the whole way, or not do the whole routine of jog, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, weights, etc.” The ‘self-comforting' trick really works for my mind. It immediately falls into place and does as told. My inertia disappears. Another trick is positive reinforcement: I reward myself from time to time by allowing myself the time and resources for whatever it is that I have been wanting.

In this tussel with our own mind, it is imperative to address psychological issues. If we happen to have baggage from the past, it has a certain way of showing up on our bodies, in our health. 'Forgive and forget' is the mantra I keep chanting, not always with equal amounts of success, but nonetheless.

I must say one thing though: when you have completed more than a year’s journey with the fitness issue, diet does not remain a concern any longer. Eating right becomes a habit. Your appetite somehow shrinks. You are no longer susceptible to over-eating.

My ongoing struggle is with my mind, sometimes as turbulent as the shallow waves that break relentlessly near a shore. It has to be trained to calm down like the placid waters of the deep sea.