Easy strategies anyone can follow-Part 2 : Doing it the fun way
You Can Be Youthful & Attractive Post 40, The Natural Way
How I gained confidence & friends on a kickass weight loss journey- you can too.
Most people liked Part 1 of this article. So I decided to share Part 2. As an aside I’m glad I’ve worked on self- belief while posting on this platform. So anyway, Part 2 addresses what all of you want at the end of the day- weight loss.
Oops! Let me correct myself. Not weight loss but inches loss.
There is a difference. Inches loss happens faster than weight loss. It is exactly what we all aspire for. Tucking in the annoying tummy, going one boob size smaller or getting toned muscular legs. We refer to it casually as weight loss. But we like casual so we will call it weight loss through the article.
So here goes. These strategies can be used on issues other than weight loss & will work as well. Enjoy the tips & may they serve you well!
1. Tricking your brain into the weight loss journey
Your brain is the no 1 tool you got to use for weight loss. This is a cool stat & actually useful for you. All you got to do is know some fundamentals about the brain. Then you will find it easy to control it.
Our brain has two parts- the primitive brain & the higher evolved one. At any point of time either one of them works. That’s the reason you see some highly woke people acting primitive sometimes. Or some people who should be acting highly woke acting primitive. Like the American Uncle Trump. But I’m digressing…
So the primitive brain is self- absorbed. It does only what it truly thinks is in your interest. It is also kinda stupid. This brain fixates around familiarity. To quieten the familiar, comfortable thoughts & beliefs of the primitive brain, you need to make them unfamiliar.
You need to trick your brain a little bit.
Say you wanna get up an hour earlier on a work day so you have time for some exercise. The usual conversation clashes between your primitive & evolved brain will ensure that you sleep in. The primitive brain signals that you need more sleep. You succumb.
But what if you change the conversation pattern? I do it this way. See if it works for you.
I have bought a couple of dresses that are very pretty & a size too small. I lay them out in my room so they are the last things I see before I sleep & the first things I see when I wake. The alarm rings & my primitive brain starts to protest. I let it. I first acknowledge that sleep is awesome. When I see the dresses laid out my evolved brain takes over. It tells me what is more awesome than sleep is fitting into such a beautiful dress. It tells me an hour of running will do the trick. The evolved brain’s voice has now taken over. Listing all the awesome reasons I have to run. I am up & ready to seize the day!
Try this for 30 days in a row & it becomes habit!
2. Fun run your way to health & friendships
Can you guess the biggest reason people fail at workouts? Most people hate to workout because the process is no fun.
Think about it.
People watch fitness videos online to exercise from the comfort of their home. Or they hire a yoga instructor. Worse, they visit a gym to exercise among 20-year-old boys flexing their muscles. If they are first timers, they don’t know how to handle all that equipment & testosterone fest. They give up.
Tell me you’ve been on this kind of weight loss journey. And given up midway. I have for sure, before I discovered what works. I can relate.
Smart people who want sustained success with weight loss do these things instead. They:
- Rely on others to motivate them. So they prefer group activities
- Get a fitness coach
- Work out in the great outdoors
- Become friends with their fitness gang
- Have an achievement goal in fitness beyond just inches loss
- Have healthy competition with their fitness gang
- Indulge in other fun & non harmful activities along with their fitness gang
- Involve their families in their fitness journey
- Choose an activity where they wake early. They use the extra time to be productive in other areas of life.
I chose running. I run with a group of 10 others. They are my friends & motivators. When I started a year ago, I couldn’t run to save my ass. Now I am preparing for a 21 K marathon. My friendships make me happy. We grow together. We grab a healthy lunch sometimes, indulge in some wanton behaviour & party together. Knowing that we will motivate each other to shrug off the day & get back to fitness.
Embrace these tips & you will be proud of your relentless fitness journey. And your hourglass figure. Your self- confidence will look up.
If you haven’t read my first article yet, you can read it here.
It talks about loving your body enough to eat right & loving your life enough to indulge in some fun once in a while.
