On my desk I have a sign that reads, “The road to success is always under construction”. When it comes to weight loss and getting fit this is certainly true.
It is important to keep this in mind and acknowledge it as an acceptable if not desirable part of the process if we want our journey to be a happy one.
Getting Fit Under Construction
There are three aspects of a fitness program that are clearly affected by the basic nature of the process, each of which is parallel to the idea of being “under construction.” Think of yourself driving down the road and running into a sign reading “Construction Ahead.” When you do you know these three things are true.
- Your anticipated course will be interrupted and perhaps changed permanently.
- You will have to slow down (speed limits are lowered and other temporary restrictions may be in place such as the number of traffic lanes).
- Once improvements are made the road will usually be better than before.
Sometimes construction projects are anticipated long in advance as when I built my house. Sometimes we encounter them without warning as when we head off to work in the morning and find the road dug up a few blocks from home requiring a few blocks of detour.
Either way, construction projects are inevitable in all areas of life so we should not be surprised by them in our fitness program. The important thing is to never be derailed by them but to adjust to any situation and move ahead.
A Personal Fitness Program Experience
After a full year on my fitness program, with my focus primarily on weight loss, I reached a point a little over twenty pounds short of my weight goal. I decided that if I did not want to risk reverting back to bad eating habits when I did reach my goal it was time to start planning and implementing some important changes in my eating habits.
Because I needed to lose so much weight, at the beginning I committed for a year to eating primarily prepared foods that were easy to track such as frozen low calorie meals in order to make calorie counting easier. This did make it simple to maintain the control I needed but now I want to start implementing a permanent eating plan that will enable me to maintain my new weight.
The truth is I have been looking forward to this change. I will not detail much here but will in many future posts as I add new foods to my eating plan. Already I have been experimenting with a number of items and have found several options that I really like.
My Eating Plan Under Construction
Looking at my list of basic effects in the case of road construction, there are similar parallels in my diet construction efforts. There is no doubt that there will be many changes that will have important consequences.
- My current habits will be interrupted both by needing to learn to eat different foods and by greater challenges in such aspects as counting calories.
- There is also the increased time required in many cases to prepare new meal choices.
- Permanent changes are required that will be (and in fact already are in some cases) making my eating more enjoyable and satisfying.
Here is one example of what I am doing. Over the years I have really not eaten much fruit, but I know long term I need to do so for health reasons and to develop a taste for a snack at times that is better than Doritos or chocolate chip cookies.
Recently I have learned to eat, and really come to like, eating naval oranges. They make a great snack! After only a few snacks on this treat I have established a new habit that I am confident will stay with me.
Already I have tried a few other fruits. A few may not make the grade, although I will give them a fair chance before concluding that to be a sure thing, but several are certain to be clear winners I can say even now.
Under Construction Permanently
While I want to maintain my focus on weight loss until I reach my intended goal, I realize that reaching this focus will likely slow the process down a bit. That is OK since I am nearing my goal, but I do want to make sure I keep moving in that direction.
The main thing is to realize that constructing a healthy eating plan is something I will always be working on from now on and to make it a fun and positive part of living a fit life.