The future is here, and people… are getting fatter. Like… really, really fat.
As a society we’re eating worse than ever, we’re getting less exercise, and for some reason we just can’t seem to get a handle on the situation. We just can’t seem to force ourselves to get off our collective asses and go for a walk every so often. We can’t seem to avoid guzzling soda, and slamming down greasy burgers, and avoiding vegetables like the plague. And you know what? That’s fine. No matter what I say, 99% of you are going to keep cramming your fat faces full of deep fried food-like substances until your hearts explode.
But for that 1% of you that so badly want to change… to eat healthy, to get in shape? Well, I’ve got a few suggestions for you. Maybe they’ll be enough to push you over the edge.
But… but… I hate the gym!
I read a great little info-graphic over at Predator Nutrition recently that shows all the annoying things that people do in gyms. I had a good laugh, and agreed with the vast majority of their points. It’s true, people are pretty stupid at the gym sometimes. But you know what? AT LEAST THEY’RE DOING SOMETHING! Against all odds, these people – no matter how idiotic – have broken through their own apathy and decided to try and change themselves for the better.
But how did they do it? I really want to go to the gym and eat better! you say, and I believe it. I’ve been in the same boat. But I bet you’ve been saying the exact thing for years and either never gave it a shot, or gave up after a few weeks like most people do. I know, I get it… gyms just aren’t for you, and donuts are soooo delicious. So what was it? Well, I can’t say for sure, but I can tell you what worked for me.
Experiment until you find a type of exercise you like. Hate going to the gym? That’s fine, I find regular gyms extremely boring as well! It took me years to realize that no matter how much I liked the idea of spending every waking moment in the gym, I simply didn’t find it very enjoyable, and thus would never do it – much like trying to learn French. After trying various gyms, trainers, and forms of exercise, I finally settled on rock climbing and I love it. Exercise is no longer a chore, and I’m always looking forward to my next “training” session. You need to experiment until you find something that you enjoy.
Make little incremental changes. I’m not a fat person… in fact, I’m quite the opposite; I’ve had trouble gaining weight my entire life. I would set out with grandiose plans to gain weight and would fail miserably, only to wait years to take another stab at it. The one thing that changed this was telling myself “I’m just going to drink one extra glass of milk a day”. For you that might be “I’m just going to spend 15 minutes walking today”, or “I’m just going to floss one tooth today”. Before you know it, you realize that it’s really not such a big deal. Maybe you start walking for 30 minutes a day. Maybe you start flossing 5 teeth.
Stop listening to everyone’s advice. Everyone has an opinion, and most of them are probably terrible anyway. Decide how you want to eat and exercise, and do your very best to stick with it for at least a month. Nod, smile, and ignore what your friends are suggesting. If you realize after a few months that what you’re doing isn’t working, try something else.
I eat Paleo, and some of my friends make fun of that. That’s bullshit, cave people didn’t actually eat like that, on and on and on. Now I just ignore it, and I’ve got a great reason to do so: I’m healthy as fuck now. I never get sick anymore, all of my stomach problems have vanished, and overall I feel friggin’ great. If I had buckled and listened to their advice, I would have never gotten here.
Change is Scary
If I had to pick one quality that really screwed me over, it was my own fear. I was scared of failing… scared of looking like an idiot at something new. I was scared of my friends disagreeing with my eating and exercise habits. I worried about everything, and it means that I suffered necessarily for years.
If you’re too apathetic to even care about your health, that’s fine; I’m not going to change your mind. But if you’re on the edge, go for it man. Make a few small changes and you’ll be amazed at just how quickly you can transform yourself. All it takes is swallowing your pride, experimenting, and actually getting your fat ass off the couch. Believe me, it feels absolutely amazing to be healthy. You’re going to love it.
(Photo by Tony Alter and Prince Roy)
Self esteem and fear of failure plays a huge role in many people’s minds, I’m glad you touched upon it. We all could do so much more with better self confidence.