Distractions, Excuses, and More Distractions. Catch Your Thoughts. Simply Believe. Don’t Think So Much, Just Go!

Don’t Think, Just Go!

That’s what my Hawaiian friend and surfer used to say. And we all would laugh under our breath as we watched him walk down the hill with his surfboard from his house in Hermosa Beach, oblivious to our laughter and judgments of him since there were no waves at all out there. We thought ‘What a goofball.’ But he usually had the last laugh.

It wasn’t long before… “Look!” someone would say. And there was Dave ripping one peeling wave after the other…alone, soloing it. No one around. He had them all to himself, well at least that was until we all grabbed our boards and made a run for it and joined him. It was sort of a spiritual thing watching it all unfold for him. And it happened more than once.

Simply Believe

This is what I’m talking about. Simply believing… believing in what you want and that you can get it all. Heck, why not? Then you don’t have to wonder anymore. Check. Done. Write these words down: ‘I believe I can have it all. I believe I can be healthy and fit. I deserve it. I believe I can look and feel amazing.’ Make the words your own. Create them. Now keep these words where you can see them and read them everyday. Read them also right before bedtime. A college course I took called ‘Learning and Memory Psychology’ taught us that if you want to get something in your system and learn it, it helps to study it and then not let in any other information/interference in after that.

Don’t Think So Much

How many times have you thought,
‘I really want to get fit but I’ll never get there.’
‘I’ll never be as fit as she or he is.’
‘Should I or shouldn’t I go workout now?’
‘Do I feel like it?’
‘But I only have 30 minutes right now and I have to change, and drive there.. hmm.’
‘I’m kind of tired.’
‘I’m don’t really look that bad (overweight)’
‘I know I should go workout but I need someone to do it with (excuse) so forget it.’
‘I’m sore from yesterday so I should rest.’
‘My favorite tights are in the wash’
‘But my husband doesn’t workout and he’s ok with the way I am.’
‘What if I lose weight and look better than she (wife) does?’ …to name a few.

Catch Your Thoughts

Slow them down, breathe, and notice them. What exactly are the words you tell yourself? Do they make sense? Are they nice, compassionate? Are they excuses? Are they strong or weak thoughts? Do they stem from doubting yourself? Do they stem from what others may think about or expect from you? Are you truly treating yourself well? Now pick out the positive ones, notice them, keep them, and throw out the negative ones. Leave them. Practice this daily until it becomes a habit.

Distractions, Excuses, and More Distractions

Haven’t we all caught ourselves (I know I have) thinking that we should squeeze in a workout and then find ourselves doing laundry, or the dishes, or writing that text or email and then saying to ourselves, ‘Oh well, no time left. I’ll start tomorrow, or next week.’ … which turns into the first of the month, or the first of the year and 20 extra pounds, joint pain, low energy, frequent colds, etc.