So you want to lose weight, or perhaps you are already working hard at doing so, and you're looking for ways to increase your success? Most people focus on the obvious methods of watching what you eat and getting more exercise. You're right on track with that thinking, but you can take it a step further. Signing up for a 10K or Half Marathon can provide you with a deeper, more soulful connection to your weight loss goals. It doesn't have to be a brutal and difficult experience; it can be inspirational and fun. To make it enjoyable, shift your mindset and move into the experience with a renewed perspective.
1: Turn Your Butterflies into Courage
Signing up is the first step. Take a deep breath and click submit on the registration page. You may be completely out of your zone by doing so, but that's okay. On the outside of your comfort zone is where you will experience the biggest leap of mental and emotional growth. Shifting your internal behaviors is required for long term success. You can't be the same person you once were; you've got to do things that you've never done. By signing up and training for a race, you are creating new experiences that will help the internal shift for continued success.
2: Eat the Frog
The next step is finding a great
training plan. There are running books you can purchase, check out from the library, or download from the internet. Most are free or low cost, and designed by a professional coach. Following a training plan is like using a map to reach your desired destination. But the achievement should not be felt by merely crossing the finish line. The real accomplishment is realized in the training that leads up to the coveted day. Mark Twain was quoted, "If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long." In other words, do the hardest task of the day first and get your training completed. Each day that you lace up your shoes, and swallow the frog, it is as if you are carving out another notch in a new subconscious behavior. Think of it as weight loss from an inside-out approach.
3: View Fear Differently
Don't let fears stop you from being who you want to be. The great motivational writer, Mark Victor Hanson says, "What you want, wants you." Sure, there will be days of struggle; accepting those moments as 'behavior building exercises' will make you stronger in all levels of your consciousness-mind, body and spirit. Trust in yourself. Your unconscious mind already believes your goals are attainable; otherwise you wouldn't have set the goal to begin with. Fear is just your conscious mind sending you messages of self doubt, but those thoughts are not real, they are merely perceived. Override those internal messages and listen to your spirit that says "I CAN".
