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Small Steps
A journey of a thousand miles begins with
a single step.
Lao-tzu
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I think I found the perfect question to ask myself:
What will make me feel good?
The other day was a long energy draining day, and I may not have made the better choices. The next morning I was sitting having my coffee, trying to get moving and start my day, and all I really wanted to do was lay on the couch in my pajamas and be a lump. Now I do intentionally have lump days, but that morning I had work to do. So instead of doing my normal guilt trip as I turned on the tv, I took a few minutes to ask myself what would make me feel good?
I was really looking for what would permanently (or at least for the rest of the morning) change my physical and emotional feelings of lethargy. I thought about lumping on the couch (yes, I believe it can be used as a verb regardless of grammatical rules). But no, that would just make me worry about what I should be doing instead. I could go back to bed and take a nap -- no, I wasn't tired. I could eat -- no, luckily, in the morning I don't get the munchies. I could go for a run or other high intensity activity -- no, I just didn't have the energy for that much movement. A walk with the dogs was out since it was raining. I knew movement would get me going and feeling better and I did want to do something. And then I remembered a 1 mile Walk Away the Pounds DVD I had that would be perfect and it was only 20 minutes long.
That's not to say movement/exercise is always the answer to what would make me feel good? Sometimes it is a 15 minute nap, a cup of coffee on my bench, cleaning out a drawer, or flipping through my favorite comic strip book (Calvin & Hobbes); and sometimes, a balanced snack (a bit of protein, a bit of good fat (usually olives or almonds), and some fruit) is what would make me feel better.
Why does 'what will make me feel good?' help me make better choices when I'm tired and all I want to do is eat? I think it's because it's a positive question. I'm not asking what I should or shouldn't do. Guilt or fear doesn't come in to it. It's all about really looking at what could actually change my physical and emotional state. I've tried asking the question of what I want or what need am I trying to satisfy. I can't get past the immediate want & need for food. But what will make me feel good? changes my perspective.
What question will you ask this week? |
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American Heart Association and Exercise TV have teamed up with Leslie Sansone to provide free walking videos exercisetv.tv/startwalking ~~~~~~~~~ I will not be at the Weight Watchers® meeting this Saturday as I will be graduating from the Hawai'i Island Leadership Series - Ulumau. But I will be back the following Saturday (June 11). |
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If you nurture your mind, body, and spirit, your time will expand. You will gain a new perspective that will allow you to accomplish much more.
Brian Koslow
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