mindfirerunner

I always say I want to win the lottery. My husband quickly reminds me that in order to win the lottery, I must first play the lottery. The same holds true for other things in life. In order to reap the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, you must first (wait for it…) eat healthy and exercise. What a concept. It’s funny that we expect to be healthier and look and feel better when we don’t put the work into it. We expect to be able to do something just because we want to and then get upset because we fail.

My son told us this weekend that he wants to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro (he’s 12). Our reply was, “Great! Now how do you plan on preparing for that?”. He had to think for a while and then started talking about exercising more so that his body and mind were fit enough for the climb. He talked about learning how to rock climb and practicing by climbing 14-ers, and saving money so he could buy the tools and supplies that he would need in order to make the climb. It’s easy to say what we want to do, but a little more challenging to put thought into what it is that we actually need to do in order to see our wants and desires come to fruition.

You say you want to find the motivation to exercise and eat healthier. What are you going to do to prepare yourself for that? Here are a few ideas to get you started. Take time to make your own list and post it somewhere it can be a constant reminder. Planning takes practice, but the more you do it the easier and more natural it will become.

• Get feedback from others and learn from past experiences.
• Plan your grocery list and spend most of your time on the outside aisles where the freshest foods are at.
• Take time to cook healthy food and sit down long enough to enjoy it.
• Pre-determine what time of the day is best for your runs and then plan the rest of your day around it. 
• Ask for help.

All of these things require a little planning and preparation. Take the time to prepare your mind and body and stop wishing upon a star, because it might not be there tomorrow night.