Saturday, May 14, 2011

Coffee Black and Three Sets, Not Two

This morning I checked in, as I obsessively do, on Facebook. The location was Shadowglen Amenities Center and the activity was “taking my coffee black this morning. Cutting out the cream and sugar.”


I’ve got a new commitment to my health, thanks to the two-day Influencer training I just went through at work. I read the book a couple of months ago with my team and was impressed with it then, as I am now. One of those rare experiences that assisted me both professionally and personally. It helped me focus on ways I’d like to influence my “clients” at work, as well as those aspects of my life that need attention.


Specifically, I’ve decided to focus on losing weight. I’ve got a target weight and a date on which I plan to hit it. I’ve also broken it down into chunks. Instead of saying “15 pounds by October,” which is the actual goal, I’m going to call it “2 and a half pounds a month for six months.” Then it becomes a question of looking at the different things that affect that, like personal ability and motivation, along with social and structural factors. Most importantly, I’m trying to be aware of those “crucial moments” – anticipating when I could make one choice or the other. I’ve already had some successes with that one – the coffee being one example. It’s the crucial moment when I could either pour in the sugar or not. I chose not to.


This morning, when I was done with my journal and coffee, I could have taken the usual leisurely ride home, I instead made my way to the fitness center. There I had a full three sets on each machine, plus three sets of curls with the dumbbells, and finally a full set of stretches. It was the best workout I’ve had in a long while, and I’m feeling it in the arms tonight.


So, in the spirit of vital behaviors and crucial moments, I’ll take this one to turn off the television and get into my bed, avoiding that urge to eat junk food in front of Saturday Night Live.

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