Achieve the unachievable
Ingredients for “Progression”
1. Visualization
2. Self Affirmation
3. Action
4. Breaking through barriers
5. Achieving success one day at a time
VISUALIZATION
I have always been somewhat of an active person, working out at the gym. However, I mainly focused my time on weight training, leaving 10min for cardio on the treadmill.
With COVID-19 closing down my gym, I stayed at home binge eating on high calorie foods and watching many Netflix series. Despite seeing others be creative in their home workouts, I was still untable to find ways to workout.
After reaching out for help to my network of friends and my higher power(the universe), I decided to take action. The first thing I did was visualize my success. I saw myself being outside going for long walks/runs and feeling happy in doing so. In this I was engaging my Neo-Cortex, also known as the “new brain.” The use of this side of the brain helps you be creative and come up with new ideas.
SELF AFFIRMATION
I then turned my attention to changing my self talk to positive talk. I start to self affirm that I can do this and that I will reach my health goals.
In doing this, I am programming my subconscious mind to find ways to make my goal happen. History has shown us that the mind is known to break through all barriers, power that is beyond our comprehension!
ACTION
Coming from visualization and self affirmation, I begin to work backwards and make a plan of action. I first realized that I must sacrifice my late night Netflix, and get rid of my nightly binge eating, if I wanted to be able to wake up early enough to start my walking/running journey. I would also have to communicate with my wife and let her know that this is what I plan for in the mornings, so that she can coordinate with the kids. That way, there is no rush on my part or opportunities for me to feel guilty. I also asked my higher power (the universe) to help me make this possible.
The first morning came and I was able to wake up on time and get out the door successfully. As I started off with a walk and then eventually a slow jog, I noticed that it wasn’t too bad. Even despite my knees hurting and the lactic acid build up in my calves.
I guess my 10min cardio on the treadmill was not really effective after all.
My day finished with my first success of walking and slow paced jogging over a very short distance. It was a nice feeling though and I felt like doing it again the next day.
My first week I kept to the same distance and pace as I was still breaking in my new routine.
BREAKING THROUGH BARRIERS
What started off as a simple walk/run in a short distance, ended up being a long distance run and small sprints. It has been about 2 weeks now and I feel that I have broken off my “knee braces”. I feel absolutely no pain while running and have a much better confidence level in going for runs. I have taken 1-2 days off for rest but absolutely enjoy this new exercise.
Key to any success is to keep in mind, that it is only ONE DAY AT A TIME!
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