All good intentions lead to a bigger belly?

Hello Everyone!

Ever want to do something different? Maybe change the pace in your life, change your scenery, or your bored and want something new and different? Ever start something new, you are doing great and then somehow it fizzles away?

My last blog I stated that I was going to start working out. A change. The first of a few I want to make before I start my Route 66 journey.

So, how's that going?

I am finding out that some hurdles have hurdles. What do I mean by that?

Before I go answering that question, I want to do an unofficial poll. Have you ever done something, with the greatest of intentions, that you started, slowly stopped doing it, and continued paying for it?

About a year ago (or could be longer, I don't remember) I started up a gym membership at one of those places that are open all the time. You could go hit the treadmill at 3am if you want. I started to go on a regular basis at first. Then as time went on, I started to go irregularly. Then eventually stopped going all together. But I continued to pay for it. I had full intentions on going again, but didn't. I'd get monthly reminders that I had a gym membership (every time my monthly fee were deducted from my account) but made no effort to go. Yep, I'm that guy. Am I alone at this? Email me and let me know.

What did I learn so far? The road to a bigger belly is paved with good intentions.

The hardest part of starting any new habit is the start itself. There seems to be a few hurdles to jump before starting anything. But there is many more in continuing. Most of those hurdles are mental hurdles; 'Oh, I'll make up this time that I missed working out later this week', 'I'm too pooped. I don't even want to leave the couch', etc...

I remember learning, in a men's support group, that the reason people continue doing a specific behavior, either good or bad, is because they are getting something from it. 

I also remember listening to a sermon in church that was also talking about human behavior. My pastor made a statement that has stuck in my head, "The need that you feed will be the need that will lead."

If we picture a habit as an animal. What will happen to that animal if we feed and take care of it versus having another animal/pet and totally ignoring it?

Take a look at some parts of your life that you don't like or want to change and ask yourself, "Do I want to continue feeding this beast?"

For me, it's time to do something different. It's time to start starving my old habits and give some new ones the royal treatment. 

One of my hurdles, in starting my workouts at the gym, has been getting into the gym. I couldn't find my fob. I called the gym to get a new fob and I went there to pick it up before work one day. Later that week, I went looking for my new fob and I looked and looked and found it (I thought). When I got to the gym door, the fob didn't work. What I think I did was misplace the new fob and found my old one (which they of course canceled). In the meantime, I have been doing long walks in the neighborhood. I did set up another meeting with the gal at the gym to see what's up with the fob, so I will be hitting the weights and treadmill soon.

Bottomline, I am having a slow start. But, slow starts are okay. I just have to remember, "Trees that are slow to grow, bear the best fruits."

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think in the comment box below. If that is not working, feel free to email me at richhavlik@gmail.com 

I'd love to hear from you!