@alabarre09 I’m 40 and really trying to get back ‘on it’ but with a stressful job I’m just so tired. I’ve lost 21lbs in the last year but really would like to kick it up a notch.
Congrats on the weight loss. How far are you from your goal and what are you hoping reaching that goal will change about your life?
You don't have to answer these questions, just food for thought that will stir some motivation.
You mention you're tired. How's your sleep? I find that most plateaus are due to poor sleep.
EDIT: I see that you mention you're aware you need to fix your sleep later in the post, but it still might be helpful to consider what I wrote about sleep.
This
study shows that although sleep deprived participants lost the same weight as well-rested participants, the sleep deprived participants lost more muscle than fat.
Moreover, this
study observes how sleep deprivation affects your hormones, causing you to eat more high calorie dense foods that are predominantly carbohydrates.
Namely, bad sleep increases the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, and decreases the hormone leptin, which tells you you’re full, leading to increased food intake.
Sleep deprived participants ate an extra 200 to 500 kcal/day compared with those with normal sleep.
Having good sleep increases your chances of successful weight loss by 33%.
I like running and have gotten back into that (on and off, it’s so hard to get up early and I can’t do it after work) and have kettle bells / resistance bands for entry level weights work.
Sounds like you found a form of cardio you genuinely enjoy but things get in the way that make it difficult to stick to the morning routine.
Again, just some questions to consider:
What makes it difficult for you to wake up consistently in the morning?
Is it truly impossible for you to do it after work?
What would need to happen so that you're able to consistently wake up in the morning for your morning run?
What systems are currently in place to support your goal of running in the morning?
I know I need to: A) slowly work my way up to working out daily / every other day B) make sure I stay hydrated C) get regular, good quality sleep And I will focus on doing all these things
Sometimes we "know" what we have to do but it helps to break down the goal and to explore some of the motivators driving you to say that "this is what I need to do."
Some people's exercise adherence respond best to working out every day, some like setting a very specific schedule, some like to zoom out and view progress on a weekly basis (e.g., as long as they get three workouts somewhere in those seven days, they will consider that a success).
Sounds like you recognize that there's a bit of trial and error you need to go through before figuring out what kind of routine works best for you.
How do you feel when you're not well-hydrated?
How much water do you need to feel at your best?
What system is in place to make it easier for you to hit your target water (e.g., pairing the habit of drinking water with another behavior you will do anyways, like, drinking a glass of water before and after a meal, or using those time stamped water bottles).
And with sleep, you recognize you need to fix it, but it may be helpful to break it down and seriously consider the questions above.
As for "mindset" hacks that have helped me push through when I really don't feel like sticking to my routine, I think two things:
- "I don't feel like going to the gym because I feel tired. But this is EXACTLY why I need to go to the gym, because I know I'll feel better afterward."
Forget about quality and focus on consistency.
You are better off doing half-assed workouts every single day and establishing the habit.
This is a problem for writers, too.
They like to edit as they write. Just write and worry about the quality later.
Same with your workouts.
You can optimize your workouts later, but make it a habit to put on your shoes and walk outside.
If you don't feel like running, then allow yourself to make the decision to go back inside.
Let's use running as an example and break this down into the steps required to create this habit:
Wake up -> use bathroom -> brush teeth -> get changed -> have a banana -> put on shoes -> go outside -> run
Somewhere along this chain, there's something that is manageable enough for you to commit to every day.
First, identify where this is. So let's assume you can commit to putting on your running shoes every single day.
What happens next is that you need to get "reps in" of reaching this point in the chain and making the decision to continue.
What most do is that they make the decision to not run somewhere earlier in the chain, like as you brush your teeth, you then decide, "nah, not today."
Another example with fixing your sleep schedule.
Here's the chain of actions you need to get ready for bed:
Turn off "Go To Bed Alarm on your phone" -> use the bathroom -> brush teeth -> get changed for bed -> prepare equipment for tomorrow's workout -> listen to a podcast in bed in total darkness -> turn off podcast once you feel you're falling asleep -> sleep
Once again, somewhere along this chain, there's a step that you will not struggle to reach consistently every night.
It might be that you can get up to "prepare equipment for tomorrow's workout" and then you can practice making the decision of "Do I want to continue?" and allow yourself to make a choice without judgment.
"No, I don't want to sleep early tonight because I need extra relaxation time."
"Yes, I want to sleep early tonight because I know how I feel the next morning if I do."
The other "mindset hack" I use is envisioning what my ideal future self is, and imagining what they would have had to write down in their journal today for me to reach that goal.
Would your future self at her ideal weight have written down "didn't go outside running at all this week, just wasn't up to it"? Probably not.
If you found this helpful, I write a newsletter
here where I talk about mindful eating, habit psychology, and fasting.
