While working out at an amazing little gym in the Laughlin River Lodge during my annual winter getaway, a robust young attendant asked me how I stay so slim. She admitted that, although her diet at home was okay, at work it was really quite grim. She frequently snacked on candy and drank soda, knowing full well it wasn't helpful. I was able to glean a little more information from her in the brief moments we chatted; enough for me to steer her in the right direction.
In an attempt to make her feel better, I admitted I have been working out since high school. Citing basic psychology, I advised her that I was "conditioned" when aerobics was "the thing". When there were no laptops and cell phones to keep us entertained, we disco-danced the night away. (She laughed.)
There was one thing I wanted to impress upon her, however, and that's the importance of developing self-discipline. The reason so many diet and exercise programs fail is that most people don't have the self-discipline to make them part of their lifestyle. It's that simple. Starting and stopping time and again just doesn't cut it when you're trying to lose weight.
We all know today that diets, in and of themselves do not work, yet people continue to hand their hard-earned money over to weight loss franchises that promise to transform them to celebrity-thin.
Exercise programs do work while you partake in them, but like diet programs, they must be long-term.
So how does one develop the self-discipline required to lose weight and maintain a slender figure throughout life? A few things must be acquired, or corrected, or eliminated altogether.
1. You Have To Care. Whether it's for yourself or the way you look, or the amount of respect you have for yourself, at some point in life you have to care.
2. You Can't Be Lax. We all experience low-energy periods from time-to-time. That's perfectly normal. But when it stretches over days, weeks, or months it becomes problematic and must be overcome.
3. You Must Stay Positive. Attitude is everything and it has to be good if you want to be successful. If you're consistently down in the dumps or depressed this must be addressed before you will be motivated to be your best.
Consistency is key. If you consistently care about your health, maintain your energy and stay positive, self-discipline will come to you naturally and you will achieve your ideal weight throughout life!