If You Talk Too Much My Head Will Explode

Maybe it's no accident that weight loss blogs are abuzz lately with techniques on how to motivate oneself to start an exercise routine at the same time we're going through the daylight savings time change. Even for me, trying to get going this morning was rough. It was dark and gloomy. Even the cats were too confused to get underfoot as they normally do.

So, about all this talk on motivation. There are a lot of bloggers out there with some great advice and insight on how to win that internal battle that often gets in the way of getting us off our collective ass: MizFit and her guest Kelly, Guest blogger Jill at Cranky Fitness, for example.

In the end, it seems the best way to start sweating is to just shut up. Meaning, shut up those voices in your head. They talk too much. Here is a shirt that carries my sister's favorite mantra, which I think is quite appropo:*

For me, I have to shut down my brain and thus those troublesome whining voices. I don’t waste time trying to channel my motivation. I don’t engage in conversations with myself. I just go into robot mode and do it. And when you do the routine long enough (preferably the same time every day), the habit eventually carves itself a niche that makes it easier to stick to.

Part of this mental lockdown includes a cessation of the self-babying and coddling. At the end of each workout, I don't congratulate myself. Riding my bike for an hour doesn't entitle me to a reward or license to slack the rest of the day. Of course, I feel great after working out and am usually bouncy for the rest of the morning. But I don't treat it as something special, like a major accomplishment. If I do that, then I am just setting myself up for failure later. If I take something that should be routine (albeit an enjoyable one) and put it on a pedestal, then it's just going to be harder for me to stick to it.

It's this mindset that helped me maintain the routine for three years now. Of course, some people might call it a form of mental illness.

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THE FOLLOWING SECTION IS RATED PG-13!!!

As it turns out, I wasn't sick this weekend. There was some epic battle going on between the viral invaders and my immune system and my body won. Whew. In fact, I was feeling so *good* that I tried on a new lingerie outfit for Bobzilla...the first time I've done that in, oh, a Very Long Time. I'm not too proud to say that I looked good, especially coming from someone who has always carried a mild case of body dysmorphic disorder (on top of the workout disorder. Yeah, I'm a mess). So, I guess you might call that a non-scale victory. I would call it a vag victory.

And, speaking of sex, have any other ladies out there noticed an increase in sensitivity...a consistently more pleasurable experience..after losing weight? I'm convinced it's getting better with the fat loss. It can't all be psychological.

Pffft, knowing my luck, it's probably an early symptom of menopause.

* More awesome shirts such as that one can be found here.