What Are You Putting Behind You?

What Are You Putting Behind You?

By Allen Merritt ©2018

I have fallen short of the glory over the last year in getting my behind down to the gym. It is not that I never go, it’s just I have allowed activities, travel and a bit of laziness prevent me and/or talk me out of doing that for which I really should be doing. Exercise is important to me and I love it, actually. I don’t mind going. Yes, it’s hard, but I feel better for having done so.

Recently, on one of my part time jobs as a standardized actor patient, I was asked to participate in an assessment starting by tracking what I eat for three days, which I logged for seven. A follow up physical assessment took place about three weeks later and then two more weeks down the road was the final results.

I think it was all a good thing to help remind me the importance of not allowing myself to fall behind the eight ball with my fitness and health. I am not a gym rat or a buff bunny by any stretch of those terms. I could lose a few pounds and build up my endurance, no doubt. I wont deny it.

However, right off the bat I noticed a couple of things about the program that bothered me. One was the program the students were using insisted that I was completely sedentary. 

What? No way! 

I know what sedentary is as I live with someone who is the epitome of it having dementia related Alzheimer’s and needing care to take care of all basic needs, including getting up out of bed and walking around for exercise and the occasional car ride to get out of the house and go somewhere public. He is 82 earlier this week. HE is sedentary.

I had to explain to the students that I was extremely active with all that I do. The only difference was I no longer had a regular “gym” routine. It was because of that the program decided I was sedentary. I decided to stay positive and prove the program wrong, which I did when it came to the physical assessment. I performed well for a person of my age.

My point with this is that these by the numbers computer programs telling you where you are at with health and fitness are not accurate by any means. They may help predict future outcomes and caution us to do better, but they are not accurate. Even the BMI is not right. If I followed these programs to the letter, I would have to weigh in at 108 pounds to be fit and practically eat nothing over 1200 calories a day, if that!

The positive approach is be sensible and look at yourself realistically.

In the end I felt good about myself, because the students took all this into consideration once I brought it up and actually made a better assessment and performed well in their tasks.

Personally, it helped remind me to take time and make time to get a little concentrated exercise. The last couple of weeks has seen me re-emerge at the gym; slow and steady and not over doing anything. It also helped me focus on getting back into a little weight training before cardio.

Some of my tactics in going the extra mile include gym mantras. Say I am on the treadmill and trying to keep myself going to reach mile 3. I might mentally play a mantra in my head over and over again for a few minutes, something like, “You can do it, yes you can! You can do it, you’re the man!” Maybe that is a bit corny, but it helps cheer me on.

I try not to keep my eye on the clock too much or looking at how much time and distance I have gone every other second. When I do look, I take note of how far and how long I have traveled and remind myself right then and there that I have all of that behind me now, which helps me continue to persevere and move forward to complete the daily goal, whatever that might be.

In the end, when I am finished, it feels good to say I put 4 or 5 miles behind me and such- and-such calories were burned. There is a sense of accomplishment toward positive well being.

It’s a good metaphor to use in more ways than just exercise and fitness. You can use it at work to track yourself and say this is what I put behind me today. I actually completed this or that; time to move on to another task or goal. Or what emotional baggage have you put behind you today? What have you let go of today? It's all the same and demonstrates positivity in motion. 

With that thought, it may be a good question to ask or tool to use.

I think it is a positive step in the right direction for living life on a positive note.

Think about it! “What did I put behind me today?”

Don't forget, once you put something behind you, don't look back. Move forward. 

Have a great week!

Cheers!