Do you watch NBC’s The Biggest Loser?
I usually catch the end of each week’s episode and it takes me back to when I participated in the Ultimate Body Challenge. And was it a challenge! But it was also a success.
Next week’s Biggest Loser episode will feature the show’s previous ‘Losers,’ including one contestant that apparently has back on the weight they lost.
What’s the difference between someone who keeps the weight off and someone who gains it all back…and then some? I think it has something to do with the word ‘maintenance.’
Let’s say “Joe” set a weight loss goal of 50 pounds and reached it. “OK,” Joe says, “Now I need to maintain this weight.”
But what incentive does he have to stay at that weight? The only tool he has to measure his success and failure is his scale. And his confidence, and possibly happiness is tied to the numbers on it. How depressing is that?
What if, instead of number of pounds, Joe decided to train for a 5k. After the 5k, Joe trains for a half marathon and starts weight lifting at the gym. He finds that salads and fresh fish make him feel a whole lot better during his training than the Big Macs he used to eat. Then Joe takes up biking and swimming, and in a year, he finishes a triathlon.
He doesn’t need to take his blood pressure meds any more and his doctor tells him he’s no longer pre-diabetic. Joe has lots of reasons to keep training and improving his fitness and nutrition.
The point of my example is not that you shouldn’t focus on losing weight or that you need to train for competitions to be healthy. The moral of the story is that life isn’t about maintenence, it’s about defining the next goal, confronting the next challenge, and being an active pursuer of your next success.
Would you work your ass off at your job to get a promotion, then, in your new position say “Gee, let’s see how I can stay here the rest of my career!” Heck no! You’d celebrate your success, then figure out how to be good at your new position and begin working towards the next promotion.
It seems a bit overwhelming, right? Like you can’t ever stop working at it. Well, it’s true. It can be overwhelming. I’ve had times when I felt completely burnt out. It’s a constant balancing act of pushing yourself and enjoying your accomplishments, something I’m still learning how to do.
I usually catch the end of each week’s episode and it takes me back to when I participated in the Ultimate Body Challenge. And was it a challenge! But it was also a success.
Next week’s Biggest Loser episode will feature the show’s previous ‘Losers,’ including one contestant that apparently has back on the weight they lost.
What’s the difference between someone who keeps the weight off and someone who gains it all back…and then some? I think it has something to do with the word ‘maintenance.’
Let’s say “Joe” set a weight loss goal of 50 pounds and reached it. “OK,” Joe says, “Now I need to maintain this weight.”
But what incentive does he have to stay at that weight? The only tool he has to measure his success and failure is his scale. And his confidence, and possibly happiness is tied to the numbers on it. How depressing is that?
What if, instead of number of pounds, Joe decided to train for a 5k. After the 5k, Joe trains for a half marathon and starts weight lifting at the gym. He finds that salads and fresh fish make him feel a whole lot better during his training than the Big Macs he used to eat. Then Joe takes up biking and swimming, and in a year, he finishes a triathlon.
He doesn’t need to take his blood pressure meds any more and his doctor tells him he’s no longer pre-diabetic. Joe has lots of reasons to keep training and improving his fitness and nutrition.
The point of my example is not that you shouldn’t focus on losing weight or that you need to train for competitions to be healthy. The moral of the story is that life isn’t about maintenence, it’s about defining the next goal, confronting the next challenge, and being an active pursuer of your next success.
Would you work your ass off at your job to get a promotion, then, in your new position say “Gee, let’s see how I can stay here the rest of my career!” Heck no! You’d celebrate your success, then figure out how to be good at your new position and begin working towards the next promotion.
It seems a bit overwhelming, right? Like you can’t ever stop working at it. Well, it’s true. It can be overwhelming. I’ve had times when I felt completely burnt out. It’s a constant balancing act of pushing yourself and enjoying your accomplishments, something I’m still learning how to do.
View Jean Blomo's profile
0 comments:
Post a Comment