Hit the Treadmill, Not the Downward Spiral

People ask me what the trick is to staying motivated to exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I’ll share with you a little secret that works for me: I have a full arsenal of personal pep talks for those moments when exercising and eating vegetables are the last things I feel like doing.

This self-talk can reverse any negative thoughts that pop into your head. I’ve seen how it can make or break health and fitness goals--or any other goals for that matter. The way that you respond to those thoughts can determine how you get through a bad day. It can actually spur you to go that extra mile, pull out a few more reps or skip dessert after dinner--even if you’re not in the mood.

If you’re like me, some mornings your first thought is to hit the snooze button instead of the gym. Other times, you think to yourself, “I don’t have a full hour to work out, so why bother?” At moments like these, if you don’t have counter responses prepared, the negative dialogue will take over and sabotage your best intentions.

Before you know it, you’re telling yourself that you’re lazy for not working out and that’s why you’re out of shape and overweight. If you don’t have any way to halt these thoughts, they create a downward spiral and then spread. You not only think about what you’re struggling with at the moment, but you begin to replay all the setbacks and mistakes in other areas of your life. Then, not only are you unmotivated, you’re also in a bad mood with an inability to move forward and do something positive.

Having a counter response can change everything. Let’s say you feel too tired to work out, but you tell yourself, “I’ll be fine once I get started, and I’ll feel really great when I’m done.” Sure, you’ll probably still be tired or sluggish as you put on your sneakers and head out the door, but if you keep cheering yourself on, you will get going. Best of all, when you’re done, you’ll not only feel recharged and energized, you’ll be proud of yourself too. You’ll say to yourself, “You’re awesome. See? You didn’t feel like doing it, but you pushed yourself and look what you did.”

It’s possible to create an upward spiral from any negative thought. You’ll be on a natural high and continue the day with an upbeat attitude that will help you succeed at anything.

In his new book, “The 9 Truths About Weight Loss” (Henry Holt), behavioral psychologist Daniel Kirschenbaum says that to successfully change any behavior, it’s important to monitor yourself, identify which situations cause you to lose momentum, then have pre-planned coping responses. Some of these “risky” situations include eating at your favorite restaurant, feeling like you want to take it easy after you’ve stuck to your fitness plan a while, or simply being bored.

A high-risk scenario for me is driving home from work after I’ve had a long, frustrating day. I’m sitting in the car, burnt out and tired--not to mention frustrated by the traffic. My first thought is to go home and eat as much high-calorie, high-fat food as I want, then veg out on the couch.

To counter this, I tell myself, “No. I’ll feel much better about the day if I just let go of all the stress and focus on doing something healthy for myself.” I get into this train of thought by keeping various schedules in my car of all the different exercise and yoga classes held around town. After work, I browse through them like I’m looking at a menu to see which one appeals to me most.

By the time I get home, I’ve already forgotten about work, and I’ve planned the rest of the night. Sometimes, I stop by my favorite market and pick up something healthy for dinner so the whole evening transforms from being a near disaster to a happy and healthy event. By the time I go to bed, I’m encouraged to stay on track because I feel so good.

When it’s necessary, you have to become your own personal cheerleader to get through potential pitfalls. You’ll need to devise little strategies to help you respond productively to those negative tendencies. They may not mean anything to others, but they’ll do the trick for you.

Kirschenbaum suggests collecting short, but memorable, quotations to inspire you. They work because they tie into your positive goals and help you keep your priorities where you want them. Here’s one that comes to mind: “Be like a postage stamp--stick with it until you get there!”

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Karen Voight is a Los Angeles-based fitness expert. Her latest video is “Core Essentials.” You can contact her at kvoightla@aol.com. Her column runs the second and third Mondays of every month. New York-based freelance writer Michele Bender contributed to this column.