Written by personal trainer Marika Haag
Do you feel like you lack self-discipline and think that someone needs to drag you to the gym or out for a run? Do you feel guilty when you open a bag of candy and collapse on the couch in the evening instead of mustering the energy to head out for a run?
Take a closer look at your own thoughts
The more negative feelings you have about things related to an active and healthy lifestyle, the less likely you are to have made it clear to yourself what they mean and signify to you. Once an active lifestyle is fully integrated into your values, you won’t need to feel guilty when you don’t have the energy or time.
Every now and then, it’s totally fine to grab a bag of candy to keep you company on the couch, but what really matters are the feelings they evoke in you. If opening an occasional bag of candy brings you joy and helps you get through your day, and you don’t end up feeling depressed or gloomy afterward, you might be on the right track.
What matters most is what you do the next day. If you’ve embraced the idea that a healthy lifestyle includes occasional treats, bags of candy, and skipping a run, you shouldn’t experience any negative feelings—or you should be able to objectively recognize them and accept them as part of the bigger picture. If you find yourself opening a bag of candy day after day, it might be time to pull yourself together and get back on track.
Discover Your Values
It’s a good idea to clarify your own values for yourself. Values refer to something desirable, appropriate behavior, or a goal. Values are conceptual in nature and guide people’s actions. A value also implies significance—when something is significant, it is said to be valuable. Values are also strongly linked to personal growth, and your own values may undergo significant changes along the way.
The first step in making decisions that lead to an active and healthy lifestyle is to make it a meaningful value for yourself. However, since physical activity and health mean different things to everyone, only you can decide what they mean to you. Together with your other values, these give your life meaning, and you’ll be able to process all your thoughts and feelings within the framework of these values.
Taking responsibility for one’s own health is one of the most significant values an individual can choose today. I would argue that it is the most important one, since, in fact, one’s entire life is based on it. Once you’ve decided to make the choice to make exercise and a healthy lifestyle your goal, it’s a good idea to contact a coach if you need some clarity on certain issues. A coach can help you set goals together and develop a plan for how to achieve them, as well as how to make an active lifestyle a permanent part of the rest of your life.
There are no shortcuts to happiness in this matter either, and neither a two-month crash diet nor a 10-visit gym pass will bring it. Once you understand that health and exercise are a matter of values and begin to live a life in line with your values, you’ll be rewarded in the best possible way.