Are you weighing wrong?
Have you ever seen the Pixar movie “Cars”? It is set on Route 66, a historic route between Chicago and Los Angeles. In fact, according to legendsofamerical.com and wikipedia.org, Route 66 was an important path for immigrants and other travelers heading west. The people who did business along the route became prosperous due to the highway’s popularity and later fought to keep the highway alive as it was bypassed by the Interstate Highway system. Route 66 has many detours and historical attractions, and it’s certainly not an interstate. Some sections of the road are now completely closed. Although faster progress is possible, thousands of travelers still use this highway due to its history, slow pace, and narrow, mountainous landscape.
After watching the movie with my 14-year-old daughter, I realized that you can compare Route 66 trips to your weight loss journey. Think about it, have you ever hit a bump in the road for a holiday, a night on the town or a summer fair and the holidays, stress or summer barbecues have now become a turn off? Scenic drives, slow or no progress can also be compared to traveling down Route 66. Preparing and learning from your past experiences can help you stay on track without getting lost. However, many are lost on their journey. Either you lose focus first, then interest followed by a lack of motivation or you just forget why you set out in the first place. Ponder this for a second. If you were traveling down Route 66 and you noticed that you were going the wrong way, would you continue? Probably not. I bet you would a). Get off at the next exit and go back or b). Cross the median and turn around. With that said, why when it comes to your weight loss journey when you realize you’re headed in the wrong direction do you keep going? Tip to remember, if you are not following the instructions, you are probably going in the wrong direction.
Learn from your experience:
Ask yourself what works and what doesn’t.
- Which eating habits keep you on track and which don’t?
- What keeps you motivated and what tends to diminish it?
- Are there activities you enjoy more than others to help burn calories?
Who do you trust for support and encouragement?
- Do you learn from others who share your goal or are you influenced by others who don’t?
Bumps in the road, detours or slow progress and even feeling isolated is part of the journey we all face to some degree. But keep in mind that it is not what is behind us or what is ahead of us; what really matters is what is inside of us. So when you recognize that you’re weighing badly, there’s no need to look anywhere but within yourself to get back on track.
Have a great and successful week,
-Steve
