Confident Walking to Lose Weight
Sometimes when we have made a clear decision about our lives such as walking to lose weight as a lifestyle which allows us to interact easily with others, it still can be derailed by interference from those same others.
What we want usually includes keeping the people we love happy to be around us. Making a short term exercise or diet change is something that most of us can accept but a lifestyle change? Can your relationships support your decision or not? Generally the answer here is ‘yes’ with the proviso that these changes are made over time and with proper preparation.
A great weight loss tip is to learn and practice graceful ways to say ‘not now’.
Walking to Lose Weight requires your full mental comittment or it is not a permanent weight maintenance strategy.
The capitals (Walking to Lose Weight) refers to the total package of options and decisions related to the lifestyle which supports your weight loss with walking. There is more involved then having the time to walk because in most instances it is a question of making the time to walk over the long term and not just before that doctor’s appointment.
A recent weekend away illustrates this point. A group of friends and I, decided to spend Easter in winery country. After the fabulous time we had I was saying that I had decided to “give up” coffee and diet sodas for this time away and drink only water, wine and tea. This was my personal and private decision to live within my new lifestyle.
Our host was frustrated: But you hardly drank any wine!
This misses the point-by making the decision in advance, I could have drunk more wine if I had wanted.
The same friend is very easily prevented from walking, seeing obstacles in waning light etc.and challenging my decisions to do so. I did in fact not walk on one occasion purely because of the group effect. However I knew this was the reason and chose harmony over my rights. Discretion in how you undertake this new lifestyle with others is important. If you have to fight for your decisions this can be draining. However there are other ways.
In previous posts I have recommended that walking to lose weight is better as an essentially individual hobby. (Unless you live in LA.)
The comittment to walk alone releases you from most of the ‘group’ effect where the opinion leaders within this group can have a deciding influence on your decisions. Over time as you put the preparation into changing your lifesyle most of these issues will work themselves out. Not everyone ‘converts’ but are able to be friends without disruption to your best interests.
Then as with this most recent incident, I can decide to delay gratification, so to speak, to prepare for future success. A little time applied to an incident does wonders and usually it becomes easier to get the result you want in relationships as well as walking for weight loss, with a revision or two.
As your success gives you confidence in your ability to implement your decisions without rocking the boat, your ability to do it your way, increases. The great thing is that walking and weight loss both build confidence.
