Self Discipline

What is your biggest fitness struggle?

If you’re my Facebook friend, here’s what some of you said:OK, actually, the first one is what I said…I wanted to answer the question too:

“My biggest struggle is that I love food and I eat a lot. It is very hard for me to stop eating when I’m enjoying something, even if I’m stuffed. Though I enjoy exercise, I can’t burn off the amount of food I eat.”
“Agree with the food part totally! Also, not getting enough sleep :(”
“I am good all day and then it gets dark. I am like a vampire for food at night!”
“I’m an emotional eater. “What sounds good” dictates what I eat. So self-control and discipline… man I hate those words. Ooooh chocolate sounds good now! :o)”
“Not enough discipline–good starter bad finisher”
“I do not have the discipline…I have the equipment, but no motivation. I do love to eat too! (u know I do) but recently discovered I am gluten intolerant, so that is changing my dietary habits a lot!”
For most of us, self-discipline for the long haul is a major hindrance to health. I personally do not know anyone (fit or otherwise) who does not struggle with this on some level. Even my superbuff husband has days where Sports Center wins out over P90X.So let’s talk.

First, I want to say to my vampire friend that if you’re going to have a weakness, vampire-ness is a great choice. Vampires are very trendy right now. All the tween girls will think you are “random” or “awkward.” Which are the two words my tween uses for pretty much everything. So I’m fairly certain that could mean something good for you. Be encouraged.

Now for Fitness Friday Girl’s profound statements on self-discipline:

The only one who can discipline you is YOU. Unless, of course, you are one of my children. Then I discipline you.

Self-discipline is a really good thing, not only in health, but in every aspect of life.

“Just as you can’t go through red lights every time you just feel like it, or hit someone any time you just feel like it, you don’t just eat anything you feel like it at any time. That is unhealthy. Some people say any denial is unhealthy. That is like saying you can just wet your pants when you feel like it. Self-control is cleaner in body and spirit”

Jolie Bookspan on the Healthline fitness blog.
Oh, how I wish I would have written that quote. That about sums it up, doesn’t it? Left to our undisciplined selves, we’d be red light-running, pants-wetting, people-hitting overeaters! AWKWARD!Don’t run out and buy your Depends quite yet. There are things you can do today that will help develop more disciplined eating and exercise habits:

1. On a serious note (which will last for about one sentence because I feel so silly this morning) self-discipline is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). That means you can actually pray and ask God to help you with this one. You develop self-discipline by staying connected to God. It’s a natural outflow of a thriving relationship with Him.

2. Don’t try to change everything at once. That’s a recipe for failure. Start with something small. Skip the bedtime snack tonight. Cut out one soda today. Measure out your portions for tonight’s dinner and don’t go back for seconds. Take one 15-minute walk. Each little choice will make you feel empowered. Then use the momentum of your success to do it again tomorrow. You can work yourself right out of a bad habit by making small changes. And each little change will strengthen your resolve and develop your self-discipline.

3. Measure your progress in some tangible way. One of the best motivators for me is seeing results. The scale is one way, but it doesn’t tell the whole story (thank goodness for that, cuz I’ve gained some weight lately despite a month of really difficult workouts) All the good things happening in your body don’t always show up on the scale.

~See how your clothes fit

~take measurements

~get your body fat measured

~monitor cholesterol, blood pressure and resting heart rate

~write down how long you’ve exercised and what weights you used to track your progress over time

~access how you feel physically

~train your spouse to say “you look hot”

All great motivators.

Dani Joy is a great example of someone who got on the self-discipline wagon long enough to see some serious results. Check out her post today to hear just how great she feels. As a missionary, she’s found a way to work fitness into her very busy life. What an inspiration! And stay tuned next week when she will be sharing the story of her fitness journey as my guest on Fitness Friday.

Tell me one small change you are going to make this week to build your self-discipline. I’m going to train my husband to say, “You look sexier than a vampire.” Oh, and I’m going to skip my night time bowl of cereal.