Brainbox Blog

I don’t like using my blog to have a bit of a rant, but I’ve been moved by several things I’ve seen over the last few days to have a moan. My last post was about making changes for 2012, whether they be related to health & fitness, eating habits or behavioural differences (not flying off the handle at the kids or your partner, or not spending money on the first shiny thing that catches your eye) and what a challenge it is to make lasting changes. I set myself a whole range of targets and I’m experiencing mixed levels of success, although I’m pleased to say that there’s been progress in all areas. I’m writing little ‘progress reports’ on a regular basis to keep track of what I’m doing and keeping myself motivated by reminding myself of what I set out to do and why. However, I’m noticing some unpleasant trends cropping up that are likely to impede the progress of those less-equipped than a coach to keep themselves going. Actually, it’s often a case of it being difficult to take my own advice – coach, coach thyself etc., but you catch my drift. I have more of a toolkit than most, and therefore no excuse not to get this stuff right! Anyway, there are three main moans I intend to have:

Number one: enough already with all the whinging detractors. Yes, I mean the people who write on online message boards in January wondering why anyone is bothering to make changes to their health, fitness and diet. I’m not arguing for everyone to become a health freak but for goodness sake, lay off the takeaways, go for a walk, and don’t leave cruel and anonymous posts on web sites demeaning those who are taking some responsibility for their well being. I was reading an interview in the Guardian with champion triathlete Chrissie Wellington who was talking about strategies for staying motivated when increasing your training. It was a plug for her forthcoming autobiography, but it contained some sensible, tried-and-tested advice for effective goal setting. And what had been posted in the online comments? A whole load of tripe accusing her of being self-congratulatory, that being physically fit wasn’t really something that should be celebrated etc. etc. There were a couple of responses taking issue with this garbage, but I was astonished to see such a negative attitude towards someone’s sporting achievements. I’m guessing that these detractors have never felt the satisfaction of working towards something of significance, and making positive changes to their lives. There is a huge personal satisfaction to be gained from the deferral of immediate gratification for ultimate growth and gain, and I hope that one day these people will feel that.

Number two: one of the factors motivating this kind of criticism is, I am sure, rooted in the fear of the sheer effort required for change. We all have our demons, shadows and other inner obstacles that try to stop us making those changes (and anyone who knows me well will be aware that I have had to work through a fair few of my own), but the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is the willingness to confront those demons, feel some pain and see them off. We can then learn to replace all the negative things with which we have lived for so long with more positive messages that will keep us going towards becoming the stronger person we really want to be. This hurts. There is no other way of saying it. You won’t get fitter, change your body shape, learn to eat properly or see yourself in a better light without putting in some effort (which hurts), and without denying yourself at least some of the crutches (emotional or edible) you have come to rely on (which also hurts). At my training session this morning, several of us in the class were irritated by the negative attitude of others – mutterings of ‘You must be joking’, when given a high number of repetitions, or ‘I’m not doing that’. Well, guess what? You’re really not doing that, because you’ve told yourself that you won’t and have therefore set yourself up to fail. You have quit before you’ve even started, and that’s not the way to make a change. Do you really want to live with the fact that you gave up before you put in any effort at all? Ok, fine. But don’t be moaning about your big butt in January 2013.

Number three: finally, enough of the magazine straplines offering quick fixes for major problems. ‘Change your body without making sacrifices’, ‘Five-minute figures fixers’, ‘Spot reduce your thighs’ etc. are all examples I’ve seen in the last week that are selling people platitudes about how easy it is to change your body or change your life. If it was that easy, we would all have the most amazing physiques around, and I’d never eat a bar of dark chocolate with mint again (mmm, chocolate…sorry, I’ve just turned into Homer Simpson). When I look at all the people I train with at 9am on a Sunday morning who turn up week after week, and our amazing instructor who has drilled herself to become a lean, mean fighting machine, I see colossal effort and determination that puts the promise of these cheap quick fixes to shame.

So, it really is a case of no pain, no gain. If you want to make a change, accept that it’s going to cost you, whether it’s taking something on or giving something up, and work through it. Trust me, you’ll feel better for it in the end.