Planned Way vs. The Pathway

Dieting and exercise have always been a big part of the conversation at home. My wife worked at a diet clinic when I first met her, we’ve been long-distance running for the past 6 years, and we (mostly her) are always on the look out for crafty ways to sneak more veggies into the family diet. More often than not we identify foods for what they are classified rather than what they are called. Breads are, ‘carbs’, chicken is, ‘protein’, and we call ice cream, ‘treats’ (I actually call ice cream delicious).  There has been an ebb and flow to the intensity of these conversations over the last 14 years, and they’ve revolved mostly around what my wife was learning at the time. We’ve both been blessed with good health so I had never really considered thinking twice about my personal diet or exercise. There recently came a time however when the discussions around these topics became more poignant than ever. It was then that I decided that I needed to be more than just part of a conversation, I needed to be part of the action.
Deciding to adjust my own diet and exercise was uncomfortable for me because I was content with where I was and I didn’t want to set any kind of standard that I ultimately would fail to embrace. I say ‘fail to embrace’ rather than just ‘fail’ because I wasn’t interested in creating a diet that I intended to quit after dropping some LB’s. I was more interested in creating a dietary change of heart. Before this time I was perfectly fine with my food choices and physical activity on my terms. My casual plan was I could eat as much of anything I wanted as long as I ran it off. As I got into ‘being part of the action’ as previously mentioned, I discovered something that I don’t think I would have found otherwise. I discovered that I now had a real plan and real goals and that I’d have to exert mental strength and significant will power to achieve them. I discovered my ‘planned way’ and how it differed from my previous ‘pathway’.
The difference between the planned way and the pathway is their very nature. The planned way is the route you envision taking you to accomplishing your goals. You stay on the planned way with continual effort, careful consideration, determination and resolve. It takes work. It’s the stuff you feel good about accomplishing at the end of the day. The pathway is the spur-of-the-moment route. It is filled with things that ‘just come up’, it leads simply where the wind blows and it is typically the path of least resistance. It’s a default, lowest-common-denominator path. This means the eating donuts that show up at the office, or the plate of cookies you unexpectedly get from your neighbors. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, you have to have a plan to accomplish your goals or they won’t happen. More often than not, the 'pathway' won't take you to where you want to go.
In order to pin down an embraceable lasting change I figured I needed a balanced goal setting approach. Baby steps, right? Here are 7 of my ‘planned way’ ideas that are adaptable to individual circumstances, quick to adopt, and consequently have allowed me to drop 30 pounds I didn’t know I had to lose:

• I decided when it was okay to treat myself, but to do it in moderation. We still celebrate birthdays at our house with cake and ice cream. I’ve just decided not to celebrate Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening with cake and ice cream as well.
• I determined things I could live without. I decided not to eat the treats that would show up in the break room at work, eat snacks after dinner, or soda at restaurants.
• I explored new forms of physical activity. After years of resisting, I finally joined a gym and found that I really enjoyed it when I was doing what I really wanted to do. Marking progress with different weights or machines is a must.
• I shared my plans with my wife and close friends. I wanted to have someone to celebrate with upon hitting my goals.
• I resolved to discover anew different foods without adding condiments, special sauces, butter, sugar sweeteners, etc… When it seemed to get boring I found more healthy food ideas on pinterest.
• I found that setting small short-term physical & measurable goals with accompanying rewards was encouraging.
• Keep a daily record. I determined a goal weight, measurements and other goal activities and tracked my progress with hash marks each morning.

Let me share 7 things I’ve learned over the last 6 months or so from creating my ‘planned way’.

• I’ve learned to enjoy new forms of exercise, and that my exercise time is a perfect time to build myself mentally and spiritually with books, audio books, podcasts, and uplifting music. My aim is to be better in more ways than just a physical sense after exercising.
• Everyday I expect to be confronted with something that would take me off my plan. After a while I’ve started to be able to know exactly when it will happen. It’s easier to prepare for something you know will happen.
• I’ve learned that considering a diet as an exploration of new possibilities instead of a list of things I can’t have makes for exciting discoveries.
• Getting up in the morning before the sun rises is the perfect time to be enlightened about anything you are experiencing in life.
• Sandwiches don’t need mayo or Miracle Whip.
• Water. It’s the best. I can curb a craving for a treat or a midnight snack by drinking some water.
• Visualizing progress doesn’t just happen by looking at yourself in the mirror or looking at numbers on a scale. My lunchbox is completely covered in stickers I’ve removed from all manner of fruits and vegetables that I’ve eaten. It’s a great visual cue of a healthy track record.

Finally, I heard a statement the other day that really stood out to me. Coach Larry Gelwix of the well-known and extremely successful Highland High Rugby team said, “There are two types of pain, the pain of hard work and the pain of regret.” I find that the more I learn to accept and enjoy the pain of hard work, there is little room for regret.