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ROTATION DIET AND BUILDING CONFIDENCE: MAINTAINING YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM

What do you need to do when every bone in your body seems to say it would be so much more pleasant to sit down after a hard day, with a snack at your side, rather than go for a walk?

What can you do to deal with a feeling of fatigue when the feeling, in fact, doesn't result from physical exertion? When, instead, it is more mental than physical?

How will you deal with the demands of daily living when each and every one of them begins to seem like it is more important than taking that walk or going to your dance class?

Step 1: Choosing the Strategies That Can Lead to Success

Nothing proves to be a greater remedy for fatigue and sluggish feelings than the very physical activity you have the urge to resist. Once you have become an active person, you will still have a resistance to exercise at odd times, but you will be able to envision the refreshing and relaxing feelings that follow activity. Getting this anticipatory feeling up front in your imagination can become all the incentive you need to get started.

In addition, learning to say no to outside demands and putting your health priorities at their deserved levels, for just forty-five minutes or so a day, are, in my opinion, inalienable rights! I think you, too, should cultivate this attitude and then consider what it will take to negotiate with others to obtain the time and support.

Step 2: Using Fantasy and Your Imagination

You start by imagining that one of the situations has occurred, for example, a fatigue situation, and that you have developed a plan. You then imagine how you will feel when you are really, really tired and resistant, but know that the feelings are from frustrations you encountered at work or that they result simply from the stress of being forced to work sitting down all day. (The sitting position, when it is necessary for most of your workday, causes a significant amount of physical stress, especially to the lower back and shoulders, and leads to a great deal of fatigue.) Then, clearly see yourself overcoming these resistant feelings and setting out for a walk. Just imagine how it will feel to get out of the house and take a breath of fresh air. Or imagine how it will feel when no one knows where you are and cannot bother you for forty-five minutes. Imagine the feeling you will have when you finish - both physical and mental. And, once again, in your imagination, give yourself the congratulations you deserve for having been able to accomplish a most important weight-management activity.

Step 3: Rehearsal

The practice behavior I am about to suggest may seem paradoxical, but it works very well in developing an amazing amount of control over your feelings. It has, in fact, been used as a therapeutic procedure with top flight athletes who were having trouble performing at their peak levels.

The next time you are about to go for a walk, or engage in any other physical activity, hesitate for just a moment before you begin. Now, even though you are feeling full of energy, imagine instead that you are feeling very tired and not at all in the mood for activity. Go ahead and do it - turn on your very worst feelings. Then, after just a few moments, turn on your energy and begin your exercise with vigor. You will find that you have a great deal of ability to switch your feelings on and off. Switch back and forth, and see how it feels. Then, the next time you feel tired and sluggish, turn on your vigor switch, get moving, and in moments you will feel truly invigorated.

Similarly, if you have problems negotiating for personal time, imagine and rehearse what it will take to bargain for what you need with your family or with your boss. I know some very busy (and very successful) people who felt that they had to work incessantly. They had luncheon meetings and after-work business cocktail meetings every day, and they carried their briefcases loaded with work home every night. If you are in the same circumstances, your first step is to imagine that change is possible, followed by a little rehearsal, which might include talking over a strategy for changing the situation with a friend or business associate.

Step 4: Testing Yourself in the Real Situation

You now have a good strategy for dealing with fatigue. Use it and you will achieve virtual perfection in handling all fatigue problems (but remember not to force yourself into activity when you are ill, especially when you have a fever).

When it comes to negotiating for personal time, most of the persons I have worked with have found that they themselves were their own worst enemies. You don't have to work every waking hour, and you can get the cooperation of your family if you approach family responsibilities as a family sharing proposition. Begin with the attitude that you will cooperate with others so that they can get what they need in order to lead happy and fulfilling lives, and that they, in turn, owe you help in getting forty-five minutes for yourself and your health.

Best of all, you are more than likely to discover that an activity break, even a brief one, at some point during your actual working hours will lead to greater productivity and job satisfaction. It works so well that some corporations are beginning to make activity breaks a required part of the working day. Why not work fewer hours, get more done, and enjoy your work more, all at the same time? If you cannot manage longer periods of time, at least experiment with some fifteen-minute work breaks. You may have to force yourself to take these breaks at first. But after a while you may be quite surprised at the results, in both productivity and good feelings.

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WEIGHT LOSS/BODY-BUILDING