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Want to Become More Optimistic? Try This Exercise Program

By Eileen Ehmann, reprinted with permission

Exercise is the opportunity to laugh in the face of our mistakes. It's more than just a way of balancing caloric intake and expenditure for weight management. It's an opportunity to redefine ourselves every day as we work toward our health and fitness goals, sometimes one mile at a time. We may step onto a treadmill at the same time every morning with regret or enthusiasm, but what lies before us is the chance to evaluate ourselves, our habits, and our lifestyle and replace our negative thoughts with positive messages. It's our personal time to greet the day and choose our attitude or de-stress at day's end and vow to make tomorrow better. The mere act of exercise enhances our physical and emotional dynamic.

Many distance runners say running is like meditation. They work through conflicts and issues at the start of the run, then let their thoughts wander as they settle into their rhythm. How restful this must be! Is distance running required to reach that release? No. Can exercise help us learn to create or increase our own mental quiet time? Yes.

And yet, while exercising, most people focus on their shortcomings. They berate themselves for an extra snack eaten before bed, for not losing weight faster, or for inheriting weak knees and Mom's thighs. Step after step, they reinforce the negative and feed defeat. Through their mental and physical suffering, they miss the big picture. Being in the gym and working hard to meet their goals is already an achievement. Every time we lift a weight or step onto a treadmill, we've already won. We showed up. We chose to face our goals. We prepare for our best performance.

Last week, while running on a treadmill amid young, robust runners, I looked in the mirror and saw myself struggling desperately to add another five minutes to my run time. I watched as the others glided effortlessly, when suddenly I started laughing—at least as much as I could while huffing and puffing! At once I felt the pure joy of knowing I was on the road to making my dreams a reality, and I knew the process was about more than losing inches or finding the perfect protein-carb-fat ratio. It was about fully acknowledging the progress already achieved without dwelling on what had yet to be accomplished. To live in the moment and enjoy the transition. Just then, I chose to face all of life's challenges with the same diligent, even plodding I employed in running. I stopped worrying and felt rich in my ability to succeed.

I emphasize self-acceptance to anyone who suffers through self-deprecating workouts. We need to remember that our workouts allow us to focus on who we are and how we feel at that moment. It can free the mind to dream a better life and define strategies to make it happen. We may even find that by acknowledging our daily progress and effort we're more prepared and confident to take on those new dreams.

I had a client who felt burdened by overwork and doubted her ability to dig her way out. When she started her run that morning, I asked what the larger meaning of the workout was for her that day. Her first thought was "finding courage." The courage needed to follow through on her difficult life-changing decisions. That day, each step brought her closer to finding her courage and farther from her fears. Every pulling move embodied pulling in courage and every pushing move pushed away external expectations.

Exercise meant more that day than burning calories. It represented life itself and all forms of challenge and success. Such is the power of living fully in one's body. We invite in what we need and release what no longer serves us. In many ways, exercise offers us new grace.

Transformation is Power

Exercise is a funny place from which to begin a personal evolution, but it happens all the time. We may begin a program solely to slim a rolling midsection, but as we become firmer and slimmer our enthusiasm for a full physical transformation begins to take hold. We try new exercises that challenge our threshold, and soon our arms and legs actually move in synch when we jog, our muscles are visible as we lift weights, and the sensation of a full, deep breath - the first in what feels like years - becomes a new standard.

The intoxication of self-initiated change affects us in many ways. Self-confidence increases when our hard work and dedication are rewarded with tangible results. The greatest reward is realizing that the work and benefits are entirely under our control. It's a direct response to the effort invested. When we lift a weight, our muscles pump. When we increase walking speed, our heart becomes stronger. The more we give, the more we receive.

By developing the inner strength and courage to achieve our fitness goals, our perspective, capabilities, and options grow. Try reviewing your life goals during an exercise-induced, feel-good endorphin rush. They may change for the better. Use your self-reliance and creativity to embrace something new with gusto. Then run with those ideas until you know you're there.

Setting Fitness Goals

After nine years of creating and implementing exercise programs for women, I've come to fully appreciate the clarity of fantasy goals. During the consultation, most women are well prepared to discuss how genetics has betrayed them with mother's hips or their lack of transition into Cindy Crawford's curves after a month at the gym. What follows is their fantasy goal: a vision of physical beauty and fitness excellence, often made more desirable by biological impossibility. Does that stop anyone from wanting it? No way.

The greatest exercise challenge is establishing realistic goals while honoring fantasy goals. I've seen intelligent, successful women base their entire self-worth on the measurement of their thighs, while any achievement otherwise, no matter the mastery involved, didn't rate. Although firm thighs are a marvel, less glamorous achievements also improve our health and support disease prevention while increasing self-esteem and physical ability.

We begin by creating realistic short- and long-term goals, starting with the fantasy long-term goal, like resurrecting those size 5 Levi's last worn 20 years ago. We follow with a series of short-term goals that reflect our immediate needs, like being able to climb two flights of stairs with a heavy purse and a bag of groceries without gasping for air. Short-term goals are often performance related activities that require only a few weeks to achieve, with one goal typically leading to another. For example, a walking program might suggest improving walking speed and distance. Increasing the pace may be the first goal, increasing distance, the second. Through short-term goals, we note incremental improvements while on the path toward our long-term goals, such as weight loss or athletic performance enhancement.

With clearly defined goals, we begin the real work of consistent exercise, healthful eating, and determination. Within three to six weeks, one short-term goal should be accomplished with the second goal in sight. All the while, physiologic adaptations occur and subtle improvements in strength and endurance become noticeable. Goals may even shift at this time, possibly to emphasize a new athletic interest or to focus on a specific muscle group that needs special attention. For example, a new exerciser may train to walk a local 5k race, and after seeing strong improvements in leg strength and speed, she may choose to run the next race. Yet, running hadn't occurred to her until she began a walking program.

As we explore different sports and exercise interests, we may find one or two that support our physical and emotional needs simultaneously. This brings success on new levels and enriches our experience. For instance, a receptionist in a noisy office might benefit most from a solo treadmill run followed by a yoga class, both being physically stimulating and emotionally soothing. Personalizing goals to include psychological needs may offer steady motivation, as it's hard to dispute the benefits when you feel great. Try sampling various athletic interests in or out of the gym, and see if they lead you to a path you hadn't considered before. That might be where you find the bonus of peace amid the hard work and accomplishments.

A few years ago in late November, a 52-year-old client with no previous exercise experience requested an exercise program. She was roughly 35 lbs. overweight with a very clear goal in mind: to wear a slinky, size five, black dress on New Year's Eve. This was her only goal and why she joined the gym. It was also beyond the five-week benefits to be expected from a safe and healthful program, which she understood and accepted. We discussed the overall benefits of exercise (improved strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance) and created a series of short-term goals tailored to her daily tasks and interests. One goal was to improve shoulder flexibility so she could again reach the high shelf in her closet. Another was to improve leg strength and aerobic endurance for long walks to the park with her dog. Within a few weeks, her walking speed increased dramatically and she could more comfortably twist and reach overhead. By late December she was noticeably stronger and leaner and had lost 5 inches overall and 9 lbs.

Did her goals change along the way? You bet. She developed a keen appreciation for the results of her hard work and modified her goals to improve her ability to perform daily tasks. Plus, she developed a new interest in hiking. She also enjoyed new friendships as two neighbors now joined her on evening walks to the park.

While discussing her progress and setting new goals, I asked if she still included the black dress as a long-term goal for another occasion. In a tone that expressed how proud she was of her achievements thus far, she laughed and said "Maybe someday, but right now I'd rather buy hiking boots." Good for her.

Fantasy goals are vivid and fun to imagine. Providing we don't sacrifice health and happiness, they add color and specificity to our motivation and encourage us to challenge ourselves for big wins. But before we hyperventilate over achieving a fantasy goal, remember that each workout brings progress, and each goal inspires us to improve functional capabilities that enhance our well-being on all levels. The pride that comes from each achievement is itself the greatest reward.

Transitions to Healthfulness

There's no disputing that poor eating habits and lack of exercise affect our health and vitality. The sluggishness we feel after morning pastries or the jitters from too much caffeine can signal the need to modify daily habits for overall health improvement. But where do we begin?

Start by becoming aware of the frequency of your meals and snacks, the types of food you select, and your energy levels before and after meals. Recognizing eating patterns and energy swings helps us prepare for hunger cycles without being governed by cravings and impulse eating. Avoid skipping meals, which cause a drop in blood sugar and may generate cravings for simple carbohydrates, including sugary treats, to correct the imbalance. Instead of eating three large meals a day, many nutritionists recommend eating five or six small meals to keep blood sugar levels constant and prevent energy swings. A cup of yogurt, whole grain bread, hardboiled eggs, and cottage cheese are all good snacks or small meals. If you eat sensibly throughout the day, you may find it easier to eliminate high-fat snacks or sweets, thus cutting calories as an added benefit. Keep nutritious food on hand to help you resist impulse eating. After all, desperate conditions do not inspire sensible eating.

Once energy cycles become clear, you can determine if you eat for emotional reasons. By understanding the motivation behind your eating habits, you may find it necessary to change a situation that triggers poor food choices. For example, was the large lunch you ate at work in response to hunger or job stress? If you feel stifled or depressed at work, food indulgences may soothe job stress or serve as a reward for surviving rough conditions.

Acknowledging the connection of poor eating choices with stress may reduce your need to repress those feelings. Keeping a food journal can help you identify these occurrences, especially if you describe your feelings along with the content of your meals. By evaluating emotional reasons or cravings that govern your meal choices, you may spot other roadblocks that interfere with your goals. Your journal may soon become a sanctuary of self-acceptance that supports all your positive ideals.

Perhaps a daily dose of inspiration is all you need to maintain your focus on health improvement or weight loss. Perform a self-test by doing something that promotes a particular interest instead of reaching for caffeine or sugar during an energy low. If you enjoy gardening, browse through your favorite landscaping book for ten minutes. Or take a walk. Exercise increases metabolism and gives you energy. Leave the office for ten minutes of fresh air and sunshine and see if your mood and energy improve. For motivation, carry a few photos or phrases that describe your transformation and review them daily to maintain enthusiasm. Keep symbols of other interests handy to remind you of your many successes. Let those successes reinforce your confidence that you will also achieve your health and fitness goals.

Whether your goal is weight loss, disease prevention, or increasing energy, understanding the motivation behind your strengths and pitfalls will become the foundation of self-awareness necessary to create lasting change. Knowing how you arrived at this point is as significant as what you plan to do about it. Use that knowledge as you navigate the waters of change with a positive attitude and a genuine belief in your success.

— © Copyright 2002, Eileen Ehmann, Health/Fitness Instructor