Our lives are just a summation of the decisions we make, both conscious and unconscious. Tough to know but I have to believe that the unconscious makes up the bulk of it. Then we have the id, ego, and super-ego which make up our personalities… just kidding, Freudian Theory is a bit outside of my realm, but the guy was on to something.

Decisions as it pertains to our health should be made consciously. Here is an example:

Goal: Run a mile in 8 minutes

Step 1: Figure out your current mile time

Not step 1: Run 1 mile a day for a week straight and hope for the best

You need to know the starting line when looking to make changes. For example, if you want to lose weight, it would be helpful to know some or all of the following:

  1. Current average weight (two-week average is best)
  2. Calorie consumption – food journal
  3. Daily activity – steps
  4. Average amount of sleep per night
  5. Current fitness routine

You can apply this thinking to anything. If you want to build up money in a savings account, you need to know your income and expenses. If your boss asks you to make a forecast for next year’s sales, part of that process will always be to know this year’s sales. You have to consciously work to find the starting line because you cannot rely on your unconscious mind to magically point you in the right direction. This only comes after you have worked on the basics for a very long time.

A main problem I have identified for many people who have tried to make changes to their health and fitness is that the strategy they use is centered around the goal and not the process. A rush to the goal pushes people in the direction of quick fixes and actions. Taking time to think through the steps in the process is a better approach because you can then see how many small milestones there are on your journey to your goal. This is how you draw up a plan successfully. A simple example may be helpful:

Background: John wants to lose 30lbs so he can get back to the weight he was in college and he wants to do get it done by May so he is ready for beach season. He is starting to think about this because it is the New Year and he has wanted to do this for a while. He is finally ready to pull the trigger.

Scenario A:

John starts going to the gym three to five times per week and adds a protein shake every day. He came to these decisions because one of his friends told him that is what he does and it sounded like a good idea. Three months in and he has lost 10lbs. He finds himself disappointed at the rate of weight loss despite that fact that he feels better than he has in years. Another month goes by and another 2lbs lost. He looks back and realizes he had only gone to the gym half the amount as the prior few months. On top of that, the protein powder he was using has run out and he keeps forgetting to re-order. Four months into the diet and workout routine, the strategies implemented have become harder and harder to keep consistent. He gives up and gains the 10lbs back within a few months.

Scenario B:

John decides to approach the diet like he would approach a major decision at work. He has a goal in mind of losing 30lbs but understands that he has to know what he is currently doing so he knows what to change. Through some research,** he decides to gather some data that he determined was important. For the first two weeks, John tracks his average weekly body weight, keeps a food and drink log, and monitors his daily step count through his apple watch. John does these things while also starting to do some cardio. After the information from the first two weeks is gathered, John starts adding in a protein shake every day (like his friend) and starts working out three to five times per week with weights. John sets monthly milestones for weight loss as opposed to a simple end goal: 3-5lbs of total weight loss per month is the metric that he lands on. Three months go by and John has lost 10lbs. He is thrilled that things have gone according to plan and is motivated to keep going.

**I bolded “some research” because this can be replaced with something like hiring a coach, amongst other things.

Pretty nice made-up story, huh? It is always nice when you can build out a nice success story to really drive your message home. Tangent: beware of simple stories in health and fitness. A lot of diets and “professionals” in fitness will use this strategy to hook you. You can feel confident that is not my goal, the above scenario is not exactly a sexy sales pitch.

Let’s pick up where we started with conscious vs. unconscious thought. To make a change to your daily life, it takes work to stay consistent. It takes a conscious effort to push every day and make sure that the task has been met. Sometimes it takes checklists, alarms, an app, spending money on a coach or plan, notes around the house, etc. This is conscious effort. You can only rely on your unconscious once a habit is integrated into your life and becomes part of your normal routine. The only way for this to happen is to allow time to pass where the work gets done day in and day out.

Take your time, think through what you want, break the goal apart into small pieces, seek help if needed, and above all, DO NOT RUSH – it’s not race.