It's Not an Option

"It's Not An Option"

I actually stole this mantra from a book I read when I first started out losing weight called Secrets of a Former Fat Girl by Lisa Delaney.  She used it as her mantra when she was losing weight and I just loved it.  I also recommend the whole book as it is highly motivating but that little sentence is the major component that I walked away with.

Basically, the mantra takes away your choice.  There is no "should I work out today?" because *not* working out here is "not an option".  Should I order the greasy junk food?  It's not an option.  I use it a lot especially when I'm running.  Stopping short of my scheduled distance isn't an option (unless I'm hurt or feel like I will hurt myself by continuing of course).  Skipping a run altogether isn't an option.  I use this the most when I'm really feeling whiney and I know that is all it is, me being whiney.  It shuts me up instantly (Lisa calls it your "inner whiner").

The phrase stops any excuses, whines, or complaints in their tracks.  There is no reasoning here.  No way to argue around it.  It just cuts off the argument completely, stopping me from continuing the whining.  It is like that final "no" that a parent gives to a child.  If there was never a choice in the first place, then you don't have to think about what you should do, you just go do the right thing.

When I'm at a restaurant, eyeballing the deep fried whatever, I just remind myself "that food item is not an option for me" and all of the sudden, my list of choices gets shorter and simpler.  Picking between 6 different healthy meals is a lot easier than having to choose from the entire menu.  The choice becomes easy since that junk food wasn't even on *your* menu in the first place.

Getting home after a hard day at work, thinking about skipping my workout suddenly goes out the window.  I think about skipping and remind myself that it isn't even an option.  From then on out, I just keep repeating it in my mind as my body goes on auto-pilot, putting on my clothes and running sneakers.  Before I know it, I'm out the door sweating my butt off.

Now, this mantra may come off at first as a little negative.  Some people might here it in their heads as a "no" and have a temper tantrum and do what they wanted anyway.  It could also sound a little drill-sergant like but to me its not either of those.  To me, its just reminding yourself that you choose to have a healthy life.  With that life, there are certain things that go along and certain things that do not.  The ones that don't fit aren't going to be on your list of choices in the first place.  You still have choices but they have changed.  Instead of "should I work out?" it is "what workout should I do today?".  Instead of "junk food or not?" it is "healthy dish 1 or 2?".  Like is said, this saying just stops you right in your tracks from veering off the healthy path and its kept me in line many times and will continue to do so whenever I need that extra kick in the pants!