Planning and perseverance in physical and mental development: the methods of successful people

Planning and perseverance for physical and intellectual development

While there isn't a unique scoring system for bodily intelligence like IQ, completing the questionnaires and exercises in this book will give you a clear understanding of your strengths and areas for improvement. If you're a hardcore dieter, you've likely experienced repeated failures with restricted food intake, and while you've tried increasing physical activity a few times, you haven't yet tried improving your body image. Regardless of your past experiences, know that achieving lasting weight loss is rarely easy. Weight change is a long-term process, and there may be many temporary setbacks, and frustration, regression, discouragement, and giving up are inevitable. But successful dieters always persevere. So, how can you avoid giving up when you feel discouraged?

Below are the methods used by two people who have successfully maintained their weight loss. One is Dr. Richard Wurtman, who leads the Clinical Research Center at MIT. Although he is a dietitian and nutritionist and has maintained a good physique for many years, he still considers himself fat among thin people. He attributes his success in maintaining his weight to daily aerobic activity and being mindful of his daily calorie intake.

Another woman, Mary Litman, was equally successful in maintaining her weight loss. When a colleague brought homemade crème brûlée pancakes to the office, she didn't want to feel deprived of her right to eat, so she told herself, "I'm going to eat." She did eat, but she made a deal with herself: she would walk home after get off work and only eat salad for dinner. She liked chocolate-coated mints, but instead of buying the big, flat kind, she bought a small box and ate only a few at a time when she wanted to treat herself.

Both Dr. Woodman and Ms. Littleman demonstrated physical intelligence. Instead of dieting and then abandoning it, they developed new habits and strategies for maintaining health. Your methods for maintaining health may differ, but one thing remains the same: consistency and planning ahead.

Recall from Chapters Six and Ten that the most difficult phase is the action phase of change. Once you reach the maintenance phase, you rarely need to try new eating and exercise behaviors because you've already established new but natural ways of behaving. However, you still need to be vigilant to ensure you don't revert to the reflection or preparation phase. A study of 714 people found that they lost an average of 65 pounds and maintained it for over five years, but the first year or two were extremely difficult. If you can maintain your weight for several years, the weight loss is less likely to rebound.

When you enter the maintenance phase, avoidance or interruption usually occurs, and no one can do it perfectly. An interruption is a temporary process; during the interruption, you abandon newly formed eating and exercise habits. You can get through this brief period and resume moving forward. Conversely, regression is not temporary; it indicates that you have given up and completely returned to the period of reflection. Fortunately, many potential interruptions are foreseeable, so you can design a contingency plan to ensure that a temporary interruption does not turn into regression. Some of the most common types of interruptions will be discussed below.

Interruptions during the holiday period

From Thanksgiving to Christmas, New Year's Day, and even Super Bowl weekend, there are numerous parties and celebrations that involve food. On these occasions, it's customary to eat a lot to fully participate. Furthermore, there are many external food signals during the holiday season. In addition to delicious dishes and second meals, food appears in the most unexpected places during the holidays.

I remember one day in December when I went to the locksmith to have a key made. Under a small Christmas tree next to the counter, there was a plate of nut chocolate cupcakes. Although I didn't plan to eat them that morning, I made a deal with myself. I decided to exercise on the treadmill for an extra 10 minutes and then make dessert later that evening to fulfill my wish.

Winter makes outdoor exercise less convenient, and the holiday season often involves overeating, making it easy to break new habits and revert to old ones. To minimize weight gain during the holidays, it's necessary to temporarily reinstate self-monitoring. A study showed that consistent self-monitoring during the holidays helps maintain a stable weight, while those who joined a weight loss program but didn't adhere to self-monitoring gained weight.

Holiday-related disruptions

There are at least three dangers when you're on vacation. First, it's harder to control your eating environment when you're away from home, as many of your meals will take place in restaurants. Second, many vacation activities, such as tours and all-encompassing resorts, emphasize eating a variety of local delicacies as part of the experience. Third, vacations can disrupt the eating and activity routines you've established at home.

To minimize these risks, discuss with your travel companions before you depart to reduce unnecessary eating. For example, you could decide to have a hearty breakfast at the hotel but a lighter lunch. You can also plan ahead what you'll do after returning home to prevent a break from turning into a complete regression. For instance, if you participate in fitness activities or exercise programs, you can prepay before your vacation to ensure you can resume your exercise routine as soon as your vacation ends.

Disruptions caused by life changes

If you move, find a new job, or simply get sick, your normal routine will be disrupted. Any of these changes can shift your focus, preventing you from dedicating your energy to new eating and exercise habits. For example, if you change jobs, you might pass a particularly tempting bakery on your commute. When you move to a new city, you're likely to have more urgent business to attend to, rather than immediately looking for a gym or a new walking partner. While you're busy with these urgent matters, your healthy eating and exercise habits will gradually be forgotten over time.

Therefore, don't let life changes weaken your physical and mental well-being. Instead, think ahead about the impact of these changes and make plans. Before you move, check out the gyms in your new neighborhood, apply for a trial membership, and start using them in the first few weeks after you arrive.

You can't assume that once life changes are over, your new eating and exercise habits will automatically resume. Recognize the potential interruptions and plan accordingly, so that once life settles down, you can get back on track where you left off.