Do you ever start sentences with, “When I was in high school…” and then add
… I was an athlete.”
… I could run 10 miles easy.”
… I went to the gym all the time.”
…I weighed 120 pounds.”
If you blew out more than 30 candles on your cake this year, you may want to stop referencing high school. Your size and athletic ability over 10 years ago doesn’t make a difference now. What matters now is your current level of fitness.
I have clients who come to me for weight loss counseling but want to talk about how athletic they were in the past. Sometimes being athletic when you’re a teenager causes trouble when you’re older. You need to adjust your calorie intake to your current activity level. If you were in track as a 17-year-old and ran regularly and ate constantly but now you have a desk job and don’t run, you can’t eat what you did all those years ago. Think about your current fitness level and eating habits and be realistic. How often do you exercise on average? Do you get winded walking around your office or home? Do you eat healthy? Does your diet have too many high fat foods and not enough fruits and vegetables?
Your self image has a big impact on your current habits. You need exercise regularly, not just sporadically. You need to eat healthy most of the time, not just some of the time. Do not use the past as an excuse or a time to look back on and sigh. It’s not too late…you can be in the best shape of your life right now!