OK, my apologies for rattling the old skeletons in my attic closet. I forget that no one wants to hear about all the crud that stuck to my shoes as I trudged through adolescence. Funny. That reminds me of the time when...
Moving on.
The last two entries on this website belabored a very simple concept that well, changed my life. By simply paying attention to what I was eating, how much I was eating, and how often I was eating it, I've been able to get myself back on track- eating right and losing weight. Had I applied it in every aspect of my existence from the day I learned this valuable lesson, I probably would have never gained all the weight I did. As they say, "Hindsight is like 20 kicks in the pants."
Here's another one. I lived in some fairly uncomfortable and inconvenient places while I was growing up. OK- no stories here. I won't mention anything about a 12-year-old boy laying in the dirt and mud with a transmission from a '67 vega on his chest, or being left to clean fish while mosquitos- swarming so thick that I looked like one of those idiots who covers themselves with bee pheromones for one of those "man with the bee beard" stunts that no one really cares about but can't look away because, my gawd, he's got a beard made of bees and that's just nuts, and how they were biting my eyelids and getting stuck in my tears and my dad wouldn't let me come inside until I was done and then only if I brought him a beer and...
Nope, not a word about any of that.
What I'm eventually getting at here is that discomfort, if I'm paying attention, is a pretty effective motivator. I mean really, if the temperature isn't just right in the room, I'm motivated to adjust the thermostat. If there's something on TV that I don't want to watch, I get up and dig through the sofa cushions to find the remote so I can change the channel. You know, big stuff like that.
Then there are the little things. That little, almost inaudible grunt of discomfort I was making whenever I bent over to pick something up. The uncomfortable bloat of eating too much pizza. The discomfort of cramming myself into dress slacks to attend a social gathering. The discomfort of being the biggest guy in the room. The discomfort of feeling the looks from other guest as I approached the appetizer table. The uncomfortable rumble of my stomach when I cut several thousand calories from my daily diet. The discomfort I felt as I started walking farther and farther each day. The ache of my muscles after working out. The discomfort of being sweaty and winded after a morning at the gym. Discomfort motivating me to do more and more so that I can experience the elation of stepping on the scale this morning and seeing it register a loss of two more pounds since the last time I stepped on it.
For many, life is all about seeking comfort- a comfortable pair of shoes, a comfortable living, a comfy chair. I now thrive on discomfort. It motivates me to do more than I have before- to move my thermostat past the comfort zone and towards a better me.
Entrecard:
(Day 456 / -153 lbs.) Get Comfortable With Discomfort
8/21/2008 10:41:00 AM | aches, comfort, motivation | 3 comments »
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I love how you put this together! I agree on how the discomfort turned things positive. You are a neat person and I enjoy your blog. Very motivating. Do you really use that wu yi tea? I saw it at the bottom of your page. If so, do you like it.
I agree with you on how these discomforts can push you towards good actions. THere are some now who think that overweight people shouldn't try to change themselves, because it's a negative reaction to an image-based society, but they seem to overlook the fact that being overweight can just feel physically bad. So I say go for it and lose the weight we want to lose and be obsessed about getting to the weight if we know we will feel physically better at that weight.
@health nut wannabee mom - Thanks! I haven't tried the tea thouh it looks fantastic.
@psoriasis solved - You know, you're right- if you don't feel good and it's something you have some personal control over the situation, why not change. I get kind of sick of hearing about "feeling comfortable in your own skin". When you're crammed into it because of obesity you cannot possibly feel comfortable. Change!