Every Body Is Watching You

Warning or Example?
Warning or Example?

Are you a movie star?

A rock star?

A Hollywood celebrity?

Most likely, we can all answer these questions with a resounding, “No.”

But I beg to offer a different perspective (imagine that, lol).

People are watching you the same way they watch famous people, and they are doing the same thing to you they do after watching famous people.

Judging.

We are all telling a story about what we value. Yes, we are. Every single day.  Every choice we make is another “scene” from the movie entitled “Your Life”.

And this brings us back to a very poignant question, “Am I an example or a warning?”

Keep Your Goals Very Small

Start Small and Never Stop
Start Small and Never Stop

What the?  Keep my goals very small?  Didn’t you say to dream big?

Didn’t you say, “If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough.”

Exactly.

And maybe the challenge for many people, including you, is that your definition of impossible is inaccurate.

When I started running 11 years ago, my impossible goal wasn’t to run in the Master’s Track & Field World Championships.

It also wasn’t to run one mailbox a day for a week, and then two mailboxes a day the second week and so on.

It was to get started and never stop.

One day at a time.  Get started and never quit.  Never quit, one day at a time – this is what I mean by very small goals.

Do you see the difference?

Masters Track?

Masters Track
Masters Track

Yes, Masters Track.

What do you do to stay motivated to reach and maintain your health goals?

Master’s athletes are defined as people over 30 years old.

There are other sports that have Masters competitions too.  The thought of trying something completely out of my comfort zone actually seems possible – at a future time, of course.

Why?

Because the whole point of the competition, to me, is simply to find ways to stay motivated.  When things get boring, I get less motivated.

This is a deadly place to be, literally.

Someday. maybe swimming.  Or perhaps I’ll try Filed events, like the Discus, Shot Put, or, heaven forbid, the Pole Vault.

Whatever it takes.  That’s one of the secrets to staying healthier.  I figure everybody knows this, but it never hurts to say important things over and over.

Does it?

People Like Being Unhealthy

People Like Being Unhealthy.  In fact, you probably like being unhealthy.  And odds are you know a lot of people who also like to be unhealthy.

Right?

Absolutely.  Why?  I have no idea.  None.

But I have a hunch, but it’s only a hunch.  Know what it is?

People must love it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so unhealthy. Seriously.

If it’s not true, then go ahead and convince me this is incorrect.  Go ahead please.

Hey, the whole point of Lane 8 is to challenge you (and me) to set awesome health goals, go after them, reach them, and then maintain our health goals for the rest of our lives.

This requires DAILY effort.  Which is why I write this Lane 8 blog every single day.  Got it?  Every single day is our great opportunity to focus on our health.

It is not easy.  Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.  But it is always worthwhile.  Figure it out or live with regret.  There are no other choices.

Gaining Weight

Gaining weight is easy for me.  Almost as easy as breathing.  This is a scary proposition.

Why?

Because of the ease of putting on pounds, I have to work extra hard to counteract this natural tendency.  Most humans do.

Once, two friends who were talking about their current diets, looked at me and said, “You’re lucky, you don’t need to worry about your weight”.

In reply, “I worry about my weight every single day, that’s why I don’t have to worry about it”.  Ya with me?  Stay focused.  Fight a good battle today.