Tuesday's Tip of the Day

Fake it 'til you make it

Do you want a healthier lifestyle? To lose weight? To get into those "skinny jeans"? Perhaps, you've wanted that for a long time. If you were truly committed to change, then you'd be there though, right? Not necessarily. Change takes time. And work. Lots and lots of work. Just wanting it is not enough. You've got to go for the gusto and make it happen.

This is where "fake it 'til you make it" comes in to help. Look in the mirror. Are you where you want to be? More than likely, unless you are in that 10% of "happy body women", there is something about your body that makes you unhappy.

So, fake it. Live the life of the woman you want to be. Eat those healthy foods. Spend some extra time in the gym. Love yourself. According to Dr. Oz, after 6 weeks of "faking it", you will begin to be naturally motivated to continue your regime of healthy living. I honestly think it takes a little bit longer than that, which is why I made my Fitness challenge into 10 weeks.

Here's how I managed to fake it...

When I started going to the gym on a regular basis, I felt like I was out of place - a chubby girl trying to stay afloat in a sea of fitness and health. I would glimpse myself in the mirror next to the "perfect" body and feel like I would never get to that point. In order to blend in at the gym, I became a chameleon. I bought some cute workout clothes, got a new pair of shoes, and dived right in. I said "hello" to the people working at the check in desk; I struck up conversations with people on the machines next to me; My confidence, it seemed, tricked my fellow "gym rats" into thinking I was, indeed, fit. Oh, silly people...

I was a complete faker.

I went to the store and bought organic foods. I looked at labels and started tracking what was going into my body. When I was out to eat, I looked up the nutritional information ahead of time and on many instances, asked for half of my meal to be wrapped up before it even hit my plate. I had all my health conscious friends  fooled into thinking I was "one of them"... Tee hee hee...

I was a complete faker.

With the help of Couch to 5K, I slowly went from being a walker on the treadmill to doing a run/walk. Instead of spending my weekends laying around on the couch, I started signing up for 5K races. With my fancy shoes and adorable workout clothes (that, by the way, were feeling a little looser than they had when I bought them), I had everyone thinking I was a runner. What fools...

I was a complete faker.

Then, it happened. It happened so fast. It happened and I am so happy that it did.

It was a little over 2 years ago. I was in a Cardio Kick class. During these classes, I would typically position myself near the front so I could see the instructor. Plus, if I was in the back, it was much too easy for me to sneak out. *wink* In the main room, there were mirrors on three of the walls and I would find myself looking in them, mostly at the people around me.

Something you should know about me is that I am a people watcher by nature. It interests me to see what other people are doing, if they are keeping up with the class, and how they look, in general. I would very often compare myself to them. "Oh man, that girl has nicer definition on her arms than I do..." "If only I could look like that woman..." and on and on and on.

On that day, I looked into the mirror and spied a girl with a much nicer body than me.  I thought to myself "If I looked like that, I would be so happy." Then, I took a second look and realized that I was looking at myself. It was so surreal. I did a double - no make that a triple - take. It really was me!

I had faked it for so long that I had actually become the person I wanted to be. I really was an exerciser. I really was a healthy eater. I really was a runner. From that moment on, there was no looking back.

So, start faking it today and see if you can surprise yourself too...