Harvey, Jason - Achieve Anything In Just One Year - Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals

This subject may be stressful for some of you. Maybe food is an ongoing issue in your life; maybe it’s not. Either way, you will probably pick up new and interesting information about yourself during the next week. Take an honest and non-judgmental look at what you put in your body and be willing to consider a few changes. There will not be a weigh-in later on, so don’t get nervous. This is a self-assessment. It’s a chance for you to get honest with yourself about your good and bad nutrition habits.

Your first assignment is to keep a food journal for one week. Get a pocket-size notebook that you can keep with you all the time, and write down every single thing you eat or drink each day. Don’t try to change your habits yet; just observe them. You will have a chance to go back and analyze later. For one week, all you need to do is document what goes into your body.

DAY

122

“Never eat more than you can lift.”

— Miss Piggy

While you are getting your food journal underway, let’s go over a couple of simple rules when it comes to nutrition. Miss Piggy offers the first one. Gluttony isn’t pretty. Try to avoid ridiculous food portions.

Notice the rule has nothing to do with avoiding particular foods. Instead, it suggests that you practice moderation. Most people enjoy pizza once in awhile. No problem! But a large, double cheese, stuffed crust, extra pepperoni every day fills you up with garbage that has nowhere to go but your waistline.

While you are filling out your food journal, think about your portions. Do you tend to supersize it? Or do you stick with pretty modest portions? Do you like to eat until you are so stuffed you can barely get up from the table? Or do you pick at your food and always leave a meal without feeling completely satisfied? Do you find yourself somewhere in between those two extremes?

Go back through your memory and try to remember the best meal you ever had. What did you eat that made you feel so good? Did you feel energized or sleepy, comfortable or stuffed, satisfied or wanting more?

Finally, write about your emotions as they relate to food. What do you eat when you’re sad? What do you eat when you are excited? What time of day do you enjoy food the most? Does food ever make you feel guilty? Is eating enjoyable to you, or is it a necessity that doesn’t provide much pleasure? Explore how you view food.

DAY

123

“A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.”

— Spanish Proverb

This proverb highlights another simple thought to keep in mind. Take care of yourself, because you are the instrument of your success. If you were a successful mechanic, you would take very good care of your tools, because they help you to succeed. If you were a painter, you would pay special attention to how you store your paints so they don’t dry out. They are your means of expression, so you must make sure they are well cared for. If you were a computer programmer, you would constantly update your computer so it has the best software and the strongest protection from hackers.

Think about your body as a tool. It is literally the instrument of your success. Unfortunately, you can’t drop off your body somewhere for repairs on the path to achievement and pick it up when it’s fixed and in better working order. You’re stuck with it, whether it is working well or not. Your journey will be cut short if you don’t take care of yourself and make sure you are in good working condition.

In order to achieve your dreams, you want to have the best equipment you can find. You don’t want rusty tools that have fallen into disrepair. You want clean and vibrant tools so that you have every opportunity to put your best effort forward.

Write about how you take care of your health. Are you too busy to eat right and exercise regularly? Is health the last thing you think of when you are striving to make a difference in this world? Do you view your body as a tool for your success?

DAY

124

“The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.”

— Ken Doherty

Now let’s move on to the exercise side of taking care of your body. Have you ever taken part in rigorous sports training? If you have, you know that it is extremely hard work. If you have not, it sounds exciting and even a little heroic, doesn’t it? Most of us have watched the Olympics and been awestruck at athletes from across the globe competing at the top of their field. We marvel at what they are able to accomplish physically.

You have an opportunity to feel the excitement and gratification of physical accomplishment on your own level. Are you willing to push yourself a little in order to experience the success of a healthy and strong body? Your goal does not have to be participation in the Olympic Games. Concentrate only on making forward progress.

You may be thinking, “I am not good at sports. This is going to be torture.” It doesn’t have to be. It can be a joyful and enlightening experience if you’re open to it. Take a look at the quote above. The most important aspect of sports training is spirit. If you go into this project with excitement, you have already accomplished the most important part.

Imagine how great you will feel if you push yourself just a little bit harder each day. If you don’t presently exercise at all, then start. If you do, then kick up the intensity. You do not have to kill yourself. Your goal is to gradually and continually increase your stamina, speed, strength, and skill. The key to your success is spirit. Launch into this like you’re training for the Olympics, and enjoy witnessing how your body responds to healthy action.

DAY

125

“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”

— Doug Larson

Today you are going to give yourself a break. You have been psyching yourself up to eat healthy and exercise, but let’s take a moment to get real. There are foods that you really enjoy that aren’t the best for you. Do you have to give them up forever in order to be successful?

Absolutely not. You do have the opportunity to tweak your regular routine to get healthier and stronger, but nobody is perfect. Allow yourself an occasional indulgence. Give yourself a day off from exercise. The point here is not to become perfect. No one will achieve that. You want to look at the overall picture.

So you had a hot fudge sundae last night. So what? What did you do the rest of the week? If you had a hot fudge sundae every day, you might want to rethink your choices. If it was a one-time indulgence, good for you! Life is not meant to be complete drudgery. Have a little fun sometimes. Those once-in-awhile treats are a lot more pleasurable if they only happen once in awhile. Enjoy them!

Your assignment today is to either skip exercise or eat something that is not particularly healthy. Don’t feel guilty. Enjoy this little delight. Tomorrow, you will go back to your regular routine and continue to progress gradually in the areas of exercise and nutrition.

Nobody is perfect. Enjoy small indulgences and then get back on track.

DAY

126

“Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.”

— Isaac Newton