Losing Weight: Five Dance Steps To Getting Yourself Into Action

"True ease . . . comes from art, not chance, as those move easiest who have learned to dance."

Alexander Pope, poet, "An essay on criticism"

In weight loss circles, it is understood that people talk themselves and act themselves into self-defeating life patterns.

For example, you may have fully convinced yourself that losing weight is too hard, too frightening, too much to give up.

You'd like to do it; you know you have it in you, but you tell yourself that it would be excruciatingly difficult . . . painfully long.

So you put off starting just as long as you can.

Years pass.

But like the song you can't get out of your head, the extra weight continues to haunt you.

You may even start the process over and over, feel frustrated and stop again.

Delaying the process only increases your fear.

When you strengthen the pattern of starting and stopping yourself, you convince yourself that losing weight is only a "pipedream".

The task seems nearly impossible, so you continue the vicious cycle by avoiding.

As you procrastinate in this way, your beliefs and fears intensify your fright and reinforce your avoiding behavior.

Each time, you think about losing weight-how nice it would be to be thin, how nice it would be to have more energy, fit into your clothes, look and feel better-and each time, you stop yourself from starting.

Oh, the energy you use to hold it off . . .

The only way to overcome this negative pattern is to actively do what you are avoiding, without judging or criticizing.

Just as avoiding tends to reinforce negative patterns, taking action reinforces the positive if you keep moving toward your goal. Remember that people don't generally regret the actions they have taken in their lives as much as those actions left undone.

In the process of losing weight, there are a lot of opportunities for turning back. The world is full of people who sabotage themselves and never "get to the finish line".

Don't be one of them.

Here are 5 strategies to forward your momentum and let the dancing begin:

1. Face the music

Whatever you are unwilling to confront will control you.

If you face the music, you usually get less rather than more wrenching pain and self-criticism. In fact, it can be exhilarating to finally face a task that has been draining your energy with each thought that occurs without action.

2. Start the dance even if you don't hear the music.

Writers and other creative people often wait for the perfect moment of inspiration to overtake them before beginning a project.

While losing weight can take some planning, there is no better time to start than now. Why do diets always start on Monday or after the holidays?

Don't wait!

The sooner you start, the better chance you will have of making progress, whether it is Monday or not.

3. Move your feet.

Don't think. Just do.

Go to the gym, walk outside, or step onto a treadmill. Move your feet and see what happens. Maybe it will only last 5 minutes. But at least you are doing something and you don't have time to talk yourself out of it. This is a proven strategy that works for people who struggle with motivation and need to get going.

4. Fill your dance card.

Write down a list of action steps (buy the foods you plan to use, work out an exercise schedule, etc).

Make the steps as specific as possible. Make them as small as necessary to move you to action and move toward completing the process.

Pick a small one (15 minutes or less) and do it today.

5. Keep dancing.

Make an agreement to be in motion for a short period each day no matter what. It can be as short as 5 minutes. Don't talk yourself out of it by making excuses such as "that will only be a drop in the bucket". You may get inspired to do more, but you don't have to.

That way, you avoid power struggles with yourself.

You can quit after your committed amount of time with a clear conscience, or do more - your choice.

Here's to dancing!

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