Ok, so I’m guilty of it too — I’ve seen lots of things that talk about creating a collage of photos and words of what we want, or what we want to become…the latest thing to repeat this idea is the movie, The Secret.  I’ve often thought to myself, I don’t really need that to remind me of what I want.  Well, like many things, it is often the small things we do, that really add up to something big.

Reminding ourselves, is exactly the point.  With our busy schedules, we are often too caught up in each moment to remember the things we really want.  In the context of losing weight, we have to remember what we are trying to do, and use things to remind us whenever possible.  Why?  I know you might be saying, “I don’t want to become obsessed with losing weight!” — yes, that is not necessarily a good thing…but depending on how you look at it, it could be a good thing if you aren’t doing things that interfere with your life in negative ways!  Perhaps obsessed is a little too strong a word.

It is each little reminder that gives us the focus we need, to make the right decisions each day, that really add up.  That picture of the body you want to achieve, taped to your refrigerator, may give you just one more reason not to eat the wrong thing, at times of weakness.  A post it on your computer monitor at work, might remind you that you shouldn’t be going out to eat with co-workers today when they ask you.  And over time, these small reminders can make a really big difference (in theory).

Here’s a little experiment for you if you watch TV every night.  Tape a piece of paper on your TV (not on the screen silly!), that says something like:

Monday – Lunges
Tuesday – Pushups
Wednesday – Situps
Thursday – Curls

(or a photo of what you are trying to achieve will do…but sometimes being more specific can translate into more “structure”)

These little reminders may be enough to get you off the couch during a commercial, and do 30 lunges (each leg), or 15 pushups, or whatever it may be.  Sounds silly, but if you watch TV consistently, maybe you can exercise consistently too?

This idea struck me as interesting, as I decided to do squats today while I was brushing my teeth in my hotel room.  What if we reminded ourselves to do this every day?  I know, sounds a bit strange…but since nobody’s watching…

Have a great week!