How to be a Quitter

Yes Boys and Girls, todays talk is about how to be a quitter.
You see, I'm an expert at it, always have been. As a kid I quit piano, ballet, netball... the list goes on. I just don't seem to have that that inner spark that says when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Today I was doing parkrun and I quit. I hurt my hip halfway through and rather than saying "ok, won't be a best time, I'm in a bit of pain, but I can walk to the end"... yeah rather than that...I quit.

And it started me thinking...why am I so good at quitting?  What is it about me that chooses to give up, rather than battling through when things get hard?  I mean I know I can persevere... I was in far more pain during the Mothers Day classic 8km, and I kept going. I think maybe it hinges on how much I have invested... I mean I paid to enter the Mothers Day Classic, and I had my family at the finish line cheering me on... I had to finish. Today, ParkRun is free, my daughter was running with me (and way ahead) and really the only one I was letting down was me... so I did.  

And there we have it.  I won't let other people down, but I will let myself down time and time again.  Why do I not have the self worth to not want to let myself down?

Looking at my three children, I have two that are like me... will look for any excuse, find the easy way out, give up when it gets hard, ... and I have one who is self motivated, hardworking, and won't quit - even when she wants to.  She must take after her father.  
I don't know if Quitting is genetic (I can't find any evidence to support that it is - and I spent a whole 4 mins googling it before I quit searching) or if a quitters mentality comes from environmental factors... You know, Shit happens when you are a kid, that makes you not have belief in yourself, and because you don't have that self worth, you don't think you are worth that extra commitment, you let yourself down so you can say ...see I am worthless after all!  

I think its a bit of both.

So we have established that I am very good at quitting, however events of the past year have also proven that I can do more than I ever thought I could.  It appears that unbeknownst to me, I have slowly been making deposits into my Self Worth Bank, and I have discovered that maybe, just maybe, I don't want to let myself down any more.  Maybe I want to quit quitting.

Quitting, or being a quitter, has such a negative connotation, but as addicts know, sometimes quitting is the hard thing to do.
I was a smoker once, years ago, not for very long compared to alot of smokers I know, but I was smoking enough for it to be a problem... and then I quit.
I quit easy. It was easy because I had a reason to, a reason that I wanted more than I wanted to smoke.  That reason was singing. I had been asked to join a band, and I knew that I couldn't get through a night of singing and dancing in the audience without losing my voice, so I needed to make sure I had a voice. I came down to singing or smoking, I chose singing. End of story.

So quitting can be a good thing, and seeing as I am an expert at it, I am going on a quitting spree.

With the help of Google, and my supporters, I am going to find out how to be a quitter, find out tips and strategies on how to quit effectively, and I am going to quit the following things :

• Quitting
• Making Excuses
• Sugar
• Soft Drink
• Feeling sorry for myself

... BECAUSE WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING!  and I have decided that I am tough enough... after all I plan to do Tough Mudder next year, can't get any tougher than that.

I found an exercise to start with http://www.yournewblueprint.com/Roland/kick-the-quitter-out-your-life/

and I am writing a letter to my quitter inside, and kicking her butt to the kerb.

I am going to 'invest' in a quit sugar book and start on the quest today!

There's gotta be more to life...

I wouldn't blame you for thinking that this weightloss journey is all I am about.  
Granted, it is consuming almost every thought at the moment while I concentrate on getting it right, and making it permanent.... but there are other things in my life, and I have other goals and resolutions I have set.


#1. Giving up soft drink - I have told you that one already here.

#2. Taking my lunch break.  - I have an hour for lunch, and I rarely take even half of it. I end up eating at my desk, or taking only a 15 minute break. So I have decided that for my own health (stress levels etc) I need to force myself to take breaks.  I went to the shopping centre today and ran some errands in my lunch break, and I did feel very refreshed.  We have a staff gym at work, so with an hour break there is no reason I can't sneak in a 20 minute workout. Or even a nice stroll in the park, or take a book and catch up on my reading. We have a great staff cafeteria, so even just leaving the office to have my calorie controlled lunch with some workmates once a week would be an improvement. So any of you workmates reading this..lets make a lunch date!
#3. Put in a vege garden. - Not talented in this area, but I want to grow a few of my own veges. My girls are keen as well, so I better get researching how to do it.

#4. Go on a cruise - I did promise myself we would go on a cruise before the end of 2012. The Costa Concordia hasn't put me off (much), however the deal was that I couldn't go until I looked good in a bikini... Maybe early 2013 instead.

#5. Finish my course - I am lucky enough to be doing a government funded course through work. I'm doing Cert IV in Business, and I'm half way through.  I know it won't actually take me too long to knock off the rest, I just need to make the time and knuckle down and finish it.  Then I can start work on the Diploma!  Well why not, I'm getting qualifications and It's not costing me a cent.  I have until June 2013, but I want to get this in the bag by end of 2012, or mid 2012 (ideally).
#6 Finish writing - I have 4 different novels started, and none finished. I want to get one done, and If I don't get a publishing deal, I can publish it myself. Maybe I could tell the story like a weekly serial in a blog instead!. 

#7  Europe for my 50th birthday - This is the big one, the very top of my Bucket List. I stopped this from being a dream and I have started turning this into reality.  I have made detailed plans of where I want to go and what I want to do and it comes to a 106 day itinerary.  I will be eligible for long service leave by then, and if I save $50 a week until then, there will be more than enough. However I have my shorter 60  day version that I will be happy with if something doesn't go to plan. The kids will all be 18+, and Joe and I can head off guilt free and wander the globe. 

There are so many other things, but these are my top focus at the moment, some shorter term, some longer term, but all achievable if I work at it. All of these things are totally dependant on me, there is no luck or chance involved. If I want it then I have to do the work to get it.

Addiction

Yep, my vices are (were) all the usual suspects.

• Chocolate
• Chips
• Fried Chicken
• Lollies
• Burgers
• Pizza
• Soft Drink
• French Fries
• Ice cream
• Cheese

I still haven't started Pre-season on the 12WBT yet, so I don't yet know how I should be dealing with these Addictions, so I will muddle through as best I can in the meantime.

Its hard to go cold turkey on these things, it's probably not a good idea to deprive my body of these things, that I have fed it for 25 years (I say 25 not 40, because my mother didn't feed me these things (excessively) as a child, I did it to myself as an adult.)

To deprive would cause cravings > cravings test my willpower > my willpower inevitably fails > I feel bad for failing again > I start emotional eating and reach for the usual suspects to make me feel better.  Best not deprive myself of all these things completely - everything in moderation. 

http://www.paintingsilove.com/artist/johnbarnes

However I did make myself a New Years Resolution to give up Fizzy Drink (unless it's mixed with Alcohol on a Special Occasion - I am having a 40th Birthday party remember - I do need to be practical and realistic).    My Father has long been telling me I drink too much of that crap... and he is right, but don't you dare tell him I said that!  Sad fact is that a 1.5L bottle of Fizzy, is cheaper than a Litre of Milk, or a 600ml bottle of water , and you can't get a Fruit Juice in the same ballpark - It shouldn't be the way, but it is, and it is this type of insanity that has caused the obesity rates to skyrocket.  



Check out the Research

Not that Coke in particular was my drink of choice, I'm more of a Pepsi Max fan, with a side of Mountain Dew, and Lemonade, and Fanta, and Pub Squash.... I am now having ice cold water instead, and had already been making the change slowly over time, but I am now committed to cutting them out altogether.   DAY 4 and still going strong.

Well what can I say, Addictive personalities run in my family - Why fight it?  I'll just replace it with something else that can give me the same endorphin rush, and what do you know ...  Zumba does that!

I have the most A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Zumba Instructor, Kassy 

 Not only can she move like nothing you've ever seen, 
but she truly cares about her students, 
and we love shaking our tushies to those Zumba Tunes.
Last night I did my 2nd class for the week, 
with another scheduled for Friday night.

The Amazing Zumba Kass

Zumbathon in Full Swing