If you ever have the feeling that you need to “pull yourself together,” then it would be handy to have a procedure to follow, wouldn’t it?
Dr. Bob Wubbolding wrote a set of directions for doing just that. He called it “A Set of Directions for Putting and Keeping Yourself Together,” which I’ve been exploring over the past few columns.
So far, he’s suggested that we start by accepting our current reality (not necessarily surrendering, but accepting). Then we make the deliberate decision to take positive action, both for ourselves and for others.
Dr. Bob’s next direction is called “Positive (Healthful) Physical Activity.” While lots of actions involve some physical activity, it’s interesting that he puts this in its own category.
Of course, any suggestion of physical activity has to come with the usual cautions: Be sensible, consider your physical condition (that is, accept your current reality), see a doctor before you start if you’re unsure, and so on. I suspect that you know all of that already.
Dr. Bob (not a medical doctor, by the way) doesn’t define positive physical activity. We get to choose. But choosing can be hard, which you already know if you’ve ever been stuck in indecision because you have too many options.
Many of us have aches and limitations that prevent us from doing the physical activity we might want to do. Instead of saying, “I used to be able to… but now I can’t,” turn your mind toward physical actions that you can do. Dr. Bob gives us three useful guidelines.
First, it must be doable. We may as well be realistic. Telling ourselves that we will run a mile every day can feel great while we’re thinking about it. However, the actual doing can tell a different story. Making the doable choice of a ten-minute walk isn’t as impressive as an intense run, but it’s a huge “step” above doing no walk at all, isn’t it?
Dr. Bob mentions possibilities that I would not have thought of as “physical activities.” For example, if you haven’t been taking care of yourself, then the simplest acts of self-care, such as getting out of bed at a specific time or brushing your teeth regularly are movement in a positive direction. Stretching, moving to music, gently lifting weights, all of that is positive use of your body. Start where you are. Go from there.
Second, the activity should be measurable. You don’t have to keep elaborate charts (unless you want to, of course.) But even simple measurements can help with motivation. “How long? How often? How far?” are all useful questions.
Finally, it should be repetitive. The plan is not only to put yourself together, but also to keep yourself together. That takes repetition.
Perhaps you can’t do your activity every day. Choose realistically and go with that. A limited repetitive plan is much better than starting with an ambitious plan, having reality interfere, getting discouraged, and doing nothing at all.
Planning can be fun. We can envision a renewed stronger body, a more positive outlook, a more satisfied life. The actual doing can be the tougher part. To help with that, Dr. Bob suggests coming up with ten possibilities for physical activity. Write them down. Thus, you’ll have ten sentences, each that starts with “I will…”
For example, “I will take a ten minute walk every day after breakfast on the railway trail.” That simple sentence answers the questions: What will I do? How often? When? Where?
Once you have a collection of specific doable activities, you can choose one (maybe more, but not too many) that are appealing enough for you to follow through. Start small. See what happens.
