We live in an instantaneous world. So much of what we desire is available via the touch of a button, in the blink of an eye. And while that’s excellent when you’re trawling eBay for a killer party outfit, the same-day-delivery mentality on your health is a fast track to failure.
It all comes down to what University of Western Australia professor Susan Byrne describes as “dichotomous thinking”: the perception that life’s experiences can be separated into two categories – good or bad/black or white/success or failure/all or nothing – rather than placed along a spectrum, with all the shades of in-between.
The Danger of All or Nothing Thinking
Think about it: have you ever been wildly excited about a new goal until you realised that you might actually have to make some changes in your life? It’s much easier to throw in the towel on a massive project when you feel completely unprepared and overwhelmed.
People who set themselves health goals to be achieved in an unrealistic timeframe – to jog 8km every day for a month when they have never run in their lives, or to lose 50 kilos in 12 weeks – are much more likely to fall off the wagon after facing the smallest of obstacles. Convinced they are incapable of meeting their own lofty expectations, they abandon ship.
Professor Byrne suggests that people who look at their weight loss on a continuum, setting smaller-ticket wins along the way to the big–ticket jackpot, are generally happier with their progress. They’re less likely to see falling short of a mini milestone as a total failure overall. They’re also more likely to keep the weight off, because they understand that successful weight loss is a lifestyle commitment, and commitments take time to fulfil.
Going the Distance with 12WBT Pre-Season
Ultimately, your weight loss journey is a marathon and not a sprint. In the same way that you wouldn’t exercise your body without warming up first, you shouldn’t jump head first into a complete and sustained lifestyle change without clueing your brain in to what’s required.
12WBT Pre-Season starts five or six weeks before a new Round of the 12 Week Body Transformation. Over that time, you complete two or three tasks a week. The focus is on getting your head in to the right place so you can reach your goals. Give yourself the best chance to get the best results, with a slow-and-steady attitude and positive, realistic expectations.
There’s a huge link between the members that complete the Pre-Season tasks and those that have a lot of success within the 12WBT program. We went to Twitter to see what 12WBT members past and present had to say about this part of the 12WBT. The response was overwhelmingly positive!
Thinking of taking the next step? Pre-season is now open. Join the team today!
