Dare to be Different! How Breaking the Rules Can Help You Reach Your Weight Loss Goals

I've always been one to march to the beat of my own drum, the non-conformist who always had a different way of doing things then those around me. Truth be told, I spent most of my younger years feeling like the zebra in a pony show, the fact that I was different than the others couldn't be overlooked.  My strong willed approach to doing things differently frustrated the hell out of my parents and teachers alike.  In fact in school, I actually had a teacher who was so annoyed by my ways of thinking and finding different approaches to solve things, that her solution was to make me sit alone with my desk on the porch of the classroom with the door cracked open so I could hear her teach but couldn't respond! There were many times in my life when I wished I hadn't been wired the way I was and that I could just blend into the crowd. While it certainly would have been emotionally easier to blend in with the crowd, it would have also been incredibly boring for me!  I have found that I am happiest when I am being the person God made me to be and not trying to force myself to fit into the cookie cutter mold of what others think I should be.  My crazy creative ways of doing things and sense of adventure brings a smile to his face and that's all that matters.  If other's think I'm weird, laugh at me or give me the stink eye when I get too crazy, so be it, I was made to have fun!

So how does being different apply to weight loss?  When it comes to losing weight, we can be told exact formulas created by experts that lay out every detail of what we should eat and how we should exercise and these formulas may bring the results you are seeking.  But the fact of the matter is, statistically, more times often than not, these formulas (AKA Diets) fail miserably and do not deliver lasting results.  Consider this, if there were an exact formula for weight loss that worked exactly the same for everyone, we would all have our dream bodies and the weight loss industry wouldn't be making billions of dollars each year!  When it comes to losing weight, finding what works for you is ultimately what will bring the lasting results you desire. Experimentation is a necessity if you want to be successful in losing weight.  You need to be a bit of a rebel and break the "rules" created by the "experts" in order to find what works best for you. There is no point to force yourself to eat certain foods you hate or complete exercises you dread doing because forcing yourself to do those things can only last so long and eventually you will give up and fail.  Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new things.  Through the trial and error process, you will begin to develop a sense of what workouts and foods will bring the optimum results for you.   It's important to never lose your childlike wonder in life- your ability to explore and see things from a different perspective.  One of my favorite things to do at the gym is take a piece of equipment or a set of weights and see how many different exercises I can come up with for a specific body part.  You don't even need a gym to complete this exercise, I once came up with 53 different exercises to do using my couch... can you say box jumps, elevated push ups and tricep dips?   Ha ha, welcome to my crazy world!  If you lack in the creativity department and experimenting in this way seems overwhelming, some other ways to experiment with your workouts include trying new classes at the gym, hiring a personal trainer to show you new exercises, or trying different techniques with cardio such as intervals.  When it comes to experimenting with food, the easiest way is to try new recipes. Thanks to the internet, finding new healthy recipes is incredibly easy! Some of my favorite websites for healthy recipes are www.skinnytaste.com, www.fitmencook.com, www.rippedrecipes,com,  www.bodybuilding.com, and www.skinnymom.com.  It all comes down to this: you will never know what may be beneficial to you if you never try new things.  Don't be afraid to fail, some things may not work and that's ok! Dare to be different and break the rules. Don't allow fear to rob you from trying new things, it could be that new approach that ends up being the key to unlocking your weight loss success!