The Virtuous Cycle

Catherine, a 59 year old San Jose housewife, knew she needed to make a change. At 100 pounds overweight with arthritis, she was finding it hard even to vacuum her living room. “I was trapped in my own body. The less I did, the less I wanted to do” she recalled.

Catherine came to me because she wanted to start exercising, but just couldn’t seem to get herself going, no matter what she tried. Whenever she thought about starting a program, she quickly became overwhelmed. And she had lots of good reasons not to exercise: her joints hurt, she hated to sweat, she felt awkward at her gym.

Catherine felt caught in a vicious cycle of declining health and mobility. The less she moved, the less she wanted to move. The more sedentary she was, the more she was tempted to indulge in her favorite foods, the more weight she gained, and the harder it was to get moving.

Catherine’s situation is not uncommon. I have worked with many people who want to exercise, but find the notion of starting completely overwhelming. They are caught in their own vicious cycles of overeating, feeling bad, not wanting to exercise, and feeling worse. When we are in a cycle like this, it can seem like nothing short of an act of God is needed to get us moving again. Even the term “vicious cycle” sounds sinister and hopeless, as if it has a life of it’s own.

The common mistake we make when thinking about creating new lifestyle habits is thinking that a complete overhaul is necessary, right away. To break the vicious cycle, a gym must be joined, a personal trainer must be hired, a new gym wardrobe must be purchased, long arduous workouts must be scheduled, all junk food must be disposed of, and motivational stickies must be adhered to all available reflective surfaces.

No wonder we get overwhelmed.

Yet change is possible. These vicious cycles can be reversed as easily as you can change directions on an eliptical trainer. You just slow down, pause, and start pedaling in the other direction, one leg at a time.

In Catherine’s case, it was a matter of realizing that she didn’t have to do a lifetime of workouts the first day. She could start by going for one short walk. Then, as she was thinking “that wasn’t so bad, I feel pretty good now” she could plan the next one. Then she might want to recruit a friend to join her, motivating her further. Another walk, and she’s now feeling a sense of accomplishment, and it’s getting a little easier. So she has a bit more umph to chanel into the next time, and the time after that.

Catherine contacted me a few months after our session. She couldn’t believe it. She had become a regular exerciser. She said, “it’s funny, the more I do, the more I want to do. I never would have thought this was possible!”.

After all, you know how those virtuous cycles are. They seem to have a life of their own.