Criticism

For many of us, self-criticism is a constant companion. We look in the mirror and only see the things that displease us. When we set out to change our lives for the sake of our health, we forget to change our inner voice. In fact, we just give it more opportunity. We allow it to shame us for our food choices, our lack of effort during exercise, or for skipping an exercise session.

For true success, that voice has to be tempered, if not completely silenced. Force yourself to go beyond where your brain says to go. If you think you can only do one more push-up, try for two. You may only do one and a half, but that half is a change in pattern. You have exceeded expectations. Once you've done that, you realize you can do it repeatedly. Eventually, you will think "I can do this," instead of "I can't finish."