Reading back through my blog I found numerous references to getting myself active, there are however almost no references to actual expending of effort….
Even back in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Shakespeare recognised this immense difference between talking about stuff and doing stuff, and wrapped it up in a simply beautiful phrase. “Action is Eloquence.” It’s a beautiful phrase that in three words manages to summarise my challenges.
The dictionary tells us that – Eloquence – noun – fluent or persuasive speaking or writing
Shakespeare told us that getting on and making things happen is all the fluency and persuasion we need.
When I look at my own circumstances through this lens I discover that the following tasks have all been completed in abundance :-
- Planning Exercise
- Thinking about Planning Exercise
- Thinking about Exercise
- Talking about Exercise
- Finding reasons not to Exercise.
Lots of brilliant concepts, none of which have done very much to make any kind of dent in my Obesity. Oddly they did make me feel as if I was actually doing something, but there was no Eloquence.
Simply knowing that the action needs to happen is nowhere near sufficient. In my case I had a major hurdle. Depression.
Depression and Exercise appear to be fused together in a particularly vicious circle. So many studies have concluded, exercise blitzes depression, but depression blitzes motivation. Breaking that cycle is tough, but I believe I have done it. I have stepped out of the loop and motivation is emerging.
Since Monday (6 days hence) I have cycled every day. Yesterday I managed Ten Kilometres non stop. This week I have covered nearly forty five kilometres in total. Not quite Triathalon territory but compared to the eighteen months previous, the progress is staggering.
I have a new goal, not distance, not stamina….My new goal, is not to stop being Eloquent.
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