Most people resist the whole “let’s get healthy” thing because they’re pretty sure it’s going to be horrible. They envision card-board looking lunches that taste like sawdust and imagine that they’ll have to do lots of suffering, sweaty exercise. I’m not here to tell you that getting healthy is an easy undertaking, but I will say that if you practice a little Mary Poppins theology, this will work a whole lot better for you.
One of my favorite scenes in the Disney classic is when Mary tells Jane and Michael their first game they will play is called “Tidying Up the Nursery.” “Ah! She’s a tricky one,” Michael protests. But then Mary explains, “In every job that must be done there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap- the job’s a game.” Cue the music, chirping birds, magical toys and spoonfuls of sugar.
It’s the same challenge for us here in Get Healthy world. For example, as helpful as it is, logging my meals into My Fitness Pal (MFP) is not an activity I would call “fun.” However, MFP keeps track of how many days in a row I have logged. Every now and then, it sends out a celebratory announcement: “Emily has logged for fifty days in a row!” In addition, I’ve set it up so that several friends can see my account which means they can see my tracking record. For me, the game is that these friends celebrate my achievements with me. I love getting a message or a thumbs up from a friend when I’ve reached my latest achievement milestone. It’ fun! And it inspires me to keep going, to continue with the habit even though the habit itself is not necessarily “fun.”
When I needed some inspiration to make exercising a regular routine, I signed up with an app that tracks how many steps I take daily. I set a goal for myself and every time I reach that goal, I get the reward of one more day added to my record. Then, I signed up for a weekly challenge. The app places me in a randomly selected group and we’re all trying to reach the week’s goal. We’re competing against each other as well as ourselves. I love that I get to give and receive texts of encouragement to people like myself who are just trying to get past that 75 thousandth step by Saturday. Getting in my exercise is the job; making it a silly challenge among strangers is the fun that helps me get it done.
You may not be motivated by racking up numbers or silly non-prized challenges with people you don’t know. As Mary suggests, you’ve got to find what’s fun for you. Once you figure it out, it makes the job of healthy living less of a chore. I’ve shared my two “games.” Others I know about: a friend of mine has a family step challenge with his adult children and his adult nieces and nephews. Every month they have an old trophy that they award to the overall step winner. It’s just a silly prize they found in the attic clean-out, but to them it’s hilarious to be able to claim it when they win. They make a big deal of showing it off and displaying it. Everyone needs something to motivate them.
Kimberly, a member of my health group, created a game for herself by coming up with a reward system when she met her goals for tracking her meals consistently. A devoted plant lover, every time she meets her benchmark, she heads to her favorite nursery to pick out a new plant for her collection. “Now when (the people at the store) see me they get excited because they know I did my homework for the week.” she says. How fun is it to have your very own cheering section?
When my wellness coach was encouraging her clients to try something new and fun for exercise, she created a kickball team for us to join. We play other teams at a church sponsored sports club —and don’t think that just because it’s part of a church it’s non-competitive! It’s been a new way for the group to think about physical activity as silly and fun, to make new friends, and do something most of us haven’t done in decades. No one even notices how many steps they’re getting when they’re laughing and running around the bases.
That’s the challenge in the dreary job you’re facing. How can you make it fun? Figure it out. Create your game and crush those goals! I know Mary Poppins would be proud.
