How I Conquered Inertia and Slayed Overeating

Did you know that the opposite of couch-potato inertia is Latin dancing? Well, it should be!

Pearl One

Our cave woman likes to think she knows everything, but she doesn’t get us — in total — at all.

Remember, the cave woman is the one who cheers us on when we feel the smallest twinge of hunger — along with emotional upset — to eat the highest calories around, but did you know that she also loves to muck up our dreams and plans too? Bummer because she rocks at messing up great ideas.

Let’s take that I’m trying a new Pilates studio. Take a look at how my own cave woman attempts to ruin my plans:

Knowing that I’m headed to an entirely new experience, she’ll come at me full-throttle hurling questions like, do you know how expensive that Pilates class is? What could you be thinking? You have two kids in college. Let me help you out, it’s raining and much too cold to leave the house today anyhow. Maybe come spring. Or once you’ve gotten into better shape so that you don’t embarrass yourself in front of all the scary, new people. (Cause no offense, but your muscles are like overcooked spaghetti.)

She thinks we’re nuts and that if it wasn’t for her wise protection, we’d have been goners long ago.

How to Manage the Buttinsky

Noun. Inertia. A tendency to hide indoors seemingly glued to the couch. Lumpish, draggy, lifeless.

Our cave woman undermines our best laid plans, but she hides behind the word inertia to avoid detection. I say, it’s time to blow her cover: the cave woman and inertia are one and the same!

So when we have phenomenal ideas, how do we override our cave woman’s grip on our life?

First, we acknowledge that our busybody is actually on the scene. She’s at her strongest when we don’t even know she’s around.

When she tells us that we’ll likely be rejected by the other Pilates hard-bodies (her wet noodle thing and all), and will literally die from being rejected, the cave woman is at her best. This is the moment when she’s distracted us with — what sounds like — crystal clear reasoning, but is actually just her way of trying to ruin our sparkling plans.

Inertia (aka cave woman) is relentless and will not quit until we’ve given up our “silly” ideas altogether.

So, how to politely give her a blankie and send her back into the cave?

As I’ve said, we start by overriding our cave woman when we acknowledge her presence. Not knowing that she’s in stealth mode is how she gets away with so much.

Second, we allow her to vent in our journal. We let her list every frightening concern she has and then tell her, “so noted, thank you for your participation.”

Remember eons ago, it was the cave woman’s task to hear the tiniest snap of a twig to then move like lightening to safety thereby avoiding an advancing predator. In modern times, the cave woman is always on high alert and assuming that a saber tooth tiger is around the next corner.

And trying to explain the difference between the saber tooth and a Pilates class leaves everyone frustrated and confused.

But great news: the cave woman is spectacularly wrong. Because in today’s world, her high alert mode isn’t needed to deal with our day-to-day lives.  

I’d like to tell you that as I became more aware of my cave woman it became easier to call her out and send her back to the cave.

But that hasn’t been the case in my life.

While I’m much better at giving her the slip than I once was, I’ve made peace with the idea that I need to use this muscle almost daily to keep my prefrontal brain strong and my cave woman snoozing. ♥

Pearl Two

Now let’s talk about one of my most favorite tools ever. For the win: what is the opposite of inertia?

That’s right!! Momentum! Noun. The more and more (and more) I stopped eating after 6 p.m., the more momentum’s strength fueled my evenings. Getting out of inertia is tough, but it’s worth it because everyone loves the thrill of momentum.

How do we Create the Superpower that is Momentum?

Here’s how I get myself out of inertia and into the beauty of momentum-land as quickly as possible.

Let’s say that you want to read more in 2023. Your to-do list shouldn’t say: read more. Better to chunk “read more” into small tasks for various to-do lists:

• locate the closest library.
• visit library and get official library card.
• At home, go online and order phenomenal books.
• When the books arrive, drive to library and pick up.
• Place books in your home where you’ll most likely read them.
• Now put “read book before bed” (or whenever works for you) on your to-do list.
• Suggest to yourself that you’ll read at least ten pages each time.

Et voila!

The funny thing is that unwelcome habits can be installed immediately. One time, I drove down a specific road and stopped for a vanilla shake — again, one time –, and thereafter my cave woman assumes that we’re stopping for a shake every single time I’m on that road. These days I stay off that road.

We all get that embedding a fantastic new habit into our daily life means a lot of conscious thought. Make it easier on yourself by using the power of chunking down to bring your new habit to life. ♥

Pearl Three

You know what? It’s tempting to think that losing weight is merely a vanity thing. Not something true adults really bother with. Eat when you’re hungry and move more. What’s so hard?

I also fall into the trap of wanting to look decent in my jeans, but this week I was reminded that being overweight is a lot more serious than merely how we look in our clothes. Being overweight is also the culprit in many dangerous diseases including certain cancers, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and gall bladder disease. (Been there, removed that.)

Problem is you and I were never taught how to navigate a culture layered in food-porn. As you know, it’s a real trick to stay at a healthy weight with donut shops in every bleeping inch of our lives.

And keep in mind, the diet-culture itself loses profit (actually risks going bankrupt) if we succeed at a forever-loss. Same with the fast-food joints and bright, shiny grocery store aisles that showcase chemicals and poison inside every alluring box or package.

This week I’m thinking about a Thriver’s loved one who passed. I wish I’d known W. and had a heart-to-heart with her, maybe could’ve suggested a few ideas. At the very least, tell her that she wasn’t alone, that so many of us fight the food-drug.

It’s my belief that our culture hasn’t done right by the Ws of our world. We haven’t had a conversation about navigating this ever-present substance that’s so available and so easy to abuse.

K, today’s post is dedicated to you and W. ♥

Pearl Four

The Pearl Four slot has become the book-dessert slot where I share what I’m reading and loving this week (thank you once again to Thriver, Ms. B for this wonderful idea). I should tell you that I won’t be suggesting book genres like chick-lit (for the most part), horror, or mysteries (maybe one day, I’ll get into mysteries).

I love books that teach me something amazing, but are also funny, and 100 percent entertaining to read like The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.

My book-dessert this week is Standard Deviation by Katharine Heiny and falls under the genre of “humorous/domestic fiction.” Standard Deviation is easy to read (meaning not War and Peace) and I read it in a week of two-hour chunks of time. (I’d make fun of her last name, but I keep repeating to myself, I’m a grown up, I’m a grown up, I’m a grown up.)

The story is about a modern day couple living in Manhattan who’re raising their 10-year-old son who has Asperger’s. But Asperger’s is more of a sub-theme, I’d tell you the theme-theme, but that would spoil the book for you.

I highly recommend this sparkling and touching story. ♥

Pearl Five

Life leaps like a geyser for those who drill through the rock of inertia.” – Tony Hsieh ♥

You’ve all been so sweet writing to wish me luck with my parents moving into their home. They’re going to a beautiful place right in their suburb. Thank you so much for writing and inquiring.

As always, if you liked this post, please share with a loved one.

Have a dessert-book-ish weekend, everyone!

♥, Wendy

P.S. Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!

You know the scoop: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy from a link in my post, I’ll get some moolah. 🙂