I remember my very first helicopter lesson about fifteen years ago. My instructor and I were sitting in the cockpit with the blades spinning. He explained what each of the flight controls were responsible for. The cyclic is the part that moves the aircraft forward, backward, and side-to-side. The pedals, one for each foot, spin the helicopter to the right or to the left. And the collective is the part that the pilot lifts up and down to change the angle of the blades to grab more air to lift off the ground. The throttle is on the collective, so as you lift up on the collective, you can adjust the speed of the blades to determine how fast or slow you want to go up or down.
He took control and lifted us off the ground. Once about six to eight feet off the ground, he had me try each one of the controls individually, while he controlled the others. I had a thought that this flying was not so tough after all. He then asked if I was ready to take full control. Of course I was! Within seconds, the helicopter started to turn to the left, so I jammed the right pedal. This pulled me way around to the right. The helicopter began to swing side-to-side, climb into the air, and rock back and forth. As I was just about to accept the fact that we were going to crash, we came back to settle exactly where we started, hovering perfectly. All I could hear through the headset was my instructor laughing hysterically, as he said “That’s my favorite part with new students.”
My problems all stemmed from the fact that I was overcorrecting on all the controls in an effort to regain control of the aircraft, leading to a complete loss of control. The point I want to make with this story is that when things are not going well, we tend to get all excited and strive for correction, but overcorrect, leading to new, and often, bigger problems.
Looking back on your life, I am sure there were many times you were fed up with your weight, decided it was time for change, and you went all out. You bought some workout clothes, joined a gym, threw out all the junk in your pantry, and began your quest to get skinny. You may have even pulled out the old juicer and filled your refrigerator with a plethora of veggies that you’ve never had before and tasted nasty. You got up an hour early, made your self a juice smoothie, jumped into a boot camp-style workout at the gym, and start cranking!
But the next day you could barely walk because your legs were so sore, your abs hurt just to laugh, and you were in the bathroom on and off all day because your system was in shock from the vitamin and mineral overload. Within one week, you give it all up and head back to your old unhealthy ways. Another failed attempt.
I want you focus on making small corrections to your lifestyle, not big ones. You would be in a much better place one year from now if you added moderate exercise, added some fruits and vegetables, began taking the essential nutritional supplements (Vitamin D, fish oil, probiotics, and a whole food multivitamin), and eased into the change. If you love coffee, have your coffee, just eat some fresh fruit with it. Love that morning doughnut? Go ahead, have one once in a while, but take your supplements first. As time goes on, you will crave those things less as your overall health improves.
It’s a known fact that humans avoid pain at all cost. If you make your healthy lifestyle painful, it will never, ever last. Airplanes, helicopters, boats, and cars require constant correction, but lose control if overcorrected. The corrections I was making in the helicopter were correct, I was just doing way too much, too fast. Stay in control, ease into a healthier lifestyle, and make choices that you will stick with long-term. Otherwise, your valiant efforts will result in you crashing hard.
