This personal development article is written by Debra Wier


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Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion states that unless acted upon by an outside force, a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion. In its simplest form it can be said that a body at rest tends to remain at rest and a body in motion tends to remain in motion. This is known as inertia.

Usually inertia is used to describe the movement of inanimate objects. I’d like to explore this idea as it pertains to people and their actions. I believe the law of motion can help us achieve goals. Since many people are unhealthy, overweight and more specifically, overly fat, I’d like to focus on this area of concern. Before we examine the law of motion as it pertains to your health, let’s develop a better understanding of how the concept works.

According to Wikipedia, on the surface of the Earth the nature of inertia is often masked by the effects of friction, which brings moving objects to rest relatively quickly unless they are coasting on wheels, well lubricated or perhaps falling or going downhill, being accelerated by gravity. This is what misled classical theorists such as Aristotle, who believed objects moved only so long as force was being applied to them.

So then, inertia can be halted by friction and sustained by lubrication. This got me thinking about something my Dad said. He recently lost about 15 pounds and is now back to his “perfect” weight. He told me that the first three weeks were slow going and he didn’t see many results. Then he began to pick up momentum and started losing weight. It’s as if the cumulative effect of his food choices and exercise finally kicked in. His metabolism was working better and he had achieved momentum. In fact,
he had so much inertia he was concerned he might lose too much weight. At that point, he had to make a conscious effort to keep this from happening.

The human body is designed to be in motion. When we were young, we were constantly in motion and it felt great. Even in my twenties and thirties, it felt great to be in motion and it just didn’t feel right to sit for long periods. That’s because a body in motion tends to stay in motion. At some point, I began to develop bad habits and sitting around started to feel natural and exercise didn’t. It’s as if the equation had shifted. I think you know what that means! A body at rest tends to stay at rest.

The fat that’s made itself at home on my abdomen and thighs has become an unwelcome guest to say the least. I haven’t always been successful in the fat loss department. What happens is that just I’m about to get momentum, or “momo” as I like to call it, I stop making an effort because I’m not seeing results. I usually quit just before I develop inertia.

I’ve decided on a new approach. It works like this: When you have a goal ask yourself if you are providing friction or lubrication. Having this dialog with yourself will allow you to see if you are halting your inertia or sustaining it.

If I don’t exercise, I’m providing friction. If I decide to have a snicker doodle and a café mocha, I’m providing friction. If, on the other hand, I decide to exercise and I opt for a café latte with skim milk, I’m providing lubrication. OK, maybe a café latte with skim milk isn’t exactly lubrication, but I wouldn’t call it friction either so it’s a step in the right direction! In addition, the more you exercise the more enjoyable it becomes as your fitness level increases. Then, momo kicks in and you begin to see results. Now the whole endeavor has inertia and it will be much easier to stay in motion and get the healthy body you desire.