As the world wakes up from its long sleep, our minds feel energized, refreshed and ready to celebrate. Does your body feel the same way? If you haven’t been working consistently on your fitness and health this recently, your body may be struggling to keep up with your mind. It’s hard to make a new start when you feel sluggish and discouraged. That’s why I exist: to help you move from reality to your dream. If you have tried and failed at fitness, then you likely feel too paralyzed to try again. Motivating people to get healthy, however, is what I do best. But you have to let me help you! Let’s get started.
A quick look back
We are going to focus mainly on what is ahead for you; the past is the past and it is best to leave it there. However, in order to make the best start, we need to take a look at what may have sabotaged your previous efforts to get in shape- Impatience. Because we live in a society that is used to instant gratification, it can come as quite a shock to find that fitness doesn’t happen fast. I don’t care how many infomercials you watch that promise you a 6 pack in 6 weeks, it is not going to happen. There is no short cut to fitness. If you grew frustrated in the past because results didn’t happen as fast as you would like, prepare yourself now for a different attitude: we will celebrate small results and be patient as the transformation happens.
- Lack of planning. The biggest sabotage in any fitness plan is lack of planning. If you have tried fitness and failed, it is almost certain that you came up short in the area of planning. Without forethought and intentionality, you cannot eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep each night and stick with an exercise routine. This time, you will plan before you start.
- Support. If you have attempted to get fit with little support, you are not alone. Many people try to change their lifestyle on their own. The trouble with this approach is that those around you will probably not value what you are doing. They will unintentionally or intentionally sabotage your efforts. For example, they may resent the time you take to workout, or they may ridicule you for the radical changes you make to your diet. However, you will have support this time, and the difference will shock you.
Forward from here
Today you start fresh and leave the past behind. Yes, you may have quit during your previous attempts to be healthy. That doesn’t matter now. What matters is what you do today, tomorrow and next week. The following tips will help you make a strong start and make this time different.- “Do not be afraid of the space between your dream and your present reality.”
- “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” -Alan Lakein
- When and how you will get your exercise (bootcamp? running in the mornings? treadmill at the gym after work?)
- What foods you will eat and how you will ensure that you have access to those foods (do you have a small cooler that you can take along with you? What will your breakfasts consist of? How much caffeine will you allow yourself?)
- How you will arrange your schedule so that you get at least 7 hours of sleep each night (do you need to get the kids in bed sooner or prepare your lunches on the weekends to save time in the morning?
- No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. -H.E. Luccock