5 Things Stopping You Reach Your Health & Fitness Goals
Let’s keep it real, there are things in life that we have no control over. Then there are the things we do. Those are the ones that we really need to talk about. It has taken me years of self-exploration to discover and unravel many aspects of my personality, and find the things that I have control over. I am now nearing my 40’s (I do not feel my age whatsoever!) and when it comes to being healthy, I realized it doesn’t have a lot to do with the food I was eating, the workouts I was following, or the lifestyle I had.
It was about so much more than my fitness journey. Hopefully, sharing my experience will help you pinpoint a few obstacles getting in the way of your health.
WE DON’T WASTE FOOD IN THIS HOUSE
Growing up, we ate when things were good. We also ate when things were bad, but we never let food go to waste. It’s something embedded in my subconscious. For me it was a fact.
What does this have to do with losing weight? Just think of the habits you carry with you from childhood. In my house, it was to always, always clear the plate. These habits will sabotage you because they don’t want to be forgotten. When we try something new, those are the parts of us that want to go back to the “good old days,” our comfort zone.
When starting a new routine, or menu, be kind to your old ways. Implement new habits one by one, blending the new and the old. For me, I kept true to my ability to not waste but I started cooking only what my family needed—not a pinch more. I planned meals around staple items that meet my health goals for the entire week. Leftovers would just become the base of the next day’s meals. Old habits are hard to break, but with a bit of kindness, nothing is impossible.
MISERY LOVES COMPANY
In my unhealthiest days, my willpower and self-confidence were very low. I’m not associating weight in this story with being healthy or unhealthy because it’s SO much more than that. It’s about self-worth. Falling back into the low-esteem character was very easy since I had been in it many times. It was so familiar and…I had company.
My mom would always warn me about the friends I surrounded myself with, calling them a bad influence. The reality was that my friends never pushed me to do things I didn’t already want to do. They just made it more fun (and easier) to excuse my bad choice (am I right or am I right!?).
I’m not telling you to go and drop all your friends deny yourself all that is you. Rather, I’m warning you that the minute you make changes, people will notice the new and improved you! It might feel like they’re trying to bring out the ugly in you, or trying to judge your journey. Your work and changes are making everyone around you reflect on their own choices. Some people might not be ready for change, and you will lose some people on your journey to success. But remember, that means you’re doing the work and improving!
HOARDING. YES, HOARDING.
You might be thinking, “I’m a neat freak, I’m not hoarding anything!.” But, we tend to hold on to things far longer than we need them. This gets in our way physically, and mentally.
While being a full-time everything (mom, employee, wife) I had no time to think of myself. Like most of us women, we put ourselves on the back burner and just going through the motions, getting the kids ready, feeding the dog, packing lunches… don’t even get me started on house chores. Oh yeah, marriage. I definitely didn’t have time for that.
I just wanted to get myself to bed. I thought I was relaxing, but really this is where I was sitting and hoarding away my feelings and dreams. Scrolling through emails and Instagram, these things would sometimes manifest in buying things I’d never use. Even all those emails and texts start piling up, becoming far too overwhelming to tackle.
Our emotions are so heavy. You MUST be willing to feel them and dump them like a bad boyfriend! Do it as they come, don’t wait. Only keep the experience, never the burden.
My quick solution: Get in the shower, cry, scream, and then make a plan to tackle it in the best way you can the next day.
MY SH*T DON’T STINK
Yep, my attitude was a huge obstacle in my way. My ego got the best of me. I wasn’t ready to admit to the world (or myself) that I had lost my way. I was walking around like I was fine, hating all my clothes, hating going out with my husband because I’d have to put something cute on, and hating how I looked in pictures.
This is definitely the reason most of us scroll the gram in our spare time. To compare, judge, pretend and convince ourselves no work needs to be done. This attitude is not going to help overcome the hard moments.
You must face the ugly—it's not in the mirror, it's in your head! When you do, trust me, you will finally feel confident enough to ask for help. We all need help. It takes confidence to make more confidence, and that means keeping it real.
THE STORIES IN YOUR HEAD
We all tell ourselves stories. I used to think the reason my workouts and diets weren’t working (mind you this was usually in the first week in) because I was eating too much or little. I kept making excuses that this program wasn’t for my body type, or maybe I should stop because I could injure my knee. It felt like I was wasting time trying to look like those chicks on my workout tape (yes, I just said tape). The list goes on.
I kept convincing myself that I was just not a fit person. Active, maybe, but not fit.
What changed? Well, I got an iPhone and I started to explore all the ”Apps” and I found this app called ”Podcast.” Admittedly, I first thought it was a way to listen to the radio on my phone, but I ended up discovering a world of free-thinking people.
I was binging on all sorts of learning. One line someone said stood out to me: ” You need to find your WHY?” At the time it was inspirational—but that's it.
A couple of months later, I went to my doctor for a check-up and it wasn’t the, “okay all is good see you next year” story I was used to. It scared me, I was back to the stories in my head. Okay but this time, I had learned so much from podcasts that I was in a new mindset.
This was my WHY? If I didn't change my habits, this would continue to get worst. It wasn’t about looking good, it was about being here for my kids and family.
Find your purpose for changing your lifestyle for your soul. Find that SOULFUL reason, and hold onto it when you forget why you’re choosing to change.
Change takes time, but always make time to love yourself a bit more each day.
