This Sh*t is Hard!
Another day of stepping on the scale and sheer disappointment, and then comes the train of negative thoughts. The “this isn’t worth it”, “I suck”, “I’m not good enough” thoughts that come along with feelings of perceived failure. Fitness and nutrition is so hard because people don’t even know where to begin. The journey feels like you’re looking up at Mt. Everest and thinking “I’ll never be able to get to the top”. Being someone who deals with chronic anxiety and panic attacks, I know that feeling of “this is never going to end” all too well. The truth is…it all starts with a single step. I know what you’re thinking , cut the philosophical crap out, but it’s true. Oftentimes we overwhelm our thoughts with the ten thousand ways to perfection, the perfect nutrition plan, the perfect exercise plan, our ideal aesthetic, to the point of literally drowning in those thoughts.
Success and getting to the ‘top of the mountain’ doesn’t come from perfection, it comes from action. Sometimes we need to slow ourselves down, and focus on literally putting one foot in front of the other. Life isn’t perfect, it is often messy and has a tendency to beat the hell out of you. If life is messy, then why does your workout/nutrition plan have to be perfect? Will you always be able to track everything you eat, or have the perfect lift every single workout? Absolutely not, and that is why the best thing you can do…is embrace imperfection and fight against overthinking and perfection with one small action at a time. Worried about working out 6 days a week, why don’t you start with 15 minutes of movement 3 days a week and work your way up to the goal. Any movement will invite more movement, and once you have that base down…you can start progressing.
When I have a panic attack, my body goes into overdrive and I immediately think my life is about to end. If I let those catastrophic thoughts overwhelm me, all I'll do is feed into the panic. Instead, if I can just focus on the next best thing to do ie. go for a walk, take an ice cold shower etc, I am much more likely to not succumb to the panic. Approach fitness in that same regard, the obstacles are always going to present themselves, so you need to build a toolbelt of all the next best approaches you can take when those things happen. You’re not ready to commit to a plan…great, start with a walk outside, and don’t take no for an answer. Maybe the obstacle is not even knowing where to begin, then get curious and start asking questions, but don’t get trapped in the dogma of waiting for perfection to start, just start. Start when it’s hard, start when it’s ugly, start when that climb up the mountain seems impossible. Far too often in this industry we put the cart before the horse and focus on the perfect ‘macros’, and the quick fix to lose 10lbs instead of developing the broken down habits of what actually goes into fat loss. Practices like eating more whole foods, eating plenty of vegetables, drinking enough water , getting enough sleep. Developing these practices over time is what leads to long term success and actually keeping weight off once it’s lost. These practices aren’t the sexy answers that keto, intermittent fasting and detox diets provide, and that is why they are staples in a good nutrition program.
If you’re out there and constantly bouncing from diet to diet, and completely and totally overwhelmed with the process, take a breath and ask yourself…what is the next best thing I can do that leads me to my goal. The key isn’t restricting all the food that you find enjoyable, or jumping on a treadmill for hours at a time, the key is finding ways to build the foods you love and the activity you love INTO a lifestyle that supports your goals. You are not your thoughts, and on those days that you feel paralyzed, start by putting one foot in front of the other and watch momentum run its course!
