Sometimes, I stop saying a certain thing because I feel that I’ve become redundant and that people are tired of hearing that thing. Then, inevitably, I will be in a 1-1 conversation with someone, say that thing, and it will be a breakthrough for them. Then, I realize I probably shouldn’t have stopped saying it publicly in the first place.
So, here is me resurrecting one that I haven’t talked much about in a while:
DON’T THINK OF YOUR PURSUIT OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AS ALL OR NOTHING
People do this all the time. They think in one of two ways:
They think “Alright, I’m all in now! Going to get a workout plan going, going to clean up my eating and/or stick to ______ diet plan, etc.”
Or, they think “Life is so hectic right now, and while I know fitness SHOULD be a priority, I just can’t commit to such a big change right now. I don’t have the time/energy/motivation/money to do it right now. I’ll put it on the back-burner until things calm down.”
Upon hearing or seeing someone state one of the above, my day typically gets a little worse. That’s because I realize that the person has an all or nothing mindset, and that is almost always self-destructive. It’s self-destructive because people don’t usually do well with complete overhauls of their lives, which fitness becomes when think about it this way.
Think about a staircase. When you’re at the bottom, do you try to leap to the top? Probably not, because if it’s more than 3 or so steps, you’ll wreck your face. Instead, you take it 1-2 steps at a time, depending on how big of a rush you’re in.
Why do we do this with fitness? Why do we try to jump the whole staircase at once?
Try this instead: Identify that first or second step. It could be getting to the gym once a week, beginning to track your calories to get an idea of where you are, cutting out one item that drives your calories up, identifying another person to be on this journey with you and keep you accountable, etc. Then, focus on that until you’re ready to move to the next one.
This is how you build sustainable habits. This is how you introduce something new to a life that is already full. One or two steps at a time. Not a face-wrecking 22.
I don’t care what every other fitness coach, personal trainer, or fit family member has told you, “Just stop it,” “Stop it all,” and “Stop it now” isn’t helpful almost ever. It’s destructive. I know because I used to say it.
Sure, there are those few people out there who hear the exact right thing at the exact right point in their lives and who do, indeed, make those huge shifts all at once. There are always anomalies, and if that’s you right now, then absolutely use that while you have it. But if it isn’t, then stop trying to be the anomaly, realize that you’re probably in that other 99.989 percent of people right now, and take a step at a time.
Stop thinking all or nothing. Think instead of building a staircase of somethings. This is how you will make the progress that you’ve come close to giving up on.
And if you think an online coach who’s always in touch may be helpful to you, shoot me a message and let’s chat. Even if we decide not to have a client/coach relationship, I’d love to point you in the right direction.
Happy Monday!
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