How many times have you given up on your goals? How many times have you had grand plans with detailed meal plans and work out routines with all the motivation in the world… just to stop before ever reaching your goal?
You try something once and it doesn’t work, so you think nothing will work. Or you’ve done it and it did work, but eventually you get tired or bored and default to old behaviors.
I had done this countless times. I’ve seen my clients, friends, and family do it. But why? If it’s something we want so badly, why can’t we stick to it?
Here are the top 5 reasons why most people give up on their fitness and nutrition goals:
1. You expect results too quickly.
Ever finish a killer core work out and then check the bathroom mirror to see if you have abs yet? Guilty over here. Unfortunately, results come over time, not over night. Improving your health and fitness usually involves learning new habits and establishing new routines from what you’ve been doing for months or years, so to see results instantly is a little unreasonable. Sure, there are the unicorns who figure out their way rather quickly and it does happen fast, but most often that’s just not the case. It takes time and effort to get the results worth having. So what happens when you give up when you’re not seeing progress fast enough? Now you’re not making any progress at all. Now you really aren’t going to see results any sooner. And who knows, maybe you quit right before the break through happened. Before giving up next time remember this; you may not be where you want to be, but you’re not where you used to be either. Keep moving forward. It will happen.
2. You get caught up in the “how.”
Before you even get started you want to know every little thing that needs to be done. Then you start focusing on all of the things you don’t know and you never start at all. This may not seem like giving up, but it is. You’re giving up on taking action. You’re giving up on taking ownership over your health. Instead of getting lost in the details, take your first step. It doesn’t have to be a big one. Go for a walk every day. Eat your food more slowly and mindfully. Add an extra serving of veggies in with each meal. Or hire a trainer or nutrition coach that can guide you… like me! (Not sorry for the shameless promotion.) If you don’t get started now, when will you? There’s never a better time to improve your health than right now.
3. You’re not willing to put in the work.
You can have all the motivation, support, and preparation you need, but if you’re not actually willing to do the hard work, you’re not going to get to where you want to be. I love the quote by Jefferson, “If you want something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done.” It isn’t going to be easy to achieve a big goal. But easy doesn’t get you to where you want to be. Easy will keep you where you are. Easy will prevent you from knowing how great you can become. Once you reach a goal, you create a new set of beliefs. Belief in yourself and belief in what can be done. The more goals we reach, the stronger we get each time. The hard work will be worth it.
4. You don’t believe in yourself.
This is probably the most important part of goal chasing. If you don’t believe you can reach your goals, you probably won’t. Whether it’s because you’ve failed in the past, or you’ve never done it before, or you just lack confidence; not believing you can change is keeping yourself in your comfort zone and away from your goals. …And, on the realz, why would you put any effort into something that you don’t believe will happen?! You wouldn’t. Next time you’re doubting yourself, change your mind. Literally. Change it. Decide that you can. Give yourself the opportunity to prove yourself wrong.
5. You’re straight up hungry.
Am I right? You’ve been restricting calories and eating rigidly clean for long enough that your body takes over and wants ALL. THE. FOOD. Unfortunately we live in a diet culture that praises the people who choose to eat a couple of leaves for dinner rather than a real meal. If you use the calorie calculators online, it will most likely tell you to eat 1200 calories or less to lose weight (which is crazy low for just about anyone). No carbs. No sugar. No eating after 8. The rules go on… All of this misinformation that is being thrown around in the fitness and nutrition space is leading people to believe that to eat healthy, you need to starve. It doesn’t have to be that way. It shouldn’t be that way. In order for your diet plan to be successful, it needs to be well- balanced with nutrient dense food, but also have some room for your favorite treats. This is what keeps your physical hunger cues in check and gives you enough freedom to keep you from going crazy.
If you struggle with any of these obstacles, they don’t have to keep being obstacles. There are strategic solutions to all of them. Own your struggles, learn how to grow from them, and get after what you want. Because you already have what it takes to reach your goals.
Love and Light,
Juliana
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