Am I a Fitness Failure?

                In fitness it is not uncommon to start and stop. Many think “fitness just isn’t for me” or “I’m a failure because I cant stick with it”. I am here to tell you that is simply just not true. You are not a failure just because you are yet to make fitness a habit. In this post I am going to teach you how to stick with a fitness routine.

                I want to start by saying STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP. Okay cool, sorry for yelling. Many people allow beating themselves up over stopping to keep themselves from starting again. Don’t quit, no matter how many times you stop you can always start again. There is nothing wrong with you for taking breaks from fitness. In fact start again right now. I’m serious get up do 10 squats or go walk around your house then come back and read the rest of this…

 Okay great you’re back congratulations guess what you just broke the streak of not exercising.

The next time you start might be the time you keep exercising more frequently and for longer. So here’s some tips to make a habit out of exercising so that next time you start you don’t stop or are at least going to keep the habit for longer than usual before stopping again.

1.)    Be kind and forgiving to yourself

Beating yourself up will not help you make the habit. The first step to being consistent in the gym is to forgive yourself. You are not a failure just because you have not been able to figure it out yet. Let go of the past but be willing learn from it to ensure a better future. Holding onto those negative emotions do not serve you.

                Focus on the future, take what you have struggled with in the past and “ask yourself what can I learn from this?”. Beyond learning dwelling over the past does not serve you. Let it go, look forward to what you can do better in the future. When it comes to what is going to work in the Future do not over complicate it.

2.)    Don’t overcomplicate it

A mistake you may have made in the past is trying to do too much. Working out feels very complicated. You feel like to get results you must do Keto, 12 hour fast, with fasted cardio, and circuit training, and Zumba classes, and have a step goal, and sleep 8 hours, and night and take 12 different supplements. I’m sure you can see how all the “and”s start to add up and feel overwhelming. This is how fitness feels for many at the beginning. I can’t blame you for feeling like a fitness failure if you think this is what fitness looks like.

Its not; fitness at it’s core is simple. To be healthier move more, eat the amount that your body need, and learn how to enjoy doing it.

What does this look like? It looks like starting with small changes.

3.)    Start small

Start with one small nutrition change and one small movement change. To pick what these things are ask yourself “What feels easy to me?” and What feels fun to me?”.

You don’t need massive life changes to be successful at being fit and healthy. Take keto for example. Unless you already primarily eat nothing, but meats and veggies keto is going to be a massive change for you (and if you do already primarily eat those things you’re probably already pretty healthy). Keto appeals to people’s desire to get results fast. The issue with fast results? They  are rarely sustainable. You drop 30lbs gain 35lbs back, next year you drop 35lbs and gain 40lbs back. You yo-yo back and forth and that’s what makes you feel like this whole getting healthy thing isn’t for you.

Being healthy is for you. Small changes may not be sexy but god damn it they work. Here are small changes you can try that are likely to be sustainable.

Fitness:

-Walk more

-Set a step goal

-Go on more bike ride

-Commit to going to a fitness class (Zumba, Barre, Etc) 1-3 times per week

-Commit to doing YouTube classes 1-3 times per week

-Commit to going on an easy hike once per week

-Go swimming more

-Commit to lifting weights at the gym 1-3 timer per week

-Commit to lifting weights at home 1-3 times per week

-Commit to going on jog 1-3 times per week

-Commit to going Rock Climbing 1-3 times per week

-Commit to going to a pole class 1-3 timers per week

-Join a local sports league in a sport you enjoy

-Go play catch with your child or a friend 1-3 times per week

-Or anything along these lines you can think of

Nutrition:

-eat more protein

-eat more lean meats

-learn more about nutrition labels

-follow some macro guidelines

-have a daily calorie goal

-have a daily protein goal

-eat more vegetables

-eat less processed food

-eat out less and cook at home more

When looking at this list ask yourself the questions above. Is this easy and is this fun. Pick one of each that meets those requirements and stick with them ideally forever but if you fall off for a little bit that’s okay just rebound as fast as you can. Now you may be asking yourself, will this be enough to get healthy? Will this get me my dream body? Honestly probably not. You will get healthier and you start to look better. To keep progressing however you will likely have to add more habits over time. Let’s talk about how.

4.)    Build 1 habit at a time

Okay so you have been doing your one habit for a couple of months now. You feel you are really getting the groove. It feels easy and just part of your weekly routine. Amazing it might be time for more. Before adding more habits ask yourself “do I have room for more?”. Its totally okay if you do not. Just for adding those habits above you are a healthier and fitter version of yourself than when you started this journey. If you do have room for more in your life then very simply repeat the process above. Add one habit to your life fitness or nutrition. Ask yourself what seems easy and what seems fun. This however if you are feeling a little braver ask yourself “what scares me?”. Fitness isn’t just about looking sexier while getting freaky or living longer; its also about growing as a person. When you are first starting your journey its important to stay in your comfort zone because it increases your chances of being successful. Now that you have been doing it for awhile you may have built the confidence to challenge yourself. If you haven’t and you want to keep picking options that feel safer that’s okay too though.

                There you have it. You are not a fitness failure you have just been taking he wrong approach. Commit to yourself that you wont sacrifice sustainability for the shortcuts any longer. You will create good long-lasting habits and end the cycle of starting and stopping using the tips I have given here.

If you are needing help with this please feel free to reach out to me via email at maxwell.hall6573@gmail.com. For more motivation and to keep up with what I’m doing follow me on Instagram here or check out my podcast or twitch here.