Staying Turned On

Have you started a nutrition and/or a fitness program? Great! Your intention has moved you in the right direction. Yet once again, you are not staying turned on enough by the program and you are about to quit.
I will now tell you the truth as to why you don’t stay on the program in order to accomplish what you dreamed of.  And please accept my apologies upfront if I offend you.

Reason number 1: Talking about it sounds better then actually doing it.

Sometimes I hear: “I will do anything that you say when you accept me as a client.” I am saying to myself:”Let’s see.” Although I say from the beginning that my program has 99.7% success rate, participation is required. If you don’t participate, it won’t happen.

Solution: Talk about the actions you have actually done today instead of what you are going to do.

Reason number 2:  You are a quitter.

After the first little obstacle you give up. Okay! What does this accomplish? Practicing quitting? Successful, trim, fit people never quit. They never give up. Ever. They make it work even when injured. Maybe adjust their diet but never give up or give in to the little voice telling them to just quit.

Solution: Have an accountability buddy to help you start and push through your next workout when you might otherwise quit.

Reason number 3: You find things that are wrong instead of those that are right.

Tried this! Tried that! Sure, but for how long? Many times you need at least 3 to 4 weeks to find out if a strategy works. Not just one day. It is always easier to find what is wrong than what is right.
Solution: Let me be the guy to tell you to commit to a new approach for 3 weeks. Then you can make an informed decision to continue or to give it up, but only after seeing the true results of actually doing it!
Reason number 4: You don’t know how to say no.

Self-explanatory.  As Nancy Reagan once implored a generation of teenagers regarding drugs, “Just say “no”” when it comes to eating too much food or to eating bad foods.

Solution: If saying “No” feels too self-denying, communicate to yourself in a yes format in order to achieve the same goal. For example: “Yes, I can forgo eating this food”….. “Yes, I am happy to eat this in 10 hours instead of right now.”

Reason number 5: You put too much focus on the very goals that are often the most difficult to achieve, for example, losing X-amount of pounds instead of your overall health.

Puah! Why, why does this happen? Why aim for the 30 lbs when the first 5 lbs haven’t been reached? This is even more important when working with a professional.

Solution: Aim high but plan in small steps. Don’t focus on weight. Focus on how your energy has improved, how much healthier your skin appears, or how much strength you have gained. Weight is just one part of the much more important, entire equation.

Reason number 6: You are comparing yourself to others and you get frustrated.

Your husband loses weight on the same program and you don’t. You almost want to blame him for your lack of weight loss. (The fact is that women need fewer calories to maintain the same body fat level). But most importantly, you have to find a program that works for your body, your lifestyle and your life, not your husband’s or your best friend’s.
Solution: Have a role model (can be a star, a friend a neighbor) that sets your standard of achievement. Yes, aim to become this person. Stay away from comparing yourself to someone else who you are not. We are individuals first hand and there is only one of you.
Reason number 7: You are not mentally ready to change.

True. New Years is coming around and you want to lose weight. Or a long and stressful divorce has finally settled. You have all the intentions and inclinations to stay on a program but you still reach for the food that doesn’t support your goal.

Solution: Relax. You are not ready yet. Work on your inner happiness first before you work on the outside. Emotional frustrations are difficult to overcome. Perhaps just walking would be the solution instead of pushing yourself to reach an unrealistic, less achievable goal at the moment. Limit the emotional stress in your life.

Reason number 8: You have difficulties following advice.

I say blue you say red. I say tomatoes you say potatoes. Well, why hire someone to help you to change in the first place?  The truth is sometimes difficult. You see yourself as a born leader and you are fully in control of your life. Well, the best leaders are very often the best learners and followers first.

Solution: Quiet down and listen to the advice of professionals.  Don’t judge if it is good or bad. Give it a day and analyze it again and see if there is something you might be able to learn from.
Staying turned on to follow a program is a fine-tuning task. Your needs change, your environment changes and you change.

Flow with the changes within yourself. And you will find it easier to stay turned on to any program that you follow.

Stay focused.

Stefan

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