Deciding to make a lifestyle change is much more mental than physical. This is the time of year when many of us re-evaluate our lives and make New Year’s Resolutions to finally get in shape and lose weight. If this sounds like you or someone you know, keep reading!
Why do we put off our decisions until the New Year?
This is a busy time of year! In addition to the normal work/school/sports/homework, we’ve got parties, family get-togethers, and maybe even a trip out of town. It’s much easier to just decide to start later.
The reality is, there is never this perfect time to start. We will always have activities and obligations that compete for our time. Long-term health is a journey with no starting gate or finish line. Let’s look at a few roadblocks that get in the way of making that decision to get started.
Roadblocks
Internal vs. External Circumstances
When you look at your life, it’s very tempting to say that your current state is a result of things you cannot control. We tend to rationalize that we have unique situations which are limiting us from getting where we want to go. “I am just too busy, I’m exhausted after work, I don’t have time to cook healthy food and my kids will hate it, I have exercised before and nothing seems to work for me.”
Perceived Effort
Many of us think that making the decision to change our lives is going to require us to make huge changes, all at once. Maybe you know someone who is a healthy fitness rockstar. She eats healthy food, exercises 6 days a week and loves it. So obviously, that is the template. But that is so much different from your current life. You’ve seen ads where a fitness model is drenched in sweat with a smile on her face. The fact is, the larger the gap between your current lifestyle and what you perceive you need to do, the harder it will be to begin, the harder it will be to continue, and the less likely you will continue when this “all-in every day” routine is affected by disruptions like a vacation or illness (or the holidays).
Unrealistic Expectations and Past Experience
So maybe you’ve tried to get in shape before and it didn’t work out. Chances are, this is true! You exercised regularly and cut calories for a month or two and didn’t see any changes on the scale. You started out full of intent, then gradually lost intention when the results didn’t come. Maybe you were miserable the whole time! We often have inflated expectations of how soon we will see results, and the level of results we are seeing, especially on the scale. The scale doesn’t tell the whole truth. Our bodies are made up of good mass (skeletal muscle), bad mass (body fat), and mass that fluctuates regularly (water). Increasing muscle while decreasing fat may not initially reflect in the total number on the scale, but is a much better indicator of progress. This type of change takes time, but is much more long-lasting than simple calorie-restricted dieting. See how SPENGA can measure these changes!
Vicious cycles vs. Virtuous cycles
Society has us conditioned to place value on others’ well-being over our own. Many of us give all our time to help other people, at the expense of our own health and well-being. We engage in “zero-sum” thinking where taking care of our own needs must mean we aren’t taking care of someone else’s needs as well as we could. It can be a source of pride for people to allow their own health to deteriorate because we are so committed to others. In order to be the best employee/boss/parent/spouse, we cannot focus any time on ourselves because there is no more time to give. This is a vicious cycle disguised as a virtuous cycle.
But there’s good news!
You are in control!
Most of your external limitations are actually internal. It’s just a matter of flipping your thinking and placing your health and the health of your family in its proper priority. Exercising 3 hours per week represents less than 2% of your time. Regular exercise increases your stamina and provides you with energy to get through your day, and helps you sleep better. Plus, it’s a great stress reliever! You are actually gaining time by committing to an exercise program. Healthy eating doesn’t mean calorie deprivation, bland meals, and hours in the kitchen. Learning how and what to eat will benefit you and every member of your family. And they might even like it!
Your time commitments are always going to exist. Finding a space for your fitness needs to be prioritized into your schedule. A great way to do this is by scheduling your workouts as appointments at the beginning of each week. Treat them as you would any other appointment you take seriously. Build them into habits!
You aren’t alone!
Everyone had to start somewhere. SPENGA has members at every phase of the journey, from people brand new to fitness to elite athletes. Our community of staff, instructors, and especially members are here to support and encourage you! In addition to great group instruction sessions delivered by fitness professionals, SPENGA believes that true wellness comes from accountability and education.
It’s a journey!
You shouldn’t expect to love every second of the journey. No one does. No one likes the long TSA lines in the airport, but we all love the beach! Getting on a program you can trust, having realistic expectations of time and effort, and sticking to the program will get you safe results over time. You cannot expect to win a marathon without training. The most important factor in your success is consistent adherence over time. This can only be done at a safe pace. It’s nice to envision yourself working out hard every single day, because we tend to think that more = better. You can get there, but you can’t get there if you are injured. You won’t stick to it if you are sore every day and dread your workouts. You won’t see the results if you don’t allow yourself time to rest and recover. Over time, you will love the journey!
You are worth it!
Virtuous thinking involves stacking positive behaviors over time. Positive behaviors lead to more positive behaviors, and over time, become durable parts of our lives.
Take this example… You commit to exercising 3 mornings per week. You eat a healthy breakfast to fuel your workouts, starting your metabolism. You drink more water throughout the day which limits your unhealthy snacking. You make sure to get more sleep, in order to get up for your exercise session. More sleep aids in digestion and gives you energy and restoration. You start seeing results. You starting eating more healthy meals to continue your progress. When these behaviors stack and positively re-enforce, you are less likely revert since you have a history of progress to look back upon.
Valuing your own health benefits the lives of everyone around you. It’s not an “either-or” scenario.
Today is the day to get started!
Whether we are aware of it or not, we all have a health and fitness routine that we’ve ingrained over a long period of time. That’s not to say that we are all living healthy lifestyles, just that, as creatures of habit, we tend to do what’s comfortable and known.
At SPENGA, we believe that creating a welcoming, supportive environment will help you make your first step and keep you taking steps in your journey! Our program is effective, and we strive to make it challenging, fun and engaging for every person, regardless of their fitness level.
Yesterday is in the past, tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Sound good? Call, text, email or fill out a profile to ask for more information!
Hear more! Hope to see you soon!
DJ Wildner – owner SPENGA Beckett
