The Real Reason You Feel Discouraged With Weight Loss, Fitness, and Health
About a 4-minute read
Be honest - are you feeling crappy because you still didn't lose the weight you said you would finally lose THIS year?
Did you keep promising yourself you'd start exercising again when things settled down a bit, and then they never did?
Or maybe you started - and stopped - several times, until you finally gave up on the whole idea, promising you'd start again in the new year.
I’ve heard these thoughts and others like them from many people lately. As we head toward the end of the calendar year, isn’t it interesting how much more thoughtful and reflective we are? In theory, it’s a period of endings and new beginnings, but in reality, it’s a transition from one day to the next.
It’s not that I’m unsentimental about the holidays - quite the opposite, in fact. I just find it interesting to listen to the conversations that seem like they’re on a loop, continually replaying from one year to the next. I’ve been there and done that too, so there’s no judgment in that statement either.
How many times have you promised that THIS would finally be YOUR year? And what have you done to set yourself up to actually succeed?
DON’T STRESS - you're in good company! BUT...you have a choice to make.
You can keep beating yourself up about it, getting more stressed out, feeling overwhelmed, and heading straight for the “Oh, f@ck it spiral,” or you can do something. Right Now.
Stop waiting until after the holidays. Until January. Until work isn’t as busy. Until spring. Until the kids are out of school. Until, until, until….
When has waiting ever helped you actually accomplish anything?
Take ONE small step. Right now - NOT tomorrow, NOT when you feel like it, and NOT “when it’s a better time.”
RIGHT. NOW.
Go for a 5-minute walk. Do a few squats or some elevated push-ups. Drink a glass of water. Eat a vegetable. Pick one simple thing, and just do it. Then do it again tomorrow.
In a week or two, add one more small thing. Just ONE. And keep doing those small things daily.
Rinse and repeat.
Those small steps will build on each other and create surprisingly big results, without your feeling like you have to change everything all at once.
And when you keep your steps small - even TINY - you’re far more likely to keep doing them because they feel easier than having to follow some rigid or restrictive plan.
Don’t believe me? I saw something recently that gave me a whole new perspective on the power of small steps and how they can build something HUGE.
I started wearing a Fitbit in July 2013. I bought it to keep myself accountable for getting more movement into my days. I fell in love with it almost immediately, and to this day it provides me with valuable information about the quality and quantity of my sleep and activity. I don’t use all the features, but it’s an important part of my health toolkit. (And no, I’m not an affiliate, I just love the product!)
While I wear my Fitbit about 90% of the time, there have been periods when I haven’t worn it. There were a number of years when I was cycling thousands of miles or doing some other activity that didn’t record as “steps.” At one point my Fitbit died and it was more than a month before I was able to replace it. I’m telling you that because the numbers I’m about to share are actually understated.
Last week I was traveling, so I decided to check my stats to see how I had done with daily steps. While I was in my dashboard I saw something I thought was pretty jaw-dropping.
Since I started wearing a Fitbit 9.5 years ago, I have recorded over 40,500,000 steps! Yes, more than 40 million steps. In the first 7 years of wearing it, I had accumulated 12,430 miles of walking.
Just let that sink in for a moment.
If you think that doing one small thing every day doesn’t make a difference, I refer you back to those numbers above. Many of those days I barely moved. Some of those days I moved a LOT. Most of those days I moved at least some, and I’ve done that pretty consistently for the past 9.5 years.
Sure, there are people who have done more, but I’m not living their lives, I'm living mine. And for my life and my health, I’m pretty proud of those numbers.
Just imagine what you could accomplish in the next 12 months, 5 years, or 10 years if you stopped waiting for the right time and just did one small thing every day!
I promise if you do that 80-85% of the time over the next 12 months, next Christmas you’ll be looking back and thinking - wow, I really did it, and I feel amazing! And it wasn’t actually as hard as I thought it would be.
It sounds simple because it is. But don’t be fooled - simple isn’t the same as easy. You need to make a commitment to yourself and then choose to take those small steps. Every. Day.
The alternative, of course, is to keep waiting until the “right time” - and find yourself in the same place or even further behind at this time next year. That might sound a bit harsh, but sometimes we need a reality check to get out of our own way. (Ask me how I know this!)
You can enjoy the holidays this year by choosing to do one small thing for yourself every day between now and New Year’s Eve. There are still 17 days left in December, and that’s plenty of time to make a difference.
Choose just one small thing to do every day and you’ll start the New Year off in a much calmer, happier, and more empowered state. And you’ll already have built momentum that you can carry forward with confidence.
If you’re not sure where to start or which small steps will bring you the biggest results, let’s have a conversation. You deserve to feel amazing through the holidays and beyond!
Don’t wait until…
I’m excited to hear how this works for you. Just think, we can be having a much different conversation this time next year!
And if you’re ready to get the accountability you need to see it through, remember that I’m here for you.
Hugs,
Juli