That Time I Worked In Construction...
About a 4-minute read
Some years ago I worked at a job in the construction industry. It taught me a LOT, and I was thinking today about how that experience applies to health coaching.
Believe it or not, the two things have a lot in common.
In construction, you may be working on a big project, but it all hinges on getting the small details right. You have to lay a solid foundation, and can’t even begin thinking about the superficial details until you’ve created a plan for getting the job done.
In construction, you trust the plan and show up every day - consistently - focusing on one small detail at a time. You can’t skip steps or take shortcuts or the structure will collapse. You focus on just what’s in front of you because that’s what matters. It’s all about breaking it down into small steps and doing one thing at a time.
In construction, no matter how solid the plan is, things will go wrong along the way. When that happens, the crew figures out what’s working and what isn’t, makes adjustments to the plan, and adapts. They don’t give up - they keep moving forward.
How can your approach to health possibly be any different? Your body has trillions of cells and each one has a job to do. They are guided by what you feed them through food, movement, sleep, and even your thoughts. Whenever you make a change in what you’re eating, the way you move your body, the way you manage your stress or your sleep habits, it takes TIME for your body to respond.
That’s a LOT to think about and it’s no wonder it can feel overwhelming.
But each thing has to happen in its own time. Using restrictive diet plans when you already have a difficult relationship with food or your body, or looking for other shortcuts or “hacks” to help you lose weight faster simply won’t work. You may get some short-term results, but they will come at the expense of your health. And how has that worked for you so far? NONE of those programs will help you learn to love your body or how to overcome things like emotional or binge eating. The only thing they’ll teach you is how to diet. Again.
Remember the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results…
Maybe it’s time to try something different.
There is an order to things. You can’t skip the steps you need to take to create a healthier, fitter body any more than you can ignore building the foundation of a building because you want to skip ahead and decorate the walls or hang the curtains.
You can exercise until you fall down, but you can’t force your body to lose fat when and where you want it any more than you can force a 2-year-old to eat spinach or keep their socks on.
You can eat “healthy” foods, but if you don’t understand which foods are actually healthy for YOU and your body, no amount of “healthy eating” will get you to your goals.
White-knuckling your way through programs that you’re either “on” or “off” is the fastest way to weight rebounds because you’re not developing healthy habits that feel natural and easy to stick with for the rest of your life.
Working with a coach can help you lay out the best plan for reaching your goals, In a way that works for YOU and YOUR life.
Is it glamorous? Nope.
Are you going to reach your goal weight quickly? Nope - not if you want to do it in a healthy way and be able to keep the weight off.
Is it easy? Nope. But it can be simple.
With the right coach to guide you through the process, it’s a LOT easier to adjust when things don’t go as planned, when you run into obstacles, or when “life happens” and you feel like giving up.
Working with a coach makes it a LOT less difficult and overwhelming than going it alone. A coach has the knowledge and experience to help you stay focused and accountable, and help you do the right things in the right amounts and in the right way so you can build a body you love living in.
Working with an experienced coach is the best way to create RESULTS that LAST.
Maybe you think you know what to do, but let’s face it - YOU’RE NOT DOING IT. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but if you were able to do it on your own you would have already done it.
Stop driving yourself further down the path of feeling awful about your body. Stop the cycle of cravings and binge eating. Stop telling yourself you’re a failure because you’re struggling to lose weight. Stop following the next crazy diet or weight loss “hack.”
All you’re going to do is keep wasting time and money on things that don’t work. And that FEELS BAD.
You’re worthy of reaching your goals and enjoying vibrant energy, a healthy and fit body you love living in, and building confidence in yourself that will last you a lifetime.
Want to have a chat about a simple step you can take RIGHT NOW that will help you move forward?
I’m here for you.