Improving your life, your confidence and self-esteem, being happy internally is what exercise and eating healthy should be all about. This time of year though, that vision gets distorted by “extreme” versions on how you should do it pedalled by those looking to rip you off and sell you a dream that ends up in misery.
What happens when that period of extreme commitment ends (usually quite soon)? Time and time again i see people putting that weight back on by following something that’s not designed to last or sustainable for the rest of your life.
This leads to the rest of the year being in frustration and chasing yet more miracle diets and exercise “plans” that involves obsessive exercise and hammering your body into the ground which is very destructive and always leads to injury and crushes your morale long term.
Most people overeat in the first place due to some painful event in their lives.
They beat themselves up how they can’t lose weight, and will often starve themselves all day thinking if they don’t eat, then the weight will go away, they will get down to a certain size and all of their problems will be somehow “solved”.
They find though it’s never “enough” and are chasing a dream that doesn’t exist.
Change has to come from within, loving your body without any conditions if you’re this size or that size, your weighing scales never define who you are and are NOT a true reflection of your health. Getting healthy and fit should be how powerful and confident you have and will become in your own skin.
Developing the mental tools to make your healthy lifestyle works is invaluable and absolutely necessary. Strive to be your very best but you need to be kind to yourself along the way, loving who you are, the athlete (at any age or ability) you truly are capable of becoming, and the positive influence and leader you can become for those closest to you.
True health and progress for me is getting your heart, lungs and body much stronger, feeling much better in your clothes, you feel much happier both inside and out that lasts a lifetime, you have self-confidence and self-belief to finally do the things you used to put off, loving your body and health every day never stops no matter what happens, and developing the state of mind that nobody is going to stop you this time, you are in control of what you are doing, you know what it takes every day to be fit and healthy and it’s part of your everyday life without even thinking about it.
