It’s almost a new year and fitness facilities all over the country are being filled with new clients. According to a study by Forbes magazine, less than 25% of these newcomers will stay consistent with their new goal after 30 days and less than 8% will accomplish their goal. With statistics like this, you might be asking yourself, “Why should I even try?” But what you should really be asking yourself is, “What is going to make me one of the 8% that succeed?” It certainly won’t be easy, but it is possible to accomplish your physical goals this year.
I am going to address some of the biggest obstacles that are going to get in your way and how you can prepare for them in advance. There are three main ones that will be covered, this does not mean that there won’t be others. With that said, I would encourage you to take some time to go through each of these and answer them in your own life.
1. Comparison
You see how fast people on social media loose weight. You watch a TV show where someone drops 15 pounds in a week. You wonder why you can’t just be more like your friend who actually enjoys eating salads and quinoa every day. Comparison is going to kill any momentum you make. Comparison is also unfair to yourself. You have no idea how many times that person on social media quit before they finally stuck it out. You don’t know what happened after the person on TV got home around their family and friends. Your story and your journey are completely different than everyone else. Embrace that and keep your eyes on your own goal – whatever that goal may be.
2. Failure
You are going to fail. At some point, in some way, you will come short of whatever it is that you set out to do. It’s okay to fail! Commit to failure for as long as it takes for you to get better. Fail faster so that you can learn faster. Don’t see it as negative. See it as a learning opportunity. What can you learn from what just happened and how can you set things in place so that it doesn’t happen the same way again. What got you to the place you are currently in, is not going to get you where you want to go. This means that there are going to be new things to learn, habits that you need to introduce and habits you will need to break. Everything is going to seem overwhelming at first, but you will eventually get the hang of it and if you hang on long enough, you might even start to enjoy this new way of life.
3. You
I hope that you go into this commitment to health with a fully supportive group of people backing you up – but the reality is there is a very good chance there are people who will have things to say about how much time you are spending on your health as you change your lifestyle. There may even be people you love and care about that do have your best interest in mind. However, their voices cannot be louder in your head, than your own voice. You have to decide in advance what your response will be when others comment on the way that you spending your time now versus what you may have done in the past. Commit to yourself. If you can’t stay with your plan, you don’t have a consistency problem, you have a commitment problem. You need to attach what you are doing to something that is deeply motivating to you – being able to play with your kids, seeing them graduate from college, setting a good example for your family to follow, etc.
You only get one life to live and one chance to live it how you want. Make sure that you are making yourself proud. It’s okay to be a beginner and learn along the way as long as you keep going.
-Amber Moyer, Exercise Specialist