Had some good conversation with friends yesterday that I wanted to reiterate Bc it really had me thinking of how I have changed my perspective of fitness and how that has affected other facets of my life over the last 3 years since committing to this life. The journey to success in fitness (and life) is not linear, and hell, who is to say what the definition of success even is? We all have our own ideal of what we want to achieve. Whether it’s to lose 50 pounds, compete in a show, or just be able to walk up the stairs without getting winded. No matter the goal, it will take work and commitment. It won’t be easy, you will have set backs which are opportunities for come backs and in the end, it’ll all be worth it.
For me, it started with a program and small goal to lose x amount of weight, then I finished the program and realized I didn’t achieve the look I desired in 60 days like the program said. It got to a point where I wanted more and knew that I had to keep going Bc giving up and stopping wouldn’t get me closer to that and wasn’t an option. From there, it became more of a lifestyle mindset rather than just achieving the originally intended goal.
I love this lifestyle but I would be lying if I said it was smooth sailing. You will have your ups and downs.. You will have times where you don’t see change and want to give up, but don’t. Consistency and sticking with it is what will get you places overtime. You will have days where you want to throw in the towel and say this is too hard. But nothing worth achieving comes easy. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and push past your limits, go OUTSIDE your comfort zone, because this is how you grow.
I have made strides then regressed, and then improved yet to fall off again. When it comes down to it though, I have never quit. And I’m not saying “I made it” because like I said, there is no definition for this. But I can say that I am confident in myself mentally and physically, and am happy with where I am. I am committed to this lifestyle for how it makes me feel and how it has shaped me as a person. I know I will reach my goals but it will come over time.. Not in a couple weeks or even months..Bc honestly my goals are continuously evolving and real results don’t come overnight.
The truth is, you learn what works for you and you learn what doesn’t. Pay no mind to the bull shit “lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks” & “6 week six pack” programs. It’s not meant to be a life of instant gratification. I’ll say it over and over again.. it times time, patience and determination. Like you always hear, if it were easy everyone would do it. Don’t be average though, fuck average.
If you want sustainable results, be prepared to be in this for the long haul. No one wants to hear that though, because it sounds daunting and “too hard.” Be prepared to go slow and focus on shifting it from a temporary fix to an active and healthy lifestyle. Think about it, if you exhaust yourself in 60 days doing a program hoping to come out a whole new person and then quit once you have gotten to a certain point, are those results really going to last you the rest of your life? Do you have a plan to maintain that look once you finish the program? Think long term, have a plan, and don’t just work hard for a few weeks to reverse all the work and go back to your old ways. You’re better than that.
Remember along the way to celebrate all the small victories, because this will make the journey more rewarding. You are never “failing”.. if something goes wrong, simply view it as a learning opportunity and do better. Remember where you started, because it’s so easy to be unsatisfied with yourself as you continuously want to improve. Don’t lose sight of how far you have come though, physically and mentally. Social media is a great thing but we often end up comparing ourselves to others who look a certain way. Stop. It’s you vs you. It’s great to want to be better but at the same time you have to accept/love yourself at all stages of the journey or else you will never be happy no matter what number you hit on the scale, how many pant sizes you drop, or how visible yours abs are and so fourth.
And lastly, in the journey of physical health, mental health is just as important. You have to find what works for you. If you don’t enjoy it, find an alternative. Find something sustainable that you can look forward to, that isn’t a quick fix and that makes you strong. Strength is empowering and I promise you that a journey to becoming fit can turn into much more than just changing your physical appearance. You will build up traits that will carry over into other areas of your life along the way. After all, constantly challenging yourself helps you learn more about yourself. Finding your true strength, mental grit, and is another of the many rewards of this lifestyle. I honestly think that is one of my favorite things I’ve learned along the way is how powerful our mind can be. What you give power to, has power over you. Mindset is everything. You can either sit there and complain or you can actually go take action and make shit happen. Get your mind right, change your life. Just [fucking] do it. ~Nike
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