A lot of us have had this feeling. Often, we feel it a few weeks after New Year’s, but it can happen any time of year. That moment when we realise that, yet again, we have fallen through with our plans to get in better shape, to be more active, and to eat better. It’s easy to see why it can happen, what with temptation around every corner, and the reality that making sustainable changes to your life takes effort.
But, why are you having such a hard time sticking to it even when you get going? Here are a few thoughts on why that might be the case.
Not changing enough
There is a common thought that if you try to change too much, too fast, it’s easy for things to fall through, and that is true. If you go from not working out at all, to working out every other day and pushing yourself hard, then you should expect that you’re going to rebound. However, it’s also true that you need to break your bad habits across the board to see the best results. If you’re starting to exercise, you also have to start minding what you eat. Smaller, incremental changes to both is better than a big, massive change to one, in terms of keeping it sustainable.
Lack of accountability
How we are perceived might feel like a shallow motivator, but it’s an honest one. If we know that someone is expecting us to work out or eat well, we are more likely to do it, because it is expected of us. This is why working out with a buddy can be a great motivator, and also a good reason to track your efforts in a diary. After all, accountability to yourself is still accountability.
Not committing to it
You have to truly make an active commitment. It’s not just about making a decision randomly, one day, and following through with it. Do what you need to do to make sure that you are able to start exercising and making better dinner decisions, whether it’s signing up with your gym or, better yet, working with a personal trainer. Trying to take shortcuts like “I’m just going to workout at home, to begin with” isn’t going to work for those who have trouble motivating themselves. Investing in your efforts is going to make you more likely to want to see those investments pay off.
Not being ready for realistic change
One of the biggest problems with making lifestyle changes is that you have unrealistic expectations of how much change it’s going to bring and how quickly you’re going to start seeing results. Tracking your results over a time period can help you notice trends, but you should not let your mood rise and fall with every week. You need to focus on the long-term and keep your goals realistic, above all else.
If the above thoughts sound familiar, then hopefully the solutions posed are helpful, as well. Sustainable change is possible, you just have to find your way of going about it.
