One thing that has surprised me since becoming a Beachbody Coach and starting to help people lose weight is the amount of excuses people have when it comes to weight and health.
Almost everybody wants to change something about their weight. The most recognized, of course, is the group of people who want to lose weight but there's also plenty of people out there who are working towards gaining weight or simply changing their body composition from mostly fat to mostly muscle.
Doesn't matter what the goal is, everybody has an excuse.
Even me.
The ones I hear most frequently are:
Almost everybody wants to change something about their weight. The most recognized, of course, is the group of people who want to lose weight but there's also plenty of people out there who are working towards gaining weight or simply changing their body composition from mostly fat to mostly muscle.
Doesn't matter what the goal is, everybody has an excuse.
Even me.
The ones I hear most frequently are:
"I don't have time"
"I don't have money."
"I don't like vegetables so I can't eat healthy" (ugh!)
"It's in my genes."
All of those are excuses.
I get asked a lot on how to successfully lose weight. What I have seen in those that actually do make it into the successful category is a willingness to face excuses head on and they just refuse to let the excuses win! The trick is to start recognizing the excuses and realize that you are trying to justify continuing a bad behavior.
Here's the thing. Those excuses, they are hurting you. They are impeding on your potential progress.
The most common excuse I hear, without a doubt is I don't have time. Wrong. Everyone should get in a minimum of 30 minutes of purposeful activity a day. The more you do, the greater the reward, but strictly for health concerns, 30 minutes of moderate intensity is generally enough. The best part? You can get that 30 minutes in by splitting it up into three, 10 minute long workouts and get the same health benefits. You really can't find 10 minutes at three different points in the day to get up and do some dang jumping jacks? Come on!
Besides that, if you're reading this right now chances are you found it on Facebook. Track how much time you honestly spend a day on Facebook or even sitting watching tv. Be brutally honest here because lying to impress others is only going to hurt you in the long run. Think maybe you could take 30 minutes of your Facebook time and go for a brisk walk or do some push-ups?
The brutal fact isn't that you don't have time, it's that you aren't making your health a priority. Think about that. Your physical health, your one and only body, isn't as important to you as scrolling past memes of grumpy cat of Facebook. See the problem here?
I don't have the money. Doesn't matter if you say you don't have the money for healthy food or for fancy fitness equipment, either way you are wrong!
First off, healthy eating and fitness are both preventive medicine. You can spend the extra time now and invest in being healthy and feeling great later OR you can spend your money on sugary drinks and goodies now and then be miserable, in and out of the doctors office, on 6 different medicines and sitting around waiting to have a heart attack later. Your choice.
Secondly, eating healthy isn't any more expensive than eating junk. It's just not. The secret, don't buy fresh 100% of the time. Frozen and, in a pinch, canned goods are great ways to get the healthy foods you need to get control of your life. Also water, the only drink you really need, is virtually free. Get a refillable bottle with a filter. These are awesome and cheap.
Healthy eating gets expensive when you buy fresh produce as well as the sugary drinks, chips and cookies. The produce wilts because you eat the junk food first and it feels like you're wasting money.
As far as not having fancy equipment, it's helpful but necessary. Put together a full body strength routine using basic moves like squats, lunges and push ups. Grab a pair of shoes and go for a run.
This topic will also turn into it's own blog in the near future, but needed to be briefly addressed here as well!
Pretty much anything that you tell yourself to justify staying on the couch or buying junk food, is an excuse. Unless it's 'I have a broken leg' or something similar that means you literally cannot workout it's an excuse. There are no excuses for not eating healthy.
It's hard. Trust me, I understand. I am a food addict, I used to eat food to solve all my problems, if I was sad, lonely, tired, bored, happy, excited, whatever, food was always what I turned to. I also play video games and love to watch tv so even convincing myself to exercise is a struggle some days when the couch and a tv marathon call my name. When I stopped making excuses to convince myself that I was okay doing these things, when I decided to truly be dedicated to living a healthy life, was when I started seeing the results I felt I deserved. And it's not just about losing weight, it may have started as that but in the end I gained a life.
Why let excuses hold you back? Go create the life you deserve.
"I don't like vegetables so I can't eat healthy" (ugh!)
"It's in my genes."
All of those are excuses.
I get asked a lot on how to successfully lose weight. What I have seen in those that actually do make it into the successful category is a willingness to face excuses head on and they just refuse to let the excuses win! The trick is to start recognizing the excuses and realize that you are trying to justify continuing a bad behavior.
Besides that, if you're reading this right now chances are you found it on Facebook. Track how much time you honestly spend a day on Facebook or even sitting watching tv. Be brutally honest here because lying to impress others is only going to hurt you in the long run. Think maybe you could take 30 minutes of your Facebook time and go for a brisk walk or do some push-ups?
The brutal fact isn't that you don't have time, it's that you aren't making your health a priority. Think about that. Your physical health, your one and only body, isn't as important to you as scrolling past memes of grumpy cat of Facebook. See the problem here?
I don't like vegetables. This always makes me roll my eyes. This will eventually evolve into it's own blog post but I wanted to touch on it real quick anyway. There are thousands, thousands, of varieties of vegetables in the world and you're telling me that you can't find a handful that you like? If you are a 'I don't like vegetables' excuse maker I challenge you for 6 weeks to try one vegetable per week that you've never had. And don't just try it once. Try it raw, try it grilled, try it sauteed with olive oil. Try it in scrambled eggs or on a burger or in a casserole. Keep trying things until you find what you do like. Taste is largely a learned process. The more you you eat vegetables, and forgo the chips and processed goodies, the more you will enjoy eating your veggies.
First off, healthy eating and fitness are both preventive medicine. You can spend the extra time now and invest in being healthy and feeling great later OR you can spend your money on sugary drinks and goodies now and then be miserable, in and out of the doctors office, on 6 different medicines and sitting around waiting to have a heart attack later. Your choice.
Secondly, eating healthy isn't any more expensive than eating junk. It's just not. The secret, don't buy fresh 100% of the time. Frozen and, in a pinch, canned goods are great ways to get the healthy foods you need to get control of your life. Also water, the only drink you really need, is virtually free. Get a refillable bottle with a filter. These are awesome and cheap.
Healthy eating gets expensive when you buy fresh produce as well as the sugary drinks, chips and cookies. The produce wilts because you eat the junk food first and it feels like you're wasting money.
As far as not having fancy equipment, it's helpful but necessary. Put together a full body strength routine using basic moves like squats, lunges and push ups. Grab a pair of shoes and go for a run.
This topic will also turn into it's own blog in the near future, but needed to be briefly addressed here as well!
It's in my genes. Another eye roll. Yes, some people are more likely to gain weight and to have difficulties getting and keeping it off. That doesn't mean it's impossible. Get up and walk. Step away from the processed grains and add more veggies back into your diet. It is that simple (though we all know it's NOT simple.) If you dedicate yourself 110% to losing weight, you can lose weight. Weight problems do run in families, but it usually has more to do with learned lifestyle behaviors than actual genetic code. If everyone eats large amounts of fried, sugary and processed foods and then goes and sits in front of the tv for hours, the whole family will gain weight. But if everyone has a healthy dinner of grilled fish or chicken with non ad of startchy veggies on the side and then goes for a walk together instead, you will lose weight.
What makes an excuse?
Pretty much anything that you tell yourself to justify staying on the couch or buying junk food, is an excuse. Unless it's 'I have a broken leg' or something similar that means you literally cannot workout it's an excuse. There are no excuses for not eating healthy.
It's hard. Trust me, I understand. I am a food addict, I used to eat food to solve all my problems, if I was sad, lonely, tired, bored, happy, excited, whatever, food was always what I turned to. I also play video games and love to watch tv so even convincing myself to exercise is a struggle some days when the couch and a tv marathon call my name. When I stopped making excuses to convince myself that I was okay doing these things, when I decided to truly be dedicated to living a healthy life, was when I started seeing the results I felt I deserved. And it's not just about losing weight, it may have started as that but in the end I gained a life.
Why let excuses hold you back? Go create the life you deserve.
No comments:
Post a Comment