Have you ever wondered why exactly it is that you may have kept quitting on your respected health and/or fitness goals? I'm sure that we all have that one unique friend or acquaintance that we know of that is filled with so much energy to tell us how they are starting this new health kick, how we should join them, and why they will win this time. Thus, only to slyly mention to you a few weeks later over lunch (as they eat their burger and fries) that they had to stop for this or that reason. Have you ever honestly asked yourself why is that?
With over 7 years of professional experience involved in the Health & Wellness industry, I have been grateful to work and mentor with hundreds of individuals to help them achieve their health or fitness goals. Unfortunately, no matter how great of a Health Expert, Nutritionist or Personal Trainer you may be, many will fall away through the cracks. After reviewing many of these cases, there are honestly many reasons or "excuses" people use as to why they have to quit on their new health journey. Although, in my research, these 4 reasons are truly unique and are the reasons why most people drop off...
1. Lack of Trust & Belief
- When you authentically believe and trust in yourself, amazing things begin to happen and you can feel it from the inside out. It is easy to get motivated for a few minutes after watching a Tony Robbins motivational video and then starting something brand new. It is something completely different a few days later and the "new factor" feeling starts to wear off. What so many do, is they get all jacked up and excited to try this new thing they discovered only to not take a moment to think and meditate on what they are actually stepping into and the actual work involved to succeed. Can they picture themselves at the finish line? Can they imagine themselves losing those 50 lbs since they've never done it before? Do they believe they can do the hard work, sacrifice, and commit to this new journey for the next several months or years? What will they do when they are sore, tired and unmotivated? What is their game plan when things get tough?
SOLUTION: What most people do is they try to pass their goals onto others. They try to get others to join their cause and truly depend on them instead of themselves. What this does in the long run is this...if their friend doesn't go to the gym, they don't go to the gym. If their friend had a pie of pizza, they will find it tolerable to have a cheat meal as well. If their friend doesn't have the money for the gym membership anymore, what do you think they will do? Yep, not continue to go! If you truly want to achieve your goals, you have to do it FOR YOU! NOT your friends! If they want to join you, that's great, start a workplace weight loss challenge or go in on hiring a group fitness instructor to teach you on your lunch breaks or after work, that is another way to stay motivated. But, most important, you must know your WHY! Why do you want this so badly? Write down motivation quotes on the commonly attended areas of your home or workplace. It is your job and responsibility to achieve your goals, nobody elses!
2. Life's Craziness
- You are probably thinking that this is a common reason why people quit on their health journeys. But, surprisingly, I'm adding this to the list with a more in-depth analysis. You probably already know that some of the most common reasons people quit is because of either-lack of time or limited money. This reasoning goes beyond that, though. What is your plan for when you do have the money to have that Personal Trainer or gym membership and you do have the time each day to workout for at least 30 minutes? Now...what will you do on your day off, when you wake up and have the whole day planned out and your neighbor knocks on your door asking for serious help and that puts your schedule back by a few hours? My point is, there is no way you can plan your schedules and they actually work out that way 100% of the time. Life is going to throw you some curveballs and you have to be prepared to deflect them.
SOLUTION: We as human beings are naturally gravitated towards regular routines. Humans love homeostasis, which means we naturally want to stay away from change. We are creatures of habit meaning, our bodies will always go back to what we consider as easy or normal while under times of stress, that is how our bodies protect themselves. How do we solve this? One of my favorite things to do on my calendars is to make a list of priorities, my health being a very high priority on that list. Now, I'm not saying to ignore your neighbor when he or she is in trouble. What I am saying is be prepared not to get stressed out when this happens. When you lose those hours in the day-can you shorten your routine or pair up (superset) multiple exercises and limit rest periods to make the time up? Is there something on your To-Do list that could get pushed back towards the evening or the next day? Stay ready for the craziness that is known as life!
3. Take on the World Mentality
- Everyone does this, from the serious pro athletes to the stay at home moms. Everyone wants to dominate their respected fields of interest. While in the health industry, what most enthusiasts will do is, they will start this new workout plan, but they don't stop there. They try the new workout plan, they order hundreds of dollars worth of supplements, they eliminate all the junk food out of the house, they listen to the self-help audiobooks, etc. They try to take on the world and do it all! Are all these healthy habits to adopt? Absolutely! Can we do it all at once? Absolutely not! The reason why so many health enthusiasts quit is for the simple fact of getting overwhelmed, and as we discussed in the last numeric point, we are creatures of habit and do not like change so when we try to do too much too soon, we get overwhelmed and dive right back into what we were comfortable with doing before we started this new journey.
SOLUTION: Take it one day at a time, one step at a time. It takes roughly 21 days to develop a new habit so why not focus on doing your workouts consistently for 21 days first? Your nutrition is the foundation towards achieving a healthy life, so I always recommend to my clients before committing to a program, let's improve your eating habits first. And even then, we don't change out their entire refrigerator. If they are addicted to sodas, we try to limit or cut those out entirely first. Then we move on to drinking more water, eating less candy, eating more veggies and fruits, etc. Remember, slow and steady wins this race.
4. Lack of Accountability or Punishment
- When people start on their brand new weight loss journeys, it can get very lonely. I say this with experience. When I committed myself towards losing 60+ lbs in 2011-12, every original habit that I had eventually changed. From the food I ate, to the workouts I was doing, to even the friends I was associating myself with. When you are on this journey, what makes you believe that you will succeed if your closest friends you associate yourself with party every weekend, drink alcohol frequently and tease you with junk food regularly? This was an area of my life that I had to change if I was going to TRUST & BELIEVE in myself that I could do this. Did it mean I was a bad person? No, my priorities just changed but it did get lonely some Saturday nights. Also, not only do most individuals quit on their goals because lack of accountability, but because they know deep down, they will never face any repercussions if they do decide to quit on their goals!
SOLUTION: Some nights, you will feel like a bad friend. But, you are not and you have to believe that. Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals will help you along the way. How do you combat these possible dream-killers? If it fits within your finances, pay ahead for a Personal Trainer or local gym. Most gyms and trainers have programs to pay anywhere from 1 month in advance to 12 months! If you paid the money, which is non-refundable most of the time, you will be more driven to actually see the time through and stay active. Plus, you will get accountability from your trainer and get healthier and faster results. On top of that, if you join one of the popular Cross-Training gyms or "boxes" out there, this is a fantastic way to meet like-minded individuals during their group exercise classes. Set up weekly accountability calls or even start a free Facebook group or group instant message to stay in contact quickly if you get a craving to eat junk or quit the program.
I truly hope this read has not only taught you something new, but empowered you to restart your journey if you have decided to take a break. If you are a trainer reading this, please,reach out to your clients! Your follow up calls are more important than you truly know. Clients are not just a way to earn a paycheck and trainers are not just mean people that don't understand what you might be going through. As a client or trainer reading this, we are all human beings and desire love from everyone. We all have our ups and our downs, it is our job to stay connected and pull each other out of the mud when we find ourselves in it. Remember....Take Action Today!
Best Regards,
Coach Taz
MixTape to Success: