The reason many of us fail at having the bodies we want is that it’s hard work. There is no magic pill or patch. We have to put in the work and control what we ingest. Why are we so weak? We expect quick results, when, trite but true, slow and steady does win the race.
Lose 2 pounds a month for 2 years and you are 50 pounds lighter.
50 pounds lighter!
Can’t wait 2 years? Wow. You took a lot more years than that to put those pounds on. How do you expect to drop them so quickly.
And, look, 2 pounds a month is nothing. You could really go at it with diet and exercise and safely lose 4, 6, even 8 pounds a month.
How about this plan. You go “all in” for 2 months, get into the swing of things, but, then, at the point where you would normally just say “screw it”, and go back to being lazy and undisciplined, you simply back off a bit.
(NOTE: You may find that this time around, you don’t want to back off. You love what you are doing and the results are keeping you motivated. Keep going!)
If you’ve been really hitting the diet and exercise thing for a couple months, you should have a pretty good idea of what you can eat to be healthier. You should have a decent feel for how much exercise it takes to be more fit.
But if you’ve decided by the 2-month mark that this lifestyle is not for you right now, don’t go back to your old habits. Keep some of the good habits you’ve developed.
Maybe during your 2 months you gave up all fast food. Hey, now, that’s a great idea! You used to eat 7 meals a week at fast food places, now you are eating none. You could go back to your old ways, but do you have to?
Maybe during your 2 months you took a 2-mile walk every morning. Nice start to a fitness plan! You used to just sit and watch tv every morning before work, now you’re moving. You could go back to the tv, but do you have to?
It’s pretty obvious to me that fitness isn’t for everyone. All I have to do is look around to see that. But if you are reading this, you must have something inside you that wants you to improve yourself.
Maybe this isn’t your time to go “all in” for fitness.
I went through many stops and restarts on my way to being fully involved in my own fitness. Finally, something clicked in my mind, and I know now I will never go back.
If you are not there yet mentally, take your move to fitness in smaller steps. Slowly, steadily, you will win this race.