WHY IS IT SO HARD TO LOSE WEIGHT?
Watch the Youtube video here
Do you ever wonder why its so hard to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle? Why is it that each year you make big plans to drop the unwanted weight yet those plans always seem to fall through?
There are many working parts to this question. Today we will focus on the levels to becoming an individual that can put this healthy lifestyle thing on autopilot. During my training with the American Council on Exercise I learned that there are three levels to fitness. Lets discuss what they are! *Im totally paraphrasing btw!
Level 1 – The Novice & Couch Potato
Ok don’t get mad at me about the coach potato refrence! But the truth shall set you free! If you are at level one you likely break a sweat just thinking about working out; you may even deny there is any benefit to working out and say “ta hell with it, I’m going to die of something, someday.” This person is not interested in fitness, healthy eating and has likely never done a pushup let alone used a dumbbell. It is also very possible that this individual has poor eating habits, lots of health issues (especially if older), and has not plan to do better.
Level 2 – Caught in the Middle
This is likely where most people fall. The Caught in the Middle person knows the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. He or she means well but cannot seem to follow through on the promises of a healthy lifestyle. This person is likely the first person at the gym on January 1st with all the determination in the world. This person is a serial dieter, weight is often fluxuating, cannot seem to find balance and after 6 months of dieting and working out – they give up. Weight loss/wellness/fitness/healthy living is like a fleeting thought. Here today, gone in 6 months! Then the cycle starts again.
Level 3 – The Fitness Freak (that level 1 & 2 can’t stand jk jk jk)
This is the maintenance phase! This is where your favorite fitness instructor, your super healthy 85 year old grand mother that still runs 5ks and everyone you see on Instagram and Facebook posting their healthy meals and logging their workouts. We LOVE to sweat, drink smoothies, juice kale and ginger, hike, lift weights and anything else that involves healthy living. We live to drink gallons of water and love the sore feeling after a great workout. Level 3’s are usually the ones motivating others to be healthy and shake their heads when their advice has fallen upon deaf ears. Make no mistake, I/we have our moments when we do not feel like working out or maybe we eat some cake/pizza/or one cocktail too many. What we don’t do is fall off completely and we don’t make excuses for our failures concerning fitness and wellness. Living a healthy lifestyle is like brushing our teeth and taking a shower – it’s an essential part of life.
As I stated in my YouTube video, most people fall in between 1 & 2 and aspire to be The Fitness Freak or at least someone who can maintain a healthy lifestyle without fuss. The good news is you can totally do that! I have never been a level 1 BUT for many years I was a level 2. My weight was constantly going up and down, I stayed on a diet, my clothes have been extremely tight and to put this simply – I was a hot mess.
In order to move from diet rollercoaster hot mess you have to accept the healthy lifestyle. **Look into my crystal ball and accept the healthy lifestylllllle* Haha! No seriously, you do need to just accept that moderation is key. You need to move often and eat less crap and more whole foods. It’s a simple formula but so many people miss the mark. Acceptance is key, folks.
Tips for effective weight loss & living well:
Change your attitude about fitness – learn to love it & stop saying how hard the process/class/routine/trainer is. Instead think, “I can do this!”
Change your attitude about eating healthy. Stop saying “I can’t!” and start saying “I will”
Schedule your workouts just like you would schedule a meeting! Then record your workout on a calendar (a white board calendar) mark the missed days with a HUUUUGE (Trump voice) red marker to indicate you’re slippin on your pimpin.
Create space to train at home! If going to the gym is too difficult bring the gym to you. I personally hate the gym and have be a fit from home girl for many many years.
TELL YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE. Laugh if you want too, but Tony Robbins, who is amazing, said he used to repeat that in his head and out loud over and over again to get stuff done.
Get some fit friends. If your friends are unhealthy chances are, so are you. Network with co-workers, neighbors, and other people that have the same goal but are serious. “Birds of a feather flock together is” such a true statement!
Stop wasting time on fruitless activities. Watching mindless TV, talking on the phone about nothing, scrolling on Facebook/IG/YouTube watching nonsense is draining your energy. All of that time you spend on fruitless activities could be spent on improving your health.
Invest in high quality food, make time to cook more, and eat out less. If you spend most of your money on material possessions and eat a diet rich in processed junk then you’ve got to get your priorities in check.
That’s going to do it for this article! I think you so much for reading and just know you CAN do this!
With love & kindness,
Shakera
