I remember like it was yesterday when Amy (named changed to protect the non-innocent;) came storming into my office on a rainy Monday morning. She had just weighed herself and she was beyond pissed because she did not hit her weight goal that we had set a month earlier.
“Damn it Griff, I know you know how hard I have tried to lose these last 10 pounds and for the life of me I can’t get them to come off as fast as I would like them to!”
To her credit Amy was very faithful in following the nutritional protocol and she was losing weight…just not to her liking. She had extremely high expectations and when she fell short of them she would throw a temper tantrum and I would get the brunt of it.
Here is the funny thing…
Amy was more healthy than 9 out of 10 Americans, she was an attractive woman in her mid-30’s, had a great family and was wealthy to boot!
For the life of me I could not figure out why she was always complaining about her body and always finding the negative in her fitness journey.
You Can Love Your Fitness Journey or Hate It…The Choice Is Yours…
Unfortunately Amy is not unique in her proclivity for self-torture. I have been in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years and it is common place for people to pick themselves apart and lay down expectations for themselves that are very unhealthy.
In fact, I would say that most people dread the fitness journey instead of enjoying it!
And let’s be honest, it’s kinda the norm isn’t it? Are we not always looking for bigger, better, faster, smarter, and more sexy?
Let’s admit it…when we breach our own expectations there is hell to pay with ourselves!
Tell me I am wrong!?
Have you noticed that it is socially acceptable to be a complete jerk to yourself when it comes to obtaining your fitness goals? We demand “quick results” and get uptight or flat out pissed off when things don’t go exactly the way that we want them too.
How is working for us?
Let’s Try a Different Approach Shall We?
What if we took a slightly more nuanced or spiritual approach?
Here is what I mean…
Right now you are living in a physical reality whether you like it or not. You may not like your current weight, or how your butt looks, or how the fat hangs off of your arms.
I get it.
But the fact of the matter is that you are alive and things could be worse…much worse.
Your heart is beating, your joints are moving and your vital organs support your life day in and day out despite any poor choices that you have made up to this point in your life.
Your body is forgiving and very resilient.
Why not thank your body for sustaining you and your choices up to this point in your life? What good does it do to curse your body for “not responding fast enough”, or not looking the way that you want it to look in the moment?
Instead offer it unconditional love.
Now notice I said UNCONDITIONAL! Most people will nod their head and intellectually agree when I say “unconditional”, but then when they stand on the scale and see an undesirable number they continue in the cursing of their body and the complaints come out in droves.
That’s called conditional love in case you were wondering 😉
How about loving your body for what it does for you right now? Honoring that you are on your own unique health and fitness journey that has it’s own time frame attached to it. Accept it. Don’t fight it.
“That Which We Resist Persists”
The choice is yours.
You can fight yourself along your fitness journey and pick yourself apart. You can live in perpetual disappointment every time you step on the scale or fall short of your stringent expectations.
If you love self whipping and disappointment I would suggest this route.
If on the other hand you want to have an enjoyable fitness journey REGARDLESS of your current physical status, you can make the commitment to give your body gratitude every day along your path.
You can accept the fact that your journey and your biology is unique to you and therefore your path may or may not live up to the expectations in your head…
And that is okay!
May I suggest that you love yourself along the way and make the concerted effort to give yourself grace and understanding as you traverse what can be a rich and fulfilling health and fitness journey?
I really hope you choose the latter path 😉
Life is Good!
P.S. If you would like help in changing your health and fitness lifestyle we can help you so much! Please learn more about us here: http://www.llfit.com