The fitness and weight-loss industry is full of mantras and slogans celebrating the go-getter, or the person who grinds it out at all costs. From Nikes’ “Just Do It,” to the “no pain, no gain” mindset of many gym goers, these people achieve no matter what. If you are not one of these people “crushing” your health, fitness, or physique goals, it is easy to start to feel like a failure.
The “crush-it,” “grind,” and “just do –it” mindsets are powerful and useful mantras to adopt, but there is another equally important word rarely talked about when starting a fitness or weight-loss plan. That word is COMPASSION. More importantly, compassion towards yourself. When starting a workout or nutrition program, developing self-compassion is one of the most important things you can do to ensure long-term success.
When I meet with new clients, it amazes me how many of them share with me a story about their past attempts to start exercising and eat healthy, and the failures that followed. Many speak about feeling like a “failure as a person” or “lazy and worthless” when they missed a workout. Others expressed disgust in themselves when they would over eat something like pizza or chips, saying things like “I can’t believe I ate all of that.”
If only these people had developed a bit more compassion towards themselves, they likely would have already found success. Instead, as negative self-talk grows, action and progress slow. “I already ate all that pizza, I might as well have the ice cream too.” “What’s the point of going to the gym today? I already missed my other two workouts this week.”
Compassion helps you remember that a few missed workouts are just that, a few missed workouts. They are not a reason to quit the gym all together. Having compassion allows you to forgive yourself for eating that entire bag of chips when you told yourself you would only have a few. Compassion creates the opportunity to make a better choice next time.
The truth is, in the beginning many people struggle to consistently eat healthy and workout. Going from first gear to fifth gear is a bumpy ride, and making a lifestyle shift is no different.
The constant exposure and bombardment of unhealthy processed foods, combined with their addictive properties make eating healthy a real challenge. Birthday parties, taco Tuesdays, and those times when that pint of ice cream is calling your name, present endless temptation to “mess-up” your nutrition.
Work meetings, business trips, your children’s school functions, and other life priorities make your seven day a week workout plan (completely unnecessary by the way), impossible to stick to.
Far too many people set out with the mindset of perfection. It is the unrealistic expectation of perfection in the beginning, that stops you from achieving success in the long term. Remember, it’s normal to experience a few bumps along the way.
If you find yourself struggling to consistently eat healthy and exercise, instead of beating yourself down and quitting, have a bit of compassion towards yourself. Tomorrow is a new day to start again!
The sooner you develop compassion for yourself, and acknowledge that it might not be smooth sailing right away, the sooner you will see long term success!
Over time, consistently working out will become part of who you are. You will start looking forward to working out because of the energy boost and enjoyment you receive from it. Eventually, you will start craving healthy foods, while losing the taste for most unhealthy foods.
Until you get to that point, have a bit of compassion towards yourself. Celebrate each success you make along the way, and be proud of the person you are beginning to become.