It seemed easy during the beginning of the year to stick to those New Year’s resolutions when you were absolutely gung-ho to lose weight. Yet, with the last several months underway you feel like you’ve lost touch with the real reason for beginning this fitness journey. Even with realistically set goals you focused so hard on losing weight that it’s unintentionally produced the first real mishap. Creating a goal based on an end result such as losing 50 pounds is admirable but can cause you to lose focus on the importance of other feats along the way. One bad day can cause self-doubt and questions of why you’re really doing this. If that’s the way you feel about your exercise goals then take big, deep breath and do something you may not have done for yourself. You should take a moment to be proud of the changes you’ve made.
A Work In Progress
There’s such a stereotype that in order to be strong you have to look like a bodybuilder but I’m going to share a secret with you. Not all bodybuilder’s are super strong. They just know how to showcase their muscles in order to appear that way. Whether you’re an athlete or not; strength comes in many different forms and should be remembered, valued and rewarded. When you began working out were you able to pick up a twenty pound bag of dog food without struggling? Did you pray that your legs would hold out after making several trips to the car and back for groceries.? If you’re now doing any of these activities without jelly legs or arms then you’ve already made improvements.
The Incredible Shrinking Person
Many of us get tunnel vision when it comes to losing weight and forget to take note of how our clothes fit. On average a weight loss of 10 pounds is equivalent to going down one clothing size but what if your clothes fit better and you haven’t lost any weight? In that case, give yourself a big round of applause for changing your body composition. You’ve either lost fat, gained muscle or both and you should revel in it. The final number on the scale is what you’re aiming for but that smaller size pair of jeans during the journey will make you just as happy.
Quality Of Life
Perhaps you don’t have the strength to run track but the fact that you can leap and bound with your loved ones is another bonus for sticking to your fitness goals. Doing simple tasks like strolling in the park may not take your breath away any longer. This is a good sign you’ve made changes to your body. Simple activities that no longer cause you to break a sweat, breath hard or feel embarrassed over performing basic actions are wonderful gains in your new lifestyle.
Feeling Sore. Or Are You?
One other thing that tends to be placed on the back burner is how sore you were after those first couple of times you weight trained, did yoga or even stretched. The build up of lactic acid and muscle tears are enough to make anyone feel sick but now it’s evident that you don’t feel that way anymore. Perhaps you’ve even noticed the soreness is only mild and you’re lifting heavier. Reaching this point in your work out program means you’ve made it.
It’s all Good
Paying attention to these small changes will help you push through for the next set of goals. Taking everything in stride will get you to the finish line with a far more positive attitude and help keep your sanity.
Source: Experience
