Over the last couple of months as I have branched out into my own workout regimen I have learned a lot of about what it takes to keep you going, what keeps you engaged and what keeps me interested…
Results have always a number one motivator for me… When I first started 2 years ago, my results came in the form of the scale. There is nothing more gratifying then to step on the scale and see that number get smaller and smaller. I would say thats really just picking the low hanging fruit.. Its also the most exciting time for anyone that is trying to get healthy or lose weight.
The first few weeks of the weight loss journey, fat seems to fall off.. You are getting noticed, you are getting the compliments, you are feeling confident.. Then one day the plateau. Dang It!!
But then I think about the reality of the situation and I think the picture below sums it up.. Fat weighs less than muscle and if you are a really pushing yourself, then it should come as no surprise that you will start building muscle.. Its hard to comprehend, hard to wrap your mind around when we have been so conditioned to equate healthy by the scale and fat by that same scale… I cannot count the times I have had the same conversation with others about what the difference between using the scale only as a gauge of your fitness and health vs. using a cumulative of various measurements.
I think back to how many times in my adult life I stopped, simply because I could not figure out how to re-tool my motivation.. After a while you begin to look at other things to push you and challenge you.. I want to run faster, I want to lift heavier…I have swung back and forth over the thresholds of a pure cardio track to being the better me, to a pure strength and back again over the last 2 years.. When I think about where I want to be, and what I really want out of my life, I found that these simple words that I have now plastered on my wall of my gym, are a very resounding motivation as to why I do what I do every day..
Losing Weight is Hard, Being Fat is Hard, Pick Your Hard…
Hard
Being an overweight person is definitely not easy.. It can be hard, and it really can have some hard consequences for you in life, far beyond being able to buy the latest digs at the mall or looking good at the beach… Sadly, all too often for the motivation for people to attempt the healthy journey… And sometimes are the same motivation for people that fall victim to the unhealthy fit/fad journeys!! But we all have our reasons, right..
One of the things I have also thought about over and over, how hard it was to hear that you were diagnosed with a disease (Type II Diabetes) that you solely 100% responsible for.. Not genetics , not being in a place at the wrong time. Only because I chose to live a lifestyle with no boundries..
I listen to various ways people find their fit.. I read online about all the vast ways people are engaging in their fit. I see people clicking play, I see people hitting their local Globo-Gym, and I see people taking casual strolls or jogs down the road. What keeps me walking into the sweltering garage at 4:45pm each day after work… 90+ degrees with a gentle breeze of a couple fans as my only reprieve from the heat.. One of my new motivators is what I am calling my DIY mentality.. The fact that the fruits of my labor are a result of everything that I am doing myself, to get me to that next level.. There is no magic equation or pill that will do it for me, and it is a road that I have to walk alone.. Not without many great intentions from many friends and family, but none of them can hold my hand and push me every day.
One of my favorite shows on TV these days is Extreme Weight Loss with Chris and Heidi Powell as the co-stars that wow us each week with an amazing year long weight loss transformation… Yes, thats amazing to see people lose 100’s of pounds in just a few short months.. But if you really watch the show, you will see the biggest win for the majority of the people that are transformed is in their mindset…. Anyone under the right circumstances and with the right controls can do some amazing things. You see it in their 1st 3 months when they live at the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, with the best day to day guidance, but its once they leave there and head back to their semi-normal lifestyle that you see the real transformation.. The time in their lives that they start realizing that DIY attitude..
That’s the real struggle for anyone.. Finding out what can make you continue to move forward after the fans have gone home.. Can you find it within yourself to be your biggest fan.. Can you find the small successes in the every day life.. My DIY comes in many shapes in forms, I don’t want to invest too much in one thing, I want to spread it out so that if something falls short, I am not done in.. DIY is ownership in your life, and your goals.. Ownership in the fact that life happens and if you are ready to adapt with life, nothing can hold you back.. I have done a lot of adaption over my journey.. Each time I adapt I take it to another level.. Do You Have a DIY Mindset??
