The Fitness Cliff
Did you know cliff diving is one of the most dangerous extreme sports?
That being said, I’m gonna need all you resolutioners to turn around and step back from the edge of that FITNESS cliff! It’s not a safe idea to dive off it! (See what I did there?)
We’re officially at the end of January, a typical “dive-off” point for New Year’s resolutioners. How close are you to that cliff edge? Are you going off next?
In order to answer that, let’s first let’s establish what that cliff looks like:
C- Can’t find time
L- Lacking a plan of attack
I- Ignoring your original intentions and falling back into old habits
F- Frustrated with lack of early/quick results
F- Forgetting why you started!!
If any of these points are “speaking to you”, then you’re somewhere on the cliff and your health/fitness goals are in danger!
BACK AWAY! It’s time to start safely descending the fitness cliff.
Excuse 1️- Can’t find the time
Tip 1️- MAKE TIME.
“Make time by making a plan. Sit down and figure out how you're going to make your workout a nonnegotiable PART of your day, not just an added bonus to the day.
Sometimes this means having to deal with non-ideal situations such as maybe waking up earlier to get a workout in, or taking a working lunch later in the day so you can do it during your lunch break...it can get tricky and it can get tough, but that's the name of the game when you have an unusually busy day and goals.” -excerpt from Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail blog post
For more tips on making time, head here for the full post.
Excuse 2- Lacking a plan of attack
Tip 2- Baby steps
Set realistic goals with realistic timeframes! Trying to lose 10 lbs and 5 inches off your waist in 2 weeks? Good luck.
INSTEAD
Set your overall goal (your long-term goal)
Then, reevaluate your “due date” and set a realistic timeframe
And lastly, break that goal and timeframe up into baby steps with smaller goals in shorter timeframes to get you to the bigger picture later down the road!
Slow & steady. Focus on one small goal at a time, be successful with it, move on.
Don’t dive off the cliff just because you haven’t hit your goal yet. Reevaluate things and come up with your baby steps!
Fitness is a building game- lay your foundation first, then slowly keep building upwards.
Excuse 3️- Ignoring your original intentions and falling back into old habits
Tip 3️- Plan!
To piggyback off of tip #1: plan your workouts INTO your day. View them like a work commitment or appointment, make them non-negotiable!
Also, plan your meals ahead and walk into a fresh week with everything outlined and prepped! Having your meals and snacks planned and ready makes it harder to stray from your original intentions as the busy week gets rolling.
For more on easy meal prep, head here.
Lastly, plan to fail!!
Failure is going to happen at some point, it’s part of the game and it happens to everyone (myself included!). So, form a contingency plan and be prepared for failure.
Know how to pick yourself back up from a mess-up and avoid sliding deeper down the hole.
Think about it, if one car tire went flat, would it make sense for you to then go slash the other 3 tires and make it worse??
No. Repair that tire and move on! Plan to move past that overindulgence or missed workout and get right back to it the next day, don’t further self-sabotage.
Don’t use one mess-up as an excuse to throw in the towel and revert to old habits!
Excuse 4️- Frustrated with lack of early/quick results
Tip 4️- Patience & multiple measures of progress
I get it, it’s frustrating, but when that frustrated feeling hits, you need a dose of reality to hit as well.
‼️ Reality check: REAL, SUSTAINABLE progress takes TIME! ‼️
Nothing worth having comes easy. If you want change that lasts, you have to quit beating yourself up & be patient. Worrying and stressing about your results will only make things worse, I promise you that! When does the body ever respond positively to worry and stress?
Have patience AND multiple measures of progress going. Just because the scale isn’t moving or pictures don’t look drastically different doesn’t mean your work isn’t paying off!
1: Take pictures
2: Take measurements
3: Take your weight
4: Record the weights used during your lifts
5: Monitor your endurance during cardio
Do ALL of these! While 1 (or 2 or 3) may not be changing right away, 1 (or 2 or 3!) may be!! And THAT is progress!
Little progress is still progress, chalk that up as a win and keep on pushing!
Excuse 5- Forgetting why you started
Tip 5- Call a timeout!
It’s easy to let your initial enthusiasm and drive fall by the wayside once life hits, but it’s important to not completely lose sight of those earlier days and feelings!
Take a few moments each day, week, month, etc, to take a timeout and remember why you started. Reflect on those initial feelings and that drive that originally sparked your fire.
Harvest that and consider taking pen to paper to help record/visualize what things will look like if you keep your drive and stick with your plan for the next month.
What about for the next 2 months??
What would change for the better?
How would things look?
Use your mini “mental break” for reflection and visualization and turn that internal switch back on!
With those five tips in mind, you’ll be able to make it through not only February, but the 10 months that follow.
Stay off of the fitness cliff, crush your goals!
For help staying accountable and achieving your goals, check out the Muscle By Maria 1:1 online coaching options!