If you need to learn to do something important and learn to do it well, wisdom would have you not expect mastery in a few weeks. It’s worth investing a longer amount of time to really see results that stick.
Take learning a trade, for example. You turn on light switches multiple times each day. You can change light bulbs, plug in appliances and even set up Christmas lights. Watching electrician videos on YouTube can give you guidance on installing a dimmer switch. But watching a few videos by electricians about electrical work doesn’t make you an electrician. And it would be silly to expect a diploma after only the first month of the course.
And yet, this is what happens when people try to get fit and eat better. Sure, you can probably look around and see people who appear to have their act together. They eat well, are in shape and have energy. Of course, we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes for these exemplars that makes them successful (eg. consistency). They can be inspiring, but they are not most people. I am talking here about people for whom being healthy and fit (and this should always include eating healthy) doesn’t come easily. If you can’t say that it comes easy for you then you know which camp you are in. And it doesn’t let you off the hook.
The pattern for most folks is to get advice from different (and even contradicting) popular experts who make it seem like fast results are the norm with a blitz of strict and concentrated effort to get in the best shape of your life in 28 days. This sets the expectation that if we don’t achieve what we want in a month then we need to look to the next promising new thing. Start, stop. Start, stop. Hmmm, how many times have you lost that 10 pounds this year?
And realistically, when you commit to anything involving lifestyle change, you are going to come up against an obstacle or two within a couple months and it will be near impossible to stick with that super-plan. A plan that only works when everything is ideal will very quickly be taken out back and put out of its misery by life.
If you don’t know how to eat in a healthy and sustainable way, you won’t become a master in just one month. It’s up to you to own up to your part in your health and take the time to learn.
Yes, I am suggesting that most people don’t know how to eat, and it’s time to learn how..
The way to fix this is to approach it like you are taking a course and get a teacher.
As coaches we often hear people give reasons to not make a necessary lifestyle change,
“Summer is coming up and I know I will be wanting to enjoy drinks, etc at the cabin.”
“I shouldn’t start something so close to Christmas (or pick a holiday), we will be having gatherings.”
“I am going to be gone on vacation for a couple weeks, I can’t control the food I eat.”
“Life isn’t optimal for this right now, I need my schedule to be more manageable.”
These reasons sound valid, yet all they do is defer our responsibility. And not applying healthy lifestyle habits (which can still include all the things people think they must do without) during these scenarios tends to have people wind up further away from their goal which is more discouraging. Do you think consistently fit people don’t have busy schedules, family gatherings or take holidays?
I would suggest that these are precisely the times to be guided through and learn how to eat your cake and have it too. But it starts with a mindset shift.
First, accept that the only way a change is going to take hold is if you own it and take action.
Second, stop waiting for ideal life circumstances to line up for you. That is a cop-out. Pick a smaller action to work on and get to work.
Third, approach it like you are taking a course that will take you through most of a calendar year. This way you get to practice, trouble-shoot, reorient, and practice again through all the seasons. It’s like learning progressively, taking quizzes, discovering where you suck, and figuring out how to get unstuck. Besides, if you are already so busy and life so unreasonable do you really think learning a year’s worth of material in 1 month is going to work out well?
Our coaches are experts at helping you prioritize what steps to start with, holding you accountable and building on your successes and mis-steps.
What is it worth to you to see how much better your health, your fitness, your energy can be a year from now? Those months are going to pass by anyway.
Let us know at [email protected] that you are ready to learn!