What if you spent the next 12 weeks really committed to your health? All-in, no excuses, no skipped workouts, no unhealthy meals, no ‘I’ll try again tomorrows.’ Instead, a wholehearted, hold nothing back, get it done today no matter what, approach.
Would January 2022 look different than 2021 did? I bet your body would look different. I bet you would feel different. I would go as far as saying this; I bet you would feel incredible and your body and your health would match that.
Sometimes what we think is a lack of motivation is actually a lack of commitment. When we only kind of try to make healthy choices, we only kind of see results and that – ‘only kind of’ approach – only kind of brings us motivation. But that doesn’t really work because half-hearted efforts usually bring frustration instead.
If we really wanted results, we would really commit to getting them and, as the results came, our motivation levels would massively increase because we are finally getting to where we’ve been wanting to go.
I once saw a video of a man who was in line at a fast-food restaurant. As he waited for his burger, fries and pop, he munched on a very large donut. His personal trainer came bursting into the store, made his way through the line and literally slapped the food clean out of the man’s hands.
Then he gave him a not-so-gentle but necessary piece of his mind. He said, “If you really want results, you wouldn’t be eating donuts and ordering french fries.” Now that’s a truth bomb! Obviously, there is a balance to be found but the fact is, results don’t come in the fast-food line.
As a wellness coach, I can relate to sometimes wanting things more for my clients than they want for themselves. What I’ve learned over the years is that in order for them to get what they’re after, we both need to want it, and they even need to want it most.
The key to success is to be willing to sacrifice in the short term for the long-term reward. You need to be your own LCBO, slapping the things that don’t get you closer to your goals, out of your own hands. That is the level of commitment we all need to have for ourselves. It certainly helps to have others in our corner willing to do the same for us. But it starts with us.
Weight loss, healthy living, any physical performance-based goal – they all require commitment and with that comes sacrifice. You cannot eat all the unhealthy stuff and expect to get healthy. You cannot skip the workouts and expect to get stronger and leaner. It doesn’t work that way and though we don’t like to hear this truth, we all know it is a fact.
In order to make the commitment, you’ll need to get serious about the sacrifices required.
Maybe you know someone who is frustrated with not getting to where they want to go. Maybe you are that someone. If this is the case, I have a hard question to ask you: is the frustration with the lack of results? Or, is it actually with yourself for not fully committing to doing the work that gets you the results?
Sometimes the frustration we feel towards the lack of results is actually a frustration with ourselves for settling for less than we know we are capable of and less than we know we deserve. When we let ourselves down, we get frustrated and then point our finger in the wrong direction.
I bet if you really stuck to this healthy eating thing, the frustration would disappear. I bet if you stopped hitting snooze and committed to getting that morning workout in no matter what, the frustration would be gone.
I bet if you stopped giving in to temptation and chose to say no instead, you would feel really proud of yourself for growing your will power and the frustration would be replaced with strength.
If we lose our own excuses, we can lose the weight. If we lose our own justifications, this healthy lifestyle thing becomes a whole lot easier to do. If we lose our lack of commitment, we win every single time.
So, how can you finally lose the weight and live healthier? By losing the uncommitted, half-hearted, ‘only kinda want it’ approach and going all-in instead. I challenge you to commit to making the next 12 weeks of your life, ones that get you results and have you entering January 2022 with a body you are proud of, improved energy and health, and a commitment level you knew all along you were capable of.
It starts with losing all the half-hearted efforts and deciding to fully commit instead.
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This is a monthly opinion piece; Alison Brown is a local business owner, mother and published author.
