OBSTACLES VS. EXCUSES
What kind of things have interfered with you reaching your fitness goals? Did you find yourself subscribing to some new fad diet or product with minimal results that only worked as long as you kept forking over that money to pay for it? Did you "try" working out but couldn't be consistent enough for long enough to see any results? Well, I've done all of the above. Yep, I'm guilty across the board. There's nothing worse than just spinning your wheels and getting nowhere. That's why I want to walk you through the difference between obstacles and excuses.
OBSTACLES are things that make your path more difficult. There are ways around obstacles and sometimes those ways are longer than they would be for someone else and sometimes those obstacles require sacrifices to get around them but the main thing to remember is that you can ALWAYS get around obstacles.
EXCUSES are things that you fabricate to talk yourself out of doing something you know you need to do. The problem with excuses is that there's no way around them because the only thing standing in your way is YOU. No one can maneuver around an excuse because it will continually move to stay in your way until you just give up. To overcome excuses, you have to remove them all together.
I can give you an example that will help you determine whether you have a excuse or an obstacle...
Imagine that you had a long hard day at work. One thing after the other kept happening to drag you down into the absolute pits. Perhaps you didn't get enough sleep the night before, perhaps you are PMSing or man-strating (yes, this applies to guys, too). By the end of the work day, you are physically, mentally and possibly even emotionally spent. You walk in your house ready to just collapse in a heap on the floor when you get a text from your BFF...
"You're not going to believe this but I'm down the street at {insert random location name here} and you'll never guess who is here and wants to meet you!! {insert your favorite famous person's name here}!!!"
Let's be realistic, you know damn well that you would instantly summon a ridiculous amount of energy from deep within your soul to go from zero to night-on-the-town-ready so you could run down the road and meet your David Cassidy (or Channing Tatum, depending on how old/ young you are). I'm right, aren't I? Yeah, you know I am. Now replace your heart-throb with the gym. Not so eager to run back out that door now, are you?
That, my friends, is an EXCUSE.
"I'm too tired."
"It's been a long day."
"I've got cramps."
"I've got explosive diarrhea."
These are all excuses. Although, I would fully support your choice to stay home for that last one. That would be really nasty. In fact, please stay home, we don't need to put that to the test.
Now, let's talk about obstacles.
First off, before beginning any type of new fitness or nutrition plan, I highly recommend a visit to your primary care physician. There are so many possible underlying issues that can work against you, so identifying these OBSTACLES in advance can help save you a lot of blood, sweat and tears. From personal experience, I suggest you get checked out for the following:
- Hyper/Hypoglycemia
- Hyper/Hypothyroidism
- Chronic stress/ anxiety
- Cushing's Syndrome
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Syndrome X (Insulin Resistance)
- Depression
- Low Testosterone (yes, this also affects women)
Hypothyroidism alone is extremely common, affects both men and women, and up to 60% of those suffering from a form of thyroid disease DON'T EVEN KNOW IT!
Me? I drew the short-straw and suffer from Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Chronic Anxiety from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, PCOS and Low Testosterone. WOO HOO, go me! I used to cry in my Blue Bell about it and stay super depressed until I decided that enough is enough.
I AM IN CONTROL OF ME
Mind over matter!! With positive thinking and a little discipline, I KNEW I could destroy those excuses and find a way around these obstacles to be the fit girl I KNOW I am that has been hiding in a fat girl suit for the past several years.
Here I am 9 months later, down 35 lbs and 15% body fat. I've never felt better.
Are you ready to feel good again?
Keep following because our next topic will be... DIETS- Friend or Foe?
#4RunHerFit
No comments:
Post a Comment