The first step in accomplishing any fitness goal or any goal, for that matter, is to get in the right frame of mind; believing you will find a way to persevere through any obstacle that may hinder your progress.
Hustle Fitness recently launched a 6-week body transformation challenge. Participants receive a meal plan with recipes and a grocery list plus unlimited access to my studio and one-on-one coaching sessions. At the end of the 6 weeks, the participant who experienced the biggest transformation (as deemed by myself and staff) would win a trip for two to Cancun Mexico. As you can guess, this sparked a lot of interest in both current patrons and non-members of Hustle Fitness.
In the early stages, one particular woman, Cari, whose goal is to lose 30 pounds, said to me “I need to do this challenge because I’ll be traveling for several days during the 6 weeks and I need to hold myself accountable.” I said “Great! That’s excellent motivation for this challenge and I know you will be very successful.” She wasn’t going to let a few days of travel and a disruption to her routine stop her. For comparison, another woman, whose goal was to lose 15 pounds, reached out to inquire about the challenge, specifically the expected dates.
Upon learning the program was running August 1 through September 12, she concluded she would rather wait to start because she would be traveling during the 4th week of the challenge. While I tried to provide the same motivation, telling her “this would be an excellent way to hold you accountable during your travel and keep you on track,“ this woman chose not to register for the challenge. However, I am pleased to report, after two weeks of this challenge, Cari has lost over 11 pounds (as of this writing). In addition to the weight loss, she has established positive habits to carry forward after the challenge ends.
Two people were faced with an identical hurdle yet handled it in totally different ways; one turned an obstacle into an excuse while the other turned that obstacle into a catalyst for her desired outcome. Cari saw the adversity as an opportunity to grow. She wanted to challenge herself, learn how to make lasting change, and establish habits that would stick. The other woman gave into her excuse.
It is not my intention to single out this one woman since I only talked to her briefly, but I’ve seen this exact scenario time and time again. Most of us fear change or failure. Our ego is fragile and we allow this fear of failure to alter our intentions. If we commit to something and we fail, then what? Are we a failure? Do we see adversity as an opportunity to improve or an opportunity to quit?
Failures are opportunities to grow. Cari saw awesome results the first two weeks of the challenge. Others struggled, which is expected. For some people it’s hard to let go of old habits. Temptations pile up and encourage us to quit. But what happens if we refuse to quit and see these as learning opportunities? Going on a road trip may takes you out of your comfort zone; you are not on the same routine and you need to make adjustments. But, these adjustments could bring you closer to your goal. It all depends on how you look at it. If we can keep moving forward and continue discovering ways to improve, we alter our perception of failure.
The two reasons people often fail in their fitness goals:
- They lack a proper plan or underestimate how difficult or exciting it will be to change.
- They lack a support system.
It can be difficult to change. Fitness success stories are filled with trial-and-error and many, small failures. Cari knew it wasn’t going to be easy making this change. She works in Sales and travels somewhat frequently for work. Not everyone she associates with will share her values or goals. However, Cari’s attitude keeps her focused on her goal. When she visits Hustle Fitness, she is ready to work and always has a smile on her face when she leaves.
Like most people, you probably enjoy being around people who focus on the positive and who want to be successful. An important part of developing the winning mindset is to surround yourself with good people. Especially with fitness goals, it is important to find people who will push you to keep going because you are strong, capable, unstoppable and you will crush your goals. We are all here on this planet to help one another. If you are new to working out or struggling, lean on someone who is doing well or who has been there before. If you are “CRUSHING IT” or have been doing well for a long time, share your progress with others; inspire them and help them on their journey.
If you can establish a positive mindset, this will serve not only as your motivation for improvement but also your foundation for success. If you can push through the difficult times and keep going, you will come out changed. You will feel stronger, fitter, leaner, improved. If you stick to the plan and persevere, the real victory lies in your sense of accomplishment from the valuable habits that will stay with you for the rest of your life.