Nobody likes to be wrong.
We knock on others who like to be right, but think about it, do you really LIKE being wrong?
NO!
So many of us hate the idea of being wrong, so much so that we live plagued by the fear of being WRONG.
It’s called fear of failure.
And do you know what?
It’s my biggest fear.
Always has been.
For as long as I can remember, if I didn’t know the answer, I would read, study, Google, or ask for help until I felt I had a decent understanding.
When it came time to shift my mindset and focus on my own health, I searched high and low for answers. Unfortunately, there are no textbooks, research articles, or Google searches about ME.
I was fully aware that I needed to make a change, but I stood at a crossroads.
Do I start this without knowing the ‘right’ answer for me? Do I start without knowing the end result?
Or do I let this irrational fear of failing and the unknown stop me?
I jumped in, and for the first time really felt as if I pushed past one of my biggest fears.
It has been quite the journey of growth, self-discovery, and finding the ‘right’ answer.
I wouldn’t trade it, but if I were to go back to the start and somebody was willing to offer some pieces of advice, I would take that in a heartbeat.
I know some of you are reading this halted by your own fear of being wrong or failing, which is exactly why I want to be the voice for you. The one that let’s you in on a few tips so you feel like with you’re starting with SOME answers.
How about 7 tips?
One for everyday of the week to better connect with what you might be feeling throughout the week.
Sunday – Quit Trying to Do This Alone
It doesn’t matter if you’re a personal trainer, a bank teller, a dietician, a CEO, a doctor, or a construction worker, this journey SHOULD NOT be walked alone.
SO QUIT TRYING TO DO IT ALONE.
Yes, there is an individual aspect because you need to be the one to do the work, but I have not met one person to successfully do this 100% on his or her own.
Why?
Because we are social beings!
We have family, friends, and coworkers.
We interact with people everyday, and whether we want them to or not, they impact our health.
Of course I am an advocate for hiring a coach (HELLO, it’s my livelihood so if you’re interested, click HERE).
However, despite this being my job, you need more than a coach to walk this journey with you.
You need the people in your life as a support system.
Quit trying to order a salad because you “had a heavy lunch” or because your “friend” told you this was great.
Quit trying to hide that you want to move your body more and THAT is why you want to go for a bike ride tonight.
Quit trying to hide the fact that you want to be healthier.
Because that is something to be damn proud of.
Own it.
Tell the people in your life because those people should be 100% supportive.
If they’re not, tell me, and I will be a part of your support system.
Monday – Wrecking Yourself in the Gym Does NOT Get Results
Mondays are THE BUSIEST day of the week at the gym. There have actually been surveys to prove this.
Why Mondays?
Because this has become everyone’s way of repenting from their weekend sins.
I know this routine all too well – my Monday workouts were filled with ALL the cardio and HIIT training I could handle in hope of erasing the pizza, ice cream, and restaurant food I ate over the weekend.
I remember there being a few times where I would workout, check my weight, workout, and then check my weight because I was SO desperate to fix my wrongdoings.
If Monday didn’t do it, I’d come back on Tuesday ready to wreck myself again hoping to shed the weekend weight.
But by Wednesday, my body was trashed. Do you know what your body does when it feels trashed? It tells you that you’re hungrier! So while you thought wrecking yourself in the gym was shedding those weekend calories, you were actually giving your body more of a reason to be hungry and to then eat more food.
You cannot outrun a poor diet.
If you haven’t heard that saying before, thank you for letting me be the first because it is
SO true.
Working harder and harder in the gym will not get you long-term results. In fact, it
makes you eat more and lower your good decision making in relation to food.
In addition, trying to wreck yourself in the gym everyday or even just every Monday puts you on the fast track to injury, and that won’t keep anyone in the gym….
Tuesday – Your Gut Gives Great Feedback
Did you know that bloating is a good thing?
So are headaches, stomach pain, and constipation.
Huh?
Each of these things has a cause, and many times, that cause comes from what you ate.
My taste buds are great at telling me what I do and do not like, but my gut is WAY more accurate.
The problem is that too many of us are disconnected from our gut to actually hear what it is telling us.
That’s largely due to the fact that we don’t know how or what to listen for.
Grab a notebook, and either at the beginning or end of each day, take note of the following:
- Energy Level
- Bloating & Inflammation Level
- Bowel Movement
- Aches and Pains
- Motivation Level
- Fullness
Then start to pinpoint at what points during your day did you feel those things. Once you start to narrow in on your meals you can start to add and subtract foods and evaluate the impact on those bodily responses listed above.
In the past year and a half I have learned a lot about my gut, but here are the top three things:
- Brown rice leaves me feeling bloated.
- Sweet potatoes significantly aid my bowel movements.
- Protein pancake mixes make me bloated and gassy (the SADDEST one of all).
The gut is suggested as the second brain. It’s intelligent with a boatload of answers, but remember that its voice is quieter than your actual brain’s, so listen up.
Wednesday – Just Get Started
Monday is the day you tell yourself you’re going to get started, but it’s probably Wednesday of that week where you realize you still haven’t gone to the gym.
Sundays are always ‘Meal Prep’ days and Mondays are always ‘Day 1,’ but why?
There’s no REAL reason; so get rid of that mindset because the reality is that there will NEVER be a perfect day to start.
Work will always be busy.
Family will always be coming to town.
Kids will always be packed with activities.
You will never again get this day or this moment, so make it count!
But here’s where I differ from a lot of coaches….
You see, I don’t want you to start with everything.
I want you to start with the EASIEST thing.
Whether that’s actually eating breakfast, going for a 10-minute walk, or drinking a bottle of water.
I want you to pick the easiest thing and master it.
Getting started is the hardest part, but you make it easier by picking the simplest task for you to handle.
Don’t worry about when or what you start.
Only worry about the fact that you never get this day and this moment again, so make it a beautiful one by starting on your quest for a better you.
Thursday – Comparison Crushes Progress
Do you know what one of the worst parts about social media is?
The fact that you could be ON POINT with your nutrition this week, the scale is steadily moving downward, you’re feeling great, and then you open up Facebook.
OMG! Your girlfriend is down 3 pounds since Monday!
It’s hard for even the most positive of people to stay feeling good about themselves after that.
I have such a love-hate relationship with social media.
It’s only a portion of people’s lives, and most people filter it to be the BEST parts of their lives.
Hate that.
I try to keep it as real as possible, and I try to only follow people who do the same.
Love that because that’s what YOU need.
You need to be able to open up any social media platform and be able to see the realness of a healthy lifestyle.
Unfortunately, I’m just a small portion of your social media (for now ;)).
The next time you sit down for a good old Facebook or Insta scroll, remind yourself that whatever you see is only part of the story.
Remind yourself that your journey is your own.
You will see results when your body is ready and able to give you results.
That girlfriend who is down 3 pounds?
She fights her own battles and faces her own demons; you are just seeing the positivity of her journey.
There is not a single person on this earth who is made exactly like you; therefore, there is NO ONE on this earth worth comparing yourself to.
Step out of the game.
Remind yourself of your uniqueness, and reset your mindset to focus on all that you have learned and accomplished.
Friday – Everyone Needs a Break, Plan One
Do you know who walks side by side my little Fear of Failure gremlin?
Perfectionism.
I am 26 years old, and still I struggle with the fact that perfectionism cannot be attained.
For a LONG time, I lived the All or Nothing Lifestyle.
When I was on my diet, there was no stopping. Refeed day? Didn’t need it. Cheat meal? I was stronger than that.
Until I wasn’t….
Then I refed, and my ‘cheat meals’ became so frequent that a healthy meal seemed more like a cheat meal.
I wanted to be perfect with my diet, and in my head, taking a day off plan was less than perfect. It was weakness.
If I had the secret key to getting people to stick to a diet and exercise plan 24/7 for the rest of their lives, I WOULD BE RICH.
Well, I’m not rich, so I don’t have it….
But I can let you in on a major secret for success – TAKE OFF DAYS.
So many of us struggle with the restrictive mindset. We think healthy means we cannot ever have or do the things we love again. Well that only works for a little while. Our brains get worn down from having to repeatedly tell our desires “NO,” that eventually our rational brain can no longer fight off the desires. That’s why we succumb to cheat days, weeks, or months.
Pick one day every week where you’re going to do or enjoy something you love.
Put it in your calendar and commit to it!
It gives you something to look forward to during the week, which boosts adherence.
And when the time comes, it gives your rational brain a break while quieting the desires.
That boosts consistency.
Well, adherence and consistency are the keys to success, so if you can’t have perfect isn’t successful the next best thing?
Saturday – You Don’t Need to Starve
It’s Saturday.
You have a hot dinner date with your partner.
Maybe, you’re going out with a few friends.
That means calorie overload tonight.
Do you know what old me would have done?
I would MAYBE eat a light breakfast, but other than, I wouldn’t eat for the entire day.
I’m saving myself some calories, duh!
Do you know what happened next?
Come on, you know how this one plays out.
I saved calories, but I didn’t save any of the people around me. I was SO HUNGRY as the day wore on that NOBODY was safe. It’s a miracle I had a boyfriend or friends to go out with still…..
When it finally comes time to eat, then it was game on and I saved NO ONE. Appetizers, drinks, and main dishes were demolished. Those calories I had saved up? Probably consumed in the first 10 to 15 minutes.
Then, I would feel TERRIBLE either later that night and for sure the next day.
Fasting for the entire day, not for me.
Honestly, it’s not for many people.
The reality is that if you plan to take a day off of your diet or meal plan, it doesn’t mean you have to starve yourself to compensate.
I learned that the more I ate during the day, the less I ate for dinner – crazy, right?
Dieting and eating right should NEVER make you feel that you’re starving.
Be sure you’re in the right calorie range (figure that out by going to Chapter 1 in Dieting with Wine).
Space out your meals evenly.
Plan accordingly when you do take that day off (Need help planning that day? Click HERE to plan your next night out with ME).
Your body needs to be fueled, and when it’s not, hunger pangs are a warning sign.
A great nutrition program will break that down for you, and show you exactly how to do it.
There they are. The 7 things I wish someone would have cued me in on when I started my own journey.
My journey was routinely slowed and halted by my fear of not having the right answer and being wrong.
You now have answers.
You now have a place to start.
You now know more at the start than I did, which means success is 7 steps away.
So what do you do with this information?
Start today.
