In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast I am addressing the problem with our mentality in present-day society of wanting everything: success, results, return messages by text or email, a great life, 6-pack abs, a toned body, weight loss, and the list goes on – and wanting it immediately.
How many times have you quit at something you started feeling like a failure because you didn’t see or get the results you wanted?
For many of us, this often happens when it comes to weight loss or results from exercising. The scale doesn’t budge or our clothes are still too tight and I can’t fit into those jeans I bought 1 size smaller than usual with high hopes of slimming down and being able to rock them confidently.
If you’ve ever resorted to looking for help in muscle or fitness magazines, you might have bought into the promises of achieving ‘a new body in four weeks’. Not to mention the clever marketing of various supplement companies promising quick progress and insane strength when taken every day.
The fact of the matter is -> when it comes to fitness, there are NO SHORTCUTS. At least, no healthy ones.
Any attempts to fast-track progress will likely results in feelings of defeat and extreme frustration.
If you’re following this podcast, odds are you want to excel in life and fitness.
You are interested in changing a few things, introducing some new habits, incorporating a suitable exercise routine, ramping up your eating habits, setting and going after realistic goals and tweaking your current lifestyle to reflect and align with the YOU that you want to be more of.
However, in going after these new habits and goals we have to remain PATIENT. And, we all know that patience isn’t our strongest virtue, especially in today’s world of “overnight body transformations” and “overnight rags-to-riches stories” of success, right? It is these click-bait stories that lead us to believe in overnight success, which is nothing but a fairytale.
Let me repeat that again -> the concept of being successful at ANYTHING overnight or within a short period of time is a complete and utter fairytale.
Advertising leads us to believe these fairytales and makes them sound so blooming real and something we, too, can achieve. BUT…
What we don’t hear about is how hard that individual had to work for that particular moment of glory.
Many of the highly successful writers, celebrities and and everyday fitness professionals to whom we look up have, at one point in their career, felt defeated and lost, ready to throw in the towel.
They didn’t wake up the next day and magically transform themselves. No, no, no they didn’t. Instead, they put their heads down and went to work with clear goals ahead of them.
Using the example of the tortoise… it stayed the course and approached the race methodically or strategically against the hare. And, you need to do the same with your goals, any goals really, not just fitness goals.
Of course, I will be using examples from exercising and fitness, but these tips apply to any goal you want to achieve.
Slow and steady wins the race. Every. Single. Time.
One of the key ingredients to success in life and fitness is to stay persistent. We tend to give up and quit on our goals when the fruits of our labour don’t appear as quickly as we’d like them to.
Those extra pounds won’t vanish immediately, just like companies don’t turn into billion-dollar empires after their first business deals.
Don’t forget how many months it took you to gain the extra weight you want to lose, so you will need the same amount of time, if not longer, to shed this excess weight.
Your body is only capable of losing so much weight in a given time period, so don’t let this bog you down.
Last week I made a post in the Inspiration2grow for Female Goal-Getters FB group about adopting a ‘crockpot’ mentality versus a ‘microwave’ attitude toward achieving goals.
I think this is a very relatable analogy because we all know how to use these kitchen tools.
Microwaves are used for heating up food in a shorter amount of time.
Whereas, preparing a meal in the crockpot takes considerably more time, but the result is so much tastier, if you ask me.
Going back to the example mentioned earlier = the microwave is the hare and the crockpot is the tortoise.
And, in today’s show I’d like to go through 4 ways to help you adopt a crockpot mentality or, if you will, a tortoise mentality toward a slow and steady journey to reaching your fitness goals and achieving success in whatever it is you’d like to achieve.
1. Don’t obsess over the HOW or WHEN. Instead, focus on your “WHY”
At the beginning of any new endeavour, your motivation is bound to be quite high and your adrenaline is fueling your actions.
However, after the initial excitement wears off and life returns to a steady routine, will you remain consistent with your efforts, following the plan, sticking around to actually reach the finish line? Or will you give up and quit?
This is when you have to revisit your WHY. When the routine and banality of everyday life starts to creep back in and the adrenaline that got your going is waning, remember WHY you first started this journey. Visualize how amazing you will look and feel in your new body.
Just know that by staying the course, your confidence levels will increase and catapult you to doing more amazing things in other areas of your life -> just by sticking with the plan, chasing down your fitness goals and accomplishing them.
Remember your why. Revisit your why. Remind yourself of your why EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Write it down somewhere visible for you to see everyday.
This is, and always will be, the first step in setting goals -> get clear on your ‘why’. Know why you want to succeed with a particular goal, be that fitness or other, and don’t allow anything to get in the way of that.
2. Keep an open mind.
Fitness is not a dictatorship. Choosing to adopt a healthier lifestyle by incorporating more fitness and better food choices is “Your Own Health Adventure” where you make the decisions, and you make the rules.
Being able to succeed in both areas of cleaner eating and more exercise over the long term requires you to have a particular method or routine which fits your lifestyle.
Slow and steady progress only becomes a problem then IF you are miserable throughout the entire process.
Don’t be afraid to try various eating or exercise strategies until you find a routine that feels effortless and works for you.
3. Give doubt the cold shoulder and run away from the haters in your life.
Nothing kills your goals faster than the so-called ‘dream crushers’ and negative people you might be surrounded by.
If you find that friends, family, co-workers, neighbours even or anyone else is constantly crushing your motivation or disrespecting your aspirations, distance yourself from them immediately.
Here’s the problem…we are already our own worst enemies ridden with guilt and self-doubt (especially when we’re trying new endeavours), so that last thing we need is more negativity from people around us.
It can be difficult to do, but don’t allow these people to get to you. Here’s the raw truth of the matter…they don’t want to see you succeed because then they’ll have no excuse for why they can’t get themselves going and be amazing and remarkable, just like you.
Remember that your own success and reaching your own dreams in life are so much more important than anyone else’s opinions of you.
4. Stay in your lane.
Before you try to set out and accomplish any goal in life or fitness-related, YOU NEED A VISION. If any situation or decision doesn’t align with your purpose in fitness or life, then don’t do it.
By this I mean, just because your neighbour is doing something, doesn’t mean you have to follow suit.
Just because you see some gimmicky product promising rapid health benefits in a short period of time, don’t buy into the hype or marketing.
If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
The more connected and fully aligned you are with your vision, the easier it will be to show up for yourself, your habits and your goals each day.
And, sometimes, the real reason why you aren’t succeeding with a particular goal isn’t due to the effort or lack thereof. It is because the goal isn’t in alignment with who you are.
For example, if you can’t workout 5 days a week, stop lying to yourself and cut back to three times.
If you have trouble with binge-eating in social environments, just be honest with yourself and admit it. My advice would be to prepare yourself for the situation by eating a snack at home prior to getting together with friends in a social setting.
The message today is to stay focused on your goals. Remember that slow and steady will win the race and take you to the promise land.
I would also like to invite you to become part of the Inspiration2grow community on Facebook. The group name is: Inspiration2grow for Female Goal-getters. It is meant to be a community of like-minded women who want to grow strong from the inside out. There will be daily journalling prompts, nutrition and fitness tips, exercises to try, encouraging conversations among the community and lots more. So, be sure to join this group for support, new ideas and the necessary rocket fuel to propel your health and wellness to new heights.
You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself, show up for yourself and become the best version of YOU.
In case you haven’t heard it yet today, let me be the first to tell you…
You are incredible, capable and your potential is limitless. Never forget that I believe in you 100%. Now, go out there and show the world what you are truly made of.
I hope to have inspired you to grow.
Til next time,
Lisa xoxo
