And the 7 excuses we hear you use to talk yourself out of beginning today!
Our members have come to us with very specific goals over the years and we have seen some common themes pop up! Those goals are listed below along with the reasons we’ve heard that hold you back from starting today.
1. You want to lose weight and most of our clients have a weight loss goal that ranges between 15-20 pounds but sometimes as high as 50-75! These goals are totally doable! We often times recommend that we begin with realistic goals such as losing 1-2 pounds per week. That comes out to be about a change of 350 calories per day. Feels more manageable, right? When we set more realistic goals, our mindset changes automatically from “I can’t” to “I will!” The reason we have heard from our community is that they don’t have the time, so why even start?!
2. You want to feel better with more energy, more confidence, and less stress! These are the reasons I began my strength program after graduating from college in ’11. I was so exhausted from work, family, social life, and school that I had gained 15# of unhealthy body fat. I didn’t feel as if I was leading my community by example and so I set out to make some serious changes in my life. I began meal prepping, exercising regularly, and even started a new hobby in boxing which eventually led me to jiu-jitsu! The top reason I hear from our members is that they don’t have a game plan or program that works!
3. You want to look better because life has caught up with us. Whether that be work is overwhelming and draining or family has consumed all of your free time. The reason we allow this to happen to ourselves is that you prioritize others’ needs above your own. And many times, there are moments when our relationships are a top priority but when we are drained physically and we aren’t happy in our own skin, that’s the time to put yourself first! Make yourself a top priority!
4. You want to perform better at work, at home, during your favorite activities, or sports! When I began losing the unwanted weight, I gained so much more from the journey that I had envisioned when I set out with just that goal. As the body fat came off, my energy skyrocketed and I had plenty leftover each day to begin a new hobby in boxing and eventually it led to my lifelong passion for jiu-jitsu. Putting performance at the top of my list of goals, allowed me to shift my mindset to learning a new skill as opposed to losing weight. You may hold yourself back from setting performance goals because you may think you could not possibly improve your performance at your age, this time in your life, or with everything else you have on your plate. My performance improved in every area of my life when I put performance as a priority!
5. You want to build lean muscle mass for toning or a performance goal. Lean muscle mass does so much for us for so many reasons. It helps us look, feel, and perform better but it also burns more calories per day which helps us reach our weight loss goals! The reason you may not start a strength program is because you can’t envision how easy and beneficial building lean muscle mass is at any age!
6. You want to be an example for your family, community, or coworkers which can impact so many lives around you, so I get why this is a big motivator. I have also begun a new strength program or modality because I wanted to be a better leader at Fit Life! Kettlebells, olympic lifting, and non-linear periodization are all programs I’ve educated myself on since beginning Fit Life in 2011. The reason you may hold yourself back here is because of limiting beliefs such as “I could never be an example” or “I don’t have enough expertise to lead”. Trust me, I’ve been there before and I want to remind you that someone is always watching you. Your kids (coworkers, family, friends) look up to you and if they see you taking one small step each day, that’s where your example for them begins!
7. You want to live a better life because you have been stuck in a plateau for a little while now. A strength training program can and will JUMPSTART a new period in your life so that you can achieve all that you have ever wished to! This is why I believe exercise is a great place to begin a personal growth journey. It just so happens to be one of the five pillars of optimal health we teach in our holistic approach to coaching our members. You may not have even realized this was a reason you’ve been held back physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually.
What reason stands out at you today? What has been holding you back from getting started now? Join our private facebook community today for more tips and articles just like this to help you reach your goals quickly and safely!
