It’s easy to think of fitness and health management as a binary – either you’re in a period of staying healthy and active, or you’re letting all your vices run riot. But the truth is often much more complex than that, as it is with everything. For example, you might be generally quite active, but wish you drank less alcohol, especially now you can’t shake it off as well as you used to.
Or, maybe you’re generally healthy but eat a little too much, and notice this when aware that your healthy weight is no longer as realistic as it once felt. If you’ve had multiple periods of healthy living only for that to fall by the wayside, you may feel a little flat and lacking in motivation.
Can you re-establish that despite experiencing a failure to launch in the past? We think so. Let’s discuss how:
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Consider Minor Small Changes, Incrementally
It’s okay if you just focus on the tiniest thing now and then slowly use that momentum to try something else. Fitness living can often fail if every element of your life is trying to be changed at once. So, maybe you add a vegetable to dinner tonight without changing anything else. Next week, perhaps you take the stairs at work instead of the elevator. That’s because tiny changes barely register as effort but gradually build into real habits, as your brain doesn’t trigger the same resistance it would to a dramatic new regimen. Nobody feels intimidated by drinking one extra glass of water daily or taking a five-minute walk after lunch, but they do feel sustainable and like little nice improvements you’re enjoying. Over a year, think of how many little adjustments like that you can cement into your habitual cycle.
It’s Fine To Use A Startup Booster
It’s okay to use a helping hand to begin with, such as hiring a PT in the gym to help you get your form right, or finding weight loss medication online to help with your portion control. It might also mean joining a short challenge, trying a meal delivery service for a couple weeks, or using a new fitness app with a friend.
These temporary supports will give you a little structure when your inspiration otherwise feels low, and you can begin building from there. Don’t think this is cheating, it’s just another path to new habits.
Try A Brand New, Totally Different Approach
Previous attempts might have failed not because you lack discipline but because those methods simply didn’t suit you. Maybe you hate running but absolutely love swimming, for instance, but have never really tried it because the leisure centre is five minutes away from your gym.
It’s also true that your body and preferences change over time too, so activities you disliked years ago might feel completely different now and could be worth checking out again. In the same way, the rigid meal plan that made you miserable before might be replaced by efforts like intermittent fasting. Why not try?
With this advice, you’ll be sure to try fitness again despite issues in the past.
