Here is some key information to make your fitness journey more natural and enjoyable:

Get rid of the quick fix mentality:

We live in a generation that teaches us how to get everything fast (money, fitness, etc.). This quick-fix mentality is gradually making us lose the art of consistency, discipline, and enjoying the process to our set goal. We get so hard on ourselves when we compare ourselves to people we have never met a day before in our lives on social media. Seeing this “amazing” bodies can make us feel like we aren’t doing enough for ourselves. It’s easy to forget that there are filters and we never really get the whole picture from one post. Do you know how many photos they had to take to get that one nice one? You know how many are insecure in some area of their lives, so they need that social media perfection as validation? For some people working out and being ambassadors of brands is their job; people go to a photography school and take online courses for these things. All of these need to be put into consideration.

Before you take the quick fix approach, ask yourself these questions:

• Will going on this diet/ intense workout program make me happy or miserable?
• Am I doing it because it’s what I want, or am I trying to fit societal body standards?
• Will this become a lifestyle? (if your fitness rituals cannot become a lifestyle it is not worth your time, you run the risk of gaining all your weight back, and some)
• How will pushing myself to this extent affect my mental and physical health?
• This program may give me the body of my dreams, but will I be healthy on the inside?
• Am I too hard on myself for something that won’t matter in a couple of years?
• Do the people who matter love me regardless of my looks?  

It is important to remember, nothing worth having comes quickly. Excellent, lasting things develop with time

Treat it as a symptom, not the problem:

When it comes to fitness, we often treat our physical appearances as the problem, but it’s just telling the story of what’s going on inside us. There is a saying that goes something like

“If you chase the cat, it will keep slipping through your hands. But when you have what the cat wants, it naturally comes to you.”

This analogy is synonymous to our fitness journey; we keep going from one extreme diet and training to another. Sometimes we even lose weight, then gain them right back. Most times, the root of the problem is that we are unhealthy, hormonal, or stressed. I started losing weight and keeping them off when I decided to start focusing on my health. I’ve been able to tone my body more at home (with my little weights and resistance bands) than when I was frequenting the gym. I was able to do this because I made that mental shift.

Stop guilt-tripping and body shaming yourself:   

It’s easy for us to beat ourselves up when we do a little wrong thing like binge eat (funny thing is I just a little more than I needed to before writing this piece) or miss a workout. The problem with guilt-tripping is that it never makes you feel-good (your mental health is just as important as your fitness goals). Worse of all, being in this negative state of mind makes us feel less than worthy of your goals, and it becomes easier to give up on them.

Whatever is achievable starts in your soul:

Your soul is your mind, will, emotions, and consciousness. To achieve your body goals, you have to 1st of all be in the right state of mind. You need to already see in your mind’s eye what you will look like even though that is not what is currently manifesting the physical (meditation will be useful for this).

Also, you need to pay attention to your emotions about your current physique. You can make little progress hating yourself. You need to decide to love all parts of you unconditionally (Just like you would expect from a significant other/family members)

Make a conscious decision to change some of your lifestyle rituals to improve the state of your health. And finally, you have to be disciplined (will yourself) enough to put in the work.

It is important to remember that good hard work, even though it’s pushing you out of your comfort zone, does not make you miserable. Remember to enjoy your fitness journey.

If you want to know the things you can do to up your health and physique game follow this link.