“I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.”
-Plato
Being a health-conscious fitness professional, I hear a lot of the same comments over and over again from friends, family and clients.
Some of these comments include:
“I wish I ate the way you do.”
“I wish I had time to train as much as you do.”
Honestly, these comments are kind of fun because they’re really like invitations for me to help. I love figuring out what nutrition habits will work best for people long-term. (There is no one answer for everyone!) I also love talking with friends, family members and clients about how they can not only find time to train, but also how to make the best use of the training time they do have. {Ahem…lift weights, push sleds, sprint and swing kettlebells.}
The only comment that really bothers me is this one, where the “it” is usually eating healthy foods, training hard or staying in shape:
“It is so easy for you. I wish it was that easy for me.”
Guess what? It’s not easy for anyone to eat well and workout consistently. I’m just like you. I’m busy with my job, my family and maintaining my house.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but just because I own a gym doesn’t mean that I can hang out there all day and lift weights. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t pay the bills.
I don’t have a personal shopper to get my groceries or a chef to prepare healthy food for me and my family to eat. I don’t have a housekeeper to clean up after I cook either.
Honestly, I spend hours in the kitchen each week preparing healthy meals and snacks. I write out my training plans and I look at the calendar each week to find times when I’ll be able to train, whether it’s at the gym or at home. Feeling good, staying healthy and keeping my family healthy are all priorities to me. That doesn’t mean it’s easy or that I squeeze in my training sessions by accident. It’s a lot of work to eat healthy and workout consistently.
Next time you find yourself wishing that eating healthy or training consistently was easier for you, stop and change your thinking. Quite frankly, yes it might be slightly harder for some than it is for others {becoming a mom makes it harder to fit in workouts, but not impossible}, but trust me when I tell you, it’s not easy for anyone regardless of what someone may look like or how they portray it on Instagram. {Instagram Lies…}
If you continue to tell yourself how difficult it is for you to eat right or that you are too busy to find time to workout, you’re going to start believing it’s the truth and not just more excuses (which, I’m sorry, but they are).
If you wish you ate healthier foods or trained more often, do it. Commit to changing right now. Whether you are lazy, afraid to change, adjusting to a new or busy schedule, or you’re just not making your health and fitness a priority, start now. It may take a bit of time, but I bet you’ll find that “it” gets easier for you too.
Remember, the magic happens when you take one day and one decision at a time. The first step and first decision you need to make in order to eat healthy and workout consistently, or at least workout more efficiently, is to make up your mind to do it.
Keep in mind that there will always be someone stronger and leaner than you. That person may make eating healthy and training hard look easy, but don’t forget that there will also always be someone struggling more than you are too.
What’s one tip you have that helps you eat healthier or fit in workouts?
Leave a Reply