How many times have you said that you were going to change your lifestyle, loose the baby weight, make a change and become “healthier” and “fitter”? How many times have you started a work out program, signed up for gym membership, online program or started a fad diet? And how many times have you not achieved your goal? How many times have you thrown in the towel (quiet literally) on your health and fitness? If the answer is every time then this is the blog for you. Tonight I am sharing with you the main reasons I believe people don’t achieve their goals and give up on their health and fitness.
1. TOO MUCH, TOO HARD, TOO SOON!
PROBLEM:
This is the biggest one I see out there especially with new Mum’s or Mum’s returning to fitness. Their return to fitness is too intense, too much and too soon. They start a program which smashes their body and they wake up the next day and literally cannot move or pick up their kids, it confuses the hell out of them (because they have no idea what the exercises are) and they go from doing zero exercise straight to high intensity, high impact and advanced movements with no progression or restoration of the post partum body and end up injured, too sore or disappointed in themselves.
SOLUTION:
Your return to fitness whether it’s post-partum or not should be gradual and gentle. Start slow by walking, doing body weight workouts, at home workouts, light weights or gentle exercise like pilates or yoga and even better a specific postpartum program designed by a specialist in the field. Allow your body to recover between session and build up strength before absolutely smashing it. If you are post partum ensure your program has been designed specifically for your needs and takes in to consideration things such as abdominal seperation, pelvic floor safe movements, joint instability, your extended period during pregnancy of the in ability to train at high intensities and has regressions to suit. If it hasn’t been designed specific for post partum or returning to fitness ASK for help from the program designer/coach/trainer!!!
Ensure you see a physio to get clearance for the specific program or classes you’re going to start. Listen to your body and make small changes instead of going in all guns blazing and ending up too sore, too injured or doing things that are too hard or advanced for you.
Just remember this is not forever just until your body is conditioned to then move in to a more generalised type of training.
2. TOO FOCUSED ON THE WAY YOU LOOK RATHER THAN THE WAY YOU FEEL!
PROBLEM: We have been convinced that “health and fitness” is about looking a certain way or achieving a certain body type. I honestly believe that if your goals are purely based around your looks rather than the way you feel you will fail every time. It takes a lot longer to see result then it does to feel them and if you are constantly looking in the mirror or stepping on the scales to see change you are only setting your self up for failure.
SOLUTION: Focus on the way you want to feel and WHY you want to feel that way. Use exercise as a way to de-stress, to re-energize and to look after your body rather than worrying so much about looking a certain way. Take note of how you feel at the end of the week after sticking to your exercise and/or nutrition plan and use that as motivation to keep going. Set goals that are based around performance or your feelings rather than around appearance. I can promise you that once you stop focusing so much on the way you look and more on the way you feel then the rest will fall in to place or seem a lot less significant.
3. YOU HAVEN’T GIVEN IT ENOUGH TIME
PROBLEM: Results wont happen overnight even though you want them to. We live in a world where we are all wanting the easy way out or the quick fix but when it comes to health, fitness and well being in general you have to work for it and it does take time and effort.
SOLUTION: Don’t be sucked in or fooled by “the quick fix” the “fad diet” or the “easiest way” – if it sounds or looks to good to be true then I would guarantee it most probably is! Instead, allow that to get to where you want to be it is going to take time and a hell of a lot of hard work to get to where you are physically and more importantly mentally happy when it comes to your well being, health and fitness. Make small goals which you can achieve along the way to stay motivated and remember that “health and fitness” should be about a balanced, healthy lifestyle forever.
4. YOU’RE COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS
PROBLEM: You’re comparing your start to someone else’s middle or end or to someone who is quiet simply NOT YOU!! You are disheartened by seeing images of #fitmums or others who look a certain way so you give up because you have convinced yourself that could never be you.
SOLUTION: I have said it so many times before but “comparison is the thief of joy” and it’s never more true than when talking about health and fitness. Remember this is your race, your life and your body. You are different to the next person, your body is different, your exercise history and experience is different and if you are pregnant or post partum your pregnancy, birth and recovery are different and unique to you so how can you compare yourself to someone else. I have been so guilty of this in the past that I had to “unfollow” all fitness influencers online because I would literally compare myself to them daily.
It has only been since I stopped the comparisons that I have learnt to truly love working out and fitness for the mental health , physical and wellbeing benefits rather than striving to achieve a certain body which was not my own!!
I now strive to be the best version of me and that’s exactly what you should do too!
5. YOU’RE GOING IN ALONE AND BLIND
PROBLEM: You don’t seek the professional help and advice specific for you and your needs so you either get bored, easily disheartened or injured.
SOLUTION:
Do you know if you have a weak pelvic floor? Do you know if you have prolapse? Do you know if you have abdominal separation? Do you know if that niggle in your back is just a niggle or something more serious? If so, do you know what you should and shouldn’t be doing?
Before returning or starting any fitness program I would highly recommend seeing a women’s health physio – this is particularly important if you are pregnant or postpartum. Your body has been through a hell of a lot and is different to how it was before so needs to be trained to suit it. If you have a weak pelvic floor or even more so if you have prolapse signing up to a generic program, gym or classes is the WORST thing you could do without seeking advice on how to train to suit your condition.
Remember just because your friends Sally and Susan have a weak pelvic floor that doesn’t mean it’s normal because even though it is common it is NOT normal. You can fix it now so that you don’t end up with prolapse or cause further damage. Did you also know that a weak pelvic floor can cause incontinence at an earlier age.
The other thing would be when starting back with your fitness would be to get a program specific to your needs whether that’s from your physio, a postpartum specific program, seeing a personal trainer in the new gym or a personalised on line program before stepping in to more generalised programming.
These are my beliefs as to why so many women (this is particularly based around Mum’s) give up on their health and fitness and put it in the “too hard” basket.
What’s stopping you from achieving your goals? Are they above or are they something else? Let me know.
Love,
Brittany
PS IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT PROLAPSE IS CHECK IT OUT HERE AND FIND OUT WHY ITS SO IMPORTANT TO LOOK AFTER YOUR PELVIC FLOOR!!!
Aug 14, 2017
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