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If there was one word we would want everyone to associate with weight loss, it would be this: patience. Whether this is your first or 51st attempt at weight loss or living a healthier life, always remember that sustainable change doesn't happen overnight; sustainable change happens over time and for the rest of your life. Nowhere is this more apparent than when you're first trying to find your groove. If you've been in the contemplation phase for a while, chances are you've got a lot of ideas running through your head. Perhaps you have a thousand meal ideas pinned to your "Healthy Eats" Pinterest board, you might have started following fitness influencers you admire and want to emulate, or maybe you've bookmarked different bodyweight workouts, but it's safe to say nearly everyone who's considered healthy living has considered what they expect that to look like for them. But here's the thing: Your first attempt might not actually be the plan that's best suited for you. And here's the important thing: That's okay. For me, it took nearly a year to find the combination that made me one of those people who says absurd things like, "I just feel off if I miss more than two days of exercise." Along the way I tried running, Barre, Pilates, running again, Insanity DVDs and spinning. In each trial, I learned—I learned about my likes and dislikes, what motivates me and what I came to dread. Every workout that I ended up abandoning got me one step closer to my current exercise routine which is the perfect fit for my strengths, personality and schedule. That's not to scare you off, but rather to serve as a reminder that you can explore and experiment and have fun as you work toward a routine you can sustain and look forward to each week. Developing a love (or even just an acceptance) of exercise is a lot like playing matchmaker with yourself. Fitness is not always going to feel great. In fact, a lot of times you're going to want to quit. It's supposed to be hard, yes, but it shouldn't be miserable. If you've been inactive for a while, it can be especially challenging to motivate yourself to keep sweating when sore muscles and shortness of breath threaten to steal your dedication to finding "the one" (workout, that is). As behavior change experts, we know that the wrong fitness program can make you want to give up—which is why we do things different here. While these challenges can make an exercise routine difficult in the beginning, know that as you become more accustomed to regular physical activity, you'll see a change in your energy levels and your body really will start craving it. In fact, most regular exercisers don't always love exercise in the moment, but they keep coming back for that powerful, proud feeling that everyone gets at the end of a great sweat session. All it takes is a little trial and error to get there. As with many major changes in life, you have to try on a few options before finding the one that fits just right. If a workout doesn't feel right or you find yourself dreading class every day, it's time to abandon ship. There are plenty of fish in the sea, so there's no need to commit to the first one that bites. Sign up for classes you never thought you'd enjoy, try out a new walking interval workout with a friend and look up some yoga flows to try in the comfort of your living room. Any one exercise could be the one that makes you fall madly in love with working out. This applies to food, as well. Just because everyone is on the kale train doesn't mean you have to force yourself to throw it in your grocery cart despite hating the texture. As mom used to say, just because everyone else is eating celery sticks and baked chicken breasts, doesn't mean you have to do it, too. Tastes vary from person to person so it's important to start developing a list of the healthy foods you enjoy and then learn to build meals around them. Dreading the meals you have planned is only going to lead to unhealthy binges and falling back into bad habits over time, so spend some time researching and taste-testing healthy meals from the beginning. Remember that it's okay if your Tuesday night cauliflower pizza was less than ideal and no one asked for seconds because you're under no obligation to make that cauliflower pizza recipe again. Planning meals and finding new recipes may be a time-consuming process at first, but after you figure out the kinds of recipes you like and food combinations that fuel your body it will become easier and easier to throw together a meal that's satisfying and delicious. Healthy living is not one-size-fits-all so don't get discouraged that the meal plan that helped your co-worker lose 15 pounds or the exercise routine your sister-in-law swears by makes you want to scream. Those ups and downs are a completely normal part of any healthy lifestyle journey. Give yourself a break and the time you need to find a balance that makes you smile through the highs and lows, remembering to focus on the big picture: a healthier, happier future you who can conquer the world. |