The title kind of says it all on this one, "Starting over is the worst!"
I, like most people, have started and fallen off with my fitness journey more times than I can count. I always begin with this idea that this time it will be different, this time I won't get distracted, this time I am going to stay committed! Then, without even realizing I am doing it, I will slowly find myself falling back into those old habits.
I chose to write this post because I am at that point now where I have fallen to a bad place with my nutrition, I am becoming uncomfortable in my own skin, and my body aches more than I know that it should. So I am "starting over".
The first thing that I know I need to do is make a list of goals. What is it that I am wanting to accomplish? What kind of timeframe am I looking at? Is this realistic?
Then I need to make a list of things that are standing in the way of me reaching those goals. Sometimes it's harder to make a list of the things that are working against us than working for us, so try to take a step back and really look at the things that affect your health.
Am I drinking enough water?
Am I getting enough sleep?
Am I setting aside time to workout?
Am I eating the right foods?
Am I doing things that make me happy?
Once you have all of these questions asked, you can start making your plan to work on the areas that you struggle with. For me it tends to be food based issues. I really struggle with my consumption of breads, pastas, sweets, and wine. I know that all of these things are working against my goals, so planning on consuming less of them is important. I don't want to fully cut out any of them though because they are things I enjoy!
I like to take the recipes that I already make and love with the foods that aren't working towards my goals and see if there is a way to modify it to be a healthier option. Like pasta! I am dating an Italian, so pasta is a very big part of our cooking at home. Since pasta is more of a vessel for whatever sauce we are making, it is so easy to use veggies that we both like instead of the pasta itself. We get all of the tasty goodness of the sauce without any of the unnecessary carbs. I have found that I personally like cauliflower and peppers to be my favorite replacement veggies!
The first couple of weeks in any new program are the hardest. If it's a new program based on exercise then your muscles are going to be more sore than you're used to. If it's a dietary change then you will find yourself battling cravings. If you're trying to sleep more, breaking habits before bed is going to be a rough transition. But these first few weeks are just that. A few weeks.
Knowing that getting started is the worst, I have to get myself into a healthy mindset about the endeavor I am about to embark on. I can't express enough how important it is to start and pursue a fitness journey with a positive outlook! You aren't where you want to be, which is why you're beginning in the first place, but you are taking the steps to get there. And once you're there it will be SO good! The journey is hard enough already, so don't beat yourself up along the way.
And, if you need to, just know that it's ok if you need to start again. We all struggle sometimes and lose ourselves, but starting over is always an option!
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