Overcoming Obstacles on Your Weight Loss Journey
Overcoming obstacles on your weight loss journey is crucial if you ever want to reach your goal. It is foolish to think that the road will be smooth sailing all the way through. In fact, it would be foolish to think the journey would be anything but difficult or seem downright impossible at times.
No…I’m not trying to discourage you before you even get started.
What I am trying to do is give you a healthy dose of reality and encouragement at the same time. The reality is that fitness and weight loss is hard. No two ways about it. Think of it this way…
If it were easy, everyone would be doing it!
It would be far easier to eat whatever you want and be lazy, right? Well, you can, but not if you want to reach your weight loss goals. Now, I didn’t say you never can. You just can’t the majority of the time. In fact, having lazy days and eating what you want, have their place in your journey. It’s called a cheat meal and they are important for a number of reasons, which you can read about here.
But the fact of the matter is, in order to reach your weight loss goals, you have to do the opposite of what you’ve been doing. After all, the saying goes that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So, that means if you want change, eating clean and being active the majority of the time rather than what you’ve been donig. That poses problems, or obstacles, for a lot of people. To name just a few, it means overcoming obstacles like:
- Not enough time for exercise
- Not enough time to make healthy meals
- Self-doubt about your ability to do this
- Insecurity about working out
- No money for a gym membership
Keep in mind that when you make up your mind to make a significant change in your life, obstacles will pop up.
Always. Every single time. Without fail. It’s the universe’s way of seeing how badly you really want to reach your goal. If it’s not a priority, you’ll give in and crumble right at the first stumbling block. If you really, truly do want to reach your goal, you’ll keep pushing ahead and finding ways around each obstacle. You won’t let anything deter you.
In looking at some of the obstacles listed above, some of you might think that they sound an awful lot like excuses. And you might absolutely be right. One person’s obstacle might be another person’s excuse. I’ve seen amputees blow right through everything mentioned above and then some. And you would think that being an amputee would be the biggest obstacle of all, but it doesn’t stop them from reaching their goals. I also know of people who started their fitness goals at 70 years of age. They didn’t let age stop them either.
Why?
Simply put, we prioritize what matters to us.
And when it’s a priority, we don’t let anything stand in our way. Not age or missing limbs. There might be some legitimate obstacles that pop up. And they might take some creative thinking to get past them. Some of the solutions might not be easy. But like we said in the beginning, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
Case in point…me again.
My work schedule changed. I hate mornings. Absolutely despise them. It’s bad enough I have to wake up early to get to work now by 7:45. But I also have to get home to my 90-year-old father as soon as possible after work. If I went to the gym after work, I’d be there forever with the after-work crowd and I also hate waiting for machines. My solution? As much as it pains me, I go to the gym before work. That means I get up when it’s still completely dark (4:00 AM!) and get my butt to the gym by 5:30. Yes, it’s hard. And yes, I’m grouchy throughout my entire workout. But I do it because it’s important to me.
And I hate dealing with the guilt if I skip workouts.
The lines might blur a bit between your obstacles and excuses.
But if it’s important to you, you’ll make your goals a priority and you’ll figure out a way. What I know for a certainty is that nobody takes on a challenge without obstacles popping up. I would wonder what’s wrong with my goal if I didn’t have any obstacles. If overcoming obstacles wasn’t part of the challenge, my goal probably isn’t big enough. And when I seriously thought about it…I wasn’t anywhere near 70 and I was fortunate enough to have all of my limbs intact.
Sounds crazy, right? I mean, you could always coast through life and take the comfy road, without ever reaching for your dreams. But then what would it be like when your life was reaching its end? They say that nothing worthwhile ever happens in your comfort zone. Would you live those last days content or would it be with a lifetime full of regrets because you never stepped outside of your comfort zone?
I sincerely hope it’s not the latter.