You are holding yourself back. No one else, but you.
This is a very hard thing for many people to accept. If you are okay with your current life – not even talking fitness and health here – that is awesome! But if you are not happy, and you continue to not take ownership and do something about it, you are the only one to blame.
You need to take ownership of your life and your decisions, and stop blaming outside people and things as the cause for why you can’t do XY and Z.
Ask most people what a good show to watch is and they will fire off 5 shows on TV or Netflix, but then those same people will tell you how much they wish they had the time to go to the gym.
They have the time.
It’s just not a current priority of theirs – and thats okay – as long as they don’t complain about not seeing specific results that they want.
We need to get better at owning our situations and choices.
When I played football in high school, one of our rules was if you screw up on a play, you say “my fault coach” and move on, and don’t do it again. Obviously, if someone had too many “my fault coach”‘s – they would get demoted.
But taking ownership of our mistakes, and moving forward saved us a lot of time and energy that I’m sure many people would rather spend arguing about why they screwed up, or how it was so-and-so’s fault…but we had work to do, and didn’t need to waste time doing that.
This is one of the many reasons why Eden Prairie Football is a powerhouse in the state of Minnesota and we were undefeated state champs my senior year #glorydays
When it comes to health, fitness, and nutrition – these same rules apply.
You do have time to workout. You do have time to make a healthier meal. You CAN sleep more.
You just need to prioritize these things and put in the work. Like anything else worthwhile in life, the results FOLLOW the work!
Here are some of my favorite examples of how you can do all of the above:
Making protein breakfasts – okay, this one is pretty specific, but it’s one of my favorite “myths” to bust. Eggs and egg whites are a staple of many peoples healthy diets – while the standard American breakfast is full of carbs and sugar. It takes me less than 3 minutes to make eggs in the morning. You can find three minutes – I promise. No excuses here. View the Instagram video below on how to do this:
If you have a little bit more time you can throw any veggies in the pan while it heats up. One of my favorite tricks is to cut up a bunch of veggies on a weekend, throw them in a plastic bag in the freezer, and then when I need them for eggs I just grab a handful and throw them in the pan while it heats up.
Working Out – “I wish I had time to work out all day like you” – is something that is assumed because I am a trainer. Lately, I have been lifting 3 days per week for anywhere from 60-90 minutes. And that is all I do for working out. Honestly.
Strength training is what I love doing. It also happens to be one of the best things you can do as far as exercise goes. The benefits are endless and I went into more detail on it here.
You need to find something that you at least sort of enjoy, and stick to it as your exercise. You won’t stick to something that you hate. If you enjoy yoga or running – then do that!
Obviously, I am biased and will always recommend strength training in some way shape or form because it is proven to be the best form of exercise 🙂
But here is what else my day looks like:
- On my feet all day – getting an average of about 11,000 steps per day right now
- I track my diet and hold myself accountable to my food choices
- Usually, get in one 2 mile walk per day with the family after dinner
You don’t need to spend hours in the gym. But you do need to get off your butt. Here is a totally free resource to get you started: Free Dumbbell Only Workouts
Getting More Sleep – again, you choose when you do this. Yes, there are some busy frickin people out there that need to work late and get up early. But start with a true assessment of your day. Are you wasting any time on mindless TV, phone use, or anything else?
Be honest with yourself.
Power down the electronics 30 minutes earlier tonight, turn the lights down and see what happens. You can’t knock it until you try it, and you won’t know how it feels to get more sleep until you do!
Sleep is so vital to everything that most desire – fat loss, muscle gain, more energy, more productivity, more money…
So set a timer to tell you to get your butt to bed. Hold yourself accountable, and make it happen.
Tracking Food – if I had a dollar for every time I told someone to just start tracking their food (not even making recommendations yet) and they said “I don’t have time for that” – I would have probably about 500 dollars – cool story.
But… if I had a dollar for every time someone started tracking their food, and they came back to me and said “wow! you haven’t even told me what to eat and I already lost some weight!” – I would be a millionaire. (okay maybe that’s a stretch…).
So many people claim to not have time to track, yet, those who do see the benefit right away.
Why wouldn’t you give it a shot? Truly – like setting yourself up for sleep – you can’t doubt it or knock it until you give it a fair shot. So many people just assume that they can’t do it without even trying.
Once you get the hang of it, it will only take you about 15 minutes per day – guaranteed to improve your chances of getting results.
How many people would buy a product called “The 15 Minute Workout” if it promised fat loss and sustainable results? So why not commit to tracking your food if that provides the same?
You don’t need to track forever, but it can be a great learning tool. Studies have shown that people underestimate their intake by 48%, and overestimate their output (calorie burn) by about 21-61%!
Many people “think” they are eating in a deficit until you track everything – nibbles, bites, and snacks included – and you will find that this stuff adds up fast!
Again, this is just a tool to bring awareness – and is not meant to punish or shame you. Awareness must always precede change.
Track your food while sitting on the toilet for all I care…just give it a try.
Would you like more help on taking back your life, learning to love health and food again, and getting life long results along the way? IF so —> CHECK OUT ONLINE COACHING***
Like what you read? Want to get up to date blog posts sent directly to your email? Sign up below!
Stay healthy my friends,