There are lots of obstacles to getting healthy. No wonder so many people struggle! But if you’re reading this, you want to change to become a healthier and more awesome version of yourself. You’re willing to put in the time, energy, and effort. You just need guidance on overcoming the roadblocks you typically encounter.
I’m Julie Zoril, creator of ZoYoga Fitness & Fat Loss, and I know that getting healthy can feel challenging. If it didn’t, we’d all be walking around in bodies we love with all the energy we need. However, just because it feels difficult doesn’t mean it is. Complex problems can have straightforward solutions.
I’ve created this resource to help you figure out your current obstacles and how to think differently about them so you can quickly move forward.
OBSTACLE #1: Trying to do too much too fast. Going from no exercise to 5 days a week. Going from eating whatever you want whenever you want to a deprivation diet.
SOLUTION #1: Start with something you can achieve without drastically changing your life. Commit to two classes a week and put them on your calendar. Start logging how hungry you are when you start eating and how full you feel when you stop before doing anything else to change your diet.
OBSTACLE #2: Being vague in your health and wellness goals. “I’m going to work out more.” I’m going to eat better.”
SOLUTION #2: Set specific and achievable goals. “I’m going to do structured exercise twice weekly for 45 minutes.” “I’m going to ensure I have some protein on my plates (even my snacks).”
OBSTACLE #3: You don’t know your WHY.
SOLUTION #3: Do you want to get healthy to enjoy your kids/grandkids more? Do you want to feel more comfortable in your body? Do you have a family history of an illness you want to avoid? Whatever it is, establish your WHY, write it down, and put it somewhere you will see regularly.
OBSTACLE #4: You have no accountability, and you need it. Your efforts may go well for a couple of weeks, but then life gets in the way, and it’s easy to return to old habits.
SOLUTION #4: Sign up for scheduled classes so the instructor knows if you don’t attend. Find a friend to join you in your venture and clarify that you need more accountability than compassion (but a little compassion is good, too).
OBSTACLE #5: You rationalize your current habits at the moment. “I earned this sweet treat because I worked out today.” “I had a bad day at work, so I’m going to skip the class I scheduled and just relax.”
SOLUTION #5: Our minds can be divided into three parts – emotional, rational, and wise. Wise is a combination of the other two. When you “rationalize,” you are actually in the emotional part of your mind. The key is moving from your emotional mind towards your rational mind and landing in your wise mind, where you combine robotic thinking with self-compassion. Another way to get to the wise-mind answer is to think about what you would say to a friend who you know wants to live a healthier lifestyle but just told you she had a terrible day at work and is considering skipping her planned workout. “Rather than doing the entire class, consider doing the first 15 minutes. A little movement will make you feel better.”
OBSTACLE #6: You are surrounded by friends and family members who offer you food when you are not hungry or convince you to skip today’s workout.
SOLUTION #6: You have two choices for this one, and doing both is ideal. 1. Think of your efforts as setting an example for those around you. There's no need to be preachy about it. Be inspirational through your actions alone. 2. Find a community with your goals. Online communities work and don’t require a significant investment of time.
OBSTACLE #7: You keep trying something new rather than giving one solution time to work. This often leads to giving up after a few weeks when you don’t see the results you’ve been promised.
SOLUTION #7: There are a lot of too-good-to-be-true promotions out there. The reality is the only thing that works is consistency - the willingness to be imperfect and keep going. This is more important than how often you work out or how perfect your diet is.
OBSTACLE #8: You ride the emotional rollercoaster of watching the numbers on your scale. When you see the number increase, you want to give up (and often do).
SOLUTION #8: If this is you, switch to weighing yourself once a week. If you really want to weigh yourself daily, use the Happy Scale app, which better shows trends. Another option is to skip the scale and take photos and/or measurements.
OBSTACLE #9: You are too busy to work out and/or eat healthily.
SOLUTION #9: Look at how you spend your time and how that matches your priorities. Keep a log for one weekday and one weekend day. Look at the log. Is there something on the log that indicates you spent time doing something unrelated to your priorities and values? If so, swap out some healthy cooking or movement in that time slot.
OBSTACLE #10: You hate exercise and/or healthy foods.
SOLUTION #10: Start small with something you don’t hate. Do you hate walking? Will you walk to the end of your block and back after dinner each night? Can you tolerate raw carrots dipped in ranch dressing? If so, make that part of one meal or snack each day. How can you do just a little bit better? Find that thing and do it. And when that no longer takes effort, find and incorporate another small change.
OBSTACLE #11: You are great at researching healthy habits. You read all the books and listen to all the podcasts, and you can give others good advice. But you struggle to execute what you know and stay consistent.
SOLUTION #11: Pick one easy plan and stick to it for 8 weeks. It doesn’t have to be the perfect plan. Just commit and keep going. If you have an off day (or an off week), pick up where you left off. After 8 weeks, assess. Then, decide whether you want to keep going with that plan and make some changes. The key is to stick with it for 8 weeks.
OBSTACLE #12: You start the same thing over and over and expecting different results. When it doesn’t work (again), you give up.
SOLUTION #12: Congratulations, you’ve found what does NOT work for you. Time to try something different. Don’t be afraid to fail. Failing is almost always a required step to success. Embrace failure and use it to your advantage to find your success.
If there’s one lesson you take away from all of this, it’s this: Get Started TODAY.
Pick a workout plan or diet plan, and start immediately. No more collecting information. No more wondering if this is the perfect plan for me. No more “I’ll start on Monday or after the holidays.” I want you to commit to yourself today to level up your life.
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As Morpheus in The Matrix says:” I can only show you the door. You’re the one that has to walk through it.”
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