I absolutely love the quote, “Fitness is not a destination; it’s a journey.” This single line encompasses everything I believe in when it comes to my health. In the fast pace world of today, so many of us expect results instantaneously, but when it comes to our bodies it simply doesn’t work like that. You can’t expect to lose weight over night or gain muscle while you sleep. Changing your body takes time-weeks, months, and even years! Becoming a healthier you is a process. Lifting weights a couple times a month or run around the block when the spirit strikes isn’t going to cut it. To see real progress you have to commit. Now this doesn’t mean all you have to do is work out five times a week and you’ll suddenly see that 6-pack you’ve been dreaming of because let’s be honest, that hamburger and fries with the milkshake on the side isn’t just going to slide off your hips. Being committed means focusing on what you eat just as much as you focus on your workouts.
Watching what I eat is definitely my biggest challenge. I have a hard time saying no to unhealthy snacking. I figure, “hey I’ve been good all week so a small bite won’t kill me,” but one small bite leads to another, and another, and before you know it whatever it was is gone! My goal is to start to think about food differently. The old me use to view food as a treat, something to indulge in and lose myself in. The new me is concentrating on the idea that food is nourishment, it fuels my body to keep me going throughout the day. I’ve noticed that when I think of food like this I have a much easier time saying no to the doughnut full of refined sugar and yes to an apple and almond butter.
However, making the right choices to push you toward your fitness goal is not always an easy one and we all need a little thrust now and again. So I thought I’d share some of my favorite motivational fitness quotes. Pick one that speaks to you. Write it on a post it and carry it around when you need some extra momentum. Repeat it in over and over in your head when that slice of triple chocolate cake topped with ice cream is staring you in the face. And always remember Fitness is not a destination; it’s a journey.
Become a morning person.
If you start by telling yourself this I guarantee you, you will start believing it. So much of what we do is mind over matter. Working at a bakery/café forced me to become a morning person and I am a better because of it. I get so much more accomplished and genuinely feel like a happier person when I get up early. There is something to be said about seeing the sunrise and hearing the birds chirp.
Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard.
I never said this was going to be an easy journey, but I think being fat is a whole lot harder. I hated trying to find cloths to fit and constantly feeling insecure about the ones I chose to wear. I would much rather endure the hard of lifting weights and losing my breath than the mental destruction being fat brings.
Think of your workouts as important meetings you’ve scheduled with yourself. Bosses don’t cancel.
First, you need to know that you are important! You have things to do, people to meet, and places to go so don’t be late and more importantly DON’T cancel any meetings with yourself. You are the boss of your life; you determine how it goes. So set a standard and stick to it.
“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does-that makes you a winner right there” – Venus Williams
There are too many people out there that will tell you, you can’t do something. They don’t think you have the willpower to choose the right foods or the strength to power through a workout, but who gives a damn what they think?! Your journey to a healthy lifestyle is YOUR’S and no one else’s. Know that you are doing this for you, believe in that.
Yes, I am trying to eat healthy. No, I am NOT on a diet.
There is nothing I hate more than when someone asks, “When does your diet end?” Every time I hear this I scream, in my head of course, IT’S NOT A DIET!! I don’t believe in diets. They don’t teach people how to eat long term. I believe in educating yourself about healthy options and then choosing those again and again, making it habit. Just because I say no to the enormous piece of cake at your birthday does not mean I never eat a small cookie or scoop of ice cream. It’s call moderation.
I’m not dieting I’m changing my lifestyle.
This one pretty much goes with the quote above. If I’m eating carrots and celery with hummus for a snack it’s because I care about my insides. Enjoy your French fries with a side of cholesterol.
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
A combination of Forks Over Knives and my friend from college motivated me to start living a healthier life, but creating habits have been keeping me going. My friend doesn’t call me every morning to make sure I do my workout and Forks Over Knives doesn’t randomly start playing when I reach for meat. After months of waking up early to exercise before work, I do it without thinking. I view each meal as a chance for me to build the habit of choosing veggies over meat. Habits, like muscles, are not created overnight, but forming them will power your journey forward.
You are NOT hungry you are BORED. Drink some water and learn the difference.
Admit it, one of the first things you think about when you’re sitting on the couch at home bored out of you mind is a nice bag of potato chips. Didn’t you just have lunch? Did you eat it all? Are you really still hungry? Okay probably not, so how about drinking a glass of water, waiting a few more minutes, then and only then if you are still hungry grab a piece of fruit. Put the chips back!
I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.
If you wake up today and choose to workout, walk to work, make a healthy meal, or even say a positive mantra then you are already doing better. Small steps are still steps!
Clear your mind of can’t.
Back when I played softball, anytime we said “can’t” we had to run a lap. I learned real quick never to say that word. Something might be difficult and hard to complete, but if you push yourself you CAN make progress. Remember progress is slow and small, but not impossible.
Once you see results, it becomes an addiction.
I didn’t realize just how addicted I was to leading a healthy life until I noticed that all my pants were too big. Losing 11” of body fat completely changed how my clothes fit and let me tell you…it feels amazing! That feeling of putting on baggy clothes for the first time was a kind of high. Knowing what that feels like only makes me what to reach my next goal so I can have that feeling again. Hearing something say, “Wow, you look great” is awesome, but that feeling will not stick with you as long as actually seeing your own results.