The Key to Dealing With Fitness Roadblocks

Everybody has them. Everybody has to deal with them. You start out on a journey to reach a goal you’ve set for yourself, and then out of nowhere, a roadblock pops up. You find a way to get around it, and then a new problem comes out of nowhere. You don’t plan for them, you definitely don’t want them, and eventually they just get overwhelming, so you may decide to quit on your goal.

We don’t plan for these unwanted and annoying issues. When we set our goals, we see the end result of achieving them and that’s what can get us motivated on the path to reaching it.

Getting Started

When people start a fat loss program, they are usually fired up about it and start out with a vengeance. The typical situation is the New Year’s Resolution gym rush. You buy your membership and swear that this will be the year you get in shape.

You hit the gym for a few weeks and then little roadblocks start showing up. Maybe work becomes a little more stressful. Maybe the kids get sick. Maybe there’s too much snow on the ground to get to the gym. Maybe you expected to see better results by now.

Whatever the reason, these bumps start to play little tricks on the mind. People start to tell themselves that it’s alright to miss today; they’ll just pick it back up tomorrow. Some do get back on track, many don’t.

The Continuous Battle to Succeed

If you do get back at it and start to make some progress, the weight may not seem to be coming off like it was in the beginning -- another road block.

Now you have to find out why. Is it your nutrition? Is it your exercise program? Instead of seeking the answers, many people at this point get very frustrated, because the process might not be going as smoothly as they thought it would, so they just stop doing it. That’s the unfortunate truth of the matter.

Winning the War

How can you get past these roadblocks? It’s fairly inevitable that they will show up at some point, but the choice is yours as to how you’re going to let them affect you. Your work and family commitments might win out on any given day, but it’s up to you to be victorious in the long run.

The one thing I see in people who quit is that they were constantly focused on the journey. They can only see how hard it is, and then they don’t even bother to continue. Yep, unfortunately, fat loss can be tough and the journey to success can seem endless, but it’s really the way you visualize it that matters. People who succeed see things a little differently.

The people who I see succeeding (with the very same challenging issues) are always focusing on the end result. It doesn’t matter what happens. They realize it’s not going to be a walk in the park all the time and know that pushing through the challenges will only bring them closer to their goals. They trust that the whole process will be worth it when they get to their goal.

If you need help with specific fitness issues, consult the professionals at your gym or a personal trainer. If it is work or family issues that prevent you from regularly exercising, you may need to adjust your schedule accordingly. Try getting your family involved and engage in physical activity that is fun for the whole family.

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get to the point

So if you’re struggling with a few unanticipated roadblocks and are thinking about quitting, my advice for you is to stop focusing on the journey. If you quit now and decide to try again later, do you really think the challenges won’t be there when you start again? It will only be that much harder to get started again once you’ve been absent from the gym.

The reality is that the challenges will always be there. So you really have only two choices. Quit or win. If you want to win, then take this advice: stop focusing on the journey and focus on the result.

Make sure YOU have a GREAT day today!

Cheers,

Dan Grant